Cape May or Chef Mickey's Character Breakfast

[3boymthr]

Hi,

A little background: We are staying at the YC in May - we will only be in the parks for 5 days. We are driving to WDW so will have a car so transportation to and from the various resorts will not be an issue for our various ADRs (When I finally decide where to dine!). DSs have never been to WDW before and although DH & I have been several time in the past neither of us ever did a Character meal.

Because I don't want to spend our time waiting in lines to meet the characters I have booked a 7:45 ADR at CM's for breakfast our first day and I am planning to book 'Ohana on one of the other days so DS#2 can meet Stitch.

But I've read the Cape May Character Breakfast is just as good as Chef Mickey's and since we're staying at the YC might actually be a better choice since then I won't have to drive to CR first thing in the morning. We will have DDP so price of the meal isn't an issue. Can you please tell me which you think is better? Cape May or Chef Mickey's?

 

[ryley26]

Food wise IMHO they are the same. Cape May you don't get Mickey as a Character. CM has better atmosphere with the dancing characters and the napkin waving and the Contemporary hotel. If you need Mickey then don't do Cape May. My kids prefer Cape May its less crowded and the character spend more time. Hope this helps.

 

[ChelleinNC]

IMHO, the food is better at Cape May (and it's much quieter/calmer) but you probably want to see the big cheese himself so you'll be better off at Chef Mickey's

 

[danielle782001]

We love them both for different reasons...

We think the food is a bit better at Cape and we love the quiet atmosphere...The characters are adorable in their beach clothes....

Chef is excellent because of the fun atmosphere and of course because they have Mickey...

You cannot beat the ease of dining at your resort...Your morning will be relaxed between eating right there and the atmospher of Cape May...

I think either way you will have a good experience but Cape May would be great for your needs IMO

 

[irish dancer]

I too voted for Cape May. If you're doing Ohana then you'll see Mickey there and we found the food at Cape May much better. Plus, we had better character interaction and the ease of eating in your resort can't be beat.

Our experience at Chef Mickey's was such that DH won't go back. The food was so-so at best, characters not interactive at all and we were stuck off in a tiny side area with a large obnoxious group.

 

[Tiger926]

I voted for Cape May as I can't stand Chef Mickey's, but, if you want to see Mickey, you need to go there. Cape May has better food, great atmosphere and fun characters - not to mention that the location is going to be great for you!

We stayed at YC in May, and so dining at Cape May will be so convenient for you, especially on your first day.

Happy eating, Tiger

 

[auntie]

We throughly enjoy the Cape May and have eaten her many times over the years. Seen the characters change as well. It's one of the better breakfast buffets on property. I think you should make it easy on yourself..especially first day, and not be rushing over to the Contemporary, when you have one of the best breakfast options available to you right where you are.

 

[danielle.st]

I said Cape May. IMO, the characters are equal. I didn't do breakfast at Chef Mickeys (we did dinner) so maybe breakfast is different, but I thought Chef Mickey's was just a little more stressful and chaotic. My girls loved it, one of their favorite restaurants. However, in addition to the stress and chaos, if you are staying at the Yacht Club anyway, it just makes so much more sense to do Cape May (I loved all of the food there, yummy!)

 

[LMO429]

Why isnt Mickey at Cape May Cafe? I never understood this or why certain characters are at certain places is there a rhyme or reason to it?

 

[Feigned]

Another vote here for Cape May Cafe. It is personally my favorite character breakfast and I have had a blast every time I have eaten there. The food is enjoyable and quite similar to Chef Mickey's. The character interaction is definitely better to me though. I have eaten at CM about 3-4 times for breakfast and each time the characters have basically spent a couple of minutes with my party, taking pictures and signing autographs. That is it.

At Cape May Cafe, we have gotten a lot of attention from the characters. Some have even sat at our table for awhile. Dale wrote notes to us on the paper on the table. Goofy drew a picture of my cousin which was actually really good. It has always been a lot of fun. I definitely recommend it.

Btw, we are 3 young ladies, all 20-23.

 

[KatMark]

I voted Cape May. We've done both and we found the selection at Cape May a little better and it is less crowded and much quieter than Chef Mickey's. DH loved the little bagels they offered and the desserts.

