Character dining where/when??

[ExcitedSam]

I'm a bit confused about what character dining is on and when. I've looked on the Disney site but just want to get it clear. If someone could list them for me please? If you could only do two, which two? I have 2 DD's.

Sam.

 

[Malcon10t]

Goofy's - Brunch and dinner.
Ariel's - Breakfast, lunch, dinner (as of June 15.)
Storytellers - Breakfast
Minnie's - Breakfast
Surf's Up - Breakfast

My 2 would be Surf's Up breakfast and Goofy's dinner.

 

[davedmaine]

We've done them all, breakfast and dinner. 1900 Park Fare, dinner, would be my suggestion. You get the best character interaction there. All the others meals are pretty much the same, IMO.
Also, probably hit CRT just to say you've done it. It's a nice novely the first time around. The food isn't that great, but it's the real Disney experience..

 

[Malcon10t]

We've done them all, breakfast and dinner. 1900 Park Fare, dinner, would be my suggestion. You get the best character interaction there. All the others meals are pretty much the same, IMO.
Also, probably hit CRT just to say you've done it. It's a nice novely the first time around. The food isn't that great, but it's the real Disney experience..

Those restaurants don't exist at Disneyland...

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We've done them all, breakfast and dinner. 1900 Park Fare, dinner, would be my suggestion. You get the best character interaction there. All the others meals are pretty much the same, IMO.
Also, probably hit CRT just to say you've done it. It's a nice novely the first time around. The food isn't that great, but it's the real Disney experience..

excuse me?

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I'm a bit confused about what character dining is on and when. I've looked on the Disney site but just want to get it clear. If someone could list them for me please? If you could only do two, which two? I have 2 DD's.

Sam.

We really like Goofy's Kitchen for dinner. We have tried them all, and the only one we didn't really like as a family was Ariel's

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

From the Disneyland website on the available character dining, just to round out what was posted above.

"Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration" at Ariel's Grotto
Location: Disney California Adventure Park Cuisine Type: American, Healthy Selections, Vegetarian
Dine on dishes fit for royalty while you spend quality time with some of your favorite Disney Princesses. Make a reservation to join Ariel, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella for breakfast and lunch. While the princesses have other engagements at night, a prix fixe dinner may include tickets to a Preferred Viewing section for World of Color.

Surf's Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends at Disney's PCH Grill
Location: Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel Cuisine Type: American, Healthy Selections, Vegetarian
Share breakfast with some of your favorite Disney Characters at Surf's Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends. For dinner, fill up on selections like quesadillas, pizza, cheeseburgers, fountain treats and more. Kids can even design their own pizzas

Goofy's Kitchen
Location: Disneyland Hotel Cuisine Type: American
Rub elbows with Chef Goofy and his pals at this whimsical all-you-care-to-eat buffet with inventive culinary surprises. Goofy's Kitchen is a great place to celebrate birthday parties too — so if you are celebrating a big day, be sure and come party Disney style!

Plaza Inn "Minnie & Friends - Breakfast in the Park" hosted by Kellogg's
Location: Disneyland Park Cuisine Type: American, Vegetarian
Step back in time to a beautiful Victorian restaurant with ornate interior detailing, offering a grand setting for classic cafeteria dining. Enjoy delicious pastas, fried chicken, pot roast, salads, specialty desserts and a special Character Breakfast.

Celebrate a "My Disneyland Birthday Party" with Mickey and Minnie!
Searching for a magical way to enjoy your big day? Make plans for a "My Disneyland Birthday Party" at Disneyland Park's Plaza Inn! Join your host, Pat E. Cake, for a happy, fun-filled celebration featuring music, merriment, laughter and cake decorating — with a special appearance by Mickey and Minnie Mouse. All Guests receive a party hat, souvenir sipper cup, mini birthday cake, icing and cake toppings.​

Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast at Storyteller's Café
Location: Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Cuisine Type: American, Healthy Selections, Vegetarian
Hearty home-style favorites like wood-fired pizzas, fresh salads, grilled sandwiches and scrumptious fish highlight the rustic menu, while the storytelling tradition is saluted in beautiful period murals depicting tall tales from early California. Don't miss the Character Breakfast!

 

[msheriffm]

I second Goofy's Kitchen for dinner. My girls still love it at 12 and 14.

 

[ladeeesquire]

I think Surf's Up was the most fun and Ariel's Grotto has the best food. So I'd do breakfast with Stitch and lunch or dinner at Ariel's.

Goofy's Kitchen is fine. I'm never really clear why people like it so much. The food is good but nothing great and the character interaction is pretty much what you'd get anywhere. Minnie and Friends is lots of characters and its in the park which is a huge advantage BUT the food is pretty bad imo.

 

[Malcon10t]

We just did Mickey's Surf's Up a couple weeks ago, and were quite impressed. We got to visit with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Stitch. The food was great, as was the interaction with characters.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Plaza inn has the most characters that i have seen. Princess food was good last time i went and you get 5 characters

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I think Surf's Up was the most fun and Ariel's Grotto has the best food. So I'd do breakfast with Lilo and lunch or dinner at Ariel's.

Goofy's Kitchen is fine. I'm never really clear why people like it so much. The food is good but nothing great and the character interaction is pretty much what you'd get anywhere. Minnie and Friends is lots of characters and its in the park which is a huge advantage BUT the food is pretty bad imo.

