Choosing only ONE CM - help

[tynkendallsmom]

I would like to make some reservations for at least one CM while we are on our trip in Feb. . .but, I have so many questions (yes, I'm a newbie on planning WDW trips).

1. If you could only pick one - what one?
2. Breakfast - Lunch - or Dinner . . .seriously - how confusing.

We are only in DW for 4 days so I want to make sure I plan this right. This planning is getting stressful

 

[Tricia1972]

CM is only Lunch for a short time right now during free dining. So you have that pressure removed.

I would choose breakfast over dinner, especially when paying OOP. We have done breakfast twice and dinner once. The interaction for both breakfasts was much better than it was for our one dinner. We also enjoyed the food more for breakfast than dinner. Couple that with the fact that CM is much less expensive for breakfast vs dinner, and it's a win, win, win for our group.

 

[tynkendallsmom]

Great tip from a fellow Wisconsinite!
Yes, we are paying OOP (still hoping for free dining, doesn't everyone, when we go in Feb!!!) so I can see how Breakfast is the better choice!

 

[jemgumby]

We love breakfast at Ohana's and Cape May. However, we really enjoyed our lunch at CRT too.....decisions decisions!

 

[tigger_03]

I guess it depends upon which characters are the most important to you (or your children). That's how we picked our character meals that we ate during our trip. I'm guessing by CM you are meaning character meal. It's also an abbreviation for Chef Mickey's.

I knew DD would absolutely love being able to eat with Cinderella. However we weren't too sure about eating in the castle this trip (we figured for the price we would be better off waiting til she was older so she could remember it more). We opted to eat one dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella. And it was a hit with everyone.

Tigger, Pooh, and the gang are also very high on the favorite list of our children (not to mention that Tigger has always been one of my faves) so we opted to eat there. We decided to eat lunch there our last day.

The other two meals were at CM (once for dinner and once for breakfast).

Some of the character meals are only at certain meals (for example CM is usually only breakfast and dinner. Lunch is offered right now for the free dining promotion. Some like Ohana's only has one character meal (breakfast).

 

[tynkendallsmom]

Yeah - it's hard because DD5 would be all about the princesess but DS8 wants nothing to do with them . . .so, I'm thinking Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace are good options for both of them.

What a tough choice this is!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Yeah - it's hard because DD5 would be all about the princesess but DS8 wants nothing to do with them . . .so, I'm thinking Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace are good options for both of them.

What a tough choice this is!

DS will be 9 and DD will be 3 when we go back. We are doing princess meals and I already told DS. He giggled and siad it was okay since it was for his sister.

Do a trade off.....book him a pirate cruise so then it's all fair! I told DS that he gets to do "boy" things so he has to be nice at the girl events.

Since you are paying OOP I would definitely do a breakfast. CP, CM and CRT would be fine IMO.

 

[MAGGIED]

I have teenagers now.... but we have been going to character meals for many years.... we love CRT... our second choice is easy... Crystal Palace... the characters are great and the food is good too..... we didn't care for Chef Mickey's Breakfast....

 

[welovespacemoutain]

My son has been drug along to CRT twice - he really didn't want to go but did it for his sister. The sword souvenir and eating in the castle changed his mind and he enjoyed himself. One time he wore his Sorcerer Mickey hat and the princesses all told him they hope he didn't put a spell on them, tried to engage him even though they knew it wasn't his thing, etc.. He was 11 on our last trip and he elected to skip it, ride rides and eat CS with Dad.

