Best Character breakfast *FOOD*

[KayDox]

Hi all-

So, we are going to DL next week (yipee!) and planning to go to one of the character breakfasts Sat morning.

Three years ago, we did Goofy and Storytellers.
Goofy was more fun (Characters danced and made lotsa noise with kids in front of buffet), but foodwise Storyteller was a LOT beter we thought.

At Storyteller, we will probably see Chip, Dale, bear, monkey... they are fine, but character-wise others seem better.

DD5 would love Ariel's, but we also have DS3, so I want something both can enjoy.

I called and actually reserved Minnies, but the menu does not appeal to me :-(

Is there any breakfast buffet that is as good as Storytellers?

I would like to hear your recent experiences!

Also, should I take DD5 to Ariel's (without DS3 and DH... girls only!)? If so, breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Thank you thank you thank you!!
Kay

 

[lulubelle]

We really enjoy Lilo & Stitch at PP. It is the only character breakfast you did not mention. Where are you staying? I ask because the PP is a long walk if you are at say, Hojo's or any other off site motel on Harbor. Anyway, the food is really good, character interaction great and it is kind of laid back, but yet still very fun. FWIW, we (3 adults) did Ariel's for lunch last week and had a wonderful time. The princesses are so sweet and all the children we saw (girls AND boys) loved them. The food was very good, too. If it is in your budget, I highly recommend this lunch!

Have a fabulous trip.

 

[KayDox]

lulubelle - We will be staying at HoJo

Is Ariel's lunch menu different from dinner menu?
I was checking out this page:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm

Is "Ariel's Grotto - Disney Princess Celebration" lunch? Dinner? Both?

I am thinking about taking DD5 to Ariel's.
Unlike DS3, DD5 should be able to sit thru non-buffet meal.
I know it's not cheap, but what's $50 more, you know???
It's not like we are doing this every month...

Kay

 

[Amy&Dan]

I second the Lilo and Stitch breakfast. I think the food there is wonderful and the characters play games with the kids. I just love the food and the theming. The pineapple scones are to die for! I like to make a late morning reservation, go to the park and enjoy the low crowds, then get on the monorail and head to the Paradise Pier.

I enjoy Ariel's I can't remember if lunch is different or not. I have never done breakfast there. But I love the atmosphere and your little girl will be in sheer heaven!

I think you made the right choice for Minnie's, I know some will disagree but I find the food there very mediocre. And its always disorganized when I have been there. I think the breakfast buffets at the three onsite hotels are all much better.

Have a great trip!

 

[Sherry E]

Believe it or not, in 16 years of eating there, we actually prefer the Goofy's breakfast food, for the variety of choices and quality. We have had maybe only one or two sort of 'off' days with the food, but we liked it better than the Storytellers buffet by a mile! The Goofy's dinner choices, however, were not as appealing. But we've made it a point to eat there on every single trip since 1992 - that is how much we like the food there!!!

I think we are going to try Minnie's in December, but only for the different characters (my friend loves Piglet). But we will still squeeze in a visit to Goofy's!

 

[KayDox]

Thanks all for your input.

I am leaning toward Goofy's at the moment...

I cannot find the actual menu from Lilo's or Storytellers.
Does anybody know any web site?

Do I need to cancel 'reservation' for Minnie?
Or no-show would be okay, since it is not actually a reservation?

Ohhh we are leaving Monday morning!
Kay

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks all for your input.

I am leaning toward Goofy's at the moment...

I cannot find the actual menu from Lilo's or Storytellers.
Does anybody know any web site?

Do I need to cancel 'reservation' for Minnie?
Or no-show would be okay, since it is not actually a reservation?

Ohhh we are leaving Monday morning!
Kay

I think the Allears site has menus - they are probably pretty current as of this past summer, maybe even more updated than that. Also, someone just posted a Menus sticky here on the Disneyland section of DISboards. It is towards the top of the page. Here is the link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1997796

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks all for your input.

I am leaning toward Goofy's at the moment...

I cannot find the actual menu from Lilo's or Storytellers.
Does anybody know any web site?

Do I need to cancel 'reservation' for Minnie?
Or no-show would be okay, since it is not actually a reservation?

Ohhh we are leaving Monday morning!
Kay

I would cancel.

If you go here: http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm#res then you can go to each hotel and find the menus. Lilo is at Paradise Pier Hotel and Storyteller's is at Grand Californian.

