Best Character Breakfast/Dinner??

[DemoBri1]

I don't know if this is in the right forum, but could some of you fellow DVCers out there enlighten me to which character breakfasts/dinners in your mind were the best, and which ones you didn't care too much for?

I have finally started our first DVC trip registration process and I am looking to try and get everything squared away as early as possible.

Brian

 

[drusba]

Well the best was Melvin the Moose character breakfast at Pioneer Hall in Fort Wilderness which was discontinued about 12 years ago (it was the only one where the characters actually talked and sang). Currently, we find that the best character meal is dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern in MK. Revutionary War atmospehere with Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Chip, Dale (and sometimes Meeko) dressed in navy garb to fit the period and very interactive, and with a one price for all you can eat meal (but not a buffet -- everything is served at the table).

 

[KANSAS]

I BELIEVE IT IS CHEF MICKEY AT CONTEMPORARY RESORT

 

[crisi]

This is one of those completely subjective questions. For everyone who says "Breakfast in the Castle With the Princesses!!!!" you'll find someone who says its way overrated, not worth the hassle, and the food was bad.

Narrow it down a little for us....who are your favorite characters? Are you looking for a resort breakfast, or a park breakfast? Do you mind buffets (this is a no go for us with two little kids), or would you prefer either plated or family style. Are you looking for a quiet relaxed atmosphere (1900 Park Fare is pretty quiet, as character meals go) or something with a lot of spunk.

 

[tripletvan]

Our vote would be at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary. Food was great as well as characters. We also had a good time for dinner at the GF.

 

[TLinden16]

My favorite character breakfast is the one at the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. The food is fantastic (especially the roast beef hash), and the buffet is huge. It has two hot sides, and two cold sides, as well as a small corner that is kid sized (low counters so little ones can get their own waffles and tater tots).

I went to the character lunch at Hollywood and Vine at MGM last month, and thought the food was awesome. They had a great variety (I loved the salad section, which included a great potato salad and a Southwestern ceasar salad). The characters were a lot of fun at this lunch. They were very playful, and it was fun watching Minnie and Goofy swing dancing.

I alway's enjoyed Chef Mickey's, although I haven't been there in years.

Karen

 

[DemoBri1]

I would say that we would be partial to the "fab five". I have a 3 yo DD and 1 yo DS that will be going with us. We would probably rather have a sit-down dinner, but I don't think buffet would be totally out of the question.

As far as being a resort or park breakfast, that is totally not an issue. We would be willing to do either.

We were definitely considering both Chef Mickey's and the Cape May breakfast, since we will be staying at the BCV.

Any more input from anyone would be greatly appreciated, and thanks to all of you who have replied so far.

 

[JohnTBap]

I have been to Ohana, Chef Mickey's, Cindy's, and Crystal Palace and I would have to say that I prefer Cindy's. I just love the atmoshpere!

 

[eeyore0062]

The best Breakfast, bar none, is at 1900 Park Faire with Mary Poppins and friends! The buffet is delicious ( those made to order omelets are to die for!). The service is wonderful, and the characters are great!

As for lunch, we really like Hollywood and Vine at MGM! The buffet has a great selection, the service was great, and the characters seem to spend quite a bit of time with the guests. The costumes the characters wear here are great, too!

We have done 2 character dinners, and they were Chef Mickey's and Garden Grille, and of the 2, I would have to vote for Garden Grille. At Chef Mickey's we weren't overly impressed with the buffet, and the characters never seemed to get around very much. Service was OK, but paled in comparison to the aforementioned.

Garden Grille was more laid back, the food was served family style to the tables, and was very good. The service was good, and we enjoyed the added interest of the dining room slowly rotating, giving us a nice view of the Living with the Land ride during dinner. The characters were good, and Mickey even sat at the table with us!

 

[disneyvoice]

For breakfast I vote for either Cinderella's Castle or the Crytsal Palace. For lunch or dinner I vote for the Garden Grille. In fact, my DH and I feel that the Garden Grille is one of the best restaurants at WDW just because of the food. My son's first character interaction ever was at the Garden Grille when he was just 5 months old. They did a wonderful job with him. If you make your PS for the very first seating you will get LOTS of time with the characters. My son had a good 15 minutes of individual time with the characters and we beleive he loves the characters so much because of that first experience.

 

[fixintodie]

We've enjoyed Donald's Breakfastosaurus at AK. The food has always been good and the character interaction is great. Lunch at Hollywood and Vine is now a must do for us. Very good selection of food on the buffet and the characters are a lot of fun. DW was sick during most of our Dec 2002 trip so we were not able to try Goofy's Beach Blast Breakfast at Cape May but we'll be eating there in Feb. There have been quite a few good reviews about it.

 

[laughinplace199]

We were in WDW this past October with our 3 yo DD and 1 yo DS. We had breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table and dinner at Chef Mickey's. They were both great! Our DD is very into princesses right now, so she was in heaven at the Cinderella breakfast. She still talks about meeting the "real" Cinderella and eating in her castle. Chef Mickey's was great too. Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale came to the table during dinner (Mickey and Minnie both stopped by twice). Even though both places were busy, we got plenty of attention from every character. It's also a great way to get photos with the popular characters without waiting in line at the parks.

The Crystal Palace is another one of my favorites for breakfast, but it was closed for renovations during our trip.

Have a wonderful time at whatever restaurants you choose!

 

[TeenaS]

For breakfast, it's Donald's at Animal Kingdom - it is fantastic!!!! Food is wonderful - french toast to die for, real crisp bacon, sausage gravy and bisquits, home fries, omelettes made to order... everything is great and the characters are great too. We've done them all and this is our favorite by far!

 

[SamanthaL]

Cape May by far. The best character interaction I have had and GREAT food!! The kids buffet is great.

 

[DemoBri1]

Thank you all for your responses. You have given me some good feedback to make a decision.

I love these boards!!

 

[cd&kids]

These boards are great, arent' they? I've been hooked ever since a co-worker told me about them just about one year ago!
Hope this doesn't make your decision-making any harder, DemoBri1, but Chef Mickey's is our choice. There is just something about the hotel, the atmosphere, the monorail going right thru the lobby as you eat...and very good character intervention. (Goofy greets you as you walk in and leave.) A very wide selection of good food as well.
To us, it's just the classic Disney character breakfast experience....ALTHOUGH, I hear Crystal Palace is very good. That's on our agenda for next time!