Character Meals Super Thread!!

[cgh]

Hello! Still here, but have 3 character meals under our belts and thought I'd give a review.

Friday-Goofy's kitchen 5 pm. Wonderful, wonderful experience. Entry was different then the other time we came. We arrived at 4:45, checked in, and sat down to wait for photos/seating. Then, when Goofy arrived (maybe at 4:55?-before 5) we stood in a brief line for photos (maybe a 1-2 minute wait). We were seated promptly and got our food. Menu was salads (both a romaine mix and iceberg with mixins you add including carrots, peas, cheese, and mushrooms and something else), caprese salad, pasta salad, potato salad I think. There were 4 dressings for the tossed sald which I really liked (last year there was only one which I didn't like). Then there were the hot items- strip carving and roast turkey (arrived late to the buffet), sauteed mushrooms (loved these), Broccoli/carrots, mashed potatoes, pork ribs, chicken, rice, eggrolls I think. Desserts were a couple kinds of cupcakes, worms in dirt, oreo mousse (loved this!), lemon bars, bread pudding, a fruit cobbler, jello, and a couple kinds of cookies. Kids area was pizza (cheese, pepperoni, PB&J, hotdogs, chicken nuggests, fried shrimp, mac &cheese, and sphagetti and meatballs). Oh, and an ice cream sundae bar and rolls.

Characters- great interaction! Minnie, Cinderella, Belle, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Goofy.
All and all, we loved it, and would do it again-and well, we did.

Monday-Goofy's Kitchen (comped by DLH due to some room problems).

All pretty much the same. The rice changed (went from spanish rice to white), taquittos switched to egg rolls. For characters we had the Fairy Godmother instead of Cinderella and Belle. This time, we sat near the back door where we got to go the characters come and go a lot as they switched out for breaks.

 

[cgh]

Wednesday morning- Minnie and Friends 10 am reservation-
All and all good and we'd do it again. Minnie took DS's hand and led us to the table which was very cute. We saw Minnie (a bunch!), Chip and Dale, Max?, Rafiki?, Geppeto, Captain Hook, Pooh, Eeyore, and the Fairy Godmother.

DS was really scared of Geppeto. I was rather surprised. The Easter Bunny doesn't scare him-but Geppeto does. He also was really really shy (to the point of not wanting to talk to them) for any of the face characters -ie Princesses and the Fairy Godmother (who is very good!) We had plenty of interaction with the charaters and were well positioned along the main corridor. We would do it again-and really, if you want character interaction these breakfasts are great!

As for food- they had waffles, french toast, cereals and fruit, a wide variety of fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, eggs, ham, sausage and gravy. Oh, and make your own omelets. At 11 you could still get everything, though they had stopped refiling. We left around 11:15. Ample characters still there. Loved the 10 am time!

We are currently scheduled for Surf's up (our favorite) tomorrow, but we'll see if DS wants to do that or go on rides. We are checking out and he wants to do Carsland for I think a 5th time?

 

[DizNee Luver]

Hello! Still here, but have 3 character meals under our belts and thought I'd give a review.

Friday-Goofy's kitchen 5 pm. Wonderful, wonderful experience. Entry was different then the other time we came. We arrived at 4:45, checked in, and sat down to wait for photos/seating. Then, when Goofy arrived (maybe at 4:55?-before 5) we stood in a brief line for photos (maybe a 1-2 minute wait). We were seated promptly and got our food. Menu was salads (both a romaine mix and iceberg with mixins you add including carrots, peas, cheese, and mushrooms and something else), caprese salad, pasta salad, potato salad I think. There were 4 dressings for the tossed sald which I really liked (last year there was only one which I didn't like). Then there were the hot items- strip carving and roast turkey (arrived late to the buffet), sauteed mushrooms (loved these), Broccoli/carrots, mashed potatoes, pork ribs, chicken, rice, eggrolls I think. Desserts were a couple kinds of cupcakes, worms in dirt, oreo mousse (loved this!), lemon bars, bread pudding, a fruit cobbler, jello, and a couple kinds of cookies. Kids area was pizza (cheese, pepperoni, PB&J, hotdogs, chicken nuggests, fried shrimp, mac &cheese, and sphagetti and meatballs). Oh, and an ice cream sundae bar and rolls.

Characters- great interaction! Minnie, Cinderella, Belle, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Goofy.
All and all, we loved it, and would do it again-and well, we did.

