I was recently given the opportunity to do a hosted visit to one of the larger restaurants on Disney Springs Property, Planet Hollywood! As a young child, I remember driving by Downtown Disney and gazing at the beautiful bright blue restaurant in all of its glory. Walking inside was always a whole different story. I remember memorabilia everywhere -- hanging from the ceiling, lining the stairwells, etc. I had eaten there a few times with my family over the years and so when I heard it was getting a renovation to go along with the new look of Disney Springs I was very excited to see what they were going to do. The restaurant was completely overhauled last year and was reimagined as an observatory of the stars.
With the new expansion, Planet Hollywood joined forces with Guy Fieri to fire up an exclusive portion of the new menu, featuring Guy Fieri’s burgers and sandwiches. He is also the face of Chicken Guy, located right beside Planet Hollywood. Click here to see my post on my latest visit with them.
The outside of the building is breathtaking and has maintained its reputation as one of the staple pieces of Disney Springs. They have added more seating within the restaurant including an entirely new outdoor seating area with a bar and live music called the Stargazer Lounge. (The following is all of my real and honest opinions)
Lets start off with some drinks and appetizers:
First up was the High Roller Sampler which included: chicken crunch tenders, Texas tostados, buffalo wings, five cheese dip, and fried jumbo shrimp. For a table of 4 adults, this had something for everyone. My personal favorites were the chicken tenders and the tostadas. This sample costs $36.99, but with the large amount of food and the fun Ferris wheel platter, it is well worth the money.
Drinks were next on the menu and for me, was one of the hardest things to decide on as they all sounded so good! I of course went with one of their most popular options called The Perfect Storm which is: Rum, Vodka, Gin, Tequila, DeKuyper Blue Curacao, Fresh Sour, Sprite all served in a 45oz souvenir glass. ($29.99 with $19.99 refills) I would definitely get this again, it was so fun, fruity and delicious! Let's just say I was good to go after having just one of these bad boys.
Another drink we ended up trying was The Black Pearl Mai Tai: Cruzan White Rum, Lime & Orange Juices, Real Passion Fruit Syryp, and Grenadine, With a Myers's Dark Rum Float. Served in a 21oz souvenir glass ($17.99 with $12.99 refills)
Last, we had to try something fun and unique called B-A-N-A-N-A-S: Cruzan Coconut Rum, Banana Liqueur, Coconut Puree, and Chocolate Milk. This one is great if you are a lover of mudslides. ($17.99 with $12.99 refills).
Now onto the entrees -- I have to say that the menu itself had SO MANY options. They had soups, salads, burgers, famous bbq ribs and steak, as well as delicious pastas-- parties traveling with even the pickiest eaters would have an easier time finding something to eat here based on their wide selection.
Some of the dishes we chose to try were LA Lasagna, NY Strip Steak, Slow-Roasted Chicken, Bacon Mac and Cheese Burger and of course their famous BBQ ribs. The portion size, we found to be very big which was great for the price (although it has gone up since the renovations). The food came out hot and we were so impressed with the amount of detail they put into presentation. The ribs are served on a cute little wooden picnic table which made for a very memorable experience.
Last is dessert! We had heard some mixed reviews on Planet Hollywood's dessert shakes, so of course we had to try them out for ourselves. We decided on: The Strawberry Big Bang Shake, Cosmic Cotton Candy Shake, and The Chocolate Comet Shake. These shakes you truly have to see to believe. Although they were very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they were a bit of a let down as they lacked the more robust flavors that we were looking for. To us they seemed to taste "watered down" with too much milk. The objects around the outside were great but the cake on the strawberry was nothing special. I probably would not get the shakes again, and instead spend my money on their alcoholic beverages instead.
Overall I enjoyed my entire visit to Planet Hollywood. The upgrades are absolutely gorgeous to the outside, however the inside has been stripped of its memorabilia that I remember as a child and so that took a bit to get over. Wall projections and a house DJ now take center stage in the typically loud and busy main dining room, but a new outdoor patio offers seating with a view, overlooking Disney Springs in a much quieter atmosphere. Stargazer Lounge, located outside on the ground floor rear of the restaurant, offers live music on select nights alongside a colorful constellation of alcoholic concoctions.
You can use the Disney Dining Plan to book a reservation to this restaurant and will require 1 credit. They also take Tables in Wonderland (20% off), WDW Passholder (10% off), and DVC members (10% off).
Thank you so much again, Planet Hollywood and Mark for hosting us on our visit. If you have any questions please comment down below and I will get back to you!
Taryn Alyssa Xo.