7:25 am Chef Mickeys

[serene56]

i agree with the above poster. 7:15is more then enough time to eat your breakfast see the main characters and head to magic kingdom...save time and walk there.

 

[Mom2HandR]

Honestly at that age and first trip, the magic of meeting the Fab 5 right off the top is well worth it. There is a whole lot of magic arching them meet the characters for the first time.

We were there over an hour but not by much, and we were taking our time. Go and enjoy it.

There are so many experiences you will not be able to do them all. It's hard to make peace with that, but if you are not there at rope for it will still be a great day.

 

[zhazhazsu]

Are you visiting AK this trip? If you can book a Tusker House breakfast or lunch, you can meet the same characters & avoid the taxi & still see the RD show at MK. Also I have neverbeen to CMs but the food at TH is very good & I have not heard good things about the food at CMs. Just my two cents though.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I think you will have time to do it. Arrive about 15 minutes early, ask for you check as soon as they take your order and then enjoy yourself. Now the thing is..... you are going to have to get up really early to do this. I would only do it by taking a taxi. There are early morning Character buses but we have not have great luck figuring them out and you may need to catch one at like 6:30 if there is one that early!!! I would choose the lunch. Be at rope drop....we love the show.....early in the park and break about 1:00 to walk to CM.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Are you visiting AK this trip? If you can book a Tusker House breakfast or lunch, you can meet the same characters & avoid the taxi & still see the RD show at MK. Also I have neverbeen to CMs but the food at TH is very good & I have not heard good things about the food at CMs. Just my two cents though.

We love Tusker House! And there are some overlap of characters with CM but not exactly the same. Tusker House has Donald at the entrance, Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy at the tables.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I'm my DD for her first trip to disney world in April. We will be taking the first day easy (traveling, pool, DTD, early bed).

Our second day we are going to the MK, but I also grabbed some 7:25 reservations at CM for breakfast. Question is can we do this and still hit rope drop 9:00)? Also, would we miss the show? Which would be a better way to start her first ever day in Disney Sworld?

I can see no reason why you wouldn't make rope drop. We have done this several times with a 7:30am ADR at Chef Mickey. We always see each of the characters. Ask for the bill shortly after you're seated so you won't have to wait and you should be out of there no later than 8:30am. Walk to Magic Kingdom, don't wait for the monorail.

 

[ParrotBill]

I am so sorry you are getting mixed advice. You should be able to tell that people have had mixed results in how long Chef Mickey's will take. Sometimes fast, sometimes long. I've been there maybe 20 times and can say my typical time is one hour.

So now the question is the walk from Contemporary to MK entrance. Again you get all kinds of different answers!

Here is the fact: It is almost exactly 1/2 mile from Chef Mickey's to the MK Turnstiles. So time depends on 2 factors:
Your walking speed
time to get through security and turnstile

If you are a power walker, 4mph, walking time is 7.5 min
Typical walker at 2mph, 15 minutes
Slow walker at 1mph, 30 minutes.

Don't believe any report of a 5 minute walk!

I hope this helps you decide. For your first time daughter I guess I lean toward Chef Mickey's .. .so get there early and then try to make it!

I think the opening show is a bonus thing. Very fun, and really sets the mood to start the day...

 

[Texas Crude]

I am so sorry you are getting mixed advice. You should be able to tell that people have had mixed results in how long Chef Mickey's will take. Sometimes fast, sometimes long. I've been there maybe 20 times and can say my typical time is one hour.

So now the question is the walk from Contemporary to MK entrance. Again you get all kinds of different answers!

Here is the fact: It is almost exactly 1/2 mile from Chef Mickey's to the MK Turnstiles. So time depends on 2 factors:
Your walking speed
time to get through security and turnstile

If you are a power walker, 4mph, walking time is 7.5 min
Typical walker at 2mph, 15 minutes
Slow walker at 1mph, 30 minutes.

Don't believe any report of a 5 minute walk!

I hope this helps you decide. For your first time daughter I guess I lean toward Chef Mickey's .. .so get there early and then try to make it!

I think the opening show is a bonus thing. Very fun, and really sets the mood to start the day...