Be sure to note when the menu was last updated, so you have an idea if the menu might not be exactly right, and if the prices might have been raised in the meantime.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Here is the menu for Lilo and Stitch's breakfast:

http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_pchb.htm

For some reason I thought you didnt' want to eat at Goofy's again. I can also highly recommend that one. Although I prefer dinner. My favorite way to do character meals is to go to Lilo and Stitch for breakfast and Goofy's for dinner. Those are my two favorites, and I have done them all multiple times. Although I do agree the food at Storytellers is amazing, I just don't enjoy the characters as much and love the fun atmosperes at both Lilo and Stitch and Goofy's.

Definitely cancel the Minnie breakfast, that way somebody else can get a reservation that wants it. Its a time block to be seated really and when they are gone, they are gone. They seldom take walk ups at Disney restaurants so having a priority seating is generally a must. Esp. for a character meal.

Have a great trip!

 

[KayDox]

Thanks for the links!
I actually checked allears, but I missed the first two lines on Lilo's menu page and thought "where is buffet menu?"

Yes - I was kinda reluctant about Goofy's first, but I remember there were more variety of food than Minnie (never been to Minnie's but the menu looks very basic breakfast stuff to me).
I did not think Goofy's was bad food-wise, but DH and I both liked Storyteller's food better.
But considering the characters my kids will meet, the activities (dance and stuff), ... I think my kids will have more fun at Goofy's than Storyteller's, and that's the most important thing.

So Lilo's is "Adults $21.99 Children 3-9 $11.99"?
Storyteller's is Adult $22.99, Child $11.99?
That's much less than I paid to GAT ($26.50 & $16.50)...
Oh man, so Goofy's is a LOT more expensive than others huh.
I guess we are going to Goofy's to get our moneys worth, then...

Kay

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for the links!
I actually checked allears, but I missed the first two lines on Lilo's menu page and thought "where is buffet menu?"

Yes - I was kinda reluctant about Goofy's first, but I remember there were more variety of food than Minnie (never been to Minnie's but the menu looks very basic breakfast stuff to me).
I did not think Goofy's was bad food-wise, but DH and I both liked Storyteller's food better.
But considering the characters my kids will meet, the activities (dance and stuff), ... I think my kids will have more fun at Goofy's than Storyteller's, and that's the most important thing.

So Lilo's is "Adults $21.99 Children 3-9 $11.99"?
Storyteller's is Adult $22.99, Child $11.99?
That's much less than I paid to GAT ($26.50 & $16.50)...
Oh man, so Goofy's is a LOT more expensive than others huh.
I guess we are going to Goofy's to get our moneys worth, then...

Kay

In my opinion, I think you made the wise choice! Yes, Goofy's is more expensive, but there SO many food options there - more than the other places because buffets are all they do at Goofy's, whereas the other places have to function as 'regular' restaurants during the day too. And I DO think we get our money's worth when we go - in food quality, selection and in overall atmosphere!

We actually like Storytellers for food during the non-buffet lunch period more than their breakfast buffet meal. They had some pretty tasty menu selections.

 

[lilpixie]

We actually really enjoyed Minnie and Friends character breakfast at the Plaza Inn. I know you were planning on canceling -- but just a little shout-out for Minnie's
It was funny, because there were *so* many characters there and my girls were getting so excited, but DH and I kinda wanted to sit and enjoy the food. There was a pretty big variety. I've never been to Goofy's, so I can't compare.
We did do Ariel's Grotto for lunch which my girls absolutely adored. Anyways, hopefully you've narrowed it down.
Enjoy!

 

[tlovesdis]

Our favorite for food and character interaction is Lilo and Stitch!

 

[Princess Row]

We visit the character dining each time we visit. We prefer goofys over all of them and that is a must do for us. Storytellers has never impressed us. WE recently visited minnies that is the best way to see "other" characters that you dont normally see in the park. Lilo and stich is a wonderful place to eat also very great atmosphere and Ariels grotto is great for little girls. I dont have any boys in our family myself but ive seen boys in there often still having a great time. The food isnt the best but still worth it to see all of the favorite princesses :]

 

[dr&momto2boys]

After looking at the pictures in the dining review post at the top of the page, I would love to go to Ariels for lunch or dinner. Take a look and see if it appeals to you. (There a couple of posts with pictures from Ariel's in the last couple of pages.) The thread is huge, if you haven't looked through it before, it could be intimidating!

 

[cedarparkgirl]

If brunch ends at 1pm, how late can you make a reservation for and does anyone know how long they keep the kitchen open for? Also do they rush you out or have a limit on how much time you can stay?