We've eaten dinner there 4 times this year. Donald was there each time, but one time Minnie was not. Balloo was there in her place & the CM there said Minnie should be back by the time we were returning for dinner again in another 5 days. She was.
It's always crowded but the amount of people don't really affect you because the restaurant is quite large. I've never had to wait in a long line at the buffet either...sometimes there might be 2 or 3 people ahead of me. That's it.
On 9/24 for dinner it was full but plenty of room for everyone. We had a 5:30 ressie and just make sure you allow 30 minutes for check in. The characters all came to our table and included:
Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Donald Duck
Goofy
Chip -N- Dale (they came seperately)
This was our first day WDW we arrived at our resort at noon and did not plan to go into the parks, but relax. This allowed us to get into the spirit of WDW until we did CRT on Thursday morning. The other character meal we experienced was Crytal Palace and we should say that we all heartily enjoyed the food and characters at all three.
We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip & Dale (These guys are everywhere) and Goofy. We saw them so many times I thought they were our long lost relatives.
When we went for supper, Donald was at the front greeting everyone. My youngest son had the best time playing peek a boo with Donald. Great character interactions. I was not impressed with the food though.