If you have ever visited Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, over the years at all, there has always been a Planet Hollywood restaurant there, in the center. The nice, big globe shape you instantly recognize.
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It was always very fun to visit, with great food & so many fun pieces of Hollywood memorabilia to see.
Well, last year it closed down, and the globe was covered up, much to many people’s dismay.
Well, it turns out that with the remodeling of that area there, & all the new additions, they were just remodeling it too, and giving it a new, updated look and theme.
My family visited it recently, with some skepticism, since we loved the other one, and found it to be very enjoyable and a great upgrade.
Here is what to expect, what has changed, and what’s still the same.
First off, the outside is still in the same shape, but it’s lost the colored look and is more of an industrial, raw metal, which ties in quite well with the inside. Maybe they will change that down the road, but it looks cool the way it is. There is a new entrance & set up for signing in for your reservation, with a fun brick outside & cool, retro lights for the sign.
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When you enter, there is a sign in desk at the bottom of a flight of stairs. (The stairs were there before but set up a bit differently.) They will take your group’s photo if you like before sending you up to be seated. Take it all in before heading up, as you may not come back down again once you are finished eating. The Terminator statue that was in the original place is still there, as well as some new additions of some awesome character memorabilia you will love seeing. Some of them are at the top of the stairs, and a few on the wall as you head up, like Chewbacca, so don’t miss that.
Also, at the top of the stairs, as you walk down to the next desk to be seated, there are several lighted cases of costumes that are the coolest in the place, if you ask me. They now not only have the costumes in them, as if that’s not enough, they have a digital front on them, so that when you look at the glass, it literally changes before your eyes. It will be black at one point and then reveal what’s behind it. They do change constantly, so sometimes you see the costume first, depending on the time you catch it at, but either way, it’s a really neat upgrade! There are costumes from the Wizard of Oz, Hunger Games movies, and even R2-D2 is there in one of them.
After you finish seeing those, you’ll be sent with a server to be seated.
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The area is divided into a few sections inside, some closer to the bar, some on the balcony area and some down in the center. All spots are really good, and I wouldn’t say one is better than another since the main attraction is a huge screen that covers half of the entire wall of the globe, you can see well from anywhere.
Along the walls, especially on the upper level and balcony, there is a lot more memorabilia to see, as well as some of the bottom levels. If you like to see that kind of thing, be sure you walk up there before going out, if you’re not seated there.
So, overall, the inside of the place is now a Steampunk theme and is very well done.
It’s not over-done, but the more you start to observe things, they all tie in with that theme.
The restrooms have neat black & white photos in cool frames that have gears on them, and the light fixtures and metal everywhere ties in.
The screen itself is the main attraction, and the idea behind it is that there is a family who time travel & periodically the screen will change to a fun steampunk style set of “doors” with gears all over them, that slowly turn to get your attention. Then each time they open over the course of the meal, there is a new area to see behind them. It’s really neat, and my kids couldn’t stop watching!
In between that part of the show, are music videos of different popular songs. I will say not all of them were songs we were that excited about, or videos I was real happy to have my kids watching, but nothing was too outside the normal, pop genre.
As far as the food itself, they have collaborated with Guy Fieri of the Food Network (yes the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives Guy!), to come up with the menu & it is fantastic. The food is very creative, without being things your family will not want to eat. They have lots of American style foods, like burgers and fries, chicken…etc. But there’s a twist to most dishes. The French fries alone are so good, and I want to go back again just for those.
Our family has several food allergy issues, as well as Celiac disease going on, so we always have to be super careful when we eat out, and we know that Disney Restaurants are the one place we can be comfortable and know they will take care of us. This was no exception. Just let them know right up front there are issues and they will literally have the chef come to your table and go over all the menu, or any questions with you before you order, and then the chef takes care of it himself to be sure it’s done right.
They have gluten free buns for the burgers, and they went above and beyond for us.
I would recommend a burger, or the chicken BLT sandwich, personally, when you order.
One more tip. If you want to check out the non Universal or Disney park attractions you can get discount admission with the Orlando GoPass. You can save up to 55% off admission prices buy building your own pass. Locations to choose from including Legoland, Sea World, Bush Gardens, The Titanic Museum, The Kennedy Space Center, Gatorland, many water parks and more! You can also buy an all-inclusive pass for up to 5 days and get into as many attractions as you can fit into your schedule for 5 days!
When you go for your visit, book the reservation ahead if you can, to save the waiting period, but if you go on a whim, don’t let that discourage you from trying it. Head in right away and get a time to come back if need be. You won’t be sorry.
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