Chef Mickey v. 1900 Park Fare v. Donald's Safari Breakfast

[micksnewfriend]

Here's the situation...Having never been to a character meal, I have no idea which to choose particulary for DS22mos...Let's assume (or pretend) he will have no problems with any of the characters....If you had the option of choosing Chef Mickey's for dinner, 1900 Park Fare for breakfast or the new Donald's Safari Breakfast at AK (f/k/a Breakfastosaurus), what would be your choice and, if so inclined, why? Thanks for the anticipated insights...

 

[gismo1554]

OK

1900 Park Fare - Food The breakfast buffett is wonderful and has alot of items that I've only seen there such as the freshly made crepes. Characterwise This has some different characters you can't easily find in the parks so good for autographs Ambiance This is a lot quieter dining experience than the other 2 and tends to be less hyper than them as the characters are more "human" if you know what I mean like Alice in Wonderland and the Mad hatter. Bonus Away from the parks but on the monorail route to Magic Kingdom or on the boat route which is always a nice start to the day. Also more character time in general as the characters chat to the guests as they go around.

Chef Mickeys - Food Lovely dinner buffett. Good kids range. Characterwise This always tends to be a more high energy event. The characters do a little show and are more bouncy when they come around. You get the main characters which you can get in most of the parks. Character interaction is probably less time than at 1900 Park Fare as there the characters tend to chat to you more. Ambiance As said this is more high energy meal that 1900 Park Fare. Bonus Great way to see all the main Disney characters in one go. Show is kinda neat.

Donalds Safari Breakfast - Food Great food again and some signiture items such as safari potatos (or were when I went there). Characterwise Most of the main Disney characters are there so a good way to meet them. Again character interaction isn't as high as in 1900 Park Fare. Ambiance Not as high energy as Chef Mickeys but definately high energy. Bonus Gets you in to Animal Kingdom early which means you can go on the Safari early and gives you more chance at seeing the animals. Also there aren't many full service resturants in Animal Kingdom so this is a good way to start the day off.

Overall - I prefer 1900 Park Fare due to the character interaction side. It's nice to have the characters come and chat to you for awhile rather than just have a picture and go. It's also probably a safer option for young children as its mainly "human" characters that would probably be less scarey.

Have you considered the Hollywood and Vine buffett with JoJo the clown in MGM? Never been but its meant to be a more younger child orientated buffett

 

[micksnewfriend]

Thanks for the great response...I considered the MGM, but thought otherwise since I am certain DS will recognize the characters at these meals...DS would truly be in heaven if WDW had a Wiggles Character Meal...lol!

 

[ljcrochet]

Thanks for the great response...I considered the MGM, but thought otherwise since I am certain DS will recognize the characters at these meals...DS would truly be in heaven if WDW had a Wiggles Character Meal...lol!

Are you sure you don't want to consider the play n dine at Hollywood and Vine? My girls (almost 2 1/2) loved seeing Jo-Jo, June and Leo.

I was so disappoint at the dinner at 1900 Park fare. I felt that was the worst character meal.
If you DH is into winnie the poo- have you thought of Crystal Palace? The breakfast food there was really good as well as the characters.

We did the Donald breakfast at animal kingdom last year when my girls were 17 months old. It was amazing watching their eyes light up as the characters walked in. The new one now has Daisy so I know we will be trying it.

 

[bear_mom]

Are you sure you don't want to consider the play n dine at Hollywood and Vine? My girls (almost 2 1/2) loved seeing Jo-Jo, June and Leo

I would suggest this one for the age of your son, especially if he watches either JoJo's Circus or Little Einteins. They get a chance to sing and dance around with the characters at this one - but it does slow down the characters coming around. Still saw all 4 of them in an hour, plus 3 singing/dancing sessions.

Emily

 

[micksnewfriend]

I will need to look into the Play-n-Dine at Hollywood and Vine and see if I can fit it in the plans and, more importantly, whether there is availability...He does watch JoJo's Circus as a "warm up" for the Wiggles...

This raises another question that probably has (or deserves) a thread of its own: How many character meals do you do in a week? With a young child, is there such a thing as doing to many (i.e. sensory overload)?

 

[mchllevns]

Hard choice...love Chef Mickey's for the major characters and the food...my children were older the first time we went here (at least kindergarten aged), and they loved meeting Mickey and the crew. I've heard that 1900 Park Fare is excellent, and plan on trying it on our next trip. I would agree with the previous reply that Hollywood and Vine at MGM is another excellent choice. The characters are definately geared to the younger crowd, and there's quite a bit of interaction with the characters.

We usually do 3-4 character buffets per trip...try to space them out over the week. My youngest is now 11, but still wants to go to the character meals every time.

Enjoy!

 

[ljcrochet]

At 17 months we did 2 (Donalds at animal kingdom and CRT) over 4 days. When we went back at almost 2 1/2 years old we did 4 over a week ( Play n dine, liberty tree, 1900 pare fare for dinner and crystal palace).