Any Updates on Chef Mickey?? (Updated-Post 238)

[Disneymommy2006]

When did Pooh stop circulating??? We were there in Aug of 09 and he made rounds to the tables???

 

[honeymo78]

Pooh hasn't completely stopped circulating. Sometimes he's circulating, sometimes he's not. We often visit CP twice a trip and it seems that we get an even split. Last oct for lunch we was posing, for breakfast he was circulating. A trip prior to that, he was posing at breakfast.

While they say they can get the character for you if you miss one or will let you go to where the character is for a photo, it generally doesn't work out so well. The last time we requested a character, it still took 15 min before they got to us and other tables couldn't understand why Pooh wasn't stopping to see them. We have also been told to go to where Pooh currently was making the rounds and speak to the handler. This is slightly more successful but managing to squeeze in between families clamoring to get to see Pooh can be tricky.

 

[dburg30]

Donald no longer comes around to the tables at Tusker House. He is at the front door for photographs that they come around and sell to you. We were able to take one with Donald with our personal camera.

I wonder if they are trying to get folks to eat faster to turn over the tables quicker by having main characters not go to each table?

No, all about getting $30 more (or trying to). It doesnt really speed anything up. You still have other characters coming to the tables.

I hope this isn't true either. I still wouldn't buy the picture if this did happen.

From what I can tell, it has happened, there are people that are backing up the story. And reading about other places that do the same thing, not really a surprise.

Do you have to pay for the photo in cash, or can you charge it to your room?

You could charge it. Disney likes to make it nice and easy 99.999999% of the time to let you 'buy' something and not really think about 'paying' for it

The cost for Disney to print that photo is probably around $3.00- $5.00 being generous. No need for a $29.95 charge.

Well, I think there are MANY things that dont cost much to make, that they charge $$$ for. I think we can all agree with that. Normally we happily do it, but when something like this pops up, people dont take kindly to it

 

[TDC Nala]

We were there 2 weeks ago and Mickey came by our table.

From the reports we're seeing, Mickey's being available for a posed photo only is a recent development, which started either yesterday or Thursday.

 

[MErnst]

I broke the news to DS7 last night that Mickey won't be visiting our table when we go to CM in a couple of weeks. His response.."wow, that's rude!" I explained that the others will still stop at the table and he will get to have his picture taken with Mickey before we sit down. He's fine with it....doesn't bother him at all and dinner at Chef Mickey's was for him, not me. I don't want to pay 29.95 for a picture package but I can almost guarantee that my mother will. Yes, this is disappointing but it is what it is and I'm not going to complain about it because we are eating on Disney this trip! DS7 will have interaction with Mickey when we have dinner at Garden Grill.

 

[Melanie B]

They allow it at Tusker House for your picture with Donald so I can't see why not

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Unless the entrance photo is included (which it wasn't when we went), having Mickey available only there would result in riots. I wouldn't believe it.

 

[kehlyrsmom]

We were there just a week ago (Sept 5th) for my son's birthday dinner and Mickey came to our table.

 

[photo_chick]

Not liking this change. I didn't like it with Donald when we went to Tusker House either.

However, the statue they had at Chef Mickey's was a bit ridiculous. When we were there last month the photographer was getting quite annoyed (she was actually pretty rude) with the kids in the group before us because they were climbing all over it. It makes me wonder if someone broke the thing.

I do think that for what the meals cost, and what I know it costs to make the prints of the photos, they should be included at any meals where they take them with a character.

 

[rusty4]

I know he comes to your table at Ohana's....

Well, I need to play around with the reservations I guess. We have them at Ohana's already for breakfast one morning. I had planned on Chef Mickey's for our first dinner. With staying at GF and flying in late afternoon time wise it fits. May switch to Ohana's for their dinner and the coconut races. Need to talk to DS. He was so looking to CM. It would be fun to have one meal at CR, POly and the GF. So I may just keep it and look forward to Mickey at Ohana's for our breakfast.

 

[angtx]

I just spoke to Disney Dining and Mickey is still in the restuarant and will be at any table celebrations but he may not visit every table anymore. However if you ask him to come over to your table he will and pose for pictures. I will report back in 2 weeks if that is true or not.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

Pooh hasn't completely stopped circulating. Sometimes he's circulating, sometimes he's not. We often visit CP twice a trip and it seems that we get an even split. Last oct for lunch we was posing, for breakfast he was circulating. A trip prior to that, he was posing at breakfast.

