We will not be going to the parks the day we arrive. WE will have a 3yo and and DM who is 81. SO for our arrival evening I would like to treat everyone to a character dinner. WHo has the best as far as food goes? It will be me, DD 21, DD24, DGS3, and DM 81. The 3 yo will just be excited to see ANY characters but the rest of us want good food. TIA!!! Julie
You will find very strong opinions on this issue of which is the better character dinner. There are people in both camps. Basically, you are looking at only TWO choices - well, two and a half, let's say. Goofy's Kitchen (in the DLH) and Ariel's Grotto (in DCA). Those are the only two official character meals who do dinner as well. All the other ones are breakfast only. The only other option would be the Celebration BBQ in DL, which is not an official "character meal,' even though there are a couple of Toy Story characters wandering around, and there is entertainment.
So this is how it breaks down:
Goofy's Kitchen has a mixture of furry and 'face' characters - meaning you will see a Princess or two mixed in with old favorites like Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, sometimes Minnie, Baloo, etc. That is the core, regular group of characters. You can also see a rotating cast of guest stars which includes Belle, Aurora, Prince Phillip, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Jasmine and Aladdin, Snow White, and more recently there have been reports of the occasional Captain Hook or Fairy Godmother appearance, as well as several others who pop in here and there. They have a very l
arge buffet with LOTS of choices, so even the pickiest eater will be satisfied. The Goofy's dinner is quite expensive, though (over $43 per adult in peak season, and about $37- $38 per adult in off-peak).
Here is the thing: Goofys Kitchen is my favorite character meal and my favorite restaurant in all of DLR - BUT only for breakfast/brunch,
not dinner! I was not that blown away by the dinner when I had it because I tend to eat big breakfasts more often than big dinners, so I think I was not hungry. Other folks, however, prefer the dinner there. Also, Goofy and his pals do a little macarena and other dancing with the kids periodically, so it is a high energy place.
As for Ariel's - people LOVE this place. I have never been there, but have read much about it on DIS. It is all Princesses, so Ariel is there at all times, and usually it seems to be Aurora, Belle and Cinderella who are regularly there. The other ones seem to occasionally change - sometimes you may see Jasmine, Snow White, Pocahontas or Mulan. People say that the old menu at Ariel's was bad - and they recently changed it so the food is fantastic. People rave about the food. The dinner is not buffet - it is menu only. And it is also not cheap, but may be a few dollars cheaper than Goofy's - not sure. The atmosphere appears to be very nice, and it is a more sedate, laid back, organized kind of character meal - with each Princess being introduced - than at Goofy's, where you just wait for the characters to come to your table and you don't know who will show up first!
So I guess it just depends on what kind of character meal experience you all are looking for. Would all Princesses go over better than the more lively Goofy's Kitchen experience?
