Lunch with an Imagineer

[AZDVC]

Shhhhhh........:Pssst::Pssst::Pssst:


Got a surprise for Mr. AZDVC

Got up at 4am this morning (7am eastern)
to call 407-WDW-DINE to book the Lunch with an Imagineer
for us on Nov 3rd!!!!!!!!
I guess you have to book it EXACTLY 60 days before you want the lunch...
couldn't book it 60 days from my arrival 10/28..... Only 8 people in the experience. Should be fun!
Patsy

[erikthewise]

Interesting -- I thought that program was dead. Perhaps it was the corresponding dinner that was cancelled. Let us know how it goes!

[D C]

I've never heard of it before. Details??

[Ranedrops]

Here are some deatils I found I allearsnet. It sounds interesting:

LUNCH WITH AN IMAGINEER -- Join a member of the creative team behind our latest theme park and resort projects for an informal, intimate lunch at the Disney-MGM Studios' legendary Hollywood Brown Derby. Guests at the Imagineer meals get the VIP treatment, starting with seating in the swank, private Bamboo Room at the Brown Derby. You'll get a glimpse of the creative process as these talented men and women share what it's like to work in the most magical place in the world.

Each party will receive a souvenir designed exclusively for this experience that can be personalized by the Imagineer.

You may book the experience up to 60 days out through WDW-DINE; there is a 48 hours cancellation policy.

Program is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11:30am Lunch.



Prices:

Ages 10 and up - $60.99 + gratuity + 6.5% sales tax
Ages 3-9 - $34.99 + gratuity + 6.5% sales tax




DINNER WITH AN IMAGINEER -- Enjoy dinner at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge every other Thursday evening (5:30 p.m.) with a Disney Imagineer as the special guest. You'll get a fascinating glimpse of the creative process as these talented men and women share what it's like to work in the most magical place in the world.
A Credit card is required to book the event and there is a 48 hour cancellation policy. You may be seated with other persons. Book 60 days in advance.

Adults 10+ $109.00 plus 6.5% tax and 18% gratuity. Wine Pairing dinner $130.00
No Childrens Pricing

Guests must be 14 or older. Advise the booking agent of any special dietary needs when making a reservation.

Proposed Menu (may change)

Smoky Portobello Soup
OR
Fresh Field Greens, Roasted Beets, Hazelnut Gremolata, Crater Lake Blue Cheese, and
Blackberry Vinaigrette

Cedar Plank Roasted King Salmon with Asparagus, Haricot Vert, Mizuna, Herb Dumplings,
and Sage Brown Butter
OR
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Fire-roasted Corn, Spinach, Red Wine Reduction, and Blue
Cheese Fritter
OR
Grilled Buffalo Sirloin Steak with Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Gratin, and Sweet Onion Jam

Artist Point Berry Cobbler Seasonal Berries and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream
OR
Coffee Two Ways Mochaccino Bread Pudding and Vanilla Latte Crème Brûlée

[greywolfav]

Good morning AZDVC,

We are also going to be having lunch with an Imagineer on Nov 3rd at 11:30. Perhaps we'll be meeting the same Imagineer.

My daughter (16) has always wanted to get into the Imagineering field so this is really for her. She has even decided to design a Disneyesque ride for her senior project.

I have heard this is an absolutley awesome experience. Hope to see you there.

:jumpingbe

[D C]

Sounds interesting. Maybe I should do that and bring my resume along :D

[shamrock6]

That sounds like great fun. I swear I am learning something new about Disney everyday here. I never heard of that before. Hope you have a nice time.

[TinkLover]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy.

[AZDVC]

Good morning AZDVC,

We are also going to be having lunch with an Imagineer on Nov 3rd at 11:30. Perhaps we'll be meeting the same Imagineer.

My daughter (16) has always wanted to get into the Imagineering field so this is really for her. She has even decided to design a Disneyesque ride for her senior project.

I have heard this is an absolutley awesome experience. Hope to see you there.

:jumpingbe

I'm sure we'll be at the same one, that's AWESOME!:highfive:
When I called for ressies before the actual 60 day mark the CM'S said things like:
"I don't know if we're having that in November"
The CM's admitted they don't know a lot about this experience, we can't book it through our own DVC member services, I did have to go through
407-WDW-DINE.
WHOOHOO!
Patsy

[tomandrobin]

Ohhh...very nice!

I have been wanting to that tour. When we were at WDW in May, we had lunch at the Brown Derby and saw the tour group. The make-up name tags for the tour members and sit in the private room, to the right and in the back.

