Character Meals at Disneyland

[Sleepless Knight]

For our December visit, we decided to book a package through Costco that comes with one character meal. While we're not sure if it's for a specific character meal or one of our choosing. I suppose we'll find out more after we get some more details from them.

So first question: Does anyone know the details on this character meal? Is for a meal of our choice, or has the character meal been predetermined?

Second question: How many character meals are at the DLR? I think I know of four, Goofy's Kitchen, Minnie and Friends at the Plaza in Disneyland, the princesses in DCA, and a Lilo and Stitch breakfast at PP. Am I missing some?

FWIW, the dynamics of our group are 7 adults, 1 3 yo boy, and a 9mo girl. We figure that the infant won't care much either way, though if she's like her brother was at that age, she'll enjoy eating fur character noses. The Disney characters my nephew knows are the fab five and the Pooh gang. My brother thinks it may be fun to see the 3 yo charm the princesses, but the only princess he might even recognize is Aurora since he's seen his uncle's Sleeping Beauty Disneyana collection.

In the end, we're hoping to find the meal that will be the most fun for the 3 yo since he's much closer to the "magical" age than the rest of us are.

 

[Disneylvrforever]

Wow, I didn't know that packages from Costco comes w/ a character meal. That's cool.
Don't forget Chip & Dale's breakfast at GCH.

 

[Sherry E]

For our December visit, we decided to book a package through Costco that comes with one character meal. While we're not sure if it's for a specific character meal or one of our choosing. I suppose we'll find out more after we get some more details from them.

So first question: Does anyone know the details on this character meal? Is for a meal of our choice, or has the character meal been predetermined?

Second question: How many character meals are at the DLR? I think I know of four, Goofy's Kitchen, Minnie and Friends at the Plaza in Disneyland, the princesses in DCA, and a Lilo and Stitch breakfast at PP. Am I missing some?

FWIW, the dynamics of our group are 7 adults, 1 3 yo boy, and a 9mo girl. We figure that the infant won't care much either way, though if she's like her brother was at that age, she'll enjoy eating fur character noses. The Disney characters my nephew knows are the fab five and the Pooh gang. My brother thinks it may be fun to see the 3 yo charm the princesses, but the only princess he might even recognize is Aurora since he's seen his uncle's Sleeping Beauty Disneyana collection.

In the end, we're hoping to find the meal that will be the most fun for the 3 yo since he's much closer to the "magical" age than the rest of us are.

You are missing the Storytellers Cafe character meal at GCH (breakfast, lunch or dinner, I think - buffet and off-the-menu). That features Chip and Dale and a lot of who I call the 'woodsy' Disney characters - like Meeko from Pocahontas, some characters I didn't recognize from Brother Bear and Baloo occasionally wanders in. Baloo also appears at Goofy's from time to time too.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Now a Chip and Dale meal could be loads and loads of fun. I'll have to throw that into the mix.

When we looked at different packages, we realized that with everything the Costco package came with, it was really a far better deal than GAT and/or separate tickets and hotel. Simply put, the "price tag" on the Costco perks was worth more than the difference between the pacakges and that was before we factored in hotel taxes with GAT.

 

[toocherie]

the character meal at Storyteller's is only at breakfast--but it and the Lilo and Stitch breakfasts are my two favorites--with Storyteller's probably winning for the ambiance. Plus I love Chip and Dale!

 

[DangerMouse]

Storyteller's character breakfast is my favorite (and I have tried them all with the exception of Minnie's at the Plaza Inn.) I like it because the atmosphere isn't quite as rowdy and loud. It's a bit more laid back and the best part for me is that you can order off the menu if you don't want to be forced to do the "all you can eat" buffet. My favorite is the banana stuffed french toast! YUM! And in December, the fireplaces in the restaurant make it so cozy and warm.

We've seen or heard of the following characters appearing there: Chip, Dale, Meeko, Timon, Turk, Baloo, Brer Bear, Pinnochio, Koda & Kenai.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

For our December visit, we decided to book a package through Costco that comes with one character meal. While we're not sure if it's for a specific character meal or one of our choosing. I suppose we'll find out more after we get some more details from them.

