Character Breakfast strategy during peak week

[pnelson384]

We're going to WDW the day before Easter to the Friday after. For Easter Sunday we have 10:20 PS at Donald's Breakfastosaurus. Then on Tuesday we have 11:10 Chef Mickey breakfast PS. The strategy was to get to the parks early and then have a late breakfast/brunch and then a little more park time before our mid-day break at the hotel (poly!). Now I am worried that the late breakfast time will mean that we will have a long wait, which is what I was trying to avoid. Any suggestions? This is our first trip to WDW as a family. It's taken me 11 years to convince DH that we should go, and I'm trying to prepare as much as possible so that we can handle the crowds.

 

[WayneWatsonFan]

Here's my suggestion, based on our three family trips to WDW and doing character breakfasts every time.

See if you can change your PS's to much earlier. Last week we had 8:15 am at Chef Mickey's on Sunday and 8:00 am at Crystal Palace on Thursday. It works out great for us....we get a large meal, early, fueled up til mid-afternoon hopefully, and get to the parks just after they open at 9. Each time we were seated right on time, to the minute. Much less crowded that early, the characters got to our tables quickly, and in many cases got back around a second and even third time. Plus, with CP, you get to enter MK before it opens and get to stroll down a semi-deserted Main Street!

 

[Selket]

I think the best option if you really want to get to the parks at opening and do as much as possible early on, is to make a PS for one of the earliest lunch seatings. It wouldn't be that much later than your late breakfast but would give you a bit more time in the parks before eating and perhaps less wait for a table. When I do this we usually eat a quick breakfast in the room before heading out to the parks.

I think some restaurants start serving breakfast early (like 7 a.m.) so that you could make it to the park at opening (like if you were at that 7am seating for Chef Mickey's) but that is just TOO early for me. I'd rather eat a poptart and have a big lunch - maybe grab an iced coffee somewhere along the way if I can find one.

I think you're on the right track by getting to the parks early and then eating but would go for that early lunch - like 11:30-11:50.

 

[pnelson384]

I wanted an earlier breakfast on Easter because it is our first morning there and my crew will be up EARLY to see if the bunny came. The first seating was at 8, and the AK park opens at 8, so I didn't want to spend the first hour the park was open in the restaurant. I will try to change our Chef mickey late bfast to an early dinner that day. I don't think they do lunch. Might be too late for that week. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[swilphil]

Chef Mickey does not do lunch, but I don't see a problem with your plan. If you get to MK before opening, you can get a lot done in 1 hour 45 minutes before you have to go to the CR. I don't think the amount of time that you have to wait for a table has much to do with what time your seating is. We've had to wait just as much when the restaurant opens. It seems to be more about luck. If there's a long wait for Chef Mickey's, perhaps the kids can go to the arcade or you can do some shopping at the CR.