Why my family might take a break from character dining at Disney

[GreatLakes]

My wife and I rarely do character meals any more. We did do Tusker House this past trip but for the food. Getting a few character pictures was a nice bonus but we have done some character meals in the past and already have pictures with the characters we want. We don't see any reason for us to get another picture with Mickey Mouse or Goofy. We feel that once you have a picture with a character you don't need more.

 

[DisneyDude71]

Well I like character dining, so does the wife, and it just got a whole lot worse due to the fact, we have a granddaughter now and we will hit up any and all that we can. They can try and rush us but it won't work for them, we paid our money like everyone else.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I also kind of disagree with all the hate on buffets. Since DS was just under 3 our last trip, he did not have his own set of meals on the dining plan. Buffets meant he could eat whatever he wanted off of his own plate instead of having to share. He is a big eater, so I certainly won't mind paying for the buffets now that he is over 3. I hear people say they felt rushed all the time and that has just never been my experience. Maybe because I am just oblivious to the subtle cues from the server or ignore it, but feeling like they were pushing us out has never been my experience. Like I said in my previous post, the only disappointing character meal was Chef Mickey's which was only disappointing because the food was so lack-luster and the characters were just not that good. However, even there, my DS was in love with watching the monorail zoom by overhead so it was still fun. We would not necessarily choose it again, but it was fun.

 

[EEPETEZ]

Just out of curiosity...what would happen to a character meal guest who refused to leave until all the characters had come around to their table and pictures were taken?

In all of our experiences, we always have at least 3 or 4 character meals, if we miss a character and they will come back if you ask. A wonderful example at Chef Mickey's just a few weeks ago. My oldest had to go to the restroom (emergency), just as all of the charters started to come around, so he would have missed everyone, they were just coming one after another. He's 12, so it would have been fine with him, but our youngest (6) got so upset and started to cry that his big brother would miss everyone. When Goofy saw him crying, he was concerned. We told the handler what was going on and then Goofy motioned he would come back around in a minute and in fact all of the characters came back. They were all coming at one time, so we were missing everyone. It was so very sweet. It made our 6 year olds day and our 12 year olds too. He discovered the pure joy of being a big brother and having your little brother love you so much.

 

[Jfsag123]

We have done several of the character meals and I am torn as to how I feel about them. My kids are character obsessed, so doing the meals allows us to see lots without having to stand in the lines. I agree with the feeling of being somewhat stressed about getting food and making it back in time for the characters at the buffets, but we haven't had too much of a problem with it. The only time we've missed characters is at 1900 PF breakfast, and it wasn't due to being at the buffet. The CM was wonderful about making sure the one we missed came back to our table. We also realized we'd forgotten to get an autograph from the Mad Hatter and he overheard us saying it and came back on his own.

Character interaction seems to be hit or miss. We have had some absolutely WONDERFUL character experiences at the meals, and also some wave-photo-leave ones. Still, during the time that my kids are still young enough to care (and pay kids prices) we will probably continue to do 4-5 character meals per trip. Now if only they'd do a Toy Story meal...

 

[ArwenMarie]

Character meals are ok for what they promise although overpriced like everything else at WDW

We enjoyed them when the kids were little, even though they were a little hectic. Still better than waiting in lines to see characters.

The only one I like now is the Ohana breakfast. I'd like to try the one at the Four Seasons sometime.

 

[aleksandr]

We've found that character meals are hit and miss. We did Ohanas for several years in a row because my son loves Stitch. But, over time, I noticed the quality of the experience declining precipitously. One year we were forced to wait 45 minutes past our ADR time because the place was so overwhelmed. Dealing with people first thing in the morning who are getting cranky because they are hungry is not fun. The main problem at Ohanas was the service, or lack thereof. At times we never received refills we asked for. Our server was extremely rude when we requested the Mickey waffles as that was the only thing our autistic child would eat. We were told that the waffles would be coming around and to wait our turn, after we'd already waited 45 minutes past our reservation to even be seated.

1900 Park Faire has been a much better experience for us the past two years. Characters who are not in full face-covering suits tend to spend more time with the kids. My son has had some great interactions with Alice, Mary Poppins, and the Mad Hatter at 1900 Park Faire. Also, being able to go up and get our own food when we wanted it was much better than having to rely on the servers who are overwhelmed.

We've done one meal at Crystal Palace for breakfast and I don't recall too much about it.

The Jedi dinner at DHS was probably the worst though. We did one of the first nights of this meal this past April. There was a serious lack of coordination between handlers and characters. We were told when we were seated "No autograph signings", which was a huge disappointment based on how much we paid for that dinner. We resigned ourselves to that fact but, when characters starting coming around, they noticed my son's autograph book sitting on the table (I had been too rushed to put it in the backpack) and offered to sign it for him. He got one or two signatures before we were very firmly scolded by a handler that there were "NO AUTOGRAPHS!". Sorry, but we didn't ask for or solicit the autographs, so don't yell at me or my child because you didn't clearly communicate your internal policies to the guy or gal in the suit!

The interactions at this dinner were extremely rushed with barely any time to pose for good pictures before they were off to the next table. In all, I think we were in and out in a half hour. And all this for something like $69.95 per person. Definitely not worth it, especially for children who are considered adults in Disney's eyes. This is one we will NOT be doing again.

