Chef Mickey's advice needed...

[zakatak]

Hi.

After 4 trips to WDW, we are ready to try Chef Mickey's for the first time. My kids are bigger breakfast eaters than dinner eaters so we do want to do breakfast. Which would be better: to go before MK early in the morning or have a late breakfast sitting and do it after MK as a break?

Our other Character Meals are Breakfastsaurus at AK and LTT at MK.

Is breakfast better than dinner? Which do you prefer? Is either less crowded, less rushed?

Thanks in advance!

Karen & kids (8, 6, & 4)

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

I'm not sure how to time CM for breakfast. We've only done it for dinner. I like dinner's because I don't feel like I am in a hurry. I don't mean the service or anything is bad int he am, it's just that I am too antsy to sit for to many character breakfasts. I'm sucha kid sometimes!

That said, we have done the AK breakfast. With that I try to make it for as late as possible - 10:00 am or later. We get to the park for the 8:00 opening, do a bunch of things and then go to breakfast. This has worked very well.

LTT only has characters for dinner. We enjoy this one very much, too. We do soemthing in the am, take a break from lunch to about 3:30 or 4:00 go back to MK enjoy the park a little and then eat at LTT. Then we enjoy a few more things in the park again. This also works well!

Hope that helps a bit. Maybe someone else can help with the CM breakfast timing.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[GADISNEYGIRL]

We have done Chef Mickey's at breakfast, but not on a park day. We had a late seating (latest available) and had a terrific time. Most everyone left, and it was us, one other family and the characters! It was DS' introduction to the characters (he was 18mos), and it was phenomenal. Let's just say when we left, we ALL had a crush on Minnie!

On a park day, not sure what I would do. You're not far from MK, so that's a plus...so perhaps a late seating (could serve as your lunch, as well), then a quick monorail ride back to MK to continue your day!

September will be our first time doing character meals on park days. We're doing PSB on our Epcot day, and CRT on MK day~earliest seatings for both. Will also do Crystal Palace for dinner on our MK day. We go frequently, so we don't feel so rushed in the parks. We know if we miss something, we'll catch it next time! Good luck!

 

[suedisney]

We've gone to Chef Mickey's each time we've been (11xs) and my advice is to go at 7:15-7:30am (first seatings) or last seatings at 11:15-11:30am. From 8:30-10:30 is the most crowded. Not that you'll have trouble seeing the characters(we NEVER have), they'll be very attentive but you may get some extra long attention at those seatings.
If you go early, you have a very nice buffet to sustain you through hours of the Magic Kingdom, before you'' even have to consider eating again. I don't know your family, so I can'r spaculate on their willingness to park-visit for 3 hrs. with no food in them. Maybe if you pick this option, you can grab a bagel or donut early and eat the buffet at 11:30 as a lunch.
The monorail is a fast trip right into the Contemporary from the park and visa versa.......have fun

 

[CamColt]

We have done Chef Mickeys for breakfast 5 times now and we really enjoy it. The other character breakfasts weve done do not meausre up to CMs for us.
What Ive planned on our last 2 trips is we do it on our MGM day. We make a PS for 8:00 am and we have made it to MGM by 9:30-10:00 both times. This works well for us because most of the shows dont start right at opening time for MGM anyway so we dont have much of a reason to get there at 9:00 like we do the other parks.

 

[julybride]

If you are going to MK on an EMH day I would opt for a late seating at Chef Mickey's. You don't want to miss out on the EMH opportunity while you are eating breakfast.

Actually, I think I would opt for a late seating even if it were not an EMH morning. I could tour the parks before the lines got to built up and then take a break away from the hustle and bustle.

 

[wannabee princess]

I'll tell you our experience from earlier this month. We did get to MK prior to opening (8:00 arrival for 9:00 opening) while waiting, my 9yo was complaining that he was starved (we didn't eat anything before), however, as soon as the rope dropped, he stopped mentioning being hungry and started riding. We rode every ride in Fantasyland, Speedway and Buzz (dh & other ds Space), then around 10:15 took a break and ate breakfast at Main Street Bakery.

If I had it to do again (and hopefully I will!!), I would bring a granola bar or something small like that with us to have before the park opened, then proceed as above.

Now, all of this to say - I would do the latest breakfast time I could get, but have a first thing in the morning snack available for anyone who wanted it.

Another thing, I thought the breakfast at CMs was wonderful! We ate there a different day, and it was a very good meal! We did it on a non-park day, and it kept us full for the rest of the day - we didn't eat again until dinner!

 

[The Sweetness]

I have never, ever felt rushed at a WDW restaurant, except for by my DD.

If you can have a little something early in the AM, a late breakfast/ brunch may sustain you through the afternoon. Also, an early breakfast (If youppl eat a lot early in the AM may keep you satisfied enough to just have light snacks for lunch, or share counter service meals) Either way, have fun

 

[Disneyof3]

We've been once and I booked CM at 10:30 on the Monday of Martin Luther King Day. Coming from Canada forgot about the holiday. We had just arrived the day before and spent the evening at epcot till late. We got up and casually got ready no rush or anything. We took the bus to the monorail and then onto CM. We got there at about 10:15 and got seated right away no problems at all. We were there till at least 11:30 and then headed to MK. We found out that this was good with a 7,4, and 21/2 kids. This was our first trip and went with it. We had only a quick bite at Casey's hot dogs later on because we all were full from the buffet.



Can't wait to go again in Jan/Feb 2005