[acourtwdw]

We are doing the lunch on Sept 29. I can't wait to go! It is a surprise for my Dsis bday.

[rotary2808]

We've done the lunch several times and love it. It's a really fun experience. We're hoping to do it when we go back in Dec. and we want to do the dinner also.

It's in the private Bamboo Room at the Brown Derby, which I didn't even know it existed until we did this. You normally get a Cobb Salad, a choice of appetizer, an entree and a dessert.

The Imagineer will introduce himself and then will go around the table asking questions to get to know you. Stuff like how many trips, favorite character, favorite attraction, etc. The rest of the time you can ask questions. He'll let you know if a question is off limits though since some are.

[im4disney]

We are doing the lunch on Sept 29. I can't wait to go! It is a surprise for my Dsis bday.

We are going to be there on Sept. 29th also!!!!

This is weird. On this thread alone, two different people for Nov. 3rd and now Sept. 29th.

It's not really a surprise, but we are kind of doing it as a belated anniversary lunch thing. We've always wanted to do this. It sounds pretty cool!

See you there!

[SuzanneSLO]

We did the lunch in October '06 and had lunch with Alex Wright (who writes the Imagineering Guides to the Parks). At the time, he was working on the physical set up for the soon to be opened Monster Inc. Laugh Floor and in teh past, he designed the character overlays to the outside of the castle for one of the anniversary celebrations. He had just come back from a stay at HHI, so we also got to talk DVC with him. It was a very worthwhile experience and we would love to do it again sometime. -- Suzanne

[lenshanem]

How funny. I meet Alex Wright on the Disney Cruise along with Jason Surrell and got one of those books autographed.

I thought this had been canceled.
Do you have to have park admission for this?
We're going down for the Half in January and we'll be in between APs. We currently have the Backstage Magic tour booked. This might be fun, too and cheaper.

[kathyseb]

We did this a few years ago and had a great time. Worth every penny.

We had Jim. He was involved in the redo of ToT and pretty much was the main imagineer on Primevil Whirl

[KingOMiami]

Hmmm I wonder what the lunch menu is like since only the dinner one is posted

Here are some deatils I found I allearsnet. It sounds interesting:

LUNCH WITH AN IMAGINEER -- Join a member of the creative team behind our latest theme park and resort projects for an informal, intimate lunch at the Disney-MGM Studios' legendary Hollywood Brown Derby. Guests at the Imagineer meals get the VIP treatment, starting with seating in the swank, private Bamboo Room at the Brown Derby. You'll get a glimpse of the creative process as these talented men and women share what it's like to work in the most magical place in the world.

Each party will receive a souvenir designed exclusively for this experience that can be personalized by the Imagineer.

You may book the experience up to 60 days out through WDW-DINE; there is a 48 hours cancellation policy.

Program is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11:30am Lunch.



Prices:

Ages 10 and up - $60.99 + gratuity + 6.5% sales tax
Ages 3-9 - $34.99 + gratuity + 6.5% sales tax

[greywolfav]

That is so cool. What are the chances. We'll see you there. I am guessing it will be only you two and us, since they only do parties up to 7. It will be four from our side, Wife, 2 daugthers and myself.

Andy

[XPhillip]

I didn't even know about this tour. It sounds great. You all have a good time!

[rotary2808]

Hmmm I wonder what the lunch menu is like since only the dinner one is posted

It been different each time we've gone, but the only thing always served is the Cobb Salad. You can look at the Brown Derby's menu to get an idea of what might be served. They'll choose two or three selections to offer at the lunch for you to choose from. The Grapefruit Cake may be pretty common for dessert too.

I'll look and see if I can find my menu from last year and post the selections if anyone is interested.

[AZDVC]

I thought this had been canceled.
Do you have to have park admission for this?
We're going down for the Half in January and we'll be in between APs. We currently have the Backstage Magic tour booked. This might be fun, too and cheaper.

You do need park admission for this. Partly why I made sure to post about this lunch is because of the rumor that this was cancelled.
Love to hear about Backstage Magic!
Patsy

[acourtwdw]

We are going to be there on Sept. 29th also!!!!

This is weird. On this thread alone, two different people for Nov. 3rd and now Sept. 29th.

It's not really a surprise, but we are kind of doing it as a belated anniversary lunch thing. We've always wanted to do this. It sounds pretty cool!

See you there!

I can't wait to do this. I have been to WDW over 50 times and didn't know this existed until I read it on some board.