So first question: Does anyone know the details on this character meal? Is for a meal of our choice, or has the character meal been predetermined?

Second question: How many character meals are at the DLR? I think I know of four, Goofy's Kitchen, Minnie and Friends at the Plaza in Disneyland, the princesses in DCA, and a Lilo and Stitch breakfast at PP. Am I missing some?

FWIW, the dynamics of our group are 7 adults, 1 3 yo boy, and a 9mo girl. We figure that the infant won't care much either way, though if she's like her brother was at that age, she'll enjoy eating fur character noses. The Disney characters my nephew knows are the fab five and the Pooh gang. My brother thinks it may be fun to see the 3 yo charm the princesses, but the only princess he might even recognize is Aurora since he's seen his uncle's Sleeping Beauty Disneyana collection.

In the end, we're hoping to find the meal that will be the most fun for the 3 yo since he's much closer to the "magical" age than the rest of us are.

I did the Costco pkg about 3 years ago and I dont think they have changed much since then....you get to pick which one of the meals you want to do, whether it is one of the hotel restaurants or Minnie & Friends in DL...my personal favorite is Minnie and Friends...I go there for the food but the characters are really good as well..Minnie, Pooh, tigger, eeyore, piglet, Capt. Hook..nice variety...I also like Goofy's Kitchen...Im going to be the odd one out here and say Im not much of a storytellers kind of girl...its just not my cup of tea...Im not much into the woody animal thing and I thought for the price the food wasnt that great...Ive never done Lilo and Stitch but Im pretty sure we are doing that one in Oct...the one thing I am going to say in favor of Storytellers and this is also the case for Lilo and Stitch...you can order off of the menu if you dont want to pay buffet price and still get that character interaction whereas goofy's and Minnie and Friends its buffet or nothin'!!

 

[koalababy]

Hope the OP doesn't mind me adding a question. I didn't want to start a new thread. I'm also looking for good "boy" character meals. Is there a Star Wars character meal by chance?

 

[JadeDarkstar]

minnies is grate but i think your 3yo would have more fun at goofys dinner we loved it and were going back to it this oct.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Hope the OP doesn't mind me adding a question. I didn't want to start a new thread. I'm also looking for good "boy" character meals. Is there a Star Wars character meal by chance?

I don't mind at all. I'm glad you're willing to ask your question.

There is no Star Wars meal. They'd have to get approval from Lucasfilm for that to happen. The closest you could get is having a meal during the Jedi Training Academy, but if your boys want to be in the JTA, that may not work.

Disney doesn't have any specific boy themed character meals. Your best bet would be to choose a meal with lots of boy characters and/or hope your boys won't mind lots of attention and kisses(if they're young enough) from the princesses. Of course, they could always react like my brother did when he was 8 and Cinderella tried to kiss him in WDW at the castle and run away from her, thus causing Cinderella to chase him. (The best part would be roughly 10 years later when Cinderella's step-sisters tried to flirt with him during a parade. I guess nobody told them that to that point in his life running away from Cinderella was the biggest regret in his life).

 

[mousemom11]

We have done 3 character breakfasts and here is my ranking:

1) Minnie and friends. My kids (7 and 4 at the time) liked this the best because of the characters (Minnie, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Capt Hook, Chip & Dale). Food was good with lots of different choices.

2) Goofy's Kitchen. Good characters and ambiance. Food was a bit "meh".

3) Storytellers at GCH. I ranked this 3rd because of the characters - least recognizable of all. Ambiance and food and was good though.

I think that with the extra $$ that you are paying for a character meal, pick it based on the characters that your kids will like best.

 

[koalababy]

Disney doesn't have any specific boy themed character meals. Your best bet would be to choose a meal with lots of boy characters and/or hope your boys won't mind lots of attention and kisses(if they're young enough) from the princesses.

Actually, my 4yo would probably like that.

 

[KID@@HEART]

We did two character meals during our recent trip to DLR: lunch at Ariel's Grotto at DCA and breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen at DH. Our group consisted of a 2 yo DNe, 4yo DNi and three adults.

