Character Dining

[smithmom]

Our next trip we will have 4 children in tow... (ages 1, 2, 4 & 5). We have done Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace & the Hoop De Doo Show. I was hoping to try something different this time. What were your kid favorites?

 

[AmandaJayne]

garden grill in epcot was our favorite place...as adults..our daughter slept the entire time, but the interaction between the characters and us was the best.

 

[mirandag819]

1900 Park Fare dinner was by far my daughter's favorite, she was turning 4 while we were there.... she has an unbelievable experience there, the Tremaines were a blast

 

[henry72]

We liked the Garden Grill in Epcot. We did it last time and have it booked for this trip too. We are also going to the Crystal Palace. (Last time we went to Liberty Tree Tavern but it is no longer a character meal.)

 

[ilovejsparrow]

We really like the character breakfast at 'Ohana! Good food and we've always had nice character interaction. We recommend it to all of our friends and family.

 

[sharkman]

We really loved the characters (Goofy, Minnie, Chip & Dale and Donald) at the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. The buffet was good but the interaction with the characters was the best we have been to so far at Disney.

 

[jmartinez1895]

We loved the Garden Grill at Epcot and my son (5) enjoyed the Playhouse Disney play and dine at HS.

 

[JoePa4Ever]

Ohana brkfst is one of our favorites - it's one of the more relaxed character meals. The food is served family style & is good: mickey waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, brkfst breads, fruit. The character interaction is also very good with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo & Stitch - Pluto & Stitch are a riot!

 

[PoohsFan1]

For our upcoming trip we are doing 6 character meals and only 2 of them are returning ones because we love them so much.....the ones we are returning to are Cape May Breakfast (favorite breakfast on property, both food and character interaction is awesome) and Akershus (love the princess interaction there). Now the character dining that are new to us and that we are very excited about trying is CRT dinner, 1900 Park Fare dinner (yes we know, too many princess meals ), Garden Grill, and O'hana's Breakfast.

 

[koolaidmoms]

My kids love GG. The character interaction was really great here. Didn't feel rushed at all.

There is a Dining Review in my blog with pictures (link at bottom of page). Look in Dining Reviews if you are interested.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

All three breakfasts were great! I also like Crystal Palace - you've been there because we love Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet. But I like CP for lunch because the food is great and breakfast is not my favorite meal. I'd also recommend Mickey's Backyard BBQ but only to do it once. Hollywood and Vine (avoid it) had terrible food and the Einstein characters there, while cute, are old and not well known. There are lots of characters, including Einstein ones, to be found elsewhere in Hollywood Studios without suffering through the yucky food there.

Ohana Breakfast -- Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch in Hawaiian clothes. Get Leis (you can simply ask for them at the restaurant or at the Polynesian check-in desk). Characters are great, no rush, and they do the usual character parade with the kids shaking moroccas. Went to Ohana twice and each time got lots of charcter photos and autographs (books and T-shirts). We brought T-shirts with Mickey and Pluto, and another one with Stitch. It worked well to stretch a shirt (cannot be wearing) over a book or other hard surface for the charcter to sign. The food was usual breakfast food -- but VERY good. The potatos were delicious.

1900 Park Fare Supercalifragilistic Breakfast -- Mary Poppins, other characters supposedly vary but it always seems to include Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. Pooh and Tigger were there too. The Mad Hatter was So Funny! Lots of photos and autographs. Food was the best breakfast ever. Lots of delicious fresh fruit, lobster egg dish, and some other good stuff... and you must try the Strawberry Soup.

Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House -- Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Goofy in Safari outfits. Usual good character interaction, photos and autographs. Donald is ONLY outside to pose for photos, no autographs and he doesn't come inside. This is annoying because it's just another $32 photo opportunity. You can meet Donald for autographs on the Greeting Trails in Animal Kingdom Park. You can schedule breakfast before the park opens - gets you ahead of any crowd. And the food is great -- lots of variety beyond usual breakfast food. Don't leave without getting some of the bread pudding -- it is incredible! I also recommend Tusker house for lunch or dinner buffet -- very good.