Monday-Goofy's Kitchen (comped by DLH due to some room problems).

All pretty much the same. The rice changed (went from spanish rice to white), taquittos switched to egg rolls. For characters we had the Fairy Godmother instead of Cinderella and Belle. This time, we sat near the back door where we got to go the characters come and go a lot as they switched out for breaks.

Wednesday morning- Minnie and Friends 10 am reservation-
All and all good and we'd do it again. Minnie took DS's hand and led us to the table which was very cute. We saw Minnie (a bunch!), Chip and Dale, Max?, Rafiki?, Geppeto, Captain Hook, Pooh, Eeyore, and the Fairy Godmother.

DS was really scared of Geppeto. I was rather surprised. The Easter Bunny doesn't scare him-but Geppeto does. He also was really really shy (to the point of not wanting to talk to them) for any of the face characters -ie Princesses and the Fairy Godmother (who is very good!) We had plenty of interaction with the charaters and were well positioned along the main corridor. We would do it again-and really, if you want character interaction these breakfasts are great!

As for food- they had waffles, french toast, cereals and fruit, a wide variety of fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, eggs, ham, sausage and gravy. Oh, and make your own omelets. At 11 you could still get everything, though they had stopped refiling. We left around 11:15. Ample characters still there. Loved the 10 am time!

We are currently scheduled for Surf's up (our favorite) tomorrow, but we'll see if DS wants to do that or go on rides. We are checking out and he wants to do Carsland for I think a 5th time?

Thank you for the reviews.....sounds like some good food & some fun meals. Some kids like the furries better than faces......"stranger danger" plays into it. Enjoy the rest of your time!!

 

[poohj80]

Does anyone know what are the hours for Ariel's Grotto breakfast? Latest I could get was 9:50 which seemed early for the latest.

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Hello there!!!

I have just read the whole thread, start to finish, and must say it is fabulous! So much excellent information and the pictures are wonderful!

We have done all the character breakfasts and our favourite was Surf's Up. The interaction with the characters was fabulous. Goofy's was our least favourite as they seemed to just pass us by! Minnie's we did twice last trip and it was the best for the most number of characters at any of the breakfasts on offer. Storytellers we liked as it was a little more relaxed and as others have said, different characters that you don't see anywhere else!
We also did the lunch at Ariels and for what seems to be different to most people, we really were not fussed on the food. We will however be going back on our trip in October, but will be doing breakfast this time!

I thought I would just mention too, that the little surfing lessons that they have with surfer music and carpet surfboards can be fun for the big kid in us all.......

Yep, that's me and my DD.............Mickey and Minnie came and got us by the hands and made us surf with them! It was so much fun ( and yes I am a 44 year old adult!!!! ) But hey, I am just a big kid!!!

They really ham it up too..........

That hat sure got a whole lot of attention!!!

And from Storytellers......

So if you are looking for great character interaction, we learnt that if you play it up to them, you will get some great responses!!!! Props are good too

 

[DizNee Luver]

Does anyone know what are the hours for Ariel's Grotto breakfast? Latest I could get was 9:50 which seemed early for the latest.

The seatings here are probably done at very specific times since the princesses are "announced" and then make their way around all the tables. You will see all of them, one after another (very small break between) and when they've gone to all the tables, they leave. So they probably have it set up for people to be seated for each "showing" of the princesses.
(lunch seatings start at 11:30, so they have to make sure the restaurant is cleared before they start the lunch too)

Hello there!!!

I have just read the whole thread, start to finish, and must say it is fabulous! So much excellent information and the pictures are wonderful!

We have done all the character breakfasts and our favourite was Surf's Up. The interaction with the characters was fabulous. Goofy's was our least favourite as they seemed to just pass us by! Minnie's we did twice last trip and it was the best for the most number of characters at any of the breakfasts on offer. Storytellers we liked as it was a little more relaxed and as others have said, different characters that you don't see anywhere else!
We also did the lunch at Ariels and for what seems to be different to most people, we really were not fussed on the food. We will however be going back on our trip in October, but will be doing breakfast this time!

I thought I would just mention too, that the little surfing lessons that they have with surfer music and carpet surfboards can be fun for the big kid in us all.......

Yep, that's me and my DD.............Mickey and Minnie came and got us by the hands and made us surf with them! It was so much fun ( and yes I am a 44 year old adult!!!! ) But hey, I am just a big kid!!!

They really ham it up too..........

That hat sure got a whole lot of attention!!!

