If you're looking for a wide variety of great dining options in one Quick Service location, look no further than the ABC Commissary. Located on Commissary Lane at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the ABC
Commissary features dishes inspired by the ABC lineup of tv shows. The
Art Deco interior is filled with half booth tables and some tables with
chairs. Most of the tables will only seat 4 but are close enough
together to be used for larger groups. There is also limited outdoor
seating at umbrella covered tables.
One of my favorites is the Chicken Curry with Rice. It's a wonderful
curry, the perfect blend of spices, chicken, and rice. They also have a
great Asian Salad, which is a vegetarian option. The servings are
typically large. We often order the curry and salad and split it amongst
three adults. ABC Commissary is part of the Disney Dining plan with
Quick Service meals and Snacks.
Menu items range from $7.00 to $10.00 and include Chicken Curry,
Asian Salad, Chicken Blue sandwich, Couscous Salad, Seafood Platter and an Angus Cheeseburger. Kids
entrees are fairly basic and include a Cheeseburger, Chicken Nuggets,
a Turkey Sandwich, or a Power Pack which includes carrots, a cookie, goldfish, cheese stick, yogurt, and milk. Drinks include
the usual Coke products, but Beer and Wine are also available. Desserts include Strawberry Parfait or Chocolate Mousse.
The ABC Commissary has a lot of seating, but can get very crowded. The
lines can be quite long and orders can be filled slowly when it's busy.
Fortunately, if you avoid the normal meal times of 12-1 pm and 5-7 pm,
the crowds aren't too bad.
The dining room stays very cool in the summer, and can be a wonderful
break from the heat. In the dining room, there are usually a few costume
displays from ABC shows such as Once Upon a Time and Modern Family. TVs
play segments from the shows and fun behind-the-scenes looks. The last
time I was there, they were playings interviews from Once Upon a Time
and Dancing with the Stars. They're actually kind of fun to watch. The
displays change with the current ABC lineup. In the past, they had
behind the scenes looks at LOST and Desperate Housewives.
Due to its location, the ABC Commissary shares its bathrooms with the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater.
Since they share, it can be a rather long wait for the restroom. The
extreme air conditioning makes this room ridiculously cold, which can be
an issue when looking for a place to change a baby.
Whether you're looking for something unexpected at a reasonable price or
just a nice place to cool off, be sure to stop in at the ABC
Commissary. You'll be glad you did.
Before
the show, each child is outfitted with a brown Jedi robe. The children
are lined up and taken to the stage in front of the Star Tours ride,
where they are given plastic lightsabers. A Jedi Master arrives and
teaches the children a series of moves, repeating them, until everyone
knows the order. Then, Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers arrive. Each
Padawan has a chance to fight Darth Vader, one on one. Once each of the
children has had a chance to battle Darth Vader under the watchful eyes
of the Jedi Master, they work together to ward off Darth Vader with the
power of the Force. The Dark Side is driven away, and each child is
presented with a certificate declaring them an official Padawan.
As this is an outdoor show, it can be cancelled in inclement weather.
This happened to Bean once, but the Cast Members offered a special
photo session instead. We were taken into the handicapped access area
for Star Tours and all of the children were lined up. A few minutes
later, Darth Vader and two Storm Troopers walked in to take photos with
each child. Bean, who was sporting pink Darth Maul facepaint, was
very excited. We convinced here that she should give Darth Vader a hug.
She ran up to him with her arms wide when it was her turn and Darth
Vader stepped back and shook his head while the Stormtroopers shook
their fingers. The Cast Member said, "There's no hugging on the Dark
Side!" Bean spent the rest of the day talking about it!
