dissapointed w/Chef Mickey's...help!

brajfamily

Mousketeer
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
We went to Chef Mickey's last week for dinner and were dissapointed. We had not been impressed the last few times we went but this was the only place our kids asked to go to. We are headed to WDW for Thanksgiving and were planning to try to make ADR's at Chef Mickey's for our Thanksgiving Day dinner but now are not sure. For anyone who has been to Chef Mickey's and feels the normal dinner buffet is just okay and has also been there for Thanksgiving, is it better on thanksgiving? As far as more food choice, dessert, etc. Character interaction was great! Just dissapointed with the food. thanks!
 
If you were not impressed the last few times, and then once again this past trip, I would not consider it no matter WHAT for your Thanksgiving dinner. I would do some searches for other great character meals (Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Faire) that may be better than Chef Mickey's, which has been a steady disappointment for your family. We would never pay Disney prices to be disappointed again and again. JMHO :goodvibes:goodvibes:goodvibes
 
Anyone have any suggestions as to other character meals for thanksgiving? Or does anyone have any input on the Thanksgiving buffet at Chef Mickey's? thanks!!
 
I have to admit, I haven't been to Chef Mickey's in all our visits, I can totally understand what you are saying- the food pics look pretty blah, I can only imagine it in real.

That said though, sometimes you gotta take one for the team. If the kids love it, surely their happiness will hopefully cancel out the bad food.

A suggestion though, we've eaten at Garden Grill several times (Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale) and have enjoyed that very much and the food was pretty good as well. You could consider that as an alternative.
 


What about Mickey's Backyard BBQ (which is called Thanksgiving at the Fort). It has been several years but we had an excellent experience there. It is a buffet, and for the holiday, the menu is very traditional (Turkey, Ham, stuffing, etc.) The character interaction was terrific (DD loved line dancing with Chip & Dale), beer and wine were included, and the band was great (and I don't like Country Western music). If you are on DDP, it is two credits, but very worth in IMHO.

Have a great trip!
 
We have been to Chef Mickey's on every trip since 2004--4 times in all. Each time, the food has been very good--and even outstanding for my child who on a special diet and who gets special attention from the chef. However, the service has been getting worse and worse each time! On the last trip, we were all but ignored the entire meal...until the bill came. :mad: My husband was so ticked that he took the kids and went up to our room while I talked to the server and took care of the bill.

IMHO, I wouldn't risk it for my Thanksgiving meal. We were there T'giving 2009 and went to Teppan Edo--and had a fabulous time!!

We aren't even going to schedule Chef Mickey's for the next trip, and I'm kind of sad. I certainly love the place for the character interaction and food, but it is not worth the stress. If I could get my own drinks and plates and bus my own table, I'd be happy to go back!
 
How about trying the Garden Grill at Epcot? As mentioned above, they have Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Plus, the food is served family style as opposed to buffet which may make for a more relaxing Thanksgiving meal???
 


We won't go back to Chef Mickeys no matter how much our kids beg us to. The last couple of times we went for the breakfast buffet the food quality went downhill a little each time making the trip last month the last. Our b-fast wasn't even lukewarm.. it was down right cold, including the mickey waffles. We were going to complain but our server wasn't the greatest either and was MIA at times. We had our last meal at Garden Grill and that was THE best meal we had all week long!!!!! O'hanas is another good choice. We just had b-fast there last trip and it was AMAZING - I heard their dinner is just as good! The character interaction at GG and Ohanas was the best!
 
We had such a terrible, awful meal when we went to Chef Mickey's that we will never go back again :mad:
 
1) At character meals, you pay for the characters, not the food.
2) NO character meal has above-average food quality.
3) For Thanksgiving, select a non-character meal if you want better food.
 
For anyone who has been to Chef Mickey's and feels the normal dinner buffet is just okay and has also been there for Thanksgiving, is it better on thanksgiving? As far as more food choice, dessert, etc. Character interaction was great! Just dissapointed with the food. thanks!

What about Liberty Tree? Would they have their 'traditional menu' which was very Thanksgiving- like, even on regular days? Or is that menu gone for good? You could dress like Pilgrims and pretend to be in a log cabin. ;)
 
have you tried Garden Grill in Epcot? I havent been to Chef Mickeys on a holiday such as Thanksgiving but i would think their menu would be different on that day so maybe the food may be better and more varied with the usual Thanksgiving foods.
 
Good luck getting a ressie for Chef Mickey's on TG day.
Start as earlier as possible on the morning of the first day you can make your reesies.
When that fails & you still want to do a character meal, then try Mickey's Backyard BBQ, & for a non-character meal with great food, do the Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL.
 
We loved Chef Mickey's so much that we went back a second time on our trip. Crystal Palace is pretty good as well, we weren't fans of Hollywood & Vine.
 
We had dinner there once a couple of years ago and we too were not impressed with the meal. We weren't even that impressed with the character interaction, the characters rushed through and didn't spend any time with our girls. However, we do have breakfast ADRs there in September because 1) we had never been for breakfast and had heard numerous reports that it is much better for breakfast than for dinner (food and character wise) and 2) we are staying at CR so it will be convenient for us, plus we want to try it one more time before deciding if we will ever return or not. As for another suggestion, I too agree that Garden Grill at Epcot is a great alternative. The food is hot and fresh, plus we had awesome character interaction. Our waiter there was also outstanding....he sang to my DH and I because we were there on our anniversary, but the way he sang to us, got the whole restaurant laughing and clapping at the end...it was awesome.
 
We love Garden Grill, the charcter interaction was the best! Plus the farmer clothing is kinda harvesty, thanksgiving like.

Family Style Platter
featuring:

Oatmeal Cluster Rolls with Honey Butter

Land Greenhouse Salad with Buttermilk Ranch and Double Smoked Dressing


Grilled Salt and Pepper Flank Steak

Roasted All Natural Turkey Bresat with Cranberry-Orange Relish

Seasonal Fish of the Day

Cornbread Stuffing, Potatoes, Garden Fresh Vegetables

Freshly Baked Harvest Fruit Buckle


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Young Gardener's Menu
Ages 3 to 9

Choice of:

Chicken Nuggets

Macaroni and Cheese

Served with Potatoes and Vegetables

Kid's dessert
 
What about Mickey's Backyard BBQ (which is called Thanksgiving at the Fort). It has been several years but we had an excellent experience there. It is a buffet, and for the holiday, the menu is very traditional (Turkey, Ham, stuffing, etc.) The character interaction was terrific (DD loved line dancing with Chip & Dale), beer and wine were included, and the band was great (and I don't like Country Western music). If you are on DDP, it is two credits, but very worth in IMHO.

Have a great trip!

Wasnt there for Thanksgiving, but second the enthusiasm for the Backyard BBQ - DD's loved it as yours did, and regular picnic food was great, so I am sure the traditional holiday stuff was equally good.
 
We always made the trip to Chef Mickey's for breakfast and dinner every trip. The last two trips though were very bad!! We will not be going back this time or anytime soon. We are not getting the dining plan this time too because a lot of our counter service were better than the table service with the exception of LeCellier. My kids even said lets not come back here anymore (talking about Chef Mickey's) and that was always first choice.
 
My family ate at Chef Mickeys on Thanksgiving 2010. My children, both 10, really enjoyed the food and characters. They really want to go back next year. My DH loved the food. I can't say it was my absolute favorite meal of our trip, but I very much enjoyed it. The buffet had traditional Thanksgiving fare. The turkey, ham, cranberry dressing, potatoes, rolls,and deserts were all delicous. My server was wonderful and attentive. You will need to make your reservation at the earliest possible moment, wherever you decide to eat on Thanksgiving. When I was planning our trip, I wanted to eat at 50's Prime Time Cafe on TG. However,their was no availability.

My Favorite meal of our trip ended up being.

1. CRT - Dinner. Our server was hilarious and attentive, the atmosphere was magical, and the food was delicious. I particularly liked the chicken. The kids menu like most other non buffet restaurants is a little limited.

2. 50's Prime-Time Cafe. So fun and really good southern food.

3. Chef Mickey's. My daughter's favorite.

4. Crystal Palace (Only fourth for food quality. Our server, the characters, and atmosphere were great).

5. Boma.

I enjoyed these meals way more than Jiko or Les Chefs de France. I did not like the food at either one of these restarants. Although my family enjoyed them a little more than me.
 
If your last few experiences were not good, I don't think I'd plan my Thanksgiving dinner there then. I'd want to go somewhere everyone in the family likes.

If you want a buffet, there are several others to choose from. It sounds to me like you prefer a more traditional sit down & be served meal. So choose a restaurant like that for T-giving & take the kids to Chef Mickey's a different day since they really want to go.

Sorry to hear CM was a disappointment - we love going there & have never had a disappointing meal but we usually go for breakfast.

Happy planning :hippie:
 

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