DH and I are not really Goofy's Kitchen fans either, but the boys love it for some reason. I prefer going to Minnie's since it's in the park, and we can go in and eat during MM and then be right there ready to go when the park opens to regular guests. I didn't find the food to be bad at Minnie's; unexceptional is the word I would use. I just make sure the whole family gets omelets when we go, since they at least cook those as we watch and we can choose what we want in them.

 

[gr8leg8]

We've done them all, breakfast and dinner. 1900 Park Fare, dinner, would be my suggestion. You get the best character interaction there. All the others meals are pretty much the same, IMO.
Also, probably hit CRT just to say you've done it. It's a nice novely the first time around. The food isn't that great, but it's the real Disney experience..

If you ever make it out to Florida...

1900 Park Fare - Yes
CRT - not worth it

 

[Malcon10t]

Plaza inn has the most characters that i have seen. Princess food was good last time i went and you get 5 characters

Last time we went to Plaza Inn, we were there from 915a to 1030a. We saw 2 characters, Captain Hook and Piglet. We have always had better interaction at Goofy's, rarely have fewer than 8 characters in the same time frame. I also prefer Goofy's because they have servers to refill drinks and to bring needed items. When drinks go dry at Minnie's you have to send someone back inside to get more.

 

[starshine514]

Last time we went to Plaza Inn, we were there from 915a to 1030a. We saw 2 characters, Captain Hook and Piglet.

Where did they seat you?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Last time we went to Plaza Inn, we were there from 915a to 1030a. We saw 2 characters, Captain Hook and Piglet. We have always had better interaction at Goofy's, rarely have fewer than 8 characters in the same time frame. I also prefer Goofy's because they have servers to refill drinks and to bring needed items. When drinks go dry at Minnie's you have to send someone back inside to get more.

This just illustrates how much people's experiences can differ from each other. We have been to Minnie's a couple of times and had so many characters visiting with us that it was hard to just get a few minutes peace to scarf down the food. We went during MM both times and sat indoors. Also, during these visits we never felt we had to wait very long to get food, and I've seen others complain about the long buffet lines at Minnie's. We visited during spring break last year and summer. Perhaps we got lucky.

We have also been to Goofy's probably half a dozen times now. During the last four visits, we have never seen more than five characters. Sometimes we have only seen two or three and have had to ask a server to send over a few more since we'd been there so long and were ready to leave. We have sat in all different locations in that restaurant and eaten both breakfast and dinner there at busy and non-busy times. Other people consistently report having much better experiences than this at Goofy's. Despite what our experiences have been like, my boys still love that place and ask to go back.

We've tried Storyteller's a couple of times now and were not impressed by the experience either time. That venue seems to suit some people very well though.

I look at character dining as your mileage may vary and usually recommend to people to try whichever one they think has the best characters for their family and is in the best location to fit in with their plans for that time of day.

 

[Malcon10t]

Where did they seat you?

On the outside patio on the right side (looking at the front doors.)

 

[ladeeesquire]

This just illustrates how much people's experiences can differ from each other. We have been to Minnie's a couple of times and had so many characters visiting with us that it was hard to just get a few minutes peace to scarf down the food. We went during MM both times and sat indoors. Also, during these visits we never felt we had to wait very long to get food, and I've seen others complain about the long buffet lines at Minnie's. We visited during spring break last year and summer. Perhaps we got lucky.

We have also been to Goofy's probably half a dozen times now. During the last four visits, we have never seen more than five characters. Sometimes we have only seen two or three and have had to ask a server to send over a few more since we'd been there so long and were ready to leave. We have sat in all different locations in that restaurant and eaten both breakfast and dinner there at busy and non-busy times. Other people consistently report having much better experiences than this at Goofy's. Despite what our experiences have been like, my boys still love that place and ask to go back.

We've tried Storyteller's a couple of times now and were not impressed by the experience either time. That venue seems to suit some people very well though.

I look at character dining as your mileage may vary and usually recommend to people to try whichever one they think has the best characters for their family and is in the best location to fit in with their plans for that time of day.

I agree. We've been to Minnies about 6 or 7 times. I've never liked the food (actually got food poisoning from it once) and always thought the lines to get it were ridiculously slow. But the trade off has been lots and lots of characters and decent interaction time. Until the last time we went, about 2 mos ago, we had a horrible experience with the characters so it really does depend on the day.

I believe Goofy's is always 5 characters but we've only been there twice so I'm not positive.

AG is to me the most consistent of the character meals both in regard to food and characters. We've been maybe 8 times and the experience has been pretty much exactly the same down to the princesses that were featured.

We still haven't done Storytellers. The characters have never appealed to my family but its on my short list of things to get to.

 

[ExcitedSam]

Thanks for the info, I still have no idea what we'll do

Seriously though I think we'll definitely do Ariels Grotto, I also want to take my younger DD to BBB before we go there. For the other one I'm not sure yet... Breakfast is included in our hotel stay so a little reluctant to then pay for breakfast, but it's Disney, for us probably once in a life time thing so not totally ruling it out.

 

[limace]

Just wanted to say hi, Sam! I lived in Canberra for a couple years in the 80s and loved it-still have good friends there and am planning a trip back when my youngest is older-not a flight I want to do with a 2 year old .