Thanks -- this helps a lot! I'm about the fastest walker I know (though I hear that Texas Ranger fellow is pretty fast too), so maybe I'll put it at about 10 minutes... I'm bringing a stroller for my DD, so I won't need to worry about her "speed".

I think we'll probably be able to make it, but even if we don't we'll only be a a few minutes late, and like I said before, we'll get another chance for the show on Friday. I hadn't completely thought this through, but I saw the reservation open up and thought I'd better grab it while I could, and think through the logistics later -- glad I did!

Now I need to decide whether to cancel our 1:30 Crystal Palace reservations or not. Is there another place to see Pooh and friends? Are the waits usually pretty long? I'm wondering if two character meals in one day is a bit much... but we would still probably enjoy the afternoon break (plan was to do the character meal, then immediately find a spot for the 3:00 parade and watch that.... it'd give us about 2 full hours of rest since we're not planning on going back to the resort until 7:00 that evening). With that said, we'll have to eat somewhere, and even a counter service will probably run us $25 bucks by the time we get out of there. Maybe we could try Be Our Guest? Keep the CP reservations?

The hardest thing about this trip is it will be our first, so I have NO IDEA what my DD is going to like . I mean, I know she'll like it all, but will she rather spend time going on all the rides, going on new rides, going on the same rides over and over, seeing the characters, wandering around and enjoying the freedom / atmosphere, swimming at the resort, etc.... it makes planning these ADRs a bit hard!

 

[marivigi]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/12/a-great-way-to-start-the-day-at-magic-kingdom-park/

Thanks!!

Sounds exciting!!!

 

[marivigi]

You can catch Pooh and Tigger in 1900 Park Fare for breakfast. I think they are also in the Swan or Dolphin.

I dont think 2 character meals are too many. Most days we will do just 1, but we have done 2 on some and the kids enjoyed both.

I agree, you have to eat, and for us, being able to sit down, in an a/c room, eat and have the kids entertained by the characters while we rest is well worth it!!

 

[juliebug1997]

It's definitely doable. We've done it twice. And I agree about getting a cab to take you to the Contemporary.

 

[Texas Crude]

You can catch Pooh and Tigger in 1900 Park Fare for breakfast. I think they are also in the Swan or Dolphin.

I dont think 2 character meals are too many. Most days we will do just 1, but we have done 2 on some and the kids enjoyed both.

I agree, you have to eat, and for us, being able to sit down, in an a/c room, eat and have the kids entertained by the characters while we rest is well worth it!!

Are the Pooh characters available outside of meals?

 

[Texas Crude]

It's definitely doable. We've done it twice. And I agree about getting a cab to take you to the Contemporary.

How long will e cab take? Will I be fine with a 7:00 pick up?

 

[goofy4tink]

I'd grab a taxi. Transportation supposedly starts running at 6:30am but busses will be few and far between that early in the morning. Have a great time!

Buses, especially the MK buses, are up and running by 6:30 every morning. No, they aren't as frequent as regular buses are.....they tend to run every 25 mins or so. If you want to be at the CR for 7:15, you HAVE to be out at the MK bus stop by 6:20. Otherwise, it isn't going to work.

I am so sorry you are getting mixed advice. You should be able to tell that people have had mixed results in how long Chef Mickey's will take. Sometimes fast, sometimes long. I've been there maybe 20 times and can say my typical time is one hour.

So now the question is the walk from Contemporary to MK entrance. Again you get all kinds of different answers!

Here is the fact: It is almost exactly 1/2 mile from Chef Mickey's to the MK Turnstiles. So time depends on 2 factors:
Your walking speed
time to get through security and turnstile

If you are a power walker, 4mph, walking time is 7.5 min
Typical walker at 2mph, 15 minutes
Slow walker at 1mph, 30 minutes.

Don't believe any report of a 5 minute walk!

I hope this helps you decide. For your first time daughter I guess I lean toward Chef Mickey's .. .so get there early and then try to make it!

I think the opening show is a bonus thing. Very fun, and really sets the mood to start the day...

I have never, ever, taken longer than 10 mins to walk between CR and MK. Usually it takes us about 8 mins. We are, by no means, power walkers!!!

Are the Pooh characters available outside of meals?

