Best character meal for dinner ?

[maryj11]

Ok what do you think is the best character meal for dinner or after 5:00 pm ?
1900 Park Fare
Crystal Palace
Garden Grill
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Chef Mickey's
Cinderella's Royal Table

 

[maryj11]

Right now I have reservations at 1900 Park Fare because I have heard the characters are really HILARIOUS ! I just wondered if maybe there would be a better one. I know some say the food is not that good at Park Fare, but oh well.
Anyone else think any others are better. We have already been to Crystal Palace so we wanted to try another one besides that one.

 

[lizzyb]

When I go to a character meal its more about the characters than the food for us. Saying that I would base it on which character our family would enjoy best. For us its Chef Mickeys however we have been to 1900 park fare when we travelled with little girls and we enjoyed the meal there.

 

[krb2g]

We had excellent interaction with the characters at the Garden Grill in the Land Pavilion. You also can't beat the rotating restaurant's views over the land boat ride. The food was just alright and expensive, but we (a table of adults) were laughing as hard as we did all trip long!

 

[Cherinva]

We really liked 1900 Park Fare...the food was good, and the characters are a riot !!! It was a fun time. Enjoy.

 

[mickeynut1]

I voted for 1900 Park Fare for character interaction . Out of the list, Chef Mickeys would be our choice for the food, but for the characters, the stepsisters are hilarious and we had a great time there in December .

 

[nanni]

I would stick with your reservation at 1900 PF. The food isn't bad. It's buffet food, so not spectactular or anything, but I found plenty of things I really liked. Plus, there's strawberry soup. And the characters are very entertaining there.

 

[maryj11]

I think we will stick with Park Fare Its interesting to see the poll results. Anyone else wanting to vote please do

 

[spacepixie2]

I chose 1900 park fare because the character interaction is unlike many other character dining experiences. The stepmother is fun (in her own way, LOL). We also like Chef Mickey's. Even though some report the quality is less than previously experienced it is still a tradition for us.

 

[maryj11]

Looks like Park Fare is winning

 

[aussietravellers]

My vote went to 1900 Park Fare. Have done all of the other and this was our favourite. The step sisters are hilarious

 

[otterpop]

I'll chime in...

Here's my top three:

1. Akershus
2. Chef Mickeys
3. Park Fare

We went to Park Fare this past Mar and I agree with everyone about Park Fare having the most fun character interaction. My kids (dd's 7 and 5) had a great time, but...I would not go back again! The food was fine (typical DS buffet), but I did not like the dining area. I can't explain it, but it just felt stuffy and closed in and made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. It also seemed very noisy to me.

On the other hand...I think my kids favorite is Chef Mickeys. They love seeing Mickey, Minnie, and the Gang and for me, I prefer it over Park Fare. I actually think the food is better at Park Fare, but I like the atmosphere at CM's better and thus it allows me to enjoy the meal better. The food at CM's reminds me of a Country Buffet restaurant, if you have one of those where you live (it's not bad, but it's not good either!). CM's feels a little chaotic at times.

My favorite (and speaking for the family as a whole) is Akershus. I think the food there is very good. Many people don't like it because it is not your "typical" american fare (if you have picky eaters or "nuggets and fries" kids, they might not like it). I also like the atmosphere as it feels like you are eating in a castle. My girls love it because it is one of two (?) places that you can meet all of the princesses. You also get a picture with Belle included in the price of the meal.

Misc:
- We like Crystal Palace, but nothing "spectacular for dinner". We do like it very much for breakfast.
- CRT, in my opinion is a rip off! We have just been there once (maybe an "off" night) and although it was really neat to be eating in the castle, the food was not that good, the Princesses were rushed around to try and meet everyone, and it is very expensive (or 2 credits instead of all the others being 1). I will have to say this though for CRT; I think you need to eat there at least once, just for the experience...but never again!
- We have never eaten at Garden Grill.

So, here is how I would rank them:

Best/most fun character interaction:
1. Park Fare
2. Both CM's and Akershus

Best Food:
1. Akershus
2. Park Fare
3. CM's

Best eating "environment":
1. Akershus
2. CM's
3. Park Fare

Overall family ranking:
1. Akershus *
2. CM's
3. Park Fare

* I think Akershus is #1 if you have girls. If you have younger boys or a mix, then probably CM's would be #1. If you have older kids, then I would go with Park Fare.

There's my 5 cents!

Evan

 

[wacowgirl]

My vote is for 1900PF and the reason being is that I took my DS18 there when he was DS15 and he had A BALL with the sisters!!! I have SO many great pictures of him and the girls hamming it up! I didn't care for the Prince and neither did my kid.

So, yep, keep your 1900!!

 

[libcon]

I think Crystal Palace is great for dinner. The food is always good and the characters move around quickly since they don't speak.

 

[trvlr4301r]

I thought the Garden Grill was the best. The food was great and the restaurant has a very private feel to it, versus the big open dining room, buffet type of some of the others. I liked Park Fare and the step sisters were very funny but I prefer Mickey so Garden Grill gets my vote....plus they bring the food to you so with small children this is much, much easier than a buffet.

 

[maryj11]

Oh I forgot we did go to the Garden Grill last year and it was pretty neat but I wasnt that crazy about the food. I forgot to add Garden Grill on the poll ops !

 

[Coconuts]

I picked GG. I thought that the restaurant was very peaceful, not crazy loud like some character meals can be. I think that family style service helps with that aspect, because you don't have everyone up and running to the buffett. The characters were great and we got super pics with them. I also thought the food was different than your standard fare, like chicken fingers, etc.

The other most popular meals on your poll were 1900 PF and CP. We've only done CP breakfast, which was great, but I do enjoy the family style better. 1900 PF was VERY loud and busy, because of the buffett and the calliope that erupted often. I also didn't think the food was all that.

Good luck.

 

[Bonniec]

Why oh why did Liberty Tree Tavern stop character meals? I miss that!

 

[WDWLODGE]

The only one we haven't tried on the list yet is 1900 Park Fare. We are booked to eat there on our next trip. We love character meals, I would say our top 3 is:

1. Chef Mickey's
2. Akershus
3. The Crystal Palace

 

[laine&connorsmom]

Oh I agree LTT was the best....! Wish they would bring the characters back! 1900 Park Fare got my vote. The food is decent and the characters are hilarious!