We recently saw nighttime entertainment return to Disneyland Resort, and we could not be more excited!

More fireworks have retuned, World of Color is back, Fantasmic! has reopened, and Main Street Electrical Parade is running again. With some of these shows comes special things like dining packages, and we just checked out the Main Street Electrical Parade Dining Package to see if it’s worth it — so let’s break it down!

Overview

The dining package is for lunch over at the Plaza Inn and includes an all-in-one meal that comes with reserved viewing for the nighttime Main Street Electrical Parade.

The lunch comes with a meal, beverage, and dessert and takes place between 1PM and 3:30PM each day. Then, guests will get a voucher for the day’s first performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

The cost for this experience is $40 per adult and $25 per child (ages 3 to 9), before tax and gratuity. But, you can use Magic Key discounts on the dining package!

Do be aware that you have to have valid Disneyland Park admission and a park reservation in order to take advantage of this dining package. Advance reservations are highly recommended, but you can make same-day reservations depending on availability. Also know that if the parade is cancelled for any reason, no refunds or exchanges will be given.

Atmosphere

The Plaza Inn is located on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland Park and has a Victorian theming. It’s one of the original landmarks of the park and opened with Disneyland in 1955 (it was previously called the Red Wagon Inn!). It was also one of Walt Disney’s favorite places to have a meal!

Inside is a Victorian stained-glass ceiling, ornate gingerbread woodwork, and a marble foyer. Walt’s wife Lillian Disney picked out much of the restaurant’s 19-century interior furnishings. There is a large dining room inside with many tables and booths…

…as well as an outdoor patio with some tables that are covered by umbrellas.

You check in at the Plaza Inn for the dining package up to 15 minutes prior to your scheduled reservation. A sign outside will lead you to the check-in area.

Inside, you will go to the indicated desk and payment for your dining package is required upon check-in.

Now, let’s talk about FOOD!

Menu

The menu is set for this dining package so everyone gets the same meal. There is no menu with a vegetarian option, but Cast Members said that if you tell them you’re vegetarian when you check-in, the chef can make something for you. You aren’t given a menu when you arrive, since you basically just pick up your food at the counter, but there is a menu for you to see at the entrance.

The adult dining package comes with the world-famous Plaza Inn fried chicken, oven-roasted carrots, house-made smoked mac & cheese, bacon and pickled onion wedge salad served with house-made ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles, Mickey-shaped sweet honey corn bread, berry cheesecake, and the choice of one beverage: a 20 oz. fountain beverage or 20 oz. Dasani water.

The child dining package is similar but a little bit different. It comes with a world-famous Plaza Inn fried-chicken leg, oven-roasted carrots, house-made smoked mac & cheese, apple sauce, Mickey-shaped sweet honey corn bread, berry cheesecake, and the choice of one beverage: a small Dasani water or small low-fat milk.

You go up to the counter and the Cast Members will serve you your meal. There is an indicated area for people getting the dining package to go.

Now, let’s eat!

Eats

We got our food and headed to a table outside to try it all. Here’s a look at everything we got.

Let’s start with what was easily the best part of this meal — that famous fried chicken! We got a big portion that included a breast, thigh, and leg.

The chicken was tender and flavorful, falling right off of the bone! It was juicy and delicious.

The skin was also very crispy and well-seasoned, which is usually how it is over here, so we’re glad it remains consistent.

We then moved on to the mac & cheese, and honestly, it was a little disappointing. It really didn’t have a smoky flavor at like it was said to in the description. And it unfortunately wasn’t very cheesy, which is like the MAIN thing you want from a mac & cheese. This could have been better!

The roasted carrots however were amazing! They were cooked very well and had a great herb flavor to them. They were tender without being mushy, which we appreciated!

The Mickey-shaped sweet honey cornbread was pretty average. It wasn’t anything special, but it also wasn’t bad, it was just your regular ol’ cornbread! But, the Mickey shape does make it a little more fun.

Our little wedge salad didn’t have any dressing or the blue cheese crumbles! We’re not sure if this was just a fluke or if you have to specify that you want dressing, so if you get yours without dressing, make sure to ask a Cast Member about it. It was still a decent salad though — the pickled onions and bacon on top added a nice flavor.

Then, it was time for dessert! The berry cheesecake started out with a sweet berry flavor followed by a hint of that tangy cheesecake flavor.

It was served chilled which we really enjoyed since it was a hot day and we were eating outside!

If you like cheesecake and berries, you can’t go wrong here.

Main Street Electrical Parade

At the Plaza Inn, you’ll be given some credentials for the parade later.

Make sure not to lose this so that you can get into that special reserved seating area!

You also will be given a ticket that tells you when and where to arrive.

After lunch, we had a decent amount of free time before the parade began at 8:45PM, so just know that the parade doesn’t happen right after you eat, since it is a nighttime parade. Maybe make some Lightning Lane reservations through Genie+ between your meal and the parade so you can get on some rides!

Also note that the showtimes can change in the future, so make sure to look at the schedule ahead of time. And, note that your reserved seating is for the FIRST performance of the night only, not the second.

The viewing area is separate from the Plaza Inn and is listed on your ticket. Our viewing area was up toward the entrance of the park and we checked in at the flag pole. Make sure that you are not early OR late to your listed arrival window, because Disney says you will not be accommodated.

Then, we waited with the other guests in our seating area for the parade to start! The viewing area is standing only, but there are accommodations for guests with disabilities.

The parade began and we were treated to a classic performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade! This is a fantastic location to see the parade from.

It also wasn’t super crowded, which was nice because we got a good view.

Click here to see MORE pictures and videos of Main Street Electrical Parade

Nosh or Not

Reserve the Main Street Electrical Parade Dining Package if:

• You want a meal that’s a little better than the usual quick service around the park and you LOVE fried chicken
• You want a bigger portion of food and a hearty meal at a decent price
• You want to be able to have a great view of the parade without fighting the crowds or having to save a spot

Skip the Dining Package if:

• You just want a quick lunch with a smaller portion so you can keep going about your Disneyland day
• You don’t really care about the parade and would rather go on rides during that time instead
• You are a vegetarian, because there is no set alternative option, so you might not like what the chef makes you!

Overall

Overall, we’re big fans of this restaurant and its theming, and it has decent food! The portion was also pretty good for the price (by Disney standards, at least). After we used our Magic Key discount, the total came out to around $36, which made it an even better deal.

The reserved parade seating that comes with the package is pretty ideal. It’s also great to know that you have a good spot to watch the parade from, so you can just go about your day worry-free without having to reserve a spot or end up not getting a good view. If you’re a big fan of this parade or are seeing it for the first time, and you want a decent meal during your park day, we’d say this is a great option!

But, if you are fine with any view of the parade, want a quick meal, or want a less expensive meal, maybe skip out on this experience. It will also give you more flexibility during your day if you don’t have a scheduled meal and a scheduled time to see the parade.

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney food news, updates, and reviews.

Click here to learn about Fantasmic! dining packages at Disneyland!

Would you do this dining package in Disneyland? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!