I have routinely seen Pooh and his gang over at AK, down by the river.

If it were me, and I wanted to keep the CM's ADR...I would take a cab to the CR. I didn't notice if you mentioned where you're staying..that would make a difference to me. And how old is your dd??? Her age would make a difference to me in deciding whether or not to skip the opening show. Yes, it's a fun show, but I see lots of young kids looking bored...they just want to get into the park and get going!!!
The think that I would do at CMs would be is to tell your server that you want to pay the bill immediately. We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time, sitting and waiting, for the server to come back and take our money!!! IF you do it as soon as the server first shows up, you can pretty much leave whenever you want!!! That could save you 15 mins right there!!!

 

[juliebug1997]

How long will e cab take? Will I be fine with a 7:00 pick up?

I don't remember where you're staying, but we've needed about 20 minutes (maybe a little less) to get from POR to the different MK resorts. I'd plan on paying about $16ish+tip.

Also, there are lots here who say that the buses are running that early and they are. However, every time I've needed to catch a bus that early, we end up cutting the timing a little too close for my taste. Like getting to the desk right at 7:30 AM. Several times, we got lucky and a transportation supervisor stopped by to help us out after other bus drivers going to other parks asked us what we needed. Plus, it allows you some extra sleeping time that morning since you don't have to be at the bus stop so early.

We generally only take cabs if we're going to other resorts for a meal, especially breakfast. We feel that it makes the morning slightly less stressful.

Have fun!!!!!

 

[Texas Crude]

Buses, especially the MK buses, are up and running by 6:30 every morning. No, they aren't as frequent as regular buses are.....they tend to run every 25 mins or so. If you want to be at the CR for 7:15, you HAVE to be out at the MK bus stop by 6:20. Otherwise, it isn't going to work.


I have never, ever, taken longer than 10 mins to walk between CR and MK. Usually it takes us about 8 mins. We are, by no means, power walkers!!!



I have routinely seen Pooh and his gang over at AK, down by the river.

If it were me, and I wanted to keep the CM's ADR...I would take a cab to the CR. I didn't notice if you mentioned where you're staying..that would make a difference to me. And how old is your dd??? Her age would make a difference to me in deciding whether or not to skip the opening show. Yes, it's a fun show, but I see lots of young kids looking bored...they just want to get into the park and get going!!!
The think that I would do at CMs would be is to tell your server that you want to pay the bill immediately. We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time, sitting and waiting, for the server to come back and take our money!!! IF you do it as soon as the server first shows up, you can pretty much leave whenever you want!!! That could save you 15 mins right there!!!

Thanks -- great ideas and I think this is what we'll end up doing. I'm staying at POR. Our reservations are at 7:25, so we'll probably take a 7:00 cab from POR, which should only be about a 10 minute ride. That way we'll be there 10 to 15 minutes early if they can accommodate us... if not we won't be waiting too long.

Sounds like as long as we pay the bill at the beginning and plan on brisk-walking it to MK, we should still be able to get there for the 8:50 show. If not, we'll just be a few minutes behind.

 

[JoWiJo]

I think it's ok to try to plan to make RD right after eating at CM. But why rush it since you are returning to the MK later on in the week? Plan ahead, yes, but there is no need to plan an aerobic workout while on vacation -- especially after eating. All that stress to make it to a certain spot by a certain time while eating -- then on a full stomach? It could lead to slight indigestion with the added stress of being a first trip.

With your schedule, I'd be more inclined to take my time at CM. If I still made it to the show and RD, great, if not, no biggie. I'd still get to the park early enough to have plenty of fun.

Think of it this way,: Going to CM and MK is a big enough treat right there to start the day. Adding another character meal for lunch makes it even bigger. If you can't also make RD on that day, you can make RD on the day you do return to the park, and add a little more magical surprise to that day.

 

[serene56]

I have never, ever, taken longer than 10 mins to walk between CR and MK. Usually it takes us about 8 mins. We are, by no means, power walkers!!!

!

thats about how long it took us too and we are only strollers with a 5 year old.
coming back--- we had to take a bus as she was too tired to walk those 10 minutes. Waited longer for a bus then it would have taken us to walk there