character dining - Chef Mickey's Buffet

[jgeorge15]

Is this only for resort guests? We are staying outside but like to one character dining

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

Anyone can go, just be sure to make a reservation, otherwise you might not get in.

 

[Princess Roo]

Mexican-mouseketeers is right! We had a GREAT time there - hope you do, too!

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

This is always our first stop of the trip. Just in case you don't know, it is a party type atmosphere, I have read somethings were people were upset when they couldnt' have that nice quiet dinner. We love it, and with kids, its great.

 

[Juliee8]

We are going to Chef Mickeys for the first time in April. I am so excited and the kids can't wait. They get to eat Easter breakfast with Mickey!

 

[punky'smom]

WOW! You must have made an ADR way in advance! How cool! Got room for an adopted DGM ! Have fun we love Chef Mickey's I totally embarass my teenage son when we go..

 

[surfgirl]

If you have little ones, another fun 'activity' to do (we do Chef Mickey's on our day off, so we have extra time) is to ride the monorail. The monorail is the one that stops at all the hotels and goes the other direction from the regular T&TC - MK one.

This is also a good opportunity to ask to ride in the front if you have kids who would like to do that. If there is someone in the front, then get off at the next stop and ask again or wait for the next monorail.

We tend to go late in the breakfast (11:20 or so) and it makes for a lazy morning and really turns into lunch for the kids. As the meal ends and people clear out, there are less tables to visit and the characters spend more time with the remaining people. Almost too much so, if that's possible!

 

[CleveRocks]

With the exception of all-inclusive resorts, I've never heard of a hotel that did not allow non-hotel guests pay to eat in their restaurant.

 

[Disneyforus]

I just made our ADR for Chef Mickeys for breakfast in 2 months and all they had left were very late morning times. So, I went ahead and made them thinking we would make it more of a brunch. We'll probably have to give the kids a snack when they wake up to get them thru. Does anyone know how they seat you? Do we just arrive at our ADR time or should we get there early? BTW, we are staying off site too and plan to do the monorail after eating and making it a lazy day!

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Less than 2 months till we take our 4 children on there first ever trip to Disney! (and it's a surprise)

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

From my past experiences with Chef Mickey's I would advise to arrive about 10 minutes before your time. When you arrive you check in, and then they take your picture, if you end up with a couple extra minutes we like watching the monorail.

 

[Princess Roo]

When you check in, they give you a pager which will go off when they are ready to seat you. They try to group people together in the same section of the restaurant who are seated at the same time and then the characters "make the rounds". The times we've been there it has been timed really well where you get some time to get your food and start eating before the first character comes and then they have all visited the table before we're ready to leave. At Chef Mickey's they do a birthday song every half hour where the characters dance around and everyone waves their napkins. DS thought that was tons of fun, too! Last time our reservation was late, too, so we treated it more as lunch and then headed home in the car from there, so DS took his nap with a very full belly