?? About the Buffets for a Non-Buffet Person

[My2Cinderellas]

I am not a buffet person. I avoid them like the plague. DH's family loves them, but have learned that I will only go along if I can order off the menu. This aversion goes way way back to when I waited tables in college and worked too many Friday Seafood and Sunday Brunch buffets. the stories I could tell!

fast forward to our upcoming trip and I see that many character meals are buffets. How do these compare in quality to a Ryans/Old country Buffet/Golden Corral type of place? better? worse? in what ways?

I want this trip to be fun for the girls (7&5) but I want a decent meal too.

TIA!

 

[AnnetteF]

I can't help you with a comparison because I also avoid buffets! However, I can tell you that at a few of the character meals the food is served to your table family style which I find much more acceptable than a buffet. Last year we did Garden Grill in EPCOT for dinner and loved it. Although they changed the menu for a while earlier this summer, I now hear that it is once again a family style meal very similar to what it was before. This year we are trying Liberty Tree Tavern for the character dinner and Ohana for the character breakfast, both of which are also family style service. Hope this helps.

 

[tiggersmom2]

fast forward to our upcoming trip and I see that many character meals are buffets. How do these compare in quality to a Ryans/Old country Buffet/Golden Corral type of place? better? worse? in what ways?

I want this trip to be fun for the girls (7&5) but I want a decent meal too.

TIA!

I can honestly tell you that Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace and Park 1900 are NO better than a Ryans or Golden Corral. If you want a SUPERIOR buffet that all will enjoy....go to BOMA or 'Ohana, they are exceptional.

Sorry, forgot to add that the they were actually worse b/c they are disgracefully expensive and the meat choices are sorely limited.

 

[Forever42]

Crystal Palace is definitely above your Shoney's/Golden Corral/etc. We've done all three meals and the food is usually kept absolutely fresh and there's a better variety than most.

I wouldn't really say any of the buffets at Disney are as bad as Golden Corral - though I haven't been to Trail's End so I'm not sure how that one is. Even though the prices are high, it keeps the food quality and selection high as well.

We like Crystal Palace better than 'Ohana lately - 'Ohana's quality has been slipping a lot and we're not sure when, or if, we'll go back.

 

[Yardbird]

Crystal Palace is definitely above your Shoney's/Golden Corral/etc. We've done all three meals and the food is usually kept absolutely fresh and there's a better variety than most.

I wouldn't really say any of the buffets at Disney are as bad as Golden Corral - though I haven't been to Trail's End so I'm not sure how that one is. Even though the prices are high, it keeps the food quality and selection high as well.

We like Crystal Palace better than 'Ohana lately - 'Ohana's quality has been slipping a lot and we're not sure when, or if, we'll go back.

We had good experiences at Crystal Palace, Boma, and O'hana's family style breakfast. I also like Liberty Tree's family style dinner, nothing special, just decent food. Trails End buffet, IMO, is NOT GOOD. We had dinner there in June, and found the place dirty, and the food wasn't great.

 

[Forever42]

Trails End buffet, IMO, is NOT GOOD. We had dinner there in June, and found the place dirty, and the food wasn't great.

That was our impression when we went in one night. We walked in, asked to check out the buffet, and walked right out.

We've been tempted to check out breakfast or lunch because of the price, but..

 

[DVCJEN]

That was our impression when we went in one night. We walked in, asked to check out the buffet, and walked right out.

We've been tempted to check out breakfast or lunch because of the price, but..

It must just depend on the day--we usuall go to Trails End once every trip and find it to be very good.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

In my early 20s I waited tables at a restaurant that had a Sunday Brunch (Houlihan's...if anyone remembers that chain) and I never saw anything gross or unsavory happening at that buffet! And guess what...NOW I LOVE BUFFETS!!! It might have something to do with the fact that i like to eat a lot when I am on vacation.

I must say that Boma is probably the best restaurant on WDW property, IMHO! The offerings are so unique, and I love taking a tiny sample of everything.

Chef Mickey's is our favorite character breakfast...YUM!

 

[DisFlan]

I'm not a buffet person, either, but I love Boma. I've done many of the other buffets and character meals in the past, and I'll do almost anything to NOT do them again. Boma is the only exception.

DisFlan

 

[Hollymom1229]

Not a buffet fan either, but I love the family style places, and on the buffet front I've enjoyed Boma and Biergarten, but that will probably be the extent of my buffet eating.

 

[DisneyMom5]

We preferred Chef Mickey's to Crystal palace because its buffet is set up better and you are not so crowded. Food was good at both, but I preferred CP's breakfast to their lunch. Donald's is ok, fun, but not a huge selection. Dinner at CM was very good.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

As some may have seen from my previous posts on this topic I HATE DINNER BUFFETS- Period.
But in all honesty, Disney Character BREAKFAST buffets really aren't bad. My personal favs- Crystal Palace at MK (pooh and the gang) and 1900 park fare at Grand Floridian (it was Mary Poppins the last time I went, but am not sure now)
Go to the breakfasts and get your fill of the characters there and save the dinners for a nice sit down with some really good food!