And from Storytellers......

So if you are looking for great character interaction, we learnt that if you play it up to them, you will get some great responses!!!! Props are good too

Thank you for sharing your reviews & pictures of the meals.....looked like a lot of fun!!!

 

[ammeador2]

I'm trying to remember where I got that list of discounts.......hmmmmm, well I'll remove the AAA until find out otherwise. Thank you for letting me know (and sorry you didn't get any kind of disc. Hopefully you still had fun!!)

Edited: I just looked at the list of discounts in Post #2......I don't show AAA as one of the discounts.

Welcome!!

I wasn't sure where I saw it, might have been another thread but I wanted to pass it on along just in case . We did enjoy it and Ariel's Grotto we had a great breakfast the next day. Let me tell you I am a huge fan of all of the desserts at goofy's kitchen! Wish we could have tried the other restaurants.

We had breakfast at Ariel's grotto at 920 and the place was dead! There was only 3-4 families seated the whole time we were there. Trust me DH ate enough eggs bacon and waffles for 5 families!

 

[theworldneedscolor]

Can Minnie and Friends be booked for before park opening? I really don't want to waste our few park hours. If so, are all the characters out then or is it slim pickings?

 

[poohj80]

We had breakfast at Ariel's grotto at 920 and the place was dead! There was only 3-4 families seated the whole time we were there. Trust me DH ate enough eggs bacon and waffles for 5 families!

We have 9:20 booked during out Oct trip. Since it was dead, were you able to see all the Princesses and get out in a reasonable amount of time? We'll be trying to get to Cars Land.

 

[cgh]

Our last morning, we did surf's up with Mickey at 9:20. We had to wait a bit for the table (9:30) and the place was fairly busy. All in all it was a fun time. Characters included Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Stitch and Pluto. Each would be introduced, be in charge of an activity of which all kids were invited to participate with all the characters, then go table to table. Activities were largely dancing related (ie. do the twist, do a different dance move, etc. These activities were every 20-30 minutes, I'd say.

We had plenty of attention from the characters and overall liked the group activity. This one is definitely the smallest character meal and it felt a bit more intimate.

As for food- I love the breakfast pizza! They had a mix of lunch and breakfast items. Mickey waffles, pancakes and banana french toast (yummy!). Pizza (both breakfast and plain cheese). An omelet station (missed that until the end) Sausage-pork and chicken, bacon, scrambled eggs, a spinach/egg white frittata, yogurt, cereals, fresh fruit, and a chicken dish.

After completing 4 character meals during our week (2 dinners with Goofy, Surf's Up and Minnie's) I think its a toss up of what I would advise others to do. Minnies only had breakfast food. Goofy has a dinner option.

I do think it probably depends on the characters you would want to see. I did Minnies for the Winnie the Pooh characters (and we had Pooh and Eeyore). I like that Surf's up have the playhouse disney characters. I thought food everywhere was fine/decent.

We did the photo packages everywhere and if you are doing multiple character meals I'd highly recommend the photopass plus. We bought ours ahead of time for $69.99 and we got 4 character meal packages (digital + hard copies). The exact things that people were getting and shelling out $35/pop. So, just 2 character meals and the photopass plus had paid for itself.

 

[Ride Junkie]

We have done all the character breakfasts and our favourite was Surf's Up. The interaction with the characters was fabulous. Goofy's was our least favourite as they seemed to just pass us by! Minnie's we did twice last trip and it was the best for the most number of characters at any of the breakfasts on offer. Storytellers we liked as it was a little more relaxed and as others have said, different characters that you don't see anywhere else!
We also did the lunch at Ariels and for what seems to be different to most people, we really were not fussed on the food. We will however be going back on our trip in October, but will be doing breakfast this time!

I thought I would just mention too, that the little surfing lessons that they have with surfer music and carpet surfboards can be fun for the big kid in us all.......

I agree! So much fun. You can't help but get up and dance. Truly the happiest breakfast on earth! Great pics!

 

[ams1201]

We have done Goofys every time we have gone and never ventured out. In October I want to try something new. I am an eggs Benedict freak! Where do they serve it?

