I remember when I first moved to Florida as a teenager being mesmerized by Planet Hollywood at what was then Downtown Disney. First of all, it was the late 90’s and Planet Hollywood was still very much in its heyday. The globe-shaped restaurant was a lit-up Planet Earth with a UFO as the entrance, backed by celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis.
A few years ago, Planet Hollywood in Disney Springs underwent a facelift and reopened its doors in January 2017 as a four-story stargazing observatory with new spaces including an outdoor terrace and lounge, as well as a new menu. It is touted as a place you can “Dine Amongst the Stars.”
In all honesty, I think aesthetically my children would have preferred the Planet Earth as opposed to the big gray industrial-looking structure it is today. Of course, a giant planet earth would not exactly go with the turn-of-the-century aesthetics of Disney Springs.
Disney Springs is a retail, dining, and entertainment district located in the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Our family often enjoys an afternoon visit to the area. There are more than 150 shops and restaurants, specialty boutiques and plenty of dining experiences, many created by celebrity and award-winning chefs.
On one of our recent day trips to Disney Springs, we decided to finally try out the redesigned Planet Hollywood. I for one was very excited to try out one of the Big Bite Burgers or Signature Sandwiches created by celebrity chef and tv personality Guy Fieri.
As Disney Springs is a very popular tourist destination, it is always suggested to have reservations at any of the dining establishments so I was sure to make reservations ahead of time. You can make your reservations through the My Disney Experience App, directly through Planet Hollywood’s site, or by calling the restaurant.
When we arrived we were quickly seated in the lower main dining area. The large screen that could be seen from all four stories was playing a sing-along song as we took our seats. The entertainment on the screen changed throughout our visit including trivia and the latest music videos. The kids also enjoyed the performances of The Village People’s YMCA by the wait staff.
Planet Hollywood is also known for its Hollywood memorabilia. This memorabilia is displayed in glass cases located throughout the entire restaurant.
Eden and I decided we wanted to go exploring and check out all of the Hollywood memorabilia. I quickly noticed that the upper levels were roped off which was sadly going to limit our adventure as much of the memorabilia lines the circled staircase. I found an employee and was told that they keep it roped off for safety reasons but they do let guests explore, so off we went.
As most of the memorabilia is from classic movies and television, Eden was underwhelmed with the displays. Fortunately, we have exposed our children to some of the classics like Home Alone, Star Wars and the Batman movies, so when we happened upon the sled from a scene in Home Alone, she was excited to take a picture.
After exploring, we went back to enjoy our food. The children’s menu includes the normal offerings you will find for kids at any major restaurant, including chicken fingers, spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, and cheese pizza. We ran into an issue when we were told they could not add pepperoni to the cheese pizza for Xen, only bacon. Another food choice was made and all was well.
As for the adult menu, besides Guy’s Big Bite Burgers and Signature Sandwiches, there are grilled specials, pasta, and salads. Oh, and let’s not forget their World Famous Chicken Crunch. Planet Hollywood also has an over the top dessert menu including some decadent Super Nova Shakes.
So what do I think about the Planet Hollywood experience with kids? Well, all in all, my 9-year-old kids were underwhelmed, especially my son. He said his favorite part was the big screen with the Hollywood trivia games. Being the musical one of the bunch, Eden enjoyed the wait staff’s performance of the YMCA and the music videos on the big screen.
We love new dining adventures, but with themed family fun restaurants like Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex right around the corner, I would personally opt for one of these with younger children. That is unless of course, you have a young child who is very much into classic television and movies, then perhaps it would be a different experience. For me though, my next visit to Planet Hollywood will be sans kids.