We should make this a sticky (or I should cut and paste it and keep it around).
Best means different things to different people....here are some things to consider:
Which characters are you looking for (Princesses, Pooh, Mickey and Friends)? Keep in mind that a "traditional" characters meal may mean Minnie and Goofy - but no Mickey, Princesses may not include Snow White - know what characters are usually at a meal.
Are you looking for a resort meal or a park meal?
Does theming make a difference to you (Ohana's tropical attire, the Breakfastasaurus dig?)
Where are you going to be when you plan your character meal? Are you willing to plan your days around your character meal, or do you want to plan your character meal around your days?
Are you interested in only breakfast, or interested in lunch or dinner? (Few places serve lunch or dinner - and there is the ice cream social as well - but for some families dinner works much better into their touring plan).
Does the style of serving make a difference to you (buffet - go get it yourself, family style - a big skillet of food brought to your table, pre-plated - a plate of food brought to each person)? All character meals are all you can eat - but people with small children or traveling with the mobility challenged may perfer family style or pre-plated.
How much hassle do you want to go through to get PSs? (Cindy's will most likely involve a early morning phone call 60 days out, Chef Mickey's will involve planning ahead, but Cape May you can often get into with little notice).
Is there a particular food you crave served at one character meal but not another? Made to order omelets? The cheese stuffed french toast? Pinapple bread?
Finally, the tricky question of "character interaction." There isn't a place that has consistantly bad character interaction (that I am aware of). There are a few places that have reported consistantly good character interaction, but even at those places there have been a few reports of bad (or less than good) experiences.
Most of these questions can be answered at the character dining page at
www.wdwig.com.