See you just a few short weeks :)

[GoofysMom]

Can you tell me how long this lasts? Also - I was thinking of taking my son who will be 11 then - will this be appropriate for him?

Thanks for the help!

GoofysMom

[acourtwdw]

I will let you know when we get back :)

[GoofysMom]

I appreciate the help and can't wait to hear all about your upcoming lunch!

I always like to try at least one new / different thing each trip and I am hoping that this will be great for an 11 year old.

Thanks again - have a great trip!

GoofysMom

[rotary2808]

Can you tell me how long this lasts? Also - I was thinking of taking my son who will be 11 then - will this be appropriate for him?

Thanks for the help!

GoofysMom

It's normally around a couple of hours. As long you keep asking questions, the Imagineer will keep answering them.

I think if your son is into the behind the scenes of Disney it would be appropriate for him and he'll enjoy it. I've never been at a lunch with any kids there, but it totally depends on the kid's interest level in that type of thing.

[acourtwdw]

This is the info from AllEars:
LUNCH WITH AN IMAGINEER -- Join a member of the creative team behind our latest theme park and resort projects for an informal, intimate lunch at the Disney-MGM Studios' legendary Hollywood Brown Derby. Guests at the Imagineer meals get the VIP treatment, starting with seating in the swank, private Bamboo Room at the Brown Derby. You'll get a glimpse of the creative process as these talented men and women share what it's like to work in the most magical place in the world.

Each party will receive a souvenir designed exclusively for this experience that can be personalized by the Imagineer.

You may book the experience up to 60 days out through WDW-DINE; there is a 48 hours cancellation policy.

Program is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11:30am Lunch.



Prices:

Ages 10 and up - $60.99 + gratuity + 6.5% sales tax
Ages 3-9 - $34.99 + gratuity + 6.5% sales tax


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DINNER WITH AN IMAGINEER -- Enjoy dinner at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge every other Thursday evening (5:30 p.m.) with a Disney Imagineer as the special guest. You'll get a fascinating glimpse of the creative process as these talented men and women share what it's like to work in the most magical place in the world.
A Credit card is required to book the event and there is a 48 hour cancellation policy. You may be seated with other persons. Book 60 days in advance.

Adults 10+ $109.00 plus 6.5% tax and 18% gratuity. Wine Pairing dinner $130.00
No Childrens Pricing

Guests must be 14 or older. Advise the booking agent of any special dietary needs when making a reservation.

Proposed Menu (may change)

Smoky Portobello Soup
OR
Fresh Field Greens, Roasted Beets, Hazelnut Gremolata, Crater Lake Blue Cheese, and
Blackberry Vinaigrette

Cedar Plank Roasted King Salmon with Asparagus, Haricot Vert, Mizuna, Herb Dumplings,
and Sage Brown Butter
OR
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Fire-roasted Corn, Spinach, Red Wine Reduction, and Blue
Cheese Fritter
OR
Grilled Buffalo Sirloin Steak with Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Gratin, and Sweet Onion Jam

Artist Point Berry Cobbler Seasonal Berries and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream
OR
Coffee Two Ways Mochaccino Bread Pudding and Vanilla Latte Crème Brûlée

[hlyntunstl]

Do you get to pick the location? I don't think meeting an Imagineer could even get me back in the Brown Derby!!:holymoly:

[acourtwdw]

We had the choice between lunch at the Brown Derby or dinner at Artist Point but they only do the meals on select days. The lunch was a better day for us. I can't remember the schedule. Sorry.

[GoofysMom]

It looked like several of you went to this on 9/29 and I was wondering what you thought?

Our 60 day date is coming up and I wondered if I need to pursue this?

Thanks to all for any help or feedback!

Have a great day!

GM

[rotary2808]

The dinner isn't being offered anymore. The last date for it is Oct. 23 according to several CM's. We were trying to make ressies for one in Dec. The lunch is still available at the Brown Derby though. One CM said the dinner was a trial thing and was never as popular as the lunch.

GoofysMom, I highly recommend the lunch. We've done it several times and have always enjoyed it. Just be sure to call on that 60 day mark and call early, otherwise you might not get it. They limit seating to around 8 people, so definately call right when Meal Reservations open.

[mkhurley]

We have lunches and dinner with one when we are down there. Our friends that moved to Clermont, their daughter is an Imagineer. Had quite a few meals with her last time....:slyasafox

[rotary2808]

We have lunches and dinner with one when we are down there. Our friends that moved to Clermont, their daughter is an Imagineer. Had quite a few meals with her last time....:slyasafox

:lmbo::lmbo:

[im4disney]

It looked like several of you went to this on 9/29 and I was wondering what you thought?

