A look inside the new Dine-In Theaters at Downtown Disney
Starting Monday, movie-goers will have a new choice when visiting the AMC Downtown Disney 24. Six of the 24 theaters have been converted to Dine-In Theaters, with a full menu of appetizers, entrees, desserts, snacks and drinks to choose among.
AMC Dine-In Theatres, the only theatres of its kind in the Orlando area, combines restaurant cuisine and cocktails with hit movies. In addition to more comfortable seats and a table in front of them, guests can push a button at their seat to summon a server who will bring them anything from the menu.
Your choice starts when you arrive at Downtown Disney. If you’d like to try the Dine-In option, you’ll enter AMC near Planet Hollywood. If you want to see a movie in a traditional theater, you’ll head to the entrance on the Cirque du Soleil side. The two areas are separated inside.
Dine-In guests must be at least 18 years old unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Once seated, you can peruse the menu at your seat. If you’re just in the mood for popcorn, for $6.99 it comes in a large bowl with free refills. But you can also choose among a wide array of appetizers and entrees such as quesadillas, burgers, flatbread pizzas, grilled sandwiches, salads and desserts. You can also order among many alcoholic drinks, beer and wine.
Once you have your food, if you decide you want something else, just push the button at your table and you server will be by soon. Your bill will arrive near the end of the movie. You can pay it right away or wait until the end of the movie.
You won’t find full steaks on the menu and you may wonder why your wedge of lettuce comes already chopped in slices. That’s because AMC has tried to minimize the movie distractions. The plates are made of bamboo to minimize the noise that comes from the little slicing you may need to do with your meal.
“We are excited to present AMC Downtown Disney as another one of our flagship AMC Dine-In Theatres,” said Gerry Lopez, chief executive officer and president, AMC. “Since the launch of this concept, we’ve received tremendous feedback from our guests about the enhanced experience and variety of food and beverage options. More than 90 percent of our surveyed guests who attended a Dine-In location said it met or exceeded their expectations.”
Ticket prices range from $6 to $13, depending on day of week and showtime. The tickets for the Dine-In Theaters are $2 more than the other theaters. Menu items start at $6.59 to $8.99 for appetizers and entrees range from $8.59 to $11.99.
Specific pricing information, including value pricing and senior/student pricing, for the Dine-In Theatres can be found at amctheatres.com/dinein (click on the Downtown Disney 24 link).
AMC is celebrating the grand opening of its Dine-In Theatres by hosting a Free Movies for a Year giveaway to the first 100 people in line at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 16, 2011. The first 100 guests (at least 18 years of age) who come to the theatre will win two tickets per month for 12 months for admission to AMC Downtown Disney 24 as well as one appetizer per month for 12 months.
• Be sure to watch Episode 25 of Orlando Attractions Magazine – The Show for video from the AMC Dine-In Theaters.
I´ll never ever will visit a dine-in theatre. When I want to wach a movie I like to go to a cinema and when I what to have something to eat I go to a restaurant. This is just stupid. I hope it fails.
I can’t wait to try it. Sounds like a great idea. Hope it succeeds.
Being a lazy person, this sounds like a dream come true. Burgers and ice cream (I’m assuming) brought to you while you watch a movie. Result!
However, there has to be a down-side. Surely the cinema will smell of food. Surely the sound of people banging on their plates and swallowing their food will get irritating. And surely the waiters walking in and out will be distracting.
I went to a preview screening Friday night, and enjoyed the experience. The food was pretty good. About the level you’d find at an Applebees, Friday’s, etc. And at those prices it is cheaper than most options at Downtown Disney. The service was impeccable. The only real downside I saw was the food comes out super fast. I ordered buffalo wings and they were at my table in about 5 minutes. I ordered my burger around the same time those came out, and I got that about 8 minutes later. Other than that, it was great.
Michael, to answer your concerns. I did not notice any forks or gulps from other patrons, even from my in-laws at the other end of the table (each row has 4 seats, 3 columns of rows). Now, my wife & I both noticed the stereo system was super loud. A result of a newly refurbished theater or a conscious effort to block out the noises you talk about? I’m not sure. Either way, I didn’t experience it. As for the food smell, the room is so large with such high ceilings, and the servers and bus staff are so efficient with clearing plates, it wasn’t an issue either. I’d highly recommend giving it a try.
I went there for the contest this morning. The whole thing was a disaster. I arrived at around 10am to be told that all of the tickets had already been given out to people who WRONGFULLY lined up at 530am. The lady with red hair who was speaking to the public and handing out flyers was crazy rude. If you are going to offer a contest with specific rules, then you should abide by what you set NOT reward the people who came at the wrong time.
Sorry that happened to you Caroline. I agree with you.
OT and her comments are just stupid- Dine in theatres are cool and the wave of the future
Dine in theaters are pretty common here in the Seattle area. The only difference is that ours are 21+ but with it being Disney I understand the need to have it 18+ or accompanied by an adult. They’re pretty popular and we’ve always had great experiences. We’ve never had a problem with smells, noises or rude guests. The servers are all very sensitive to the fact that we’re there to not only eat but also watch a movie. We’re looking forward to trying this out when we visit the World in October.