Goofy's Kitchen for brunch....will my 3 year old be frightened?

[deli8788]

Never had a character dining experience....how involved can it be? If my son seems scared...will it be a waste of money. I, for one, am excited.

 

[crystal1313]

I think it depends on the child. My oldest DS LOVED the characters when he was 10 months and we went to Goofy's Kitchen. It was awesome. But all the trips after that, he wasn't into the characters AT ALL! We just went a few weeks ago and DS is now 6 and he finally did a meet n greet! And now, he loves it.

 

[deli8788]

Do they come to the tables quite often during the time you are there?

 

[GatorChris]

Yes, all the characters will come by your table. And if you're there long enough, multiple times.

My oldest always loved the characters and had no fear. But like Crystal, my son loved the characters at 1 and a half, but was a little hesitant when he was three. He loved Buzz Lightyear, but wouldn't get near him. There's really only one way to find out...

 

[crystal1313]

How many days will you be there? Could you see how he does with a meet n greet inside the parks first, then decide to keep or cancel your Goofy's Kitchen plans (if you have 24 hours to cancel)? Just a thought.

And Chris, my son loved Buzz too, but only liked to wave from a distance. When he got close, he would hide his head and almost cry.

 

[Renae De Liz]

One of my sons is freaked out about some of the characters, and we took him to Goofy's Kitchen multiple times. He wasn't afraid of the princesses (he LOVED THEM) or any female characters for some reason, but ones like Goofy, Rafiki, Baloo, Chip and Dale, Donald, or any of those he would be scared.

To make the trip enjoyable we would just watch for characters that were getting closer and preemptively tell them "Drake here is a little nervous, but we're trying to show him it's okay and you're a friend" (or something similar) and the character would immediately get the hint and keep his distance, and only smile, wave and dance from a few feet away. They also would act a little gentler and slower, which was appreciated.

So GK can definitely can be done with a frightened child. I found the Meet n' Greets more difficult because while in line there's this build up of anticipation that just aggravated his fears.

Good luck!!

 

[travelbug08]

It worked well for us to do Goofy's on our second day in the parks. First day the kids (11 mths old and almost 3 yrs old) got to see some characters and did pretty well. They were good at the breakfast, though the character often just crouched down beside their chair, so they weren't feeling overwhelmed and had a bit of space. By day 3 and 4 in the parks they were a bit more leary of the characters. My 3 yr old dove head first out of the stroller trying to get away from Jake in DCA on day 3.

 

[deli8788]

We plan on going the first day...because that is his birthday. I'm hoping because it's not like a meet and greet and he is occupied with food and sitting he will be okay. So if they notice he is frightened will they be a little less aggressive?

 

[2tinkerbell]

We plan on going the first day...because that is his birthday. I'm hoping because it's not like a meet and greet and he is occupied with food and sitting he will be okay. So if they notice he is frightened will they be a little less aggressive?

I think a character meal is a perfect idea and Goofy's Kitchen is one of my favorites. The characters are very good with shy or frightened children. They kind of take their lead from the child and parents. I've seen them come and stand back and wave and repeat the same thing each time they walk by the table. If your child is afraid, you can still get pictures of the rest of your party with the characters.

At Goofy's Kitchen you get a picture with Goofy before you are seated. That will be your first interaction. You will then know and can alert the other character's prior to them approaching your child. If you are worried, you can alway go a little early and sit and watch other families and children and talk about what is going on in a very excited way to get him prepared.

 

[deli8788]

I think a character meal is a perfect idea and Goofy's Kitchen is one of my favorites. The characters are very good with shy or frightened children. They kind of take their lead from the child and parents. I've seen them come and stand back and wave and repeat the same thing each time they walk by the table. If your child is afraid, you can still get pictures of the rest of your party with the characters. At Goofy's Kitchen you get a picture with Goofy before you are seated. That will be your first interaction. You will then know and can alert the other character's prior to them approaching your child. If you are worried, you can alway go a little early and sit and watch other families and children and talk about what is going on in a very excited way to get him prepared.

.


Thanks! This relieves some of my anxiety!

 

[smadath]

Like Chrystal1313 said, I think it depends on the child. When I was little (3-5 range), I was terrified of clowns (still terrified of clowns ), Peanuts characters, and Santa. But everyone else was good to go! I was a weird little kid. Times haven't changed much.

In any case, good luck with the meal! Hope he enjoys!

 

[larina]

it totally depends on the kid. my daughters loved characters in character mealsbut my son was terrified of "giant Mickey Mouse" as he called him, until he was 5

 

[Hoku]

One of my sons is freaked out about some of the characters, and we took him to Goofy's Kitchen multiple times. He wasn't afraid of the princesses (he LOVED THEM) or any female characters for some reason, but ones like Goofy, Rafiki, Baloo, Chip and Dale, Donald, or any of those he would be scared.

He probably has a problem when he can't see real faces. The princesses don't wear masks, so he can se a genuine face. I'm sure he'd also be fine with Aladdin, Peter Pan and other characters, male or female, that don't wear masks.

 

[FourM's]

I was at Storytellers with my family and I saw a CM offer a "magic" balloon to a little boy who was scared of the characters. She said the characters know to stay away from the tables with the special balloons. I'm sure Goofys could do something similar if needed. Pretty ingenious!

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

Another tip, if your kiddo doesn't like the characters: seat him away from the walkways (where the characters will approach from) and if there's a corner try to seat him there. That way he'll have physical barriers (an adult, a table, and a wall) between himself and the characters, and there will be no chance that they'll come up from behind him and startle him accidentally.

Conversely, if your child does like the characters, seat him near the aisleway where he will have easy access to hug or interact with the characters.

 

[CassieF]

Characters are usually great at reading the child and responding accordingly. Hopefully it won't be a problem and he'll love it!

 

[kevdo]

Will your son be scared? Only if he's the one who sees the bill. ;-)

 

[talentedmummy]

We did Surfs Up for breakfast on our first morning. I knew my dd, about to turn 2, was not keen on costumed characters. (She still doesn't like the Subway sandwich.) the characters did come to our table but when they saw she was afraid they were really good about keeping their distance but still interacted with my 5 yo. Later both Minnie and Stitch played peek a boo with her from across the room and waved from the windows when we left.

He might surprise you and be all about the characters. I really have no idea how my dd will react when we go in January for her 3rd birthday.

 

[FourM's]

Will your son be scared? Only if he's the one who sees the bill. ;-)

Hahahahaha! True and hilarious!