 

[maxiesmom]

I tend to agree. At our last trip, we started with a pre-opening ADR at CP ... it was so hectic it was almost unenjoyable. We had several more booked, so I literally discussed with my husband and mom that we were not going to let the rest of them stress us out. We agreed to take our time enjoying the food, letting the kids have fun, seeing the characters and NOT LETTING THE SERVERS RUSH US. Do you know every other meal was just perfect? Tusker House, Akershus and H&V were overall pretty great. I did enjoy Akershus, not having to get up and down the whole time. I might seek out those types of meals going forward while my kids are small. (Ohana comes to mind)

I just had a great meal at the Crystal Palace on Tuesday. We were not rushed at all. Maybe it depends on the server or the time of day.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

In 2008 we stayed offsite and did a few character meals. With two small kids the price wasn't that bad, In 2009 we did 6-7 character meals and 2011 we did about 5. We had the 4/7 deal and "free" dining. Again not bad.

This past trip we had DS15 and DD9. We paid OOP for food. We did two character meals. Chef Mickey's dinner (DS's only choice all trip) and CRT lunch for just myself and DD. I couldn't bring myself to pay for CRT with 3 adults which I prepaid in February. The check for CM's dinner was $200 after tip! That made me hold my breath a bit. Both of our meals were nice. Actually relaxing since CM's was at 515 pm. We also did Ohana dinner at about $200 after tip and two adult drinks. None of the meals were rushed. We loved the food at all 3 actually....even CM.

Next trip if the kids still are up to it I will do 1-2 character meals but for breakfast. I wouldn't mind never doing one again. DD says she will want to do CRT every.single.trip. I think TH breakfast is amazing! I also want to try CP for breakfast one day. My kids are older. Can serve themselves. They like late breakfasts around 10 or later.

Doing character meals didn't save us much time since we also stood in line for some repeat characters since we had MM.

 

[emmabemmainc]

Honestly and respectfully I think you're creating your own stress.

I think I agree with this. Years ago, I could not have stressed more when at character meals with my daughter. All I could think about was where the characters were and why were they taking so long. I have learned, since then, to relax and enjoy the experience (Plus, the food at CP is pretty decent for breakfast). However, my daughter is also now 14, so she doesn't care as much either.

 

[HM]

We've only done a handful of character meals during our many trips to WDW. We are not big eaters, meeting characters has never been a high priority for us, and the cost got prohibitive.

 

[quagmire0]

It's interesting. Your article sort of made me realize why I prefer certain character meetings to others. Buffets in general at WDW are a bit of a pain. Even at Biergarten, where I like to watch the band, I find myself spending a bunch of time making several trips between the table and the buffet line. We've had pretty good experiences with Crystal Palace, but Hollywood and Vine was much more chaotic. We did Akershus once and that was fine, although I think we were fans of the price/quality of food ratio. I think one of my favorites was 'Ohana's breakfast. That's where your article made me realize that it's family style, and that's probably why it was more enjoyable. The characters came by several times in our time there and we got plenty of pictures and didn't miss a moment.

 

[J'Adore Disney]

I had a not so good experience at Crystal Palace. Made lunch reservations and ordered a cake for my daughter’s 15th birthday. When my family and I were finally seated at the table, the waitress advised me she didn’t have a small cake but that I had the option to buy a larger cake, which wasn’t worth the money (in waitress’ opinion) and that I’d have to carry the cake all around the park if we didn’t eat all of it, because they would not store it for later pick-up. Therefore, I decided not to buy the cake, because indeed it was too large. Instead, I settled for a cupcake, sprinkles and happy birthday drawn in chocolate on the plate.

Unfortunately, several birthdays were being celebrated on that day and character interaction was poor. There was a birthday blonde, with a low cut blouse, celebrating her 21st birthday, and Pooh and Friends were attracted to her like bears to a honey pot. They were dancing around her table, taking way too many pictures, and making this gal the center of attention.

Back then I think I paid $38 per person and all we got was a stomach ache and 2 pictures with Pooh and his naughty little friends!!! (PS - don't ride any of the mountains after eating a breakfast/lunch buffet!!!)

On a good note:

The following year we did Akershus for DD's Sweet 16th and is was flawless perfection! Worth every penny just to see her smiling from ear to ear with her favorite princesses, especially Snow White.

 

[quagmire0]

I also kind of disagree with all the hate on buffets. Since DS was just under 3 our last trip, he did not have his own set of meals on the dining plan. Buffets meant he could eat whatever he wanted off of his own plate instead of having to share. He is a big eater, so I certainly won't mind paying for the buffets now that he is over 3. I hear people say they felt rushed all the time and that has just never been my experience. Maybe because I am just oblivious to the subtle cues from the server or ignore it, but feeling like they were pushing us out has never been my experience. Like I said in my previous post, the only disappointing character meal was Chef Mickey's which was only disappointing because the food was so lack-luster and the characters were just not that good. However, even there, my DS was in love with watching the monorail zoom by overhead so it was still fun. We would not necessarily choose it again, but it was fun.

I think the buffets are more hectic when you have multiple kids that you need to get food for. I think the last time we went our kids were 5, 3, and ~18mo. So, not only did my wife and I have to get our own food, but we had to make up 3 more plates and make a couple trips. On our next trip, our oldest 2 kids will probably be self-sufficient enough to go get food on their own, so it shouldn't be as big of a deal. And often times, as is the case with Hollywood and Vine IMO, tables are close together and people are always moving around - so it makes it a pain to navigate. Compare that with 'Ohana or Akershus where you can just sit down and everything comes to you.

 

[DCbride]

We stopped when my daughter stopped getting excited ... Stopped getting up from eating. She still loves the characters but was hungry. Plus, I hate dirty plates in some pictures because there is no place to move for a photo.