Ok everyone, I have a confession to make...

[indiesgirl4ever]

I have never been to a character meal. I might plan a birthday trip in july and wanted to look into doing one. What selections are there? Which are the best? Would an adult and a teenaged girl still enjoy it? What type of foods are available? Is it worth the money? How much? So on and so forth. Thank you in advanced!
-Christine

 

[spacemermaid]

I'm kind of biased here, because I've been going to character meals since they first started having them (late 80s, yo! ).

You have several choices for character meals:

Goofy's Kitchen brunch & dinner

Ariel's Grotto brunch, lunch, dinner

Mickey & Friends breakfast

Chip & Dale's breakfast

It really depends on which place you choose, what foods will be served. You'll probably want to check out the "food p0rn" thread, as there are lots of pictures of the food served at various character meals there. Also, here's a link to the menus: http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm . (The menus for the buffet character meals are more just a general idea of what's served at each; IIRC, the Ariel's Grotto lunch/dinner menu is the only one that really goes into detail...)

My personal favorite character meal (and a favorite of many Disboarders) is the Goofy's Kitchen brunch. It has the biggest selection of food, and usually alot (usually around 6 to 10) of characters visiting each table.

As to whether an adult and a teenager will enjoy a character meal...I've no children myself, so I've not been to a character meal with kids since lil sister was still a kid , but I make it a priority to do at least one character meal each Disney trip. On which I go either with friends (no kids) or family (we're all grownups here!). Speaking only for myself here, I was the typical "sullen teenager'...unless I was at Disney. In which case, I LOVED character meals. Therefore, they must be magic...

 

[L2S2C]

about 4 years ago we did Goofys Kitchen for dinner. I was not impressed at all. In my opinion the food sucked, it was like tv dinner type or something you could easily get at home town buffet. The characters were fun for kids I guess but my 2 year old couldn't care less. It was way too expensive for the quality of food that we recieved and I remember regretting every cent we spent. But that was years ago and we have three kids now so Im debating doing another character meal but it wont be goofys for dinner. If you guys really like the characters then you'd probably enjoy them, personally Id skip it altogether if I didnt have kids. There are some updated reviews if you search the site, thats what Ive been using to decided.

 

[Dobie]

We took DD to Ariel's for dinner when she was 16. It was a hoot. We dressed up mighty fine (DD had face paint) and all the princesses came to our table to visit. DD got to flirt with their page, too.

 

[reynmagsmom]

I'll put in a vote for Goofy's for breakfast as food has always been excellent and characters were plentiful, I have never been for dinner so not sure how much a difference there is but we like goofy's so much we have never tried any of the others offered I think we may try Minnie and friends at Plaza Inn next trip cause I have heard many good things about that one!!!!
I'm sorry you had such a bad exp. L2S2C, we have eaten there many many times and always had wonderful food and great interaction with the characters, but as I said we have never gone for dinner only breakfast!!!

 

[wvnative]

We've done Ariel's as well. I think it was in May of '07 so the kid was 16. She loved it. She's not been intested in going back since they changed their menu though.

We'll be doing Goofy's Kitchen for the first time this trip unless the girls opt out.

 

[Sherry E]

It's hard to say what any one person or any one group of people will enjoy most, because people have different preferences in a character meal.

Here are two important links:

Our character meal photo and information thread - this will show you what kinds of characters to expect to see at the different meals, and that may help you decide which one to choose:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2234435

Pictures of the Goofy's Kitchen breakfast/brunch buffet, courtesy of Disneynerd420 - check out Post #338 and Post #339 for all the fabulous buffet photos - food porn galore!!:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2268157&page=23

I wish we had more extensive photos of the other character meals' food, but people don't post photos too often of all the offerings.

