CHARACTER MEALS WITH YOUNG KIDS

[Disneygrammie1953]

Okay trying to decide what character meals to do... I have 3 little girls going 1 little boy all under 5
So I know the girls want princess and I am thinking chef Mickey for him as he Loves Mickey.
But also wanting to know if anyone has done the dessert parties..
Or the Disney Fetival Parade Package??? Is the VIP viewing for parade worth it with the little ones.
thanks

 

[Mainemama]

Just a thought with that many littles... we prefer to do family style character meals to avoid trying to carry plates for multiple kids and ourselves. 'Ohana breakfast, Garden Grill, and Akersus offer table service meals that let you sit back a bit more.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Agree, family style locations would be much easier.

 

[Nancyg56]

I cannot answer the dessert parties, but I was thinking that Garden Grill would be a nice place to meet Mickey.

I actually love Chef Mickey, and we take kids there all of the time, but there is a lot to be said for the food coming to you, rather than hauling the kids to the food.

Also, I like Akershus, The Princess Storytale breakfast for Princess interaction. Again, the food comes to you, for the most part, and the interaction is fun.

 

[bostran1]

Character meals were a bit hit with our kids last time we went. They were 4 and 2. The best one of the four we did was Tusker House. It’s not family style but the food and characters were great. Plenty for both boys and girls.

They also really enjoyed Crystal Palace. Again, not family style but great character interactions.

 

[maxiesmom]

I love the Garden Grill and the Crystal Palace. The Garden Grill has Mickey, Chip and Dale. The Crystal Palace is Winnie the Pooh and friends.

 

[lovethesun12]

This probably sounds like a silly question but what is family style dining specifically? Would that be a buffet where they bring the food to you? I tried a search with mixed results. Thanks in advance

 

[heather913]

Family style is where they bring platters of food to your table. It's really nice with little ones not having to get up and go to the buffet and juggle plates. It is still all you can eat and you can request additional of anything served.

Our favorite character meals were Garden Grill (delicious food, a rotating restaurant, and great character interactions) and Chef Mickey. We did CRT and we weren't impressed.

 

[maxiesmom]

This probably sounds like a silly question but what is family style dining specifically? Would that be a buffet where they bring the food to you? I tried a search with mixed results. Thanks in advance

There is a more limited menu, but they bring the food to you. It is still all you can eat. For example at the Garden Grill some of what they bring you is scrambled eggs. If you finish the first portion you only need ask and they will bring you more. It comes in big serving dishes and you fill your own plates from them.

 

[danielocha30]

This probably sounds like a silly question but what is family style dining specifically? Would that be a buffet where they bring the food to you? I tried a search with mixed results. Thanks in advance

Family styles refers to when a restaurant is all you can eat but instead of having to walk around to pick your food, a waiter will bring a huge plate with all the food selection and refills are included in the price. This will work better for your group and is a more relaxed experience.

 

[AFwifelife]

I have a 4 and 2 year old and much prefer Garden Grill because of the family style service. Not only do you have to juggle plates but you also don’t miss when the characters come to your table. We always get FPs for the character spot at Epcot and princess M&Gs at MK for actual character interaction.

 

[Aj1129]

DS 2 loved character meals. We did both family style and buffet. We all really enjoyed Crystal Palace dinner and Chef Mickey's breakfast. We didn't enjoy O'hana's breakfast as much as we have in the past. The characters were great but we found the food to be lacking. We also did Garden Grill but it wasn't a hit with DH.

 

[elaine amj]

Garden Grill has the best character interaction. Mickey came by our table 3 times and my 3yr old niece LOVED it.

Also, the high sides of the booths meant she couldn't see the characters moving around the restaurant, which reduced any impatience. We also worried about her chasing Mickey around and the booths really reduced any inclination to do so.

Her other favourite was Mickey's BBQ. If u are paying cash, it's only a few bucks more than Chef Mickey. And way way way better. But be warned - it's quite chaotic. We had two adults to one toddler and we were completely exhausted at the end.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Just a thought with that many littles... we prefer to do family style character meals to avoid trying to carry plates for multiple kids and ourselves. 'Ohana breakfast, Garden Grill, and Akersus offer table service meals that let you sit back a bit more.

This is really good advice! I found buffets to be so difficult when DS was younger and couldn't hold his plate or navigate the buffet on his own. The family-style character meals were such a relief!

We've been to a few of the dessert parties and they definitely take away the stress of having to hold fireworks spots for long periods of time.

 

[jacknsally19]

I’d also suggest Pirates and Pals rather than a dessert party. Great character interaction (much more than a character meal). Lots of snacks and desserts, plus a nice view of fireworks for little ones. My DD gets s bit scared at how loud it’s in the park so this was a quieter option.

 

[Disneygrammie1953]

thanks everyone for the advice... now just have to decide...

 

[10CJ]

Where are you staying? We are doing the Bon Voyage Breakfast on our upcoming trip. You can meet Ariel/Eric and Rapunzel/Flynn Rider

 

[MickeyWaffles]

As other posters have noted, family style dining can be easier than buffet with little ones. We don’t have a preference. We have a 1.5 year old and 3 year old and my parents, sister and BIL come with us so the buffet isn’t really an issue because we have plenty of adults to watch the kids at the table and DH and I each prepare our plate and a kid plate. Then the rest of the adults get their food while DH and I get the kids set up and eating.

4 kids under 5 could be pretty chaotic at a buffet in terms of getting food depending on how many adults there are.