 

[theworldneedscolor]

I can't decide which character meal, if any, I want to do this fall. It's driving me bonkers

It will be me (16) and my mom. We will be in the parks two and a half days, with one day taken up seeing the Ellen show (if we get tickets, and even if we do, that night should probably be free). I love the princesses, but I also like the classic characters. I would ideally like to see a lot of characters, so I looked into Minnie and Friends, but now I'm not sure. It seems to have a lot of random characters, like Max. I have no desire to see Max. And also, I'm not a huge breakfast eater. So I thought about Ariel's, but it seems expensive and not worth it based on food. I think it is specifically the appetizer tray that is turning me off. It looks really crappy.

Someone help?

 

[ballarinamom]

The "Appetizer tray" is really like a salad. I think it's one of the better quality meals. But goofus is my favorite dinner..

 

[Rubygoose]

I see that several people have recently seen Belle at Goofy's Kitchen. She is my daughter's favorite princess. We're doing Goofy's on the Saturday evening when we arrive, then Ariel's on Monday. Is there usually at least one princess at Goofy's? DD5 is going to wear her Belle dress to Ariel's, but I'm thinking I better bring it along to Goofy's just in case Belle is there (DD would be so upset if she wasn't wearing the dress to meet Belle!)

 

[nzer]

Just a quick question...
We are heading to DL in January and are really keen to do 1 or 2 character meals. I was wondering how strict are they on 10yrs being adult price. Our daughter, who has just turned 10 is tall but very slim and definitely wouldn't eat anywhere near an 'adult' size meal....it would be a waste of money that we could spend elsewhere. I don't want to sound cheap... (and we will probably still do at least one meal anyway) but has anyone any experience as to whether they check ages? Thanks heaps for any help.

 

[cgh]

I can't decide which character meal, if any, I want to do this fall. It's driving me bonkers

It will be me (16) and my mom. We will be in the parks two and a half days, with one day taken up seeing the Ellen show (if we get tickets, and even if we do, that night should probably be free). I love the princesses, but I also like the classic characters. I would ideally like to see a lot of characters, so I looked into Minnie and Friends, but now I'm not sure. It seems to have a lot of random characters, like Max. I have no desire to see Max. And also, I'm not a huge breakfast eater. So I thought about Ariel's, but it seems expensive and not worth it based on food. I think it is specifically the appetizer tray that is turning me off. It looks really crappy.

Someone help?

How about Goofy's? It's as expensive as Ariel's but it is a mix of classic characters and princesses. I would say that Goofy's and Minnie's has the same amount of characters.

I see that several people have recently seen Belle at Goofy's Kitchen. She is my daughter's favorite princess. We're doing Goofy's on the Saturday evening when we arrive, then Ariel's on Monday. Is there usually at least one princess at Goofy's? DD5 is going to wear her Belle dress to Ariel's, but I'm thinking I better bring it along to Goofy's just in case Belle is there (DD would be so upset if she wasn't wearing the dress to meet Belle!)

This year, we had princesses at both our Goofy's Kitchen meals. Last year, we had Alladin. I would probably go ahead and wear the costume but don't tell there'd be a princes. Prepare her for no princesses and then hopefully one would be there.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

How about Goofy's? It's as expensive as Ariel's but it is a mix of classic characters and princesses. I would say that Goofy's and Minnie's has the same amount of characters.

That's what I'm leaning towards, I think. How would you rate the food, on a scale of one to five? And you think the character variety/interaction is good? Is there a difference in characters between breakfast and dinner? Which meal do you enjoy more? And if you have one of the earlier reservations for breakfast, are all the characters still out?

Sorry for asking so many questions, I just can't decide

 

[cgh]

That's what I'm leaning towards, I think. How would you rate the food, on a scale of one to five? And you think the character variety/interaction is good? Is there a difference in characters between breakfast and dinner? Which meal do you enjoy more? And if you have one of the earlier reservations for breakfast, are all the characters still out?

Sorry for asking so many questions, I just can't decide

i think the character interaction is excellent. The food is decent. We tend to eat gourmet food. They have much variety and I enjoyed it. I'm sure many would list it as a 5.

We did dinner, so I can't speak to breakfast. Generally, I prefer spending the morning doing rides when it is slow at the park-that's why i really really like the dinner option. We normally do that the day we arrive.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

i think the character interaction is excellent. The food is decent. We tend to eat gourmet food. They have much variety and I enjoyed it. I'm sure many would list it as a 5.

We did dinner, so I can't speak to breakfast. Generally, I prefer spending the morning doing rides when it is slow at the park-that's why i really really like the dinner option. We normally do that the day we arrive.

Thanks!

Any opinions on breakfast? If we did breakfast, it would be on a non-park day, so no worries there.