Minnie & Friends, by all accounts, clearly has the most characters onsite at any one time. I haven't even been there yet but I can see that from the photos. BUT, there are consistently 'mixed' reviews of the food quality, with a slight slant towards the negative. I am sure the food is good on some days (I think all the character meals have off days in food and number of characters, but this one seems to get more iffy reviews of the food than the others, and more positive reviews on the character interaction than others), but it seems like, in that case, the number of characters is more the main draw and the food takes a back seat somewhat, and for many, many folks, having that many characters is the most important factor. This is a buffeteria-style restaurant, so it is not the usual all-you-can-eat buffet set-up, though it is labeled as a buffet. Minnie & Friends is also quite a bit less expensive than Goofy's, Ariel's or the new Surf's Up with Mickey.

Both Goofy's Kitchen and Ariel's Grotto are called "Premium Dining" by DLR. (Premium prices, that's for sure!!) I think this is because Goofy's has the widest variety of food - it's really an extensive buffet - and Ariel's has some very unique, specialty items - almost on the verge of being fine dining, in a way. So those two elements put them into the "Premium dining" category. Usually, Goofy's has about 7 or 8 characters onsite at one time, but sometimes there may be 4 or 5 while they wait for the other ones to arrive. And it appears that Ariel's has about 5 princesses on duty at any given time.

Storytellers Cafe Critter Breakfast is favored by a lot of folks because it has a much more laid-back, quiet, calm atmosphere in contrast to the high-octane, upbeat fun of Goofy's Kitchen, Minnie & Friends and Surf's Up with Mickey. Also, you have the option of ordering the small buffet or from the menu (menu items are expensive though, so the buffet is a better deal). A lot of folks also prefer the food quality at this one. I have never seen more than 5 characters there at one time, and sometimes there may only be 4.

Surf's Up with Mickey and Friends is still relatively new, and we haven't gotten too many reports on it yet, but it seems like most of the reviews we have received have been favorable. And this is the only meal where Mickey makes an appearance, so that may be a key factor for you! Plus, this buffet-only meal features some unique items that can't be found at the other buffets (with Asian or Latin influences), even though the buffet is not terribly extensive. It sounds as if there are about 5 characters working the restaurant at any given time.

My preference: Goofy's Kitchen - breakfast/brunch, not dinner. Looooove me some Goofy's. I am okay with 5-8 characters and the huge yummy buffet. If I wanted the most characters, I would go to Minnie & Friends. If I wanted to meet Mickey, I'd go to Surf's Up. If I had to dine with the Princesses, I'd go to Ariel's. I have done the Critter Breakfast a few times and it is okay, and I can see where other people would like it better in some ways, but it's not for me!

 

[heatherleigh]

I would do a meal at Goofy's Kitchen. They always seem to get great reviews on the DIS boards, and from friends I know who went. Ariel's seems to get the worst reviews, as far as the food goes. They say the food quality is terrible, and definitely not worth the $. You'd probably be paying more for the characters at that one.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

I would do a meal at Goofy's Kitchen. They always seem to get great reviews on the DIS boards, and from friends I know who went. Ariel's seems to get the worst reviews, as far as the food goes. They say the food quality is terrible, and definitely not worth the $. You'd probably be paying more for the characters at that one.

The menu at Ariel's changed in the past couple of years, Ariel's gets much better reviews now with the new menu. We ate there in November and the food was good. Although we never thought the old menu was terrible either.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I would do a meal at Goofy's Kitchen. They always seem to get great reviews on the DIS boards, and from friends I know who went. Ariel's seems to get the worst reviews, as far as the food goes. They say the food quality is terrible, and definitely not worth the $. You'd probably be paying more for the characters at that one.

Ariel's is wonderful! We only visited for breakfast before the menu change and it's pretty hard to mess up breakfast foods. But our recent lunches and dinners have been great. I love that the food is brought to us, no buffet to load up at.

 

[Raindown]

Word has it that the food at AG this morning was excellent.

 

[MommiePrincess]

We went last August to the following character meals with me, DH, DD3 and DD 7 months.

