Character Meals Super Thread!!

[longtimedisneylurker]

This might be a silly question but our plan was to split our two park days with a day in between to do character meals. We were thinking we would do a breakfast and then Ariel's dinner. Will not be able to do that because we'll need to be able to get into the park?

Correct. Ariel's is inside DCA, so you need to use park admission to access it. You could always do Surf's Up for breakfast and Goofy's for dinner since they are both outside the parks.

 

[DizNee Luver]

A couple from Goofy's Kitchen~Dinner.

These are from Ariel's Grotto~~Breakfast.

These are from the Lilo & Stitch Breakfast~~now the Surf's Up with Mickey.

These are from Goofy's Kitchen~breakfast.

These were from March 2009.

 

[DizNee Luver]

This might be a silly question but our plan was to split our two park days with a day in between to do character meals. We were thinking we would do a breakfast and then Ariel's dinner. Will not be able to do that because we'll need to be able to get into the park?

Correct. Ariel's is inside DCA, so you need to use park admission to access it. You could always do Surf's Up for breakfast and Goofy's for dinner since they are both outside the parks.

Thank you for answering this so quickly!! Ariel's unfortunately is inside the park as is Minnie & Friends.

You could do Surf's Up at the PPH or Storyteller's at the GCH for breakfast and then Goofy's Kitchen at the DLH for dinner.

 

[skiingfast]

Diznee Luver You have so much great information in this thread. The Tag Fairy should be calling you the "Queen of Character Meals".

 

[DizNee Luver]

Diznee Luver You have so much great information in this thread. The Tag Fairy should be calling you the "Queen of Character Meals".

Ah, shucks!!.........

 

[tnshsms]

Thanks everyone!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thanks everyone!

You're welcome!!

 

[cgh]

Is anyone else getting hungry? I remember those breakfast pizzas from surf's up and really liked them! We are now scheduled for 3 character meals on our trip-we'll see if that changes.

One other question I had- Are character meal vouchers a good idea-do they save any money? I see they have a $2 convenience fee- does that make them a wash?

 

[limace]

Thanks so much for this!

So, who has the best French toast? I'm not fond of eggs or pancakes but I can eat ridiculous quantities of French toast

 

[DizNee Luver]

Is anyone else getting hungry? I remember those breakfast pizzas from surf's up and really liked them! We are now scheduled for 3 character meals on our trip-we'll see if that changes.

One other question I had- Are character meal vouchers a good idea-do they save any money? I see they have a $2 convenience fee- does that make them a wash?

Woo Hoo.......3 meals!!!

I don't know a whole lot about the vouchers.....do they pay for the meal, tax & tip or just the meal. How does the price compare to what the price is now? One thing to keep in mind is~~if you go during a higher rate time (holidays, spring break, possibly even summer)....the vouchers could save you some money. But I'd really have to research how they work to give you clear advice on this. Hoping someone with experience can offer their two cents on them.

Thanks so much for this!

So, who has the best French toast? I'm not fond of eggs or pancakes but I can eat ridiculous quantities of French toast

You're welcome!!

I love french toast too...the key to this is catching them bringing out a new tray.....so they're hot & fresh. (not always an easy thing to do)

My favorite was ordering off the menu at Storyteller's~~Banana Stuffed French Toast.

The chocolate-peanut butter, banana french toast at Surf's Up is interesting. They cut it up into small chunks, so you don't get a slice of french toast.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

is the bbq with woody and jessy still going on?

 

[DizNee Luver]

is the bbq with woody and jessy still going on?

There are no characters at the BBQ meal. They put on a little musical show, a tad corny, but they try to get the audience to participate.

Woody & Jessie have been known to do character meet-n-greets across from the BBQ.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

how much is this bbq meal ? where is info for it?

 

[skiingfast]

how much is this bbq meal ? where is info for it?

Since it's not a character meal I'll just post this link.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/dining/menus-detail.cfm?restaurant.ID=583

 

[coopersmom]

Is there a consensus favorite meal for character variety and interaction? My five-year-old son really enjoys the "extras" ... Games, dance, etc.

I think we only want to do one. Was looking at Storytellers, since we decided to stay at Grand Californian, and potentially Minnie, since I always think the in-park meals can be the most exciting.