While they say they can get the character for you if you miss one or will let you go to where the character is for a photo, it generally doesn't work out so well. The last time we requested a character, it still took 15 min before they got to us and other tables couldn't understand why Pooh wasn't stopping to see them. We have also been told to go to where Pooh currently was making the rounds and speak to the handler. This is slightly more successful but managing to squeeze in between families clamoring to get to see Pooh can be tricky.

We were there in June and he was visiting tables during our visit

 

[Danibelle]

I was there in July and Mickey was the first character out! He spent a lot of time at the tables and also was in all the napkin songs. There was a marriage proposal while I was there and he and Minnie stood up with the couple!!

 

[scrappymel]

how disappointing.... they must not have been selling enough photo packages with the silly mickey statue out front.

 

[free2div]

...not being able to get a reservation at the Crystal Palace

Mickey no longer comes to the table and I was so looking forward to my 10 month old interacting with him...He LOVES Mickey. I know I will see him in the parks, but this I was truly looking forward to. Now $30 for a pic with Mickey at the restauant. What a crappy, greedy thing for Disney to do.

I tried to get into the Garden Grill for any meal at so we could see Mickey there, but again, nothing is open ALL DAY. I ahve been checking for three days at various times for anything and I can't get a thing

If anyone knows how I can get the Crystal Palace for Breakfast for 4 plus a highchair, please let me know. Or the Garden Grill.

Thanks for your help!

Have you tried Tusker House at AK..Mickey comes around there and the food to me is much better than Chef Mickeys

 

[JenniJ]

After thinking about this, I may like this set up. At least you get the real Mickey in the photo, unlike when I went to Ohana's last summer.
It was a non-Disney trip but we still wanted a little Disney. So we booked Ohana's since that was the ony non-park character ressie we could get. We were escoted to take a photo without characters. I thought it was odd. Later the server came around and handed out the photo for us to see and if we wanted to buy. The pic included a cartoon insert of Stitch. It was very cheesy. But we saw many people purchasing the package. Not sure how much it was but I know it was too much for us to even consider.
Plus, I was quite anoyed with all the parents bringing their children over during our Mickey time to get pictures and autographs. We were seated after Mickey made his rounds and waited patiently until he came our way. I didn't think it was very nice for parents to bring or send their kids over to invade other's character time. Plus, Mickey was stopping his interaction with us because of the interuptions. Kinda lost some of the special magic. My mom even had to tell a tween boy to get out of our picture shot and the parent look dressed to kill about that!

I was thinking of changing our ressies because of this, but now I don't think so. Plus, like TDC Nala says their other resturants where Mickey is located and he visits the tables. We have ressies at one!

 

[Splash Mountain Fan]

We were just there on 9/14 and Mickey was not visiting the tables. The line to get your picture with him was long but did move pretty quick. I was a bit disappointed. My 4yr old DD was excited about eating with Mickey. We usually did CM every visit but it kind of loses it luster for us and probably will save the $$ going forward.

 

[dreamsofdisney]

I'm disappointed, too! This will be DD's first trip to WDW (she'll be 2 at the time of our trip) and I was planning on CM for our first dinner on our arrival night, before we hit the parks the next day. We're staying at AKV and arriving early afternoon, so I was hoping to do dinner at CM so she could see Mickey (the only character other than Minnie she really knows) and make the connection to where we were, and what magical things lie ahead!

I guess I'm okay with just having Mickey for the photo shoot pre-meal, as long as we can take our own pictures. There's no way I'm paying $30 for a pic! Especially when we're paying for DDP - not free dining.

Does anyone who has been to CM since the change know if Minnie is still circulating with the other characters?

TIA!

 

[Brier Rose]

Haven't read this whole thread, so sorry if this has been asked already, but with Chef Mickey being up front now, has this changed things for Goofy as well?

In the past Goofy has always been hanging around up front for pics and autographs rather than visiting the tables, so I was just hoping that with the recent Mickey change that Goofy is still there as well!

 

[memeofive]

Mad, yeah I'm mad. I've worked HARD to snag ressies at CM for Thanksgiving Dinner and now this!!! My grandaughter was soooo looking forward to eating with the mouse on Thanksgiving. I'm trying to hold on to the pixie dust people but I hate being ripped off and it's sure not like we were going there for the high quality food! The draw of the place was the interaction with the fab 5....and especially Mickey. Now that that's gone.....hummmm wonder where else I can get a ressie for 8 on Thanksgiving....oh yeah..not many!