This is an area of great debate, and there is no real right or wrong answer. The more we flesh out this topic of DLR character meals, the more it becomes apparent that we all have individual and personal preferences and requirements in our character dining, and if we are not satisfied with one character dining experience because it didn't meet our requirements, surely the next person who eats there will LOVE it. Or if we love it, they will hate it. So you just kind of have to realize that we share our experiences and opinions, but at the end of the day it all boils down to what we need in a character meal. For example, I like good food at a character meal, and if there are just a few attentive characters then I am satisfied, as long as I can eat yummy food. Other folks like lots and lots of characters and do not care about the food as much.
1.
Goofy's Kitchen in the DLH is my personal favorite (it is an all you can eat buffet), as everyone here knows, but for breakfast/brunch and NOT dinner. But they
do have a character dinner too. From what I hear, GK is the most comparable to Chef Mickey's in WDW. The standard regular characters are Goofy, Chip, Dale, Pluto and Baloo, and there are rotating guest stars such as Alice and the Mad Hatter, Belle, Jasmine and Aladdin, Aurora and the Prince, Minnie, etc. I love the massive variety in food (the most extensive out of all the buffets) but I also love the quality. Also, it is a fun, upbeat atmosphere. The characters get the kids on the floor to dance the macarena. It is cute.
In my Trip Report, I have pictures with characters at Goofy's ranging from 1992 - 2008. The link is:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1979268.
If you want to see lots of
food pictures from Goofy's, check out J.C.andAli'sMom's posts with many pictures:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1253888&page=82
DizNee Luver also has lots of pictures from Goofy's, Lilo and Stitch and I think, Ariels too (?) in her imformative Trip Report!! The link is:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2088835.
2. I have not done
Lilo and Stitch in the PPH yet, but they do have buffet or off the menu options. Here are some shots of the buffet from got2travel:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=18126978&postcount=200. This character meal gets a lot of high marks. Other than Lilo and Stitch, it sounds as if Daisy, Minnie and Goofy show up there a lot. This is breakfast only.
3.
Minnie and Friends inside DL seems to have a lot of classic characters ranging from Captain Hook to Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Chip, Dale, Fairy Godmother, etc. This is buffeteria style. This is a breakfast-only character meal.
WazowskiLOVER has a lot of pictures from Minnie and Friends in her Trip Report:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1986026.
4.
Storytellers Cafe in the GCH also has off the menu or buffet options. The character meal is breakfast only and features the woodsy and jungly Disney characters such as Chip, Dale, Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear, Terk, sometimes Meeko, Rafiki, and in the distant past there have been other sightings of Baloo, Timon and Pinocchio!!! I even have a picture with Pluto at Storytellers from years ago, and he is never there now!! I have eaten at this character meal only twice and it was okay - good enough to recommend but didn't blow me away. It is a very sedate, calm, relaxed atmosphere, and you have to like those characters to get into it. I love Chip and Dale, but I can see them at Goofy's or Minnie's. I have a few pictures at Storytellers from 12/07 in my TR.
5. And last but not least is
Ariel's Grotto in DCA - all Princesses. No furry characters. People say that the food used to be bad and now it is
great. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I understand it is served family-style.
