recommend character meals for almost 2 year old

[madonniac]

We're going to Disney for Thanksgiving '09. DS will make 2 on NYE '09.

What are some Character Meals that he would love?

DH and I went to Disney on our HM and only went to Cinderella's Castle....we were not impressed.

 

[ScrapperBelle]

We took our granddaughter in May (she was 14 mos. old). Character meals we did were: Cinderella Dinner at Grand Floridian (absolutely wonderful), Chef Mickeys (she really loved the characters here...all the dancing and singing really put her at ease with them), Garden Grill at Epcot (she was needing a nap this time and was pretty cranky with the characters, but they were great at giving her space and waiting until she was ready to see them), 'Ohana at the Polynesian (we did breakfast here and it was fantastic! She really enjoyed the characters...once again there was singing and dancing which seemed to help her mood).

Hope some of this helps!

 

[jnsma]

We went last year with DS3/DS3 and they loved the Playhouse disney at DHS. It was the most active and entertaining one. The food was OK but the fact they were entertained for a longer lunch made it one of the better meals.

We did Chef Mickey for dinner, just OK but good to see the traditional characters.
Lastly, we did CP, which also had good interaction. It was also cool to have an early reservation and get to see the park empty.

 

[kpm76]

We really like lunch at Crystal Palace. The food is better than most of the other buffets and the character interaction is great. Last time we went DD was 6 months so she didn't really "get it." This year, she will be 18 months and is much more aware of things. She does love Mickey and Minnie though so I think we might do Cape May Cafe for breakfast. Have fun!

 

[loopner67]

I'm going to throw in a vote for the Ohana breakfast. I have two boys (ages 7 and 10 now) who love that breakfast. We've been going to it religiously the past few trips and would never miss it!

We love that it's a family style meal vs. another buffet. My boys love seeing Stitch, Mickey and Pluto (Lilo, too, of course). Our boys love the conga line that goes around the restaurant once an hour. We love visiting the Poly hotel and then jumping on the monorail afterwards to go to the MK.

 

[greenchief]

I would say Crystal Palace for a two year old. I am sure he is already familar with Pooh, Tigger, Eyore and Piglet. Just beaware that it can get very loud and noisy. They also do a parade around the resaurant every so often. Have fun and lots of photo ops!!!

 

[Ann68]

Hi--our first visit was when my dd was 2 and ds was 5. They loved Playhouse disney, Chef Mickey's and Ohana's(awesome breakfast). All three of them have dancing and music involved, which is always a hit! They were familiar with Pooh and friends(Crystal Palace) and liked it, but were'nt as into them. I think you just have to decide what he enjoys the most! Good Luck!

 

[design_mom]

Unless he has a favorite character, I also vote for Ohana's. They characters aren't my ultra-favorite, but I love that it's served family style. It's so much more relaxed to sit at the table and wait for the characters to come by, rather than trying to rush up to the buffet and hope that you get back before you miss anything. We found that our server was very accommodating about bringing special requests (I think someone in our party was disappointed that oatmeal wasn't on the menu. Suddenly, our server showed up with a bowl of oatmeal.)

 

[maxy mouse]

At 18 months DD loved Chef Mickey's as well as Pooh and friends at Crystal Palace. A few months later she was scared to death by the appearance of a clown at a friend’s party. A well rested baby sould make a big difference.

 

[Grendalynn]

Another vote for Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace!! We were there in April when DS was about 18 months... He was famaliar with Pooh, Tigger and all of those chracters and really related to seeing them which made a big difference. Mickey and Minni too at CM. When we saw other characters in the park, who he was not famaliar with, and he could have cared less... I say go with whats famaliar and who wont freak him out! Little Einsteins was another we considered but just couldnt squeeze it in...

When we were little my parents and Aunt and Uncle took my cousins and my sisters and I to the Breakfast at Ft Wilderness... My sisters and I were all very aware of mickey and the characters, Dear Cousins were not!! No one in the place had ever heard such a screech as to what came from her mouth! She was right around 2 years old.... Frontieer Donald was NOT her favorite! And she wanted NOTHINg to do with any of them, Mickey, Donald, goofy, NONE! She hasn't lived it down to this day, she is now 24.... It made for a not so fun breakfast experience for many. I say go with whom ever your DS likes and is famaliar with and can relate to... Good Luck!!

 

[ChristusG]

With toddlers we have done Chef Mickey's, Liberty Tree Tavern, Ohana's, and the Garden Grille.

We loved them all!!! All of those were great for toddlers. When we go in October, we're doing Chef Mickeys again....plus we're adding in Hollywood & Vine. We've never done that one before. Our kids will be 4 years old and 20 months.

 

[colinsdad]

Hands down my vote goes to Play 'N Dine at Hollywood and Vine.

I've done many of them with my DS and that was the one where I saw him the happiest.

He got to get up and dance with other kids his age with Little Einsteins and JoJo and Goliath and they came to our table as well during our meal. Excellent character interaction.

As a point of reference we've done the following (and they are ranked accordingly).

1. Play 'N Dine
2. Crystal Palace
3. Goofy's Liberate Your Appetite Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern.
4. Ohana Breakfast
5. Hoop De Doo Review (not characters but DS3 loved it).
6. Donald's Breakfastasouras (now Breakfast Safari-assuming its the same)
7. Chef Mickey's Dinner - not overly impressed with character interaction (waive napkins every half hour yea!!) Maybe breakfast is better?

I left out Cinderella's Royal Table because you weren't impressed. I probably would have it ranked between 3 and 4. I LOVE their cream cheese french toast (or what ever that delicious concoction was), but it is pricey for what you get and DS while he likes the princesses (especially Jasmine which I certainly can't fault him for although I'm more an Ariel fan ) likes Pooh and Mickey a little better right now.

 

[slenkey]

We absolutely loved Garden Grill as well... unfortunately they have changed it to dinner only and no longer offer lunch as a character meal (huge disappointment when I booked ADRs).

Crystal Palace was great fun at breakfast and we got into the park when it was almost completely empty. So cool to see. Even empty it was energized. My son loved seeing the castle so close!

1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian is wonderful... so much better than CRT IMHO. In the evening the characters are princesses, the wicked stepsisters and Fairy Godmother. We are going to breakfast this time because Mary Poppins makes an appearance. This is as much for me as it is for my DS who adores her and always wants a babysitter that has her bag.

 

[beck01]

With our 1, 3 & 5 year olds, their favorite overall was Chef Mickey's. Of couse our 3 yr. old girl still talks about Cinderella's Royal Table.

 

[tanyaandallie]

At that age, I'd go to Crystal Palace!! It's awesome!

 

[nic98omo]

We went to the Tusker House breakfast in AK last November. The children were 5 and 2. We all loved it. The food was really good but it was a little loud.

I would recommend making a late morning reservation for breakfast (per someone else's advise). We were seating in one of the last time slots and as the restaurant started to clear, we had great one on one interaction with the characters.

 

[Cory's Gal]

When we took my son who was just barely 2, we had breakfast at Crystal Palace. It was wonderful and the Pooh & Friends characters are so soft, they are easy to hug and cuddle. We got an early morning ressie, so he was fresh after a good night's sleep and the restaurant wasn't packed yet so it wasn't too crazy in there. It was lots of fun!!!