Canceled Whispering Canyon for....

[kyle3423]

Chef Mickeys.

Here's some backstory. Our crew is myself (33), my father (65), my aunt (late 50's), my uncle (63). We are all going on our first trip to WDW in Feb. I'm the only one of our crew that has any idea of the shear "enormity" of what we are getting ourselves into. I've handled all of our itinerary as far as planning park days and setting up ADR's which has been pretty taxing. I put it on here for others to critique and the one thing that stood out was that most people said to axe Whispering Canyon on our MK day (yes, we only have one unfortunately) and pick something on the Monorail loop or in the MK to give us more time in the park. After reading through what seemed like hundreds of reviews, I decided that I'm going to knock out two birds with one stone. My Uncle is the prototypical kid a heart. He loves to have fun and for some reason wants to get his picture taken with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. I figure, this will satisfy the recommendations of a quicker alternative to Whispering Canyon (even if the food probably isn't quite as good) and my Uncle's desire to be photographed with 2 of the big 5. So did I do the right thing? Is it worth the crazy price of Chef Mickey's to get the character meets out of the way to avoid long lines in the parks? We are coming up on our 3 month mark very quickly!

 

[AngiTN]

Personally I would never opt for Chef Mickey's over Whispering Canyon, or just about anything else quite honestly. We only went to CM for DGD to have a birthday meal. They are the best location for a birthday as they are the only one to be sure to at least acknowledge the birthday with their yellow napkin ceremony.
It is good to get the photo with Mickey and Donald out of the way but that's about it. But do know they are in chef's attire, not classic outfits, if that matters. I'm not sure you can even get Donald in his classic outfit anymore.

And I don't see how a location on the monorail loop is preferable over the boat to WL. I use the monorail as little as possible because that sucker breaks down all.the.time!
We lost out on our Behind the Seeds Tour in August due to a monorail breakdown.
And in May we got in with an entire train late to their 1900PF reservations due to monorail issues.
It's too unreliable in my opinion to be an asset or preferable mode of transportation. Good thing for your case is you can walk to CR from MK so you aren't stuck using the monorail.
The only time the boats are an issue are in high winds or thunder. We found it very reliable and preferable.

 

[dawnmichele]

I think out of the choices they gave you, what sounds like a short visit and your Uncle's desire to meet Mickey and Donald, you made a good choice.

But I agree with AngiTN's post. Perhaps if you explained to them how easy it is to get to Wilderness Lodge from the MK, and emphasized how unreliable the monorail has been, they'd change their minds? I'd give it a try if I were you. Whispering Canyon is far better than Chef Mickey's (in terms of food and fun.)

 

[kyle3423]

I think out of the choices they gave you, what sounds like a short visit and your Uncle's desire to meet Mickey and Donald, you made a good choice.

But I agree with AngiTN's post. Perhaps if you explained to them how easy it is to get to Wilderness Lodge from the MK, and emphasized how unreliable the monorail has been, they'd change their minds? I'd give it a try if I were you. Whispering Canyon is far better than Chef Mickey's (in terms of food and fun.)

It was actually people on here that recommended something on the monorail loop or inside the MK as a time saver. Also, odd as it may seem, we actually want to ride the monorail, just to say that we did.

 

[AngiTN]

It was actually people on here that recommended something on the monorail loop or inside the MK as a time saver. Also, odd as it may seem, we actually want to ride the monorail, just to say that we did.

I don't see how CM will save any time over WCC at all. Transportation time between each will be extremely similar, baring no issues with boat or monorail (which can't be predicted of course), unless you are walking between MK and CR.
If you like the idea of CM more then by all means I would go there. It is fun. Just don't use transportation time as a factor
And riding the monorail is indeed fun, as long as you don't NEED to get somewhere. Because that always seems to be the time it breaksdown

 

[ajwolfe]

I think you made the right choice. Yes, the food is not anything to rave about but you are getting several characters and a lively meal. IMO the boat ride to WC would take longer than the walk or ride over to CM's.

 

[dawnmichele]

Also, odd as it may seem, we actually want to ride the monorail, just to say that we did.

Not odd at all!

 

[supersnoop]

I'd say you made a good choice since you want photos with Mickey.

 

[kjmollypup]

Honestly, I know everyone's experience differs, but we far preferred our meal at Chef Mickey's to WCC. We tried them both for the first time this past August - breakfast at CM and dinner at WCC. Maybe it was the timing (breakfast at CM was on the way into MK for the first time on our first full day, while WCC was mid-week) or maybe not, but CM was just more festive! If your goal is characters, it's definitely a good way to go. I am the first to admit that the food wasn't gourmet, but then again, I wasn't in love with my meal at WCC either. If it feels right to you, go for it!