Best character meal for DD3?

[kailuagirl]

Any suggestions? We are going late November, early Dec. She's not a picky eater. She likes princesses alot, but also like's everyone else. When we went last summer, just turned 2, she was awed by Tink, couldn't believe it was her, now she really likes Cinderella. Not going to do BBB as she still doesn't have much hair and even when I fix it cute she just pulls it out Thanks!!

 

[PinkBudgie]

Sounds like you better do the Princess meal at Ariel's. Having two boys, I've never done it but I'm a teacher to 3 year olds and all my girls just love princess stuff. It would have to be a lunch since they have moved the princesses out at dinner for the WOC dinner packages.

 

[mrswh]

If you can only do one character meal, I'd suggest Goofy's Kitchen. The characters do change but I would be stunned if you didn't see any princesses there. We have been at least 5 times and have always seen at least 2 princesses as well as 4-5 other characters. Pluto and Goofy are always there. We have seen tons of different characters there, and on top of that, it's really fun! There are interactive activities for kids which are really cute. The food is not fantastic but you have to have the mindset that you are going for the experience.

We always go to AG because my DD insists, but honestly I don't love it. It's very expensive, the food is (IMO) awful, and you see the same princesses every time. If it's a first time for a 3 year old, that wouldn't be a problem, but still, at GK you'll likely see princesses AND other characters.

Just my two cents!

 

[Sherry E]

I was going to also say that it would have to be Ariel's Grotto or Goofy's Kitchen, as those are the only two with Princesses. If seeing Mickey is important, he can be found at the Surf's Up with Mickey meal. Minnie & Friends in DL has the most characters out of all the meals (including the Pooh characters) - sometimes up to 14 characters at one time - but no Princesses. And the Critter Breakfast has a small buffet or you can order from the menu, with woodsy and jungly Disney characters.

I have to agree with mrswh that Goofy's is a good choice, but I must disagree about the food. I think the food is really good (at least for breakfast, anyway)! The bacon and the fruit are out of this world! In fact, I mainly eat there for the food (the buffet is huge and has a wide variety of dishes), and the characters are secondary. It's really a matter of personal taste, though. Not everyone is going to think the same things are bad or good.

But Ariel's is all Princesses - probably about 5 of them onsite - so if your daughter really loves Princesses, go there.

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

I think that it also depends on what kind of atmosphere you prefer, as well. Ariel's is more elegant-ish with a cool and pretty but darker atmosphere (it IS under the sea afterall! ), whereas Goofy's is more relaxed and casual and bright. My kids LOVED both experiences, but they are definitely different. At Goofy's it's a buffet so you can be pretty certain that there's something that you guys will like no matter what you're in the mood for, plus they have dancing that the kids can participate in at certain intervals. Ariel's is a set menu with only a few options (that we really liked, but not everyone does), and it is a quieter, more controlled atmosphere with a nice underwater theme and a good opportunity to meet the princesses. We found the food at both places to be good. Does your daughter like Alice? My girls were thrilled to see her at Goofy's (twice). We really like both, apparently, lol!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

My dd loves Ariel's and we all love the food there... that would be my choice for a little girl into princesses!! Plus they are all face characters, in case you are at all worried that she might get scared by the costumes...

 

[mrswh]

I have to agree with mrswh that Goofy's is a good choice, but I must disagree about the food. I think the food is really good (at least for breakfast, anyway)! The bacon and the fruit are out of this world! In fact, I mainly eat there for the food (the buffet is huge and has a wide variety of dishes), and the characters are secondary. It's really a matter of personal taste, though. Not everyone is going to think the same things are bad or good.

I should clarify - we have only ever been to Goofy's for dinner. I am guessing the breakfast buffet is much better - every Disney dining experience I have been to has had a great breakfast buffet. The dinner is edible and they do have a lot of choices (including a huge selection of tasty desserts) - I just wouldn't want anyone to set their food expectations based on the price. It's all about the characters!!

 

[disneymama83]

I agree with Sherry E, I absolutely LOVE GOOFY'S KITCHEN!!!!!! I've been for there dinner and thought the food selection was great! We love the pb&j pizza! YUMMO! If Sherry says the breakfast is that good, I may have to give that a try next time. The character interaction is wonderful! We always get reservations right at opening; I think it is 5:00pm.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with Sherry E, I absolutely LOVE GOOFY'S KITCHEN!!!!!! I've been for there dinner and thought the food selection was great! We love the pb&j pizza! YUMMO! If Sherry says the breakfast is that good, I may have to give that a try next time. The character interaction is wonderful! We always get reservations right at opening; I think it is 5:00pm.

Oh good! I'm so glad you loved Goofy's too! I mean, for me the breakfast has worked well for many years, with very few 'off days.' I am more of a big-breakfast-eating kind of gal so this is perfect. By dinner time I am not so hungry anymore, so the couple of times that I did the Goofy's dinner buffet I wasn't overly impressed - but I would bet money on the fact that it was largely because of my mood/lack of appetite at the time. Nothing really appealed to me because I wasn't all that hungry. I have a feeling that if I had been famished when I did the dinner buffet I would have thought it was great! It just so happens that I am usually famished and in need of protein when breakfast rolls around, so that's a great place to go and load up, and the food is almost always really fresh and yummy.

But there are certainly lots of folks who prefer the GK dinner. So you may find that you prefer the dinner choices over the breakfast choices, or maybe that the character interaction was a little better at dinner than at breakfast. I think that things change from day to day at all the DLR restaurants, and some days the food is better while some other days the characters are more on the ball. One day could be an off day and the next day might be flawless. Also, people have different tastes and preferences, so what one family thinks is great is what another group of folks thinks is bad.


So, yes, disneymama83 and mrswh - give the GK breakfast a try sometime and see what you all think in comparison to the dinner! I'll be curious to know.

 

[CaseyK]

We did Goofy's kitchen last time. DD was almost 3. There were two Princesses and then we did the Princess Fantasy thing later in our trip where DD got to meet 3 more princess. Well, Cinderella again but she did not care. This time, we will do Goofy's kitchen again for breakfast- it was fantastic, though DD was way too excited to eat! I am contemplating doing Ariel's Grotto as well for lunch but we'll see. Goofy's kitchen is great like everyone has said!