9th Birthday at DL

[GoofTroop4Life]

My daughter will be celebrating her 9th birthday while we are at Disneyland this summer. We have done WDW, but this will be our first trip to the west coast. I would like to surprise her with a character meal or the Blue Bayou, but I'm not sure which route to go. Any suggestions on a special meal or other fun experiences are much appreciated!

 

[bethwc101]

My daughter will be celebrating her 9th birthday while we are at Disneyland this summer. We have done WDW, but this will be our first trip to the west coast. I would like to surprise her with a character meal or the Blue Bayou, but I'm not sure which route to go. Any suggestions on a special meal or other fun experiences are much appreciated!

I would say that depends on how big she is into characters. If she LOVES characters then I would do Plaza Inn for breakfast. Also, is your child a picky eater? I feel like Plaza has a better variety and more choices for picky eaters. But still good enough foods for the adults to enjoy. I think your daughter might like Blue Bayou because it's in an attraction, but I think they really don't appreciate the environment until they are a little older. For us, we have actually not done BB in years. Just because the cost is not meeting food quality. Even taking into consideration the atmosphere. I would rather do New Orleans for the same food, but much better price. IMO

 

[tink89]

Goofys Kitchen. It really does depend on what your daughter likes. DD is 12 now and she does not get as excited with characters as she used to but always asks if we are going to Goofys Kitchen. She likes the food, the characters there and the fun atmosphere. She does also like Minnies for Breakfast but that would come in second to Goofys. Blue Bayou I like but DD has never been and thinks its pretty cool you can see the ride from the restaurant but that is it.

 

[Jimsig]

We are from the east coast and are usually WDW people but we have gone to DL the last 2 summers for DD 9th and 10th birthdays and have loved it.

We did both the BB and characters meals the first year and just the BB last year. We did Donald's Seaside Breakfast at PCH Grill and Storytellers Breakfast. DD liked them all.

If you do go to BB and get the F! package you will also get a seat cushion and great viewing for F! DD loves F! and if yours does too, get the package. IMO it's a great birthday present. If you do a google search you can find the menu for the F! package including the kids menu. After the show you can stay there and watch the fireworks.

The first year we also did "A Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour" and DD loved it. She had seen the Vlogs of people doing the tour so we knew she would enjoy it. Have her check those out to gauge her interest.

 

[OneThree]

Having done character breakfasts at both Goofy’s and Plaza I would give a slight nod to Plaza though both are fun.

You can also get a Happy Birthday button at City Hall which is fun because CMs, other guests too, will wish her happy birthday.

 

[GoofTroop4Life]

We are from the east coast and are usually WDW people but we have gone to DL the last 2 summers for DD 9th and 10th birthdays and have loved it.

We did both the BB and characters meals the first year and just the BB last year. We did Donald's Seaside Breakfast at PCH Grill and Storytellers Breakfast. DD liked them all.

If you do go to BB and get the F! package you will also get a seat cushion and great viewing for F! DD loves F! and if yours does too, get the package. IMO it's a great birthday present. If you do a google search you can find the menu for the F! package including the kids menu. After the show you can stay there and watch the fireworks.

The first year we also did "A Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour" and DD loved it. She had seen the Vlogs of people doing the tour so we knew she would enjoy it. Have her check those out to gauge her interest.

I hadn't heard of that tour. I will definitely check it out!

 

[GoofTroop4Life]

I would say that depends on how big she is into characters. If she LOVES characters then I would do Plaza Inn for breakfast. Also, is your child a picky eater? I feel like Plaza has a better variety and more choices for picky eaters. But still good enough foods for the adults to enjoy. I think your daughter might like Blue Bayou because it's in an attraction, but I think they really don't appreciate the environment until they are a little older. For us, we have actually not done BB in years. Just because the cost is not meeting food quality. Even taking into consideration the atmosphere. I would rather do New Orleans for the same food, but much better price. IMO

I lived in NOLA for a while, so I am particular when it comes to the cuisine. I have been reading mixed reviews on the food, so thanks for the feedback.

 

[GoofTroop4Life]

Having done character breakfasts at both Goofy’s and Plaza I would give a slight nod to Plaza though both are fun.

You can also get a Happy Birthday button at City Hall which is fun because CMs, other guests too, will wish her happy birthday.

Do you prefer the Plaza because of the food, character interactions, or both?

 

[VandVsmama]

Do you prefer the Plaza because of the food, character interactions, or both?

I prefer Plaza Inn character breakfast for both food & character interactions. We always encounter more characters at the Plaza Inn compared to Goofy's Kitchen. And every time we end up doing the character breakfast in the 10:30 reservation time frame, some of the characters come around twice to our table.

 

[Kittyblue]

Just a side note - one of DD's birthday we got the button but also the birthday ears. She was noticed and picked out for things over and over that weekend. The cast members really made her feel special.

 

[GoofTroop4Life]

Thanks for the tip. We were at WDW for her birthday last year. She had a button, but none of the cast members paid much attention to it. She did end up with a free churro that her brother ate

 

[Aurora0427]

My daughter will be celebrating her 9th birthday while we are at Disneyland this summer. We have done WDW, but this will be our first trip to the west coast. I would like to surprise her with a character meal or the Blue Bayou, but I'm not sure which route to go. Any suggestions on a special meal or other fun experiences are much appreciated!

