By Nick
The
Rebel Hangar Lounge at the
Backlot Express in Disney's Hollywood Studios is being held nightly through the end of
Star Wars Weekends on June 14th. So far.
I
say so far, because this new spot to hang out and have appetizers,
cocktails and sweet treats was originally only slated to be open during
Star Wars Weekends...on the weekends, but interest was so high, it was made a daily offering!
Let
me relate my experience with not only booking during the initial
weekend period, but also the very lucky sneak peak I got of this great
experience.
When it was first announced on the
Disney Parks Blog
on May 5th, just a little over a week before my trip, I immediately got
on the phone with Josh, one of the 2 friends I was going to be
traveling to Walt Disney World with to have a guys geek out weekend, and
asked if "The Lounge" would be something he would be interested in, and
if I should call our other friend, Joe. He said "Book it, Joe will be
fine with it." I got on the phone to make an ADR. I was told it was
already sold out! This was only a few hours after it was officially
announced! This didn't stop me from trying though. I went online to the
Disney's official dining page, and found
Rebel Hangar Lounge.
As I talked to Josh, telling him we should periodically call or check
the dining page, I absentmindedly clicked on different days and times,
and BOOM-there was an opening for 820PM for Sunday 5/17 and I
immediately booked!
Fast forward to the first day of our trip,
Thursday 5/14, and Joe, Josh and I were walking towards the back of the
park after a very filling buffet,
Jedi Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine,
which I will be reviewing in the coming days, so please stop back.
There was a couple of people talking to Cast Members behind a podium at
Backlot Express, home of the Rebel Hangar. I walked over to check out
the decorations, and started taking photos.
A very
nice man, (I really wish I'd gotten his name, in fact, I wish I
could remember every Cast Member's name, as they were all wonderful)
asked if we'd heard of the
Rebel Hangar. We told him we
had indeed, and would be visiting that very weekend. He then explained
they were having a preview for executives, and asked if we'd like to see
the menu.
We said certainly, and as we looked, he asked "How would you
like to come in and check it out, maybe have a bite to eat and a
cocktail?" Um, yes!
As we entered, we explained we'd just eaten, but would love a cocktail, and he said that was fine.
We
were seated, and within moments, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, aka,
the Cantina Band, came out to entertain us. As there was literally only 2
other guests, excluding the executives, who were in another area, they
spent several minutes with us taking photos and showing off their
musical instruments and skills!
Me and Dan. At least, I think that's Dan.
Joe and his new friend. (Joe is on the right, by the way.)
Joe, Josh and me with the Band.
We were all given menus, and each of us chose a different drink.
I got the
Imperial Blue - Maker's Mark Bourbon, Cointreau, Bols Blue Curacao, and sweet and sour topped with Sprite, which was $10.25 on the menu.
Joe chose the
Dagobah Swamp Juice - Midori, Tito's handmade vodka, sweet and sour, topped with lemon-lime Fomz, $14.75.
Josh had the
Tatooine Sunset - Stoli Vanil Vodka, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, pineapple juice and grenadine, $9.25.
As we were enjoying these, the hit being the
Dagobah Swamp Juice, when
Sabine and Ezra, from the
Star Wars Rebels animated series, came out.
We
were also convinced to give a couple of food items a try, despite being
so full, and we chose the 2 selections that had the most visual appeal,
Chips and Sith, chickpea and lentil hummus with roasted red pepper coulis, black sesame dust and multi-colored corn tortilla chips, which is $8.49 on the menu, and the
Yoda Key Lime Cake, $7.99. The hummus was very good, the Key Lime Cake was amazing!
We were also offered another round of drinks! How could we refuse? This time, I got the
Rebel Red - Grey Goose vodka, Chambord, sweet and sour, and grenadine, priced at $15.25 on the menu. This was good, but very sweet.
Finally,
as we were finishing our adult beverages, that bounty hunter with the
bad eyesight or slow trigger finger, depending on which version of Star
Wars you are watching,
Greedo, came out!
As we exited, I stopped and took some pics of the various decorations on the walls and tables.
So, after an experience like this, how could our Sunday visit possibly match up? Well, to put it bluntly, it couldn't.
For one thing, there was barely a character to be found.
We spoke to our Cast Member friend from our previous visit, who
explained that there had been more members of the Star Wars galaxy
roaming the lounge earlier in the evening, but the reason Disney was not
promoting this as a character dining experience was these visits were
random. As he was saying this, the only characters we saw that evening, 2
Jawas, came out.
The
other problem was where we were seated. The corner we were in faced the
ramp leading to the Backlot Express area, which was clearly visible,
somewhat detracting from the experience.
This table is also directly
under a vent, so cold air was constantly blowing on us, which not only
made us chilly, but quickly cooled down the hot food we'd ordered.
We all got our favorite cocktail from the previous visit, the
Dagobah Swamp Juice. This time, it came with a clip on X-Wing Fighter.
Note: You can order the drinks without the X-Wing, even though that isn't advertised, which knocks about $5 off the price!
For food, we ordered several of the small plates to share. The highlight was the
Lightsaber Bites for $11.49. These are hand-dipped and corn-battered knockwurst sausages with house-made chips and honey-mustard dipping sauce.
These were delicious, as were the house made chips, which also came with the
Slider Sampler: The Sith and the Jedi,
Barbecue pulled pork brisket with coleslaw and barbecue pulled chicken
with arugula for $9.99. The pork was good, but the chicken was just
so-so. I wouldn't get this dish again.
At $11.49, the
Trio of Thermal Detonators,
pork wings with spicy piquillo pepper sauce served with coleslaw were
also pretty good, but again, I likely wouldn't order these on another
visit either.
The
Pilot's Pommes Frites , aka French Fries, which came with a garlic aiolic and cost $5.49, were really tasty, but did not stay warm long under the vent. I would certainly get these again however.
Would
I recommend this experience. ABSOLUTELY. For one, it isn't outrageously
priced. You can enjoy the experience for under $20, depending on what
you order. And I would love to try the other items we didn't order,
especially the
Ilum Fruit and Cheese Sabers, skewers of
Tillamook cheddar, mild brie, goat cheese, olives and seasonal berries
with crostini and cheddar cracker $12.99 and
The Dark Fried, crispy chicken and mini-Darth Vader waffles served with maple syrup and barbecue sauce $14.99.
But I highly recommend you ask to be seated in an area that immerses you in the theme, or even outside on a nice evening.
For more on my
Star Wars Weekend visit, please listen to
Episode 23 of
The Disney Exchange Podcast, which will be out this Sunday.
