Chef Mickeys Vs. Garden Grill

[rkwells]

We have always started our WDW vacations with dinner at Chef Mickey's...Lots of fun, gets us in the Disney mood, pretty decent food, LOVE the location in the Contemporary!

When we first started going to WDW the only seating that I remember in Chef Mickeys was in the main area, now there is seating near the buffet and in a separate small room off to the side of the buffet (this is where we got "stuck" for our last trip). For us this affected the enjoyment of the meal, still had a great time, but just wasn't the experience we had grown accustomed to. Also, My husband and I thought the "Outer Rim" was so cool and loved going early to have a drink, we'd also get the kids something fun to drink and enjoy the view. Since the remodel the Outer Rim is gone and Chef Mickeys is going to be even bigger and less intimate.

Sooo, I am thinking of changing our tradition to the Garden Grill.

My question is to those of you who have done both, how do they compare in feel and size, did you enjoy one or the other more??

Thanks!

 

[GatorLady]

We have done both and I will probably be in the minority, but we prefer the Garden Grill. My DD6 is a big Chip and Dale fan so it is a must for us anyway. But we like it because it is a much less hectic character meal, and in our experience, much better character interaction. Also like the fact that they bring the food to you. Last time we were there the restaurant wasn't rotating, but when it is that is pretty cool too.

 

[DVC Jen]

Two totally different character meals. Chef Mickeys is loud and rowdy and there is a much larger selection of food.

Garden Grill - set meal - we like the food. Smaller, more intimate - less of a "party" feel. You don't really feel like you are sharing a huge restaurant with a bunch of strangers because of the way the restaurant seating is designed.

I would say go for it - if you don't enjoy it as much - go back to Chef Mickeys on your next trip. And this is coming from another family who does Chef Mickeys for dinner on our first night as well... and we have older kids - 16 and 20 on our next trip.

 

[captinhookedondisney]

Well I love Chef Mickey's but i have always sat in the main room. BUt it just isn't the same since Chip and Dale moved away.

 

[rkwells]

My DD6 is a big Chip and Dale fan so it is a must for us anyway. But we like it because it is a much less hectic character meal, and in our experience, much better character interaction. Also like the fact that they bring the food to you. Last time we were there the restaurant wasn't rotating, but when it is that is pretty cool too.

Well I love Chef Mickey's but i have always sat in the main room. BUt it just isn't the same since Chip and Dale moved away.

The "Chip and Dale" factor is a big part of thinking of going to Garden Grill instead! My kids always enjoyed them the most and we have also really missed them!

and we have older kids - 16 and 20 on our next trip.

My kids aren't as old as yours but are now definitely in the "older" range...DD will be 15 and DS will be 12. At first I was thinking about just skipping character meals because of this I know, what was I thinking! I am hoping they will enjoy the nostalgia of Chip and Dale at Garden Grill. Like you said, we can always go back to CM in the future if we decide we like it better!

Thanks to all for the advice!

 

[rkwells]

Bumping

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Love Chef Mickeys. I don't think in my opinion they compare at all. I stay with Chef Mic's

 

[princessesrule4]

We also didn't really care for GG and thought CM was better!

 

[yenttirb710]

I like Garden Grill, but I've never been to Chef Mickey's. This December will be my first time going, and I'm really excited about it! Garden Grill is awesome, though! I went with a friend last year and we had a ball

 

[cmaee]

We've done both Garden Grill and Chef Mickey's and our kids loved the Garden Grill the best. I think it is their favorite character meal. They thought Chip and Dale were great. They had the most character interaction here. It was nice not having to run to the buffet and it is considerably quieter here.

 

[gmflanigan]

We've been to both. Garden Grill is smaller--the characters came around more than once. The last time we were there Chip gave DH tips on Hidden Mickey's. His book was on the table and he provided extra hints--really fun. Grandkids liked watching him with Grandpa.

 

[disneystacy]

We are doing Garden Grill on our upcoming trip. We found Chef Mickey's to be very hectic and loud.

 

[rkwells]

I appreciate hearing all your experiences! I am thinking that GG is the better choice for our family this time around. I'll try and remember to add my own opinion to this thread in April after our vacation...Thanks!

 

[twinklebug]

I see you made your decision, but just adding - we think CM is best for breakfast before heading off to MK or Epcot. We're not fans of the evening buffets (other than trails end) BTW - I don't care for the back room you described either, but this last trip it was wonderful for buffering us away from the construction sounds.

GG is fantastic for dinner.... and it's healthy too. I saw my kids voluntarily eat things they would have made noises over at home. One item I took from our last GG visit was I felt the characters seem to spend a little more time with us when we were on the rail side instead of the inside. It was harder to see them coming though.