Character Dining question- reassurance needed!!!

[stinkerbella6206]

Quick question from someone who has never done character dining... how long should we allot for out character dining meals? A friend of ours said we were crazy to have booked a character meal every evening, as she said they each will take about 3 HOURS!! Is this true, or was she exaggerating? I can't imagine how it would take so long, as they are mostly buffets! Celebrating DD3rd bday May27-June3, and wanted to make it very special for her, so used our DDP credits to book mostly character meals.... (CM, CP, Akershus, CRT, Garden Grill, HV, Park Fare) hoping this wasn't a mistake? Opinions needed, please! TIA!

 

[LoveTheEars]

I usually block 1.5 hours in our schedule for our dining experiences (character or not).
Don't forget to plan for travel time to the restaurant. 30 min to get there and 30 min to get back.

 

[pezaddict231]

Don't worry. She is completely exaggerating. I don't think they would even let you stay in the restaurant that long! I would say allow for about an hour, maybe a little more depending. Even the signature meals we have had at Disney do not last more than two hours and that is for three courses! With buffets, you can even ask for the check right away so you can leave when you're done if you have somewhere you need to be.

Have a great trip!

 

[vicki_c]

I would allow a minimum of 1.5 hours when planning your dinners, maybe 2 depending on what time your reservation is for (the later into the dinner times, the longer you will wait for a table most often). So if you said 2 hours, add 20-30 minutes for waiting, it's quite a bit of time. And don't forget to add transportation to/from wherever you were or are going. It adds up to a lot of time in total.

If you eat earlier, I think 1.5 hours is sufficient for the character meals in almost every case.

Our character meals have ranged from 50 minutes or so (Akershaus & Park Fair for breakfast) to a full 2 hours at Chef Mickey's, even with a 5:30-ish reservation time.

Our family could not handle so many character meals - we usually do 1 or 2 a trip, but that's a personal preference thing - other families love them.

 

[turkeymama]

I think it all depends on the time of your ADR, but I think estimating 3 hours for all character meals is a bit of an exaggeration. We always do several character meals and I don't think we've ever spent more than 1 1/2 hours at a location. Akershus maybe the exception, with Chef Mickey's being close behind. This is where the whole ADR time can make a difference. It seems to take so long to be seated at both of these locations. Waiting around for them to call your name eats up so much time.

I try to make the first lunch or supper reservation the restaurant allows. That way, there aren't many people waiting to be seated in front of me. Plus, the characters are just starting to make their rounds and are less likely to be taking breaks during our meal.

Another thing to remember....since we do so many character meals, we don't stand in many lines waiting to see the same characters in the parks. We figure we have already met them, spent time with them, and got pictures and autographs.

 

[NorweJenNY]

Another thing to remember....since we do so many character meals, we don't stand in many lines waiting to see the same characters in the parks. We figure we have already met them, spent time with them, and got pictures and autographs.

This is what we like about character meals too! We're enjoying a nice meal as we wait for characters to come around, instead of waiting on a long line.

As for the OP, I'd never expect to spend 3 hours for a meal, unless you had like sextuplets in the midst of potty training and temper tantrums... but I think that's a rare situation...

If you're really planning on the safe side, no more than 1 1/2 to 2 hours max! So, you can relax! That 3 hours was an exaggeration!

 

[that's nice]

I'd plan a good 1 1/2 hours for your character meals. That is from the time you get seated till the time you leave. I wouldn't stress too much though... you won't be eating for hours. You can never have too many character meals!

 

[MickeyNicki]

DH and I can get in and out 30-45 minutes but we dont mind if we miss a character.

When we went with our 2 nieces we were there for 60-75 minutes at the most.

 

[Bobo912]

I think we spent less than 1 hour at LTT last year and we had plenty of time to eat and all the characters came around twice. We got plenty of photos and DS got autographs from all the characters.

 

[Paige Michalchuk]

I agree that 1.5 - 2 hours is probably a good rule of thumb. Especially if kids want a lot of photos and autographs.

 

[arielmomma]

We always plan on doing all of the character meals as well. They are so much fun and I agree with the others that you won't have to spend time in the parks standing in line to see them! I also agree with the others that a maximum of 1 1/2 to 2 hours would be the max. We take out time and cool off in the restaurants as my children are small and I think the longest we have ever stayed was 2 hours. Relax and have a wonderful time.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Plan for 1 hour in the resturant.

You can always call and cancel on a day you are not up to it.

Don't worry.

 

[MJAJmom]

Plan for 1 hour in the resturant.

Agreed. Takes us about an hour, plus/minus 10min. Usually breakfast is the fastest, lunch/dinner is longer just because we eat dessert.

 

[danielle.st]

Not counting transportation, our character meals took about an hour each. We loved them all and will absolutely do as many as possible when we return

 

[juliebride]

I was just getting ready to post the same question! Thanks to everybody for their input. I was getting a little nervous as we have 6 character meals scheduled for our 7 day visit.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I'd plan about 1 1/2 hours.

 

[jpmom97]

I love character meals! Keeps the kids entertained and there is always something on the buffet to everyone's liking. We do 2 a trip and they take about an hour to an hour and a half.

 

[monicadisneygirl]

Where are the best character meals?

 

[stinkerbella6206]

PHEW!! Thanks for the great input everyone! I am very relieved! 1-2 hours seems much more manageable for us, and our 3yo! I know she will love the character meals, and therefore it will be well worth it no matter how long it takes. But I am relieved to find out we will have a little more time in the parks, too!

 

[pavil]

I would tend to think that so many might be a tad excessive. If you are never coming back I might do that, but the food at most of the Character Meals is not the best that Disney has to offer. They will all blend together, foodwise.

Some people can do one every day, our family, two a trip is fine. We do one breakfast and one Dinner usually. Sometimes we throw in a dinner show too. That's enough for us.

It's up to you, but if you haven't done so in the past, that many might become a chore in a way.

You don't have to do everything in one trip.....then there's no reason to come back!