Character meal on first day...help me decide.

[Aggiegrl]

I just can't decide on a character meal for our first day. Help?

Kids are 5(girl)/5(girl/7(boy). They've done basically every character meal at WDW. This is our first time at DL. Staying at DL Hotel, but the night before check in we are staying down the road off site. We plan to move the car to DL hotel the morning of our first day.

Option 1-breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen, DL afterwards.
Option 2-enter DL and do a few things, 10am breakfast at Plaza Inn.
Option 3-DL morning, back to DL hotel in afternoon (hopefully room ready), early dinner at Goofy's

 

[mom2rtk]

What time are you arriving the night before? If there's time I would start the trip off with dinner at Goofy's Kitchen that night. That leaves the whole next day open to play in the park. We've done that many times and loved it.

 

[Aggiegrl]

What time are you arriving the night before? If there's time I would start the trip off with dinner at Goofy's Kitchen that night. That leaves the whole next day open to play in the park. We've done that many times and loved it.

We are likely meeting family in Ontario for dinner that night and checking into the off site hotel afterwards.

We have 5 day hoppers, so I guess I'm less concerned with making a full day of it and more concerned with having a magical first day. Does that make sense?

 

[Laundress]

OP If it were me looking for the Magical experience...I would go with Option3. You would have had a chance to have fun in the park. Hopefully get settled in your room then everyone is hungry and ready for awesome photo moments with the characters.

 

[mom2rtk]

We are likely meeting family in Ontario for dinner that night and checking into the off site hotel afterwards.

We have 5 day hoppers, so I guess I'm less concerned with making a full day of it and more concerned with having a magical first day. Does that make sense?

With 5 days, I would do option 3 on day 1, then option 2 later in the trip. I just wouldn't want to get into the park and just get started having fun only to have to stop for a meal. And you don't want to rush the character meal either. Sometimes it takes a while for some of the characters to make it to your area.

On your first day, take the monorail out of Tomorrowland in time for a dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.

 

[Nevada Jen]

How early can you get into dl your first day. Because if it is 7 am then the plaza breakfast will be the perfect time for a good sit down meal and you will have already hit a lot of rides by 10 and I would go with that.

 

[Aggiegrl]

Thanks everyone! The Goofy's kitchen dinner was my original plan. Then I started overthinking things.

How early can you get into dl your first day. Because if it is 7 am then the plaza breakfast will be the perfect time for a good sit down meal and you will have already hit a lot of rides by 10 and I would go with that.

Thank you making me think about this. I believe the park does open at 7 am, but now I'm not sure we want to be there that early on the first day. We are generally rope drop people, but with checking out of an off site and moving to DL hotel, I think we'd rather have a more relaxed morning.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Um. . . you have way more self control that I do. I'm up at like 5 am staring at my son from 3 inches away while he sleeps until he feels someone staring at him and screams awake when he sees two eyes 2 inches from his face. That wakes everyone else up and we have time to kill before 7 am! In all seriousness, rope drop (actually EMH since you are staying on site) is best earlier in the trip (before you can't move your legs anymore).

 

[Aggiegrl]

Um. . . you have way more self control that I do. I'm up at like 5 am staring at my son from 3 inches away while he sleeps until he feels someone staring at him and screams awake when he sees two eyes 2 inches from his face. That wakes everyone else up and we have time to kill before 7 am! In all seriousness, rope drop (actually EMH since you are staying on site) is best earlier in the trip (before you can't move your legs anymore).

Haha! Well, I'm not saying I won't be up, because I probably will. But there's also my husband, mother, and mother in law. I fully intend on making EMH for CA on the second day, so I'm thinking I should give them a little more relaxing start on the first day.

I may or may not be that family member who plans everything and drags them everywhere with "the plan."

 

[GatorChris]

I'm more a fan of character meals that aren't breakfast. That only leaves dinner at Goofy's and lunch at Ariel's when you're at DL. It costs a bit more per person, but it's just hard for me to "buffet" for breakfast.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

I may or may not be that family member who plans everything and drags them everywhere with "the plan."

Ha ha! I may or may not be that person in my family!

I like your current plan of going with option 3 for your first day, but adding option 2 later in the trip.

 

[azdisneylover]

Make sure you pack snacks for your kids while you are waiting in line. (Granola bars, Nutra Grain Bars, nuts, etc). It will hold them over until it is time to eat. The first few days, the kids will not want to stop and eat, so, perhaps you can book a late breakfast at Plaza Inn on the last day in the parks because by the end of the trip, everyone will be more apt to sit and enjoy a character meal. (Plaza Inn would be a good one for that).

 

[Aggiegrl]

Make sure you pack snacks for your kids while you are waiting in line. (Granola bars, Nutra Grain Bars, nuts, etc). It will hold them over until it is time to eat. The first few days, the kids will not want to stop and eat, so, perhaps you can book a late breakfast at Plaza Inn on the last day in the parks because by the end of the trip, everyone will be more apt to sit and enjoy a character meal. (Plaza Inn would be a good one for that).

I used to pack tons of park snacks, but I've created little Disney park foodie monsters. Now if I pull out a granola bar inside a park, they laugh. I laugh back. Then we get an iconic Disney treat together.

They love rides, but Disney=food to them too. The little spoiled brats really love sitting down to eat at the restaurants.

 

[texasgingerbread]

I just can't decide on a character meal for our first day. Help?

Kids are 5(girl)/5(girl/7(boy). They've done basically every character meal at WDW. This is our first time at DL. Staying at DL Hotel, but the night before check in we are staying down the road off site. We plan to move the car to DL hotel the morning of our first day.

Option 1-breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen, DL afterwards.
Option 2-enter DL and do a few things, 10am breakfast at Plaza Inn.
Option 3-DL morning, back to DL hotel in afternoon (hopefully room ready), early dinner at Goofy's

We've done all the characters meals except Garden Grill at Epcot at WDW. Went to DL for the first time this past spring. I would highly recommend Plaza Inn (due to different characters) but can you get a 10:15/10:30? I cannot remember last time for breakfast.

Our second favorite (not in your choices) was PCH Grill. Stitch dance party was a HUGE hit! And Mickey is there!!!

 

[PHXscuba]

I know my kids are bouncing off the walls the first morning at Disneyland (me too!) and wouldn't get anywhere near our money's worth of a character meal that first morning. They'd rush through the food and the characters to do rides. We've done the meal later that day like you are thinking and it's a perfect chance to go back to the hotel mid-afternoon, pause for a bit to rest and change, do the character meal, and then head to the park (via monorail!) to enjoy the evening refreshed.

PHXscuba