Goofy's Kitchen for dinner - DD3 LOVED the characters...great interaction, Sleeping Beauty spent over 10 minutes at our table!! Cinderella, Prince Phillip, Minnie came by 3 times, Goofy, Chip and Dale, Gepetto, and a few others I can't remember right now. Food was fine...I wouldn't expect much better. Great selection, fresh and very clean. We will go back this April. We've been there for dinner three times now.

Ariels - DD LOVED the princesses. The food for lunch was very, very good and we couldn't expect any better.

Minnies Breakfast - great characters...so many of them. Characters spent quite a bit of time with us. Food was acceptable with fair to very good items.

Storytellers Cafe Character Breakfast - buffet was very good to excellent. Only characters were from Brother Bear (I think) and Chip and Dale.

We will do all the restaurants above again this April. I was so touched that each and every character took time to touch, acknowledge and wave/kiss my 7 month old. She didn't know who or what they were....but aside from lavishing over my DD3...my littlest DD got attention too.

 

[JennHales]

We went to Goofy's Kitchen two weeks ago. I will never go back. It is over priced and the food is not good.

The food and atmosphere are much better at Ariels Grotto.

Jen

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

Thank you guys for your input. Gotta love some good ol' food porn! Sounds to me like Storytellers might be in the pick. We are more looking for food quality, yet with the benefit of the character interactions. Does Peter Pan, Alice, Wendy, or Mad Hatter appear in any of the character meals. We are both crazy for them!

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you guys for your input. Gotta love some good ol' food porn! Sounds to me like Storytellers might be in the pick. We are more looking for food quality, yet with the benefit of the character interactions. Does Peter Pan, Alice, Wendy, or Mad Hatter appear in any of the character meals. We are both crazy for them!

Did you look at the link I posted above, for the character meal photo thread? I don't know about Peter Pan and Wendy, but Alice and the Mad Hatter sometimes appear at Goofy's Kitchen and sometimes appear at Minnie & Friends (no guarantee for either place, though).

All the character meals can have off days in food quality or character interaction. Also, it can be very subjective, based on people's expectations and preferences. Time of day may affect the food quality (maybe it is in between fresh batches) I have never had a bad food day in 17 years at Goofy's Kitchen, minus maybe one or two days when the bacon was hard. The food quality is great, in my opinion, and the opinion of the others who like it. And you see how many choices they have from Disneynerd420's photos. You won't find that same variety at the other meals. Minnie & Friends is the place with the most mixed reviews on the food quality, but there are folks who LOVE it. I am not a fan of Storytellers, but they have on and off days, too. Last time I ate at the Critter Breakfast, the eggs tasted powdery, but again, I know it was an off day, as I have been there other times when the food was better.

So you really can't go by one or two reports that say the food is not good at any one place, because to someone else it may be great.

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

Did you look at the link I posted above, for the character meal photo thread? I don't know about Peter Pan and Wendy, but Alice and the Mad Hatter sometimes appear at Goofy's Kitchen and sometimes appear at Minnie & Friends (no guarantee for either place, though).

All the character meals can have off days in food quality or character interaction. Also, it can be very subjective, based on people's expectations and preferences. Time of day may affect the food quality (maybe it is in between fresh batches) I have never had a bad food day in 17 years at Goofy's Kitchen, minus maybe one or two days when the bacon was hard. The food quality is great, in my opinion, and the opinion of the others who like it. And you see how many choices they have from Disneynerd420's photos. You won't find that same variety at the other meals. Minnie & Friends is the place with the most mixed reviews on the food quality, but there are folks who LOVE it. I am not a fan of Storytellers, but they have on and off days, too. Last time I ate at the Critter Breakfast, the eggs tasted powdery, but again, I know it was an off day, as I have been there other times when the food was better.

So you really can't go by one or two reports that say the food is not good at any one place, because to someone else it may be great.

I just looked through and saw Alice and MH at Goofys. I'm going through reviews and pictures right now, thank you Sherry for your advice We aren't that 'in the know' about things regarding Disney, we are slowly trying to build up experiencs such as the character meals. I'm actually quite excited to go to one Sounds like a blast. Spacemermaid, you sound exactly like the teenager in our group as a teenager, hopefully she will enjoy the experience if we get the privilage of going.
I begin to love this site more and more everyday! So many great people and information on here.