We just ate at Blue Bayou for my daughter’s 4th birthday because she wanted to eat “at the restaurant in Pirates.” We were completely underwhelmed by the food- the portions were tiny and it wasn’t any better than mediocre cafeteria food. It was so freaking expensive.... I’d do a character meal. Plaza inn has mediocre food but the best characters. They have several very unique characters you can only see at the restaurant. Goofy’s kitchen is the best option for dinner.... the food isn’t gourmet but there’s something for everyone and you get as much as you can eat. The characters have always been great with our kids. My oldest turns nine in April, and she loves GK. If it’s in your budget, check out the princess brunch at Napa Rose. It looks incredible.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

If you wanted to really splurge you could do the princess breakfast at the Grand Californian. Thank goodness I have boys because that thing is $$$

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We were completely underwhelmed by the food- the portions were tiny and it wasn’t any better than mediocre cafeteria food.

Curious what you ordered? When I ate there I was starving and couldn’t come close to finishing my meal (sadly because what I ordered was delicious!).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The character meal seems to be getting the most votes here. Generally, the run down on character meals on this board is:
Goofy's Kitchen: the only one that offers dinner (many people do this one the night before they start their park days to kick off the magic), basic characters, basic & generous food selection
Storytellers: Mickey is here, usually wins for best food
NR: super expensive, fanciest food, most in depth character interaction, very time consuming -- so plan accordingly
Donald's: has Stitch! a smaller character meal, so can be good for kids who don't like "big" restaurant events, characters have good interaction with the kids because this is a smaller event, good/basic food
Minnie's: the most characters of any of the meals, does require park admission, people report seeing anywhere from 9-15 characters at each meal, indoor and outdoor seating -- so be prepared

If you do a character meal and still want to see F! (totally worth it at DL -- a better show than at WDW -- it was created at DL), do the HB dining package. That is the most economical, lets you order of the prix fixe or the regular menu (dining package price stays the same), and the view is very good (right next to the BB section).
Hope your DD has a super magical birthday!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Curious what you ordered? When I ate there I was starving and couldn’t come close to finishing my meal (sadly because what I ordered was delicious!).

I agree. We've always had very generous portions and the kitchen has been very willing to customize the food to my requests. (Agree that it is over priced, but that's the norm at Disney.) The servers haven't always been stellar, but lately, we've had really good CMs who've tried very hard to please. The food has improved a lot over the last few years. When we've asked the BB kitchen to impress our guests, they've come through for us.

 

[LilyJC]

Another fun suggestion is the Afternoon Tea at the DLH. My girls have never wanted to do any character interactions, but my youngest loves Stitch. She asked to do Donald’s Seaside breakfast on her 10th birthday. It was very cute, the food was decent, and definitely a ton of character attention as our reservation was first thing in the morning. So much interaction with the characters that both of my girls said they were traumatized and never wanted to do another character meal.

Anyhow, the tea has no characters and has become a tradition/special treat for them.They have a kids menu option, and if it’s hot out (or just preferred), they will serve iced tea.

The princess breakfast at Napa Rose looks precious as well though but even more pricey than the tea.

ETA: They both also really enjoy Blue Bayou!

You have so many options! DLR is a really great place to celebrate birthdays.

 

[GoofTroop4Life]

Thanks to everyone for the generous feedback. It's so hard not to want to do it all!

 

[Aurora0427]

Curious what you ordered? When I ate there I was starving and couldn’t come close to finishing my meal (sadly because what I ordered was delicious!).

The chicken. It was just plain chicken with vegetables. Very mediocre for $35. My dad had the salmon for $42 and he said the salmon he had at Mimi’s Bistro the night before was better and half the price. When we spend money like what they are charging at Blue Bayou, we expect excellent food. The food isn’t bad, but it’s not excellent. Had my chicken been $20, that would’ve been more in line. We expect to pay more at Disney, but the food should be excellent. We love the table service restaurants at Epcot in World Showcase and the new fine dining options at Disney Springs, but have been underwhelmed at Disneyland so far.

 

[Aurora0427]

Another fun suggestion is the Afternoon Tea at the DLH. My girls have never wanted to do any character interactions, but my youngest loves Stitch. She asked to do Donald’s Seaside breakfast on her 10th birthday. It was very cute, the food was decent, and definitely a ton of character attention as our reservation was first thing in the morning. So much interaction with the characters that both of my girls said they were traumatized and never wanted to do another character meal.

Anyhow, the tea has no characters and has become a tradition/special treat for them.They have a kids menu option, and if it’s hot out (or just preferred), they will serve iced tea.

The princess breakfast at Napa Rose looks precious as well though but even more pricey than the tea.

ETA: They both also really enjoy Blue Bayou!

You have so many options! DLR is a really great place to celebrate birthdays.

We have been curious about Donald’s seaside breakfast. Is the food similar to Minnie’s at Plaza Inn?