Can anyone tell me which Character meal to go to???

We did Minnies B-fast and had a great time. Loved the food and the service was wonderful. Lots of characters too.

We did Ariels as well. The service when we went was not great and the food was so-so but I think that also went along with our service. We are going to give it another shot though when we go back. We had a ton of Princesses and that alone is worth it to us.
 
We are character meal junkies, we hit every single one each time. I like them all for different reasons. Another thought for you too - the My Disneyland Birthday Party - it's fantastic and I highly recommend it, reservations are a must, $10 per person and everyone has to participate, at the Plaza Inn and generally at 2pm.

Ariel's - food isn't the best, but it's not terrible it you stick with classics rather than when they try to get fancy. Fish & chips or hamburgers are fine. Veggie soup is good. The octodog apparently tastes okay since my 2 year old eats it but I warn you on that one - we've watched several very upset and freaked out little girls starring at this "creation" - lol...not ours but it's a common thing apparently. The character interaction is amazing and well worth it for a princess lover. We HAVE to do this meal.

Goofy's Kitchen - we love this meal. The upper level you see as you walk in is the BEST! Usually amazing character interaction and the food selection is fantastic. Also amazing dessert buffet. I really like the selection of kid foods, never had a problem getting Morgan to eat at this place and we generally do this almost every night. They also have the get down and dance and fun time, which is a perk for kids!

Lilo & Stitch - the character interaction can be hit and miss. It's the only meal where we've seen Daisy Duck so we try to hit this one JUST for that. You can order eggs cooked to your preference. Great buffet with some interesting items. Really like that they had rice for Morgan. They also have some get down and dance time and kids love that.

Storyteller's Cafe Breakfast with Chip & Dale - bears are huge in our house. If you have an animal lover, this is a great breakfast. Nice buffet or you can order off the menu. The eggs are plain without stuff put in them to make it "fancy" - huge hit for us as this is a common problem and waiting in the lines to get your preference made can take longer at the other places. They also have a little bit of the get down and dance time but not a lot of room to do it in.

Minnie's - how can you not enjoy something so convenient that it's in the park, you miss less DL time this way. Character interaction has been hit and miss here. If you have a Minnie fan, this is also a good one, but you'll see her at Lilo & Goofy's as well. Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Captain Hook, Fairy Godmother are all frequent visitors. I like the fruits available here but the rest of the food isn't my favorite. The large size of the restaurant make it tough if you're alone with small children, you really can't leave them at a table to run get food because you will not be able to see them.
 
I'm not sure why Ariel's Grotto has such a bad rap :(
We went a few weeks ago and it was AWESOME (in fact we're going back in a few weeks).

The service was great, the food (all 3 courses - appetizer, main dish and dessert) was really good and the princesses (Cinderella, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Fairy Godmother) were really nice.


Everyone who I know personally who has gone has loved it as well (at least 5 people/groups).

My daughter absolutely LOVED it. Here's a little proof ;) .....
147258144-M-1.jpg




We've also been to Goofy's Kitchen...which was pretty neat, but DD isn't too fond of the "furry/costumed" characters just yet...so she was a little scared. Food was decent...but just back breakfast/brunch stuff. There really wasn't one thing I was like "Ooh....this is good!" there. At Ariel's I really liked EVERYTHING I had.
 
Those were all great suggestions..I do want to expand on a couple..The octodog was ordered by my dd's best friend...she ate it..but..it was kind of burned on the tiny ends that are supposed to be tentacles..plus..she didn't get a bucket and shovel to take home as my dd did..who ordered chicken nuggets..she was upset about that part...
The other thing..at Storyteller's...the characters didn't come around to all the tables as they do at other character restaurants..and..it seemed the servers didn't really care if they did or not..at least when we were there....I know at Goofy's and Ariel's..as well as almost everywhere at WDW..the servers made sure the characters come to each table for autographs..go up to all the tables to make sure all the characters have been there.. call them back if they miss any one..but when Rakiki left without coming to about 3 tables..including ours... I tried to talk to a server at SC about it....she said.."Oh well...we can't control that"..so that did disappoint me...
 

[I'm not sure why Ariel's Grotto has such a bad rap :(
We went a few weeks ago and it was AWESOME (in fact we're going back in a few weeks).

I am with you on that..

We are also going in a few weeks.. in June..and..I already have my ressies for AG.. !!

I have a story..Since we are Ca residents..we had never been to WDW..but last summer...we went for the first time..WHen I was trying to make reservations for restaurants there..I happened upon something written about Ariel's Grotto....I thought..that would be a great place..so..when I called..I tried to make ressies there..The man taking my ressies didn't have a clue what I was talking about..so I told him about Ariel's Grotto at Ca Ad...he laughed..and said..AG at WDW.. isn't a place to eat..it is just a place you can get your photo taken with Ariel..and not even a really good one.....
 
On food, I think it depends sometimes on your mood and taste of the day. We went to Ariel's Grotto (which we love & enjoyed as well :thumbsup2 ), and our first visit, we werent so impressed with the food then. Our second visit, (and yes we will now make this a MUST every DL visit) we actually were happy with our food. I'm thinking maybe it also has something to do with expectations!

There are many reasons why Ariel's Grotto is an excellent character meal choice (my opinion)- you get to have a relaxing sit-down, full-course meals including dessert of choice, has a classy type of feel, service was excellent, princesses were really in-character and sweet, they make sure not to miss each and every table. I thought the greeting Ariel upon entrance thing was kind of cute- it reminded me of Senior Ball or something when you take photos since they have their own souveneir type photographer (though of course you can take your own photos) who brings it to your table for purchase (if you want it).

Hey, I loved Ariel's Grotto- can ya tell?
 
[Hey, I loved Ariel's Grotto- can ya tell?]


lol..I do think the place is addicting..I was bitten by the bug when it was a character meal with Mickey and his gang..and.. my dd..who was fairly young at the time.. got to be in the band with them ..walking around the restaurant with an instrument...It seems to have matured as she has...which is great for us..
 
What is the latest during the week that you can make a reservation for at mickey & minnies in the park?
 
It's the Minnie's Breakfast in the park - Mickey doesn't make appearances at any of the meals. Since it's breafast, I think usually 10:30ish is the latest, they start cleaning up and moving into lunch then. I wouldn't go later than that because the characters will start leaving and you won't have any time with them, to be honest, 10am is the latest that I personally would make a reservation.

On the Ariel's food, I think a lot is expectation. Harder to find something you really enjoy on a menu than on a buffet (actually I don't care for buffets much either, but they sure are great when you have kids, picky kids even more so.) I think the basic foods are just fine and the chicken noodle soup with vegetables was very good. The octodog makes me wonder though, that hot dog is darker in appearance than other hot dogs I've seen, I wonder what type of meat it is.
 

New Posts



Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE









DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom