Dinner at Goofy's Kitchen - good time?

[kirstie101]

We are going to go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner during our visit in September. This will be our first character dining experience. DD is almost 3 and loves the characters so of course I want to see as many as possible. I was going to make PS for 5:00 on Saturday night which I believe is the time they open for dinner. As far as character interaction goes, is this a good plan or a bad plan? Would later be better for more characters? We're a large group (8) so I thought the earlier time would help lessen the wait for a table.
Any advice you can give will be appreciated!
Thanks

 

[Mom of three]

I think you have everything just perfect. We have been a few times, 2 of which were right when they opened and there were a ton of characters with great interaction! The last time we went it was around 8pm and while it was still fun, it wasnt like the first 2 times.

Im sure Sherry will jump in as well to give her opinion, being that she is the GK expert.

Have a great time!

 

[blackjackdelta]

We are going to go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner during our visit in September. This will be our first character dining experience. DD is almost 3 and loves the characters so of course I want to see as many as possible. I was going to make PS for 5:00 on Saturday night which I believe is the time they open for dinner. As far as character interaction goes, is this a good plan or a bad plan? Would later be better for more characters? We're a large group (8) so I thought the earlier time would help lessen the wait for a table.
Any advice you can give will be appreciated!
Thanks

I think that is a great time and a good plan. We always go when they open and there have always been many characters with numerous stops by our table(my kids are teens).

Jack

 

[Heymy]

I agree, sounds perfect. We did Goofy's for dinner for DD's 4th Bday in May. We were a party of 9 and had PS for 5:30 (had quite a wait in line, I was shocked since I thought we were eating so early). We got seated near the buffet which made me thought, perfect don't have to walk far. Little did I know we were right where Goofy does his performances. So during our time both DDs (4 & almost 2) got to dance and then cook with Goofy...it was priceless...even for DD4 who gets a little nervous with big crowds. We took our pic with Pluto before we were seated and during the evening saw Goofy, Minnie, Chip, Dale, The Fairy Godmother and probably 1 or 2 others...it was wonderful! Have a great time!

 

[Sherry E]

I think you have everything just perfect. We have been a few times, 2 of which were right when they opened and there were a ton of characters with great interaction! The last time we went it was around 8pm and while it was still fun, it wasnt like the first 2 times.

Im sure Sherry will jump in as well to give her opinion, being that she is the GK expert.

Have a great time!

I wish I could give my opinion on this, but I am not as familiar with the Goofy's dinner situation as I am the breakfast/brunch! So all of you here who have done the GK dinner more recently can speak to that issue much better than I can. I have not eaten dinner there in years and years (but I remember it was quite busy and there were lots of characters). From reading everyone's posts on being at Goofy's for dinner lately, it does appear that there may be a couple of extra (and different) characters there for dinner than for breakfast/brunch. Like you may see Captain Hook and the Genie for dinner, whereas we have not seen them at GK for breakfast in YEARS (just bad timing on our parts, I guess). I tend to think that lots of characters means lots of guests dining and waiting in the buffet lines too, but maybe not.

Kirstie101, I think you made a good choice. I don't think you would go wrong with a 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. PS. I am sure the bulk of characters will be there in full force by 6:00 p.m.

 

[andee2000]

We booked a dinner on our first night last July and it was so much fun. We had great character interaction and enjoyed ourselves so much I'm definitely going to go again next summer. We got there early and got seated right away (there were 6 of us.) I believe they have a AAA rate (I think) so be sure to ask for a AAA discount. We forgot and then I read somewhere they have that rate and was bummed I didn't ask.

 

[Jackoman]

Yeah, that sounds pretty good. I prefer eating there in the morning, but I've eaten there for dinner once, still top-notch.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We booked a dinner on our first night last July and it was so much fun. We had great character interaction and enjoyed ourselves so much I'm definitely going to go again next summer. We got there early and got seated right away (there were 6 of us.) I believe they have a AAA rate (I think) so be sure to ask for a AAA discount. We forgot and then I read somewhere they have that rate and was bummed I didn't ask.

They do give a AAA discount.

Jack

 

[nzdisneymom]

We ate at Goofy's Kitchen on a Saturday at 5 p.m. just two weeks ago. We actually did a walk-in as all the PS spots were taken. We arrived a few minutes before 5 p.m. and they had already started taking pictures with Pluto and were seating right at 5 p.m. sharp.

When we were signing in, the CM asked if we had AAA, so I think that's pretty standard (we had breakfast there another morning and had the same question).

There were more characters at dinner than breakfast. We saw Goofy, Belle, Donald, Minnie, and Chip at dinner (and Pluto, of course). At breakfast we saw Goofy, Dale, and Pluto.

We found the food to be good and plenty of selection. We even told Goofy that we liked his Kitchen better than Chef Mickey's in Florida - Goofy thought that was great (and it was true).

So if you have a 5 p.m. seating time, arrive several minutes early to get you through the Pluto picture taking (and be sure to take your own camera - the CM photographer will use yours as well as theirs - our pictures turned out just as well as theirs did). And take your AAA card for the discount!

Enjoy!

 

[laura&fam]

We did brunch a couple of years ago and went at one of the last times available before they closed. I wouldn't recommend that. The place was pretty empty and the staff was friendly and fun, but you could tell they were ready to call it a day.

I think an earlier PS is definately a good idea.

 

[kirstie101]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! 5:00 it is! I'm so excited!

 

[BraMax]

I just thought I would weigh in on this as we were just there on Monday (june 29). We had 5:50 reservations and I must say I wasn't impressed with the character interaction. My boys 6 and 8 seen a total of 4 characters, one being Pluto when you first get there. Then they seen Goofy, Jasmine and Chip. We were there for an hour. The kept walking past us as we were sitting close to the character exit but they hardly stopped. The place was pretty empty so we were a bit dissappointed after what we spent. The food was good but would I go again probably not. I hope you have a better experience. We liked Minnies better for characters.

 

[Sherry E]

I just thought I would weigh in on this as we were just there on Monday (june 29). We had 5:50 reservations and I must say I wasn't impressed with the character interaction. My boys 6 and 8 seen a total of 4 characters, one being Pluto when you first get there. Then they seen Goofy, Jasmine and Chip. We were there for an hour. The kept walking past us as we were sitting close to the character exit but they hardly stopped. The place was pretty empty so we were a bit dissappointed after what we spent. The food was good but would I go again probably not. I hope you have a better experience. We liked Minnies better for characters.

Unfortunately, Minnie & Friends only does breakfast, though. So if people want a character dinner, they only have Goofy's or Ariel's to choose from. I much prefer the Goofy's breakfast over the Goofy's dinner, but a lot of folks on the DIS have seen lots of characters at dinner, so there is really no predicting. Sometimes there may be 3 on duty, sometimes there may be 5 or 6, sometimes there are 7 or 8. There is no telling who will be there at what time, but some people are happy with the meal and the character interaction and some aren't, sadly. I have heard, though, that if the characters are for some reason skipping over your table, you have to tell the manager or one of the servers so they can fix the situation. We never have a problem with characters skipping us, but I have read posts from other folks who say they have had to say something to whoever was in charge.

 

[kirstie101]

Thank you again for all the advice! I'm hopeful that we'll have an good experience. But I will speak to a CM if the characters do not stop at our table!

 

[Rowlf]

We just ate dinner there Wednesday AND Thursday nights of this week, at 6:00 Wednesday and 5:00 Thursday. (DS demanded that we go back again!) The character interaction was great, and the food was delicious. The first night, Pocahontas was there in addition to Minnie, Goofy, Pluto (for pictures), Chip, and Dale. The second night, Alice and Aurora were there instead of Pocahontas.

 

[mystic_path]

I would say 5:00 as well. Your child is still really small and will require bed at an early time. So before your child gets totally exhausted, end the perfect day for her at dinner opening.