Goofy's Kitchen also seems to get a lot of good mention here. What makes that one special?

 

[DizNee Luver]

how much is this bbq meal ? where is info for it?

Since it's not a character meal I'll just post this link.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/dining/menus-detail.cfm?restaurant.ID=583

Thank You for adding a link. I don't have any current information on the BBQ meal. I will tell you that it's very good!!!

Is there a consensus favorite meal for character variety and interaction? My five-year-old son really enjoys the "extras" ... Games, dance, etc.

I think we only want to do one. Was looking at Storytellers, since we decided to stay at Grand Californian, and potentially Minnie, since I always think the in-park meals can be the most exciting.

Goofy's Kitchen also seems to get a lot of good mention here. What makes that one special?

I think everyone has a different opinion on which on is "the best". Goofy's Kitchen & Minnie's has always seemed to be the favorites of many. Goofy's is a very large buffet, with lots of opportunities for dancing, banging pots, etc. You also get a good variety of characters here.

Minnie's always seems to have the most characters in attendance. The food reviews are very good to mediocre. Both are fun meals for kids & adults.

Surf's Up is really taking off & getting more popular. You get a lot of interaction with the characters. They dance, surf, hula hoop, etc.....and with Stitch in attendance.....fun times ensue.

Storyteller's tends to be a bit of a sleeper........it's a much quieter meal but very good food. We enjoyed it because we were able to see different characters like Terk, Meeko, Kenai, etc. These characters aren't usually seen anywhere else.

Ariel's is a princess delight. Good food, but a very "proper" meal. The princesses make one round with the guests, so you have plenty of time to actually eat.

All I can advise you is to go with the one where your son will see characters he's interested in. Good luck!!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

if you do gk or princess meal the vouchers at getaway today is good, but ive done my math and with the reg chr meals it seems to be a wash no savings

 

[DizNee Luver]

if you do gk or princess meal the vouchers at getaway today is good, but ive done my math and with the reg chr meals it seems to be a wash no savings

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the vouchers! I know when I priced them last February.....it was cheaper to pay OOP.

 

[cgh]

if you do gk or princess meal the vouchers at getaway today is good, but ive done my math and with the reg chr meals it seems to be a wash no savings

Thanks. I was scratching my head when running the numbers as it seems everyone gets them but the vouchers are $33 and the meal is $27.99. It seemed to me easier/the same to just pay OOP but I thought I had to be missing something.

For favorite meal-last year for us was surf's up. At Goofy's we didn't see any show, so I think it really depends where you are sitting. However Chip (or Dale-not sure which one) was there when a song played and he danced with our son. This time, I'm going to ask for a table near the 'stage' or something. (minnie skipped our table too who our son really wanted to see)

I would say go where the characters are that your son is most interested in. Goofy's Kitchen has a bigger variety (there were characters who we didn't know) Last year we saw at dinner chip, dale, pluto, goofy, the mad hatter, alladin I think, and minnie whizzing by us. At Surf's up we saw Mickey, pluto, daisy, minnie and stitch. I see so many raves mixed with rants for everything.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thanks. I was scratching my head when running the numbers as it seems everyone gets them but the vouchers are $33 and the meal is $27.99. It seemed to me easier/the same to just pay OOP but I thought I had to be missing something.

For favorite meal-last year for us was surf's up. At Goofy's we didn't see any show, so I think it really depends where you are sitting. However Chip (or Dale-not sure which one) was there when a song played and he danced with our son. This time, I'm going to ask for a table near the 'stage' or something. (minnie skipped our table too who our son really wanted to see)

I would say go where the characters are that your son is most interested in. Goofy's Kitchen has a bigger variety (there were characters who we didn't know) Last year we saw at dinner chip, dale, pluto, goofy, the mad hatter, alladin I think, and minnie whizzing by us. At Surf's up we saw Mickey, pluto, daisy, minnie and stitch. I see so many raves mixed with rants for everything.

They tend to gather the kids in that area in front of the buffet (it's really bad if you're trying to get food or trying to get out of the buffet area at that time)

If you seem to miss a character, let the character manager know (they're usually standing and observing, also the ones that go up & lead them out if it's break time). If you let them know your child keeps seeing Minnie, but she never seemed to get to your table....they're usually pretty good about getting Minnie (or which ever character it is) to head your way.