Character breakfast/dinner??

[kellymonster23]

We are planning a WDW trip for January 2006. I know it's early but we are up in the air about a character meal. Should we do a character breakfast or dinner and which one does everyone suggest?? We had looked into the Living Seas but see that it is not a buffet, which we need for our family of 9. Any suggestions would be great!!!! Thanks.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I think the most (just from reading polls, guides, etc, and our OWN experiences) popular is Chef Mickey's.

We've always done their dinner buffet, and the characters are Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip n' Dale, and (sometimes) Pluto.

The dinner buffet consists of Prime Rib, shrimp (peel n' eat) ham or turkey, veggies, salad bar and my favorite dessert buffet in all of WDW.

 

[jenniferma]

We really really loved Chef Mickeys. We went there in November 2004 on the first night we arrived at WDW. My kids are wild about Mickey (more than the Princesses) and they absolutely loved it. We were also surprised at how good the food was-- there are a lot of different options and I thought the quality was wonderful.

Of the other character meals that we went to-- we also loved the Liberty Tree Tavern Character meal. I think the main reason was the character interaction. In the time we were there our kids had Chip, Dale, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto come to our table two times a piece-- a few even made it three times! We also loved the food too-- it is very simple-- but good and there is so much of it! This character meal is served family style which can be a nice change if you are dining with little ones-- you can actually eat with your spouse!

We also tried Crystal Palace for lunch (I think we had a PS for 11:15.) The food at the buffet was great, the server was great, but we had really bad luck with meeting the characters. Maybe we were in a bad table or something, but every time Piglet neared us, it was time for a break... and it felt like we were there forever... it was a bit loud and chaotic at that time of the day. (I have heard others say they loved CP, we won't do it again anytime soon!)

Hope this helps! Jen

 

[Jakesmom504]

We did Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace for breakfast/brunch. The food was great. I've heard the food for the dinner buffets at both places wasn't anything to be desired. I haven't tried it yet so I'm just going on other people's opinions, but I do suggest both for breakfast.

 

[Luigi's Girl]

I suggest Chef Mickey's for breakfast, Crystal Palace for dinner and 1900 Park Fare at GF for either breakfast or dinner. These are ones that we enjoy.

 

[Ride Junkie]

We had dinner at the Crystal Palace buffet in June, and it was great. It was Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore & Piglet. They did a conga line through the restaurant, with about 30 people ranging in age from 3 to 70 -- it was hilarious & neat to see so many people having fun. We also really liked the food - great variety. Be sure to make reservations, because they do get busy. Also, check to see which characters they will feature. We always look for the Pooh gang.

 

[mhingher]

Our favorites are Chef Mickey's (Contemporary) and Crystal Palace (MK) for breakfast. We tried Chef Mickey's for dinner during our last trip and it was good-- but we enjoy the breakfast better.

We always did CM on our first AM of our trip, and someone suggested dinner our first night instead. That way the first full day you can go right into the park. (We usually do some shopping/resort exploring the day we arrive) It was a good idea; really gets you in the Disney mood!

 

[kellymonster23]

thanks for all the good info...i was also finding that it seems like Chef Mickey is a good choice for breakfast...thanks everyone and i can't wait to get there!!!!

 

[allaboutmm]

I like going to Chef Mickey's @ dinner. The reason for this is b/c in the morning my family likes to get an early start on going to the parks. Which ever you choose, I am sure your family will have a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[momshark]

I guess it really depends on your children. My daughter loved eating at the Castle with the princesses, but there was no way my son would go there. When they were young (6 or under) they also liked the Crystal Palace with the Pooh characters. Our all time favorite has been Chef Mickey's because it is appealing to all ages and there is some out of seat dancing time for the kids. We also had a blast at Donald's Breakfastosaurus at AK because our waiter played funny pranks on everyone.
You will have a blast no matter where you go!

 

[GOBA Mom Lynn]

If your family likes to eat breakfast anytime, you can do what we did.
We got the latest breakfast PS available for Chef Mickey's on an early entry day at MK. Just eat something quick in your room or from the food court early, take advantage of early entry and do all you can, then hop the monorail over to the Contemporary for a late breakfast. When we did it, we were seated immediately and never felt rushed since by the time we were halfway thru they weren't taking in any more people. They didn't seem to care how long we took to eat, too. Then when you're done, decide what park you want to go to for the afternoon. It worked out well for us.
Good Luck deciding!

 

[cyndibelle]

totally chef mickeys....its great interaction with the mouse himself..the atmosphere is fantastic and the food is great !!!

 

[dyna]

Yeah I'd either do as late a breakfast as possible enjoy my early mornings in park to much to spend time eating OR early dinner since the parks tend to clear out as the evening progresses unless it's EMH night and your going to do that.