 

[PHXscuba]

Thanks for the recent experiences. After much agony picking a restaurant (and finally choosing GK) I was just starting to wonder about going at 5 p.m. or later like 6 or 6:30. I think with our party of 14 (!) I will be going at 5 to ensure we get a couple tables near each other.

I know they take the Pluto picture at the entry, but I have a couple Qs:

1. Is the Pluto picture part of Photopass or a separate buy-it "opportunity?"

2. We are hoping to get a big group picture of our whole crowd while there. Will there be a photographer around inside, or will a waiter take our picture, or will we have to rely on the kindness of other guests?

Thanks for the info!

PHXscuba

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

We have finally decided to try Minnie and Friends breakfast one morning and now I hear about Pocahontas @ Goofy's! DD8 would LOVE to meet Pocahontas! Now what?

 

[disney_love<3]

We just ate dinner there Wednesday AND Thursday nights of this week, at 6:00 Wednesday and 5:00 Thursday. (DS demanded that we go back again!) The character interaction was great, and the food was delicious. The first night, Pocahontas was there in addition to Minnie, Goofy, Pluto (for pictures), Chip, and Dale. The second night, Alice and Aurora were there instead of Pocahontas.

I was there Thursday at around 5:30ish too! It was my birthday.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for the recent experiences. After much agony picking a restaurant (and finally choosing GK) I was just starting to wonder about going at 5 p.m. or later like 6 or 6:30. I think with our party of 14 (!) I will be going at 5 to ensure we get a couple tables near each other.

I know they take the Pluto picture at the entry, but I have a couple Qs:

1. Is the Pluto picture part of Photopass or a separate buy-it "opportunity?"

2. We are hoping to get a big group picture of our whole crowd while there. Will there be a photographer around inside, or will a waiter take our picture, or will we have to rely on the kindness of other guests?

Thanks for the info!

PHXscuba

Oh cool! You decided to do Goofy's! I remember a while back when you were deliberating and Storytellers was looking like an option at night for your large group (you are going in the Fall as I recall, right?). I like Storytellers but Goofy's has a much bigger buffet so everyone in the group should be happy.

To your questions:

Is the Pluto picture part of Photopass or a separate buy-it "opportunity?"

Both. First of all, keep in mind that Pluto may not be the photo op that night. He may still be in the restaurant, but they seem to change the characters at the entry. When I go in the early morning, it always seems to be Pluto. Other people have said that Minnie was at the entrance, then Baloo on another night. So it could be anyone. Yes, it is a separate "buy-it opportunity," where the CMs come around to the table and show you the photos and try to get you to spend the $32 or whatever it is for the photo in a little Goofy's folder and a couple of smaller prints with it. But IF you buy it, they will add the picture to your PhotoPass card as well - but ONLY if you buy it. I always wonder what happens to all these pictures when people don't buy them - like do they have a wall in the back room somewhere where they post all the pictures and draw mustaches on our faces?

Also, the CM at the front with Pluto or whoever is manning the entrance will take a picture with your camera as well as the "buy-it" picture!

We are hoping to get a big group picture of our whole crowd while there. Will there be a photographer around inside, or will a waiter take our picture, or will we have to rely on the kindness of other guests?

For your size of a group, they MAY very well have one of the photographers who is at the front with Pluto/Minnie/Baloo come in and take your photo for you, with your cameras of course. You all will get a lot of attention, I bet, because there are so many people, so you may be able to get a big group photo with your whole party as well as all the characters too! I have never seen what happens with such a big group, but they handle parties and things so they must be used to it. I suppose a waiter would take the photo for you, but you may not want to rely on the kindness of other guests to get all 14 people in the shot. That sounds like a job for a professional. And it will probably require some coordination to get you all into an area in the restaurant where you are not blocking servers and people passing by with plates of food. I would talk to them about it when you first arrive at Goofy's and see if they can send the photographer at the front over to get you all in a few group pictures.