Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package: Is It Worth It?
Disney dollars are always a topic around here. I know it’s hard to decide if something is “worth it” when spending extra money on an already expensive trip to Disneyland. But sometimes, spending a little more under certain circumstances is worth it. One of those options was the Halloween Screams dining package. Here’s a review to decide if the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package is worth the money for your family.
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Disney Dollars: Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package Worth It? Review
Spending hard-earned Disney dollars on making memories at Disneyland can be “easy” to do, especially when feeding you and your family.
But deciding where to spend your Disney dollars wisely isn’t always easy.
Is the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package worth it?
That depends on a few factors, but we’ll run down the ins and outs before you book those Advanced Dining Reservations 60 days in advance.
Here’s what you need to know about the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package viewing experience at Disneyland
What Is The Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package?
This fireworks dining option occurs just before the Halloween Screams fireworks show at Disneyland.
Your family will check in at the Plaza Inn up to 2 hours before the scheduled Halloween fireworks.
Check-in is first come, first serve regarding seating locations. You can check in early, even if your reservation time if for later.
You’ll be escorted to the table assigned to your party.
After you find your seat, you can go into the Plaza Inn to pick up your meal.
Does This Location Offer The Best Fireworks View For Halloween Screams?
We can’t say it offers the best fireworks view, but we will also say it’s a pretty good option for people who don’t want to fight the crowds on Main Street.
This is what it looks like on Disneyland’s Main Street 30 minutes before the fireworks start.
Main Street and the Hub locations will give you a better view of the whole fireworks and projection show.
But you’ll have to stand around like this for at least 30 minutes waiting.
We preferred a somewhat more chill option that offered food, drinks, dessert, and most importantly, a seat.
How Much Does the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package Cost (2023)? Let’s Talk Disney Dollars
The Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package is an added cost to your Disneyland entrance ticket.
- Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package $60 for adults, $30 for children ages 3-9
- Discounts may be applied (Magic Key and Cast Member discounts are available)
What’s On the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package Menu?
What do you get for the money?
Here’s what you’ll find on the menu:
- Adult Meal: Short Rib in Cabernet Sauce with Bacon-Cheddar Mash, Charred Scallion Chimichurri and Roasted Broccolini, served with Hibiscus Lemonade and Specialty Dessert
- Child Meal: Chicken Tenders, Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and a Dessert, with choice of small DASANI® Water or small Low-Fat Milk
- Dessert Options: Specialty Dessert—Layers of Green Peppermint Mousse and Crushed Chocolate Cookie Crumbles topped with Gummy Worms and Oogie Boogie Decoration
We asked for one child’s meal, even though we paid for an adult, and they were happy to accommodate.
We chose a side salad instead of the vegetables at no additional cost.
Is The Food At The Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package Worth Your Disney Dollars?
In our opinion, the food was pretty good.
We had a party of 4, 2 of whom were picky eaters.
And we all finished our meals without complaint!
So the food wasn’t bad, and we all felt it could have been worse. Frankly, we’ve paid more for less fulfilling Disney meals, so this was a win for Plaza Inn.
You could “girl math” this one out to justify paying this high price for a Plaza Inn meal.
And it was clear we were putting the most value on the saved time, NOT sitting in the pre-fireworks hub.
We felt that sitting in chairs with a nearby bathroom, the ability to come and go as we pleased, cool beverages and snacks was a better use of our time than sitting in the hub, hoping someone tall wouldn’t pop in front of us last minute.
Is Disney’s Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package Worth It? That’s $60+ Of Your Disney Dollars… Soooo…
While we enthusiastically felt the food was not worth the price tag alone- this was a $25 Disney meal, at best- we also recognized that we weren’t really paying for the food.
What you’re additionally paying for at the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package is location, location, location.
Getting off your feet mid-Disney day for a meal, drinks, and that fireworks view make these packages valuable.
However, if Disney added a Halloween-exclusive character option, this package would sell out every night. Plaza Inn does offer a character breakfast, so it certainly could be accommodated for this purpose.
Or- better yet- if they plussed it by adding a parade viewing location to the package. We agreed that we’d pay an additional $20 for that perk- we absolutely love Magic Happens!
Important Information For The Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package
This restaurant is inside the Disneyland Park. You will need a theme park ticket and reservation for this event.
Not every night gets the Halloween Screams Fireworks at Disneyland, so be sure to check the schedule before planning for this event.
You will also need an advance dining reservation to eat here, as the holidays are incredibly busy.
You can book your dining up to 60 days in advance online- and reservations are highly recommended. There may be availability the day of for walk-up, but we’d book in advance for this one.
What’s The View For Fireworks From The Plaza Inn?
It’s not terrible- Disneyland has worse options for fireworks viewing.
You can see everything in sky clearly from this location.
However, your mileage will vary with who is sitting in front of you. We had folks put kids on their shoulders, stand up next to their tables, and hold cell phones up in our direct line of view.
That’s typical for any Disneyland fireworks show, so we weren’t surprised. But we decided not to make matters worse for the people behind us, so we stayed seated.
I’m pretty sure if we had stood, the view would have been much better but you still would miss most of the projections on the castle.
The good news is that Disneyland will run the castle projections on weeknights, so you can always plan to watch that show another night. You only get fireworks at Halloween on the weekends (Friday through Sunday).
Here’s the view of the fireworks from The Plaza Inn.
Is It Worth It?
Is the Plaza Inn Halloween Screams Dining Package worth it? We think it *might* be, depending on how you value an experience.
In our case, we decided it was worth it and would consider booking it again.
Deciding how to spend those Disney dollars is always hard, but this might be a splurge that works for your family.
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Patty Holliday has been running Disney since 2011. She knows just about every tip, trick, and hack there is to cover the runDisney Magical Miles at Disney World and Disneyland. She knows every mile isn’t *always* magical- but with training, tips, and a little bit of pixie dust, they can be a lot of fun! You can also find her at noguiltlife.com and noguiltfangirl.com