Here's my rundown:AG is all about the Princesses and it's a more formal sit-down meal. Make sure you make reservations in advance. They start handing out your pager 10 minutes before your reservation time. When they are ready for you, you are taken downstairs for your photoshoot with Ariel and then taken to your table. If you are lucky (and have no more than 6 people), you might score a booth. The Princesses are 'announced' by the Royal Page every 7-8 minutes which include Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Belle. Instead of waiting in a long line, you are personally visited by each Princess at your table. For adults, it's a 3-course meal with a starter, entree and dessert. There's a chicken noodle soup, onion soup and mixed green salad. The definite table favorite was the onion soup...very tasty. As for entrees, the Cobb salad is just the normal version (i.e. chicken...no shrimp version was on our menu) and was good. The fish and chips were tasty, a little extra crispy and served with some tasty steak fries. Kids get 2-courses (3 if you include the carrot & celery sticks with ranch dressing as a starter) that include an entree and dessert. Kids fare is pretty straight-forward: chicken strips, mac 'n' cheese (served with a hot dog cut to look like and octopus!), spaghetti and kids under the age of 3 get 1/2-sized entree for free. If your kids are into the Princesses, it's totally worth the visit because you get that one-on-one time with the Princesses.

Goofy's Kitchen: We did breakfast here one morning and it was fun. Again, make sure you get a reservation and when they are ready for you, your group gets a photo op with Pluto before being taken to your table. Since this is a buffet, you are pointed to the buffet line and, boy, it was a pretty impressive buffet. The food was plentiful and a great diversity of choices which include the standards like scrambled eggs, an omelet station, bacon, sausage, home fries, french toast, biscuits and gravy, cold cereals, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit. As for the little ones, they have mac 'n' cheese, chicken tenders, Mickey pancakes, Mickey waffles, hot dogs, PB'n'J' pizza. There's a huge selection of sweets and baked items, a soft serve ice cream machine and 'dirt and worms' (crushed oreos with gummy worms) that the kids love. As for the characters, you'll see Goofy, Chip and Dale, Gideon, Pluto and Belle who make numerous visits to your table. In addition to the visits from the characters to your table, the kids will be called to the middle of the restaurant to participate in some interactive sessions with the characters to keep the kids entertained.

Verdict: While DNi loved AG, DNe was more about flirting with the Princesses .The food was good but just seemed overpriced for what you were getting. Essentially, you are paying for the Princess experience so if that's what you are looking for, then go to AG. My pick with a 3 yo boy is Goofy's Kitchen and I would highly recommend doing breakfast. It ensures that you get a good start to the day by filling up on hearty food, get some quality time with characters and is less formal then the traditional sit-down restaurant. Hope this helps!

 

[toocherie]

Ok--I know I should be throttled for asking this question and not being enough of a Disney geek to know this--but who is "Gideon"?

Cheryl (running away as fast as I can )

 

[DangerMouse]

Ok--I know I should be throttled for asking this question and not being enough of a Disney geek to know this--but who is "Gideon"?

Cheryl (running away as fast as I can )

It's ok Cheryl, they're kind of tough ones . . .

Gideon is the cat from Pinocchio. His partner in crime is Foulfellow the fox.

 

[Canyon girl]

Last Sept., we went to Ariel's Grotto, Goofy's Kitchen, and Chip & Dale. Of the 3, I think your best bet would be Goofy. I liked the ambiance better at Chip & Dale, but the food selection was much more sparse than Goofy. There was nothing that my picky eaters would eat. They were nice enough to bring them Mickey waffles to add to the buffet. There was, however, plenty to pick from at Goofy's. No problem filling them up. Goofy also had a mixture of characters for boys and girls. Goofy gets my vote!

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

...Heads up, the line up at any character meal can change at any time. SO aside from the Headlining character (Goofy's Kitchen, Ariel's Grotto, Chip and Dale's Critter Breakfast, Breakfast with Minnie and Friends at the Plaza Inn, Lilo and Stitch's Aloha Breakfast), no other character is guaranteed. This is especially true at Goofy's where the line up changes every single meal.

Just so you have a heads up

 

[KID@@HEART]

Yep, I had NO IDEA who he was either. It wasn't until after he left and I checked out DNi autograph book to see who he was. Even then, my sister had to tell me he was from Pinocchio.