Originally Posted By eortiz01757 I am thinking about booking a 'Priority Seating" at Mama Melrose. Anyone been there? Is it a good family place? How's the food.
Originally Posted By BrerOtter Haven't been in a while, but every time I visit MGM, it's a must-do. Basic, good Italian food, nice atmosphere (like a Brooklyn eatery - lots of Frank, Dino & Tony music). The unofficial WDW used to describe it perfectly: "As comfortable as an old sweatshirt."
Originally Posted By eortiz01757 Thanks for the information. Sounds like what I am looking for. Have you used the Fantasmic benefit?
Originally Posted By Chelledun Yikes, we had a really, really bad experience there last month. I know a lot of people like it but it is one Disney restaurant I will never go back too. We used the Fantasmic! plan and we were on the dining package. We were seated basically in the aisle, crammed up against a wall and next to the entrace to the kitchen. The menu is limited and we had to share a flatbread appetizer between two people. There were screaming kids playing with knives at the next table and our server was very rude to us which is quite unusual at a Disney restaurant. The chicken parmesan was ok but the flatbread was a bit dry. There was also a shady incident with the $20 check for our drinks where she showed us the amount without tip but added a 20% gratuity after we gave her our credit card so it seemed like a different amount. Anyway, that's just my experience. If I do the Fantasmic! package again I'll go to one of the other restaurants. Other people seem to like this place though, so maybe I just had a bad server.
Originally Posted By Chelledun ^^You have to schedule your meal during specific hours and you pay one price for a set menu. (or use a dining plan credit) They will give you a voucher which gives you acess to a special seating section. We had to arrive back at 7:00 for the 7:30 show to be seated in the section. It was nice to have a guaranteed seat, but it wasn't real busy on the night we visited so we could have probably got as good of seats at the same time without it. If you are going during busy a time, though, guaranteed seating is a big advantage. Hope that helps!
Originally Posted By eortiz01757 What was the "set" menu like? We will be dining with 3 adults and 5 children
Originally Posted By Chelledun There was a choice of several types of flatbreads, (but we could only pick one for our table so we had four cheese) six or seven entrees (we both had chicken parmesan, I'm sorry but I can't remember the rest) and then a few different desserts. I can't even remember what I had for dessert because I was kind of fed up with the whole experience by that point. It seemed like most people, like us, were getting the chicken parm because there were tons piling up under the heat lamps from the kitchen. The chicken flatbread looked a little more exciting than the one we had. I'll try and ask my mom if she remembers what we had for dessert, I know spumoni ice cream was one of the choices but we didn't have that.
Originally Posted By eortiz01757 Where is the special seating in the Ampitheatre for the priority seating?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip It may have changed since we used it, but at that time it was at the far right of the stadium. The only thing 'special' about the seating was the fact that you didn't have to wait for it. I would only advise using the package if: 1) You had planned to eat dinner at a MGM table service restaurant anyway. 2) If it is a busy time. During the off season, you can get seats as good or better by showing up 30 minutes before the start of the show.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I agree with trippy -- I hate to be 'limited' on the menu's or times and the package used to ( still does ?) require a seating time no later than 4 PM -- My suggestion, go on a day when there may be two Fantasmic's ( if in season) - and although I have alwasy found Mama Melrose's more than serviceable-- I far prefer Brown Derby and Prime Time Cafe for the food and experiece.
Originally Posted By jkayjs Ate there last week while on the Backstage Magic tour. The food was very good. The themeing was good, overall it was a very nice experience. I would go back if I were in the mood for Italian. That being said I far prefer HBD it is our fave at MGM followed by Primetime. Chellum I hope I'm safe in assuming you brought your bill to someone's attention. We have been to most of the TS restaurants in the parks and many on property. When a gratuity has been added(large group or discount) it is 18%(at this time) with a space for additional tip. I would hope this was a mistake but if it was not than even more the reason to bring it to a manager's attention. We apparently are very lucky as we have never had a rude server at a TS restaurant. I always thought that even if they wanted to be they wanted the tip more plus I think many of them do enjoy spreading a little Disney magic. Anyway I would not hesitate to return to Mama Melrose if I'm in the mood for Italian.
Originally Posted By Labuda Mama Melrose is a must-do for me on trips to WDW. Last ate there last month, and LOVED it again - have done the Fantasmic thing there twice and never had a complaint. On our honeymoon, we even had a Streetmosphere guy come up and sing us a couple of songs whiel we ate.
Originally Posted By EyeKimore Not sure about all the dinner package things- but last time we ate at Mama Melrose we were not happy. We were still hungry when we left. The portions were so small- I could hardly believe it cost that much.
Originally Posted By Labuda Small portions? Wow, I do wonder when you ate there, Kim. I'm always STUFFED and have food left on my plate when leaving Mama Melrose's!