Our 60 day date is coming up and I wondered if I need to pursue this?

Thanks to all for any help or feedback!

Have a great day!

GM

We had lunch with acourtwdw and a few others-7 total (It seats 8!) They seat you in the Bamboo Room of the Brown Derby. We had lunch with Jim Dodson. He was awesome!! He produces all the background music for all the resorts and almost all the WDW theme parks--just a few in the MK. We laughed a lot and listened a lot. He knows Gwen Stefani personally-used to be her band's producer.

Well worth the money-I thought!!

I am sure acourtwdw will agree! Nice meeting you and your sister BTW!

[Tapestry]

The lunch was awesome when I was there...and the souvenir is COOL. I highly recommend it. My Imagineer designed Camp Mickey/Minnie...I think of her everytime I go there. It's fun to put a name to a place.

[acourtwdw]

We had lunch with acourtwdw and a few others-7 total (It seats 8!) They seat you in the Bamboo Room of the Brown Derby. We had lunch with Jim Dodson. He was awesome!! He produces all the background music for all the resorts and almost all the WDW theme parks--just a few in the MK. We laughed a lot and listened a lot. He knows Gwen Stefani personally-used to be her band's producer.

Well worth the money-I thought!!

I am sure acourtwdw will agree! Nice meeting you and your sister BTW!

I have to agree :)

The lunch was great! Just a note of warning though: they bring you way too much food. I couldn't eat all of it. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

[GoofysMom]

Thank you all so much for the great comments!

I am getting so excited now! Our day to call is coming up - so wish me luck!

I sure appreciate the feedback!

GM

[GoofysMom]

Well - I called at exactly 7am to get our December date and we are in!

Thanks to all the feedback and reviews - I am hoping that this will be a great birthday surprise for my son. The CM did try to discourage me stating that this was really for children over 14, but I went ahead and reserved it anyway!

Thanks to all - I will let you know how he enjoys it when we get back!

GM

[Tapestry]

Enjoy! It really will be "lunch with an imagineer". No frills there, but it's fun to listen to them, hear what they've done, ask questions, prompt for 'heads up' info (and never get any)....and the gift is fun too! Have them send it to your room though...it's a bear to carry.

[AZDVC]

We had a wonderful lunch with imagineer Alex Wright and an imagineer who is just starting the lunch rotation, David (can't read his signiture of his last name on our autograghed menu!) So we got 2 imagineers , one in training for the lunch!
Mike, my husband, wasn't surprised but he loved that we did this!
Alex worked on the "redo" of both Spaceship Earth and Rio de Tiempo in Mexico in EPCOT. He said alot of consideration was givenn to taking out the
animated charioteer in Spaceship Earth...people liked it but the technology of the animation didn't match the other upgrades of scenes...so he was out!

Enjoyed meeting Greywolfav and his family as well as Kathy and Robin who rounded out our lunch bunch.
Lunch was great: lobster bisque, Cobb salad, choice of rib eye steak, Thai noodle bowl with barbeque chicken or pan fried grouper, desert.

The whole experience was well worth the time and cost. The imagineers seem to enjoy getting feedback from guests. Seems like these two checked out various fan sites saying that Disney was well aware of the instant focus groups that are out there on the web.

Patsy:mickeysor

[momeja]

Thanks for posting the follow-up. I think I might book this for my daughter and me for when we're there next May. She wants to be an Imagineer when she grows up, so it would be fun for her to chat with someone who already is one. :thumbsup:

[AZDVC]

Bump.....
Got some questions as to how it went...
Please check post#40 plus a few other reviews by other MO's
Patsy

[jessykah77]

DH and I have the lunch
scheduled for January 28th.
I wasn't sure it was going
to be worth the cost, but
after reading the reviews
I'm quite excited to attend!

For what its worth,
when I called to make
reservations, they asked
if we wanted to do the
lunch or dinner, it seems
both were available as of
last week.

[rotary2808]

DH and I have the lunch
scheduled for January 28th.
I wasn't sure it was going
to be worth the cost, but
after reading the reviews
I'm quite excited to attend!

For what its worth,
when I called to make
reservations, they asked
if we wanted to do the
lunch or dinner, it seems
both were available as of
last week.

I wish they would make up their minds. I even called more than once to try and get a different answer and they showed it as cancelled.