 

[Sherry E]

I just looked through and saw Alice and MH at Goofys. I'm going through reviews and pictures right now, thank you Sherry for your advice We aren't that 'in the know' about things regarding Disney, we are slowly trying to build up experiencs such as the character meals. I'm actually quite excited to go to one Sounds like a blast. Spacemermaid, you sound exactly like the teenager in our group as a teenager, hopefully she will enjoy the experience if we get the privilage of going.
I begin to love this site more and more everyday! So many great people and information on here.

Oh, you are most welcome! You will get it all figured out - and half the fun is in the planning and sorting it through!

Actually, some of the most amusing pictures in that character meal photo thread come courtesy of WazowskiLOVER - she had a meal at Minnie & Friends last year, I believe, where the Mad Hatter came to their table and caused his usual mischief, making their group put teacups on their heads and walk around until the teacups fell off!! My encounter with the Mad Hatter was years ago - at Goofy's - and he came to our table, sat down, and kept asking me my name. I said, "Sherry," and he wouldn't accept it. So I kept rattling off other names like "Linda," "Mary," "Hortense," "Myrtle," whatever I could think of, and he kept rejecting it and repeating, "What's your name?" Finally I said "Alice," and he liked that and left. I thought he would never let me get back to my food!!

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

Oh, you are most welcome! You will get it all figured out - and half the fun is in the planning and sorting it through!

Actually, some of the most amusing pictures in that character meal photo thread come courtesy of WazowskiLOVER - she had a meal at Minnie & Friends last year, I believe, where the Mad Hatter came to their table and caused his usual mischief, making their group put teacups on their heads and walk around until the teacups fell off!! My encounter with the Mad Hatter was years ago - at Goofy's - and he came to our table, sat down, and kept asking me my name. I said, "Sherry," and he wouldn't accept it. So I kept rattling off other names like "Linda," "Mary," "Hortense," "Myrtle," whatever I could think of, and he kept rejecting it and repeating, "What's your name?" Finally I said "Alice," and he liked that and left. I thought he would never let me get back to my food!!

Those are deff. memories that will last a life time! Oh gosh this character meal thing has really gotten me excited xD I've always wanted to have a moment like that with the characters, like what you see on youtube videos...not that I frequent those or anything

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I've eaten at 3 of the DLR character meals. My experience at each one differs.

Minnie and Friends: I ate there during a family visit. The characters kept coming, some making repeat visits because my 3 year old nephew and 9 month old niece were especially cute that day. The meal itself was a lot of fun, but I found it hard to actually eat at times because the characters were coming so frequently. There was a wide variety of characters from all sorts of movies and animated shorts. Breakfast food was pretty straightforward

Goofy's Kitchen: I ate there once with toocherie. For a long time, it seemed like no characters were coming to our table. Eventually though they began to come. Like Minnie's there was a wide variety of characters, including 2 princesses. I thought the food was pretty standard for a buffet. Again it was hard to eat at times because the characters were coming and/or you didn't want to get up and miss a character while you were at the buffet line.

Ariel's Grotto: In my experience, the food at Disney character meals was roughly the same. Good but not spectacular. And that didn't really matter because you dine at character meals for the characters, right? After eating at Ariel's Grotto, I changed my mind. Most food at character meals is roughly the same. However, the food at Ariel's Grotto is much better. Even now, the thought of that tri-tip makes me drool. And the mashed potatoes are just as good, if not better. It's also less chaotic than other meals, which makes it a nice option for adults looking for a character meal experience, but maybe not the rush. The princesses come out within a few minutes of each other and when they're gone you have the rest of the meal to simply eat and unwind. I ate there once to try it. I keep going back for the food.

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

Thanks for your reviews! Ok, I have another question for you guys. Is the meal a certain time limit say like twelve to one? Or how does that work?