Character Meals

[dianaore]

I need lots of help wtih Disneyland Character meals.

I understand Goofy's Kitchen is buffet? Is that correct?

How can I get tickets?

Are there any others you would suggest?

We are there in July with 11 and 7 yr old sons.

Thanks
Diana

 

[iceskatejen]

Call 714-781-DINE for PS's. I had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen on Thursday with my nephew. Food was ok (though I thought the orange chicken was pretty good) but the characters were great. Goofy was hilarious. Also there were Minnie, Chip & Dale, Pluto (out front except when they danced the Macarena over by the buffet, which they do every 30 minutes), Alice and Rafiki--from what I've heard you never know who will show up. Goofy's Kitchen is at the DL Hotel. At DL they do a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn with Winnie the Pooh and pals--you should make PS's for that also. At that we saw Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Pluto--Never saw Tigger there. Again really good character interaction--Piglet pretended to drink my nephew's water. At both they make sure to get the adults in on it too. At DCA there is Ariel's Grotto, though I've not eaten there.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Goofys is by far the best but Ive heard good things about Ariels (and its a bit cheaper than the rest) Ill be doing the Plaza Inn one this trip (mid July) so Ill report back on that one

Last time we did Goofys- most of us forgot to eat much as we had some great character interaction and being a big group it took awhile so we had a late breakfast and well and early lunch a few hours later

-em

 

[bhillier]

We've been to GK and loved it. The kids had a blast. My DD 4 y/o also loves the konga line @ Mini's Kitchen. Me, not so much. But all the character break/lunch/din are fun.

If you like there are tickets for the fantasmic show. You get a dessert buffet. It's really good. Really $$$ in my opinion but fun with great service and treats.

 

[IandGsmom]

Arials is my favorite. I like an outdoor table in the evening to see all the beautiful lights of Paradise Pier area. The characters are great. Its the only place I have seen to take a picture w/ Arial as a mermaid.
My DH favorite is Plaza Inn. We need to go at least once a trip (Usually more)
I was not crazy about Goofys. Place was sooo big that the character interaction was very limited. Food was ok at best also.

 

[CalGal]

My opinion and experience is very different from IandGsmom. I love GKs and have always had fabulous character interactions there. We've go to GKs every trip; I've probably been 15 times. And yes, it is a buffet. I find the food good for a buffet, with plenty of options for various tastes. I prefer to go at lunchtime after a very light breakfast and a morning of fun at DL. Dinner time may be a little more hectic; my guess is that IandGsmom went in the evening.

All 3 DL resorts offer breakfast, all enjoyable but not with the number and variety of characters as GK. My second choice for a character meal would probably be the Plaza Inn. I like to people watch there. I went to Ariels in December and was disappointed. The characters were fine, but perhaps more appealing to girls in general (I have a son). The view is probably lovely from the outside, but we sat inside since it was wintertime. I just didn't like the menu options at Ariels very much. It's not a buffet. Everything on the menu was very fattening and $20+ bucks for a burger seemed a little steep. The deserts were good, but then again, I wasn't looking to gain a ton of weight on a so-so meal. If you do only one character meal, make it Goofy's.

 

[dsnylndmom]

My boys, 5 & 9, love Goofy's Kitchen but they never eat much because of all the dancing and interaction! LOL We all like Ariel's also. I like Ariel's more because I like sitting out on the water and relaxing. Ariel's is much less chaotic than Goofy's. I love their Cobb salad, the boys like getting their meals in sand buckets and they both like the cotton candy at the end of the meal! Other's with me have raved about the fish and chips too. We prefer Ariel's for lunch because it's cheaper(there's no dessert with lunch)

Oh the french onion soup is good tooo!

 

[HenDuck]

We just did Goofy’s Kitchen and Plaza Inn in April. We thoroughly enjoyed both. Here’s my 2 cents on each:

Goofy’s Kitchen – great character interaction. We saw Goofy, Mulan, Jasmine and Aladdin, Ghepetto and Pinochio, and Brer Bear. Each made a point of hitting every table and stopping for photos, autographs, etc. They do the Macarena by the dessert bar which was fun. We loved the food. The buffet had a lot to offer. It was dinner on a Saturday night (I’m not sure if the night of the week makes a difference) and they had prime rib (which my cousin said they did not have when he went). They had fajitas, ribs, salmon, lasagne. They had a smaller kiddie buffet with pizzas, Mickey shaped chicken nuggets and I think hot dogs and mac and cheese. I did not even touch the salad bar. The dessert bar was fabulous. Interesting things that kids like (like some chocolate pudding trifle thing with gummy worms coming out of it) and stuff that parents like, such as lemon bars and bread pudding. There was a soft serve machine with all the fixings too. And you can order bar drinks through your waiter, for a separate tab (my dad liked that). All in all, it was great fun. It was pricey $35 for adults, $15 for kids, but worth it. (You can get 10% off with a AAA card). We would do it again, but only if we could fit it in to our schedule (and budget) as you have to go to the DL hotel for it.

Plaza Inn – another great choice. It is in the park and only serves breakfast. Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Goofy, and Eeyore were there. They all did a wonderful job spending time with each of the tables. Goofy was hilarious! He was stealing balloons from the kids and letting them go to the top of the ceiling. Get a table in the center of the eating area if you can. They had the usual breakfast fare, including Mickey waffles which went over big with my DS. There was an omelette bar which went over big with my DH. They had regular and chocolate milk and lots of juices. The coffee was pretty good too! It cost less than the dinner at Goofy’s kitchen. I think $19.95 for adults. The cashier did not charge for my DS so I don’t know how much kids are. They give you a nice big souvenir button too! We are planning on going there again when we return in 12/05 since my DS loves Pooh and Mickey waffles.

Character meals are great fun and if you can swing it, they are definitely worth the time and money spent!