 

[SpanishForker]

Since Cape May seems to be the running favorite. How easy is it to get to from other resorts such as Saratoga Spring for Breakfast if we don't have park tickets for that day?

 

[ChelleinNC]

Since Cape May seems to be the running favorite. How easy is it to get to from other resorts such as Saratoga Spring for Breakfast if we don't have park tickets for that day?

Saratoga is the easiest resort to travel to other resorts from Walk over to DTD and catch a BC bus.

Other option (and from other resorts) take a DHS bus and then walk or take Friendship boat to BC.

 

[KayakDaddy]

I think for sheer convienience, you should dine at Cape May just because of where you are staying. We ate there when we stayed at BC and it was very nice and relaxing and just a short walk away.

It seems like I'm the lone consenting opinion here, but we like the food at Chef Mickey's better. We've done Chef Mickey's 4X, but haven't been back to Cape May. Chef Mickey's is the classic character experience, with the big names that the younger kids all love (in their traditional outfits). At Cape May, Goofy & the gang are in beachwear. I'm with the previous poster in that we didn't enjoy Chef Mickey's as much the time we were stuck in the side area. We felt like we were afterthoughts.

We liked Cape May fine, and if we stay at the YC/BC again we'll probably eat there. The food was good and the atmosphere is much more relaxing. It is nice to not have to trip over lots of people to and from the buffet lines. We've just found the food better at Chef Mickey's & even though we've tried many of them now, when I think of character meals, I think Chef Mickey's.

 

[trasor]

I also vote for Cape May. Nothing beats the convenience of an easy early morning breakfast. I've done breakfast at Cape May and it was great. I've only done dinner at Chef Mickeys but I won't be back. The food wasn't that great (I'm sure breakfast would be better), and the interaction was only OK. All the characters at Chef Mickeys can be seen with ease going first thing in the morning to Epcot's Innoventions character spot.

 

[SpanishForker]

Saratoga is the easiest resort to travel to other resorts from Walk over to DTD and catch a BC bus.

Other option (and from other resorts) take a DHS bus and then walk or take Friendship boat to BC.

Are the DTD buses running pretty reguarly during the breakfast hours?

 

[3boymthr]

Thanks everyone! Your experience has been invaluable.

I'm going to hold onto my CM ADR for now, but I think Cape May it is since everyone seems to think the character interaction is better and it IS right at our resort. My kids will have to suffer without meeting Mickey their first day.

I'm still not at 90 days but will hopefully get Cape May ADR when I call for first thing that first morning - If I do then I'll cancel CM ADR.

If anyone is looking for a CM ADR for May 4th @7:45AM let me know and I'll PM if/when I'm going to cancel.

I do have more questions: are there any other character breakfasts that are a must do for kids who will be 6 almost 7, 9 and 13? All boys so no princesses but any others? It's a funny thing but the teenager is actually the most excited about meeting the characters so ones good for older kids would be great!

Also, we are booked through AAA - has anyone ever done the character story time and if yes, was it worth the time and effort and is it appropriate for boys? Do you know what times they offer it? TIA

 

[Amy&Dan]

Cape May is far better food in my opinion. And don't get me wrong, I love Chef Mickey's and have never had a bad meal there. Cape May however has been amazing for breakfast all four times we have eaten there. Its a lot of fun, but not nearly as frentic and hectic as Chef Mickey's. And if you are staying at the YC, to me its a much better idea to eat there.

Now if Mickey is a must, that might be a problem! But to me, its better to see Mickey someplace else and have a far more relaxed meal. Eating at Chef Mickey's somtimes feels like you are inside some sort of birthday party from Hell that won't end! I like it for a late dinner, breakfast is just beyond insane in that place.

And for your sons, O'Hana's breakfast with Stitch will be great. My son is 14 and he loves that one. He still really enjoys the character meals so your son isn't alone!

You should be fine to get a Cape May reservation. Its generally pretty easy to get since its not in a park or on the monorail.

 

[kimis]

I voted for Chef Mickeys so your son could see Mickey but could you do both? I think it would be awesome to do both to let your son see all the characters he can. The meals are the best place to see the characters.

 

[keywestbride]

Definitely do Ohana's! That was my favorite, and we did several. We also enjoyed Crystal Palace with the Pooh characters. The food was amazing there.