 

[KatMark]

Our favorite character meal is Crystal Palace breakfast at the Magic Kingdom (love getting that first seating and being able to get pictures of Main Street with hardly anyone on it). Our second favorite would probably be Chef Mickey's and then Cape May Cafe (we made the mistake of making a late ADR this year and I think that is why the choises seemed slim--we will do an earlier time frame next time). We've not done Ohanas since it was the old character breakfast with Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale (sorry, we just don't like Stitch and I don't care for family style--I prefer a buffet). We've never done Cinderella's as we don't have girls and our boys would have rather died than been caught eating in a castle with a princess.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

By "CM" I think you mean character meal, but just know usually CM refers to the buffet resturant Chef Mickey's or Cast Member, just wanted to clear that up to avoid confusion when discussing character meals. When clicking on this thread I thought you were trying to choose a Cast Member, lol.
If I could only pick one character meal it would be breakfast at 'Ohana hands down! Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and Mickey!
If you had to do a dinner I would go for Chef Mickey's, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto.

'Ohana for breakfast was our favorite meal out off all the restaurants we ate at our last two trips, we love the "Stitch juice" I think it's mango, orange and guava, and we LOVE LOVE LOVE the pineapple bread!!! The other food is Mickey waffles, eggs, potatos, bacon and sausage, and fresh fruit: pineapple, melon, straberries. I love that it is all family style and they bring it all to your table, I felt when we did character meals at a buffet we are gonna miss some characters. At 1900 Park my DW missed Prince Charming greeting out DD at the table because she was up getting food, but they usually come back around. At 'Ohana every 15 minutes they do a parade around the restaurant with the kids, the kids get maracas and parade around with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch. They also give you Hawaiian flower leis and take your picture when you enter and you have the option to buy it at your table. I think the pic was $35 or $37 and it's two 8x10s, one of your family and another 8x10 of Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Our favorite character meal is Crystal Palace breakfast at the Magic Kingdom (love getting that first seating and being able to get pictures of Main Street with hardly anyone on it). Our second favorite would probably be Chef Mickey's and then Cape May Cafe (we made the mistake of making a late ADR this year and I think that is why the choises seemed slim--we will do an earlier time frame next time). We've not done Ohanas since it was the old character breakfast with Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale (sorry, we just don't like Stitch and I don't care for family style--I prefer a buffet). We've never done Cinderella's as we don't have girls and our boys would have rather died than been caught eating in a castle with a princess.

I know CP is a fav for many I think next trip we will try it out. I like the idea of going when Main street is empty but how is it for Lunch and dinner, I mean food wise?
Never considered Cape May, what do you like about it?

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Dinner

 

[KatMark]

I know CP is a fav for many I think next trip we will try it out. I like the idea of going when Main street is empty but how is it for Lunch and dinner, I mean food wise?
Never considered Cape May, what do you like about it?

We've never done lunch or dinner at the Crystal Palace--I'm not a big time lover of buffets other than breakfast. We've tried dinner buffets, but just don't care for them as much (the exception being the Biergarten which we absolutely love!).

Cape May has great character interaction, especially if you have kids. Minnie, Goofy and Chip and Dale appear in their bathing suits and if not crowded they sit at your table and color pictures on the paper table cloth with kids, etc. We had a late ressie this time so it took a little longer for characters to come by (plus we were four adults), but when they did, they took time for pictures with all of us and Minnie paid special attention to my best friend's DH. I though the selections were a little slimmer than the CP, but DH really liked the grits and I enjoyed the waffles and potatos.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We do lots of character meals on each of our trips. Our favorite by far is Chef Micey's. The character interaction is GREAT and the food is a good buffet (yes there is better food elsewhere, but it is a buffet, ot fine dining.) For us, it would not be a Disney trip without CM (we go twice, once for dinner and once for breakfast.) If I was paying OOP I would say do a late breakfast. You will leave so full you won't want anything for a long time so it is like getting 2 meals for one price. We also enjoy CRT very much. We also enjoyed GG and CP though we don't make them regular stops. Some others we liked but sisn't love except for Donald's Breakfastasaurus which we loved but is gone. But, my #1 vote for really feeling the Disney Magic would be Chef Mickey's breakfast!!!!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We had CP lunch last trip and it was delicious! DH still talks about it!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Chef Mickey's Breakfast.

I am confident in this choice!