Mickey's Backyard BBQ -- Mickey, Minnie, Country Bear, and some other characters. Fun place with rope tricks, live country music, and country dancing with the characters. Don't expect autographs, especially on the dance floor please, but some characters will come around the tables to do so. This was just different than the usual restaurant and perfect for kids because they can get up, move around, and do other things beside sit in a chair at a table. Tables are school cafeteria style. The food was OK. I was really disappointed in our Thanksgiving Dinner there - the turkey was obviously processed meat, not a real turkey roast. But this is a really fun place. Oh... beer and wine included. And lots of Mickey ice cream bars for kids.

 

[Jillinwonderland]

1900 pf

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

We have two sons who were ages 4 and 1 1/2 when we went in September. Here were their favorites and least favorites:

Favorites: 1900 Park Fare Dinner---Great food and awesome character interaction. My 4 year old insisted on being Prince Charming for Halloween after meeting him there. My 1 year old fell in love with Cinderella.

O'Hana breakfast -- Food was good. it was nice not to have to leave our table to get the food on a buffet line, and the character interaction was terrific. Pluto and Stitch really played it up for our boys.

Tusker House breakfast -- Food was good, and there was a good variety. When we were there, Donald still came around and visited everyone so that was great as both my boys love Donald. The characters spent a good amount of time at our table and made sure to point out my boys were wearing hats that matched theirs.

Least favorites:

Crystal Palace lunch--Our service was horrible here. The characters were great, and the food was good. However, our waiter didn't even bring my son a drink the entire meal. It was terrible. I had to go outside and get him a drink and bring it to my son because our waiter never came back until he presented us with a check and reminded us that tips were not included on the dining plan. We usually like CP, but this trip really upset us.

Cape May breakfast--The food here was good. The variety was nice. Our server was nice too, but she was rushed as were the characters. We waited an hour past our ADR to be seated so that started everything for us with grumpy children. We will skip this one next time and try a different one.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

We really like Donald's Safari Breakfast. The characters in safari gear are great, and it's nice to be able to see Daisy Duck. The food is good and we enjoy trying the African dishes and having a few different options than the usual breakfast buffet. Plus the juice is to die for - I swear it's addictive!

We did 'Ohana breakfast for the first time in September and absolutely loved it! That was the first ADR I asked for when I called to set up our May trip. Stitch was so much fun and Mickey in his Hawaiian gear was so cute! The food was simple but absolutely yummy! This definitely seemed like the most low-key of all the character breakfasts we've done. It's nice to have the meal served family style and only have to get up for the characters and the parade (if your little ones want to do that.)

Of course, we always do Crystal Palace and we're hitting Chef Mickey's for the first time in May. Love, love, love the character meals!!!

 

[Maren1111]

With little ones along (ours are 6, 4, & 2 now) we much preferred the buffets served "family style" to the real buffets, where you go and gather the food and bring it back to the table. We've eaten at Akershus with the princesses and Garden Grill that are family-style. Great food and more relaxing than trying to juggle someone watching the kids and someone gathering food while characters are coming by. Ohana's with Lilo & Stitch is also family-style.

 

[Stitch_Is_King]

Our personal preference has always been O'hana. We loved the fact that the food is brought to your table as opposed to standing in a buffet line. Plus the character interaction there has always been good and with us it is just two adults. We always like to do it more than once in a trip.

 

[Loopner]

The Ohana Breakfast is our family's fave.

My DH likes that the food is served family style (not another buffet). We like that it's all you can eat - remember to ask for more Mickey waffles if you want them! We love the pineapple bread.

Our boys are 9 & 11. They ask to go back to this breakfast every trip. They even still do the Conga line around the restaurant (each child gets a maraca). They love seeing Mickey in his hawaiian shirt and they love Stitch.

I love visiting the Poly hotel. It's easy to hop on the monorail and head to MK or Epcot afterwards.

 

[Loopner]

Our personal preference has always been O'hana. We loved the fact that the food is brought to your table as opposed to standing in a buffet line. Plus the character interaction there has always been good and with us it is just two adults. We always like to do it more than once in a trip.

I should have read your review first! And yes, the character interaction seems to be really great at this meal!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

This is annoying because it's [Tusker House breakfast] just another $32 photo opportunity.

The price has gone up to $39.00.