Goofy's Kitchen vs. Plaza Inn bday

[suz72]

Just wondering about any person opinions regarding where to celebrate DDs 5th birthday....

We did the all you can eat character buffet breakfast for her 2nd birthday (with Winnie the Pooh, etc.) and she loved it. We haven't had any character dining experiences since then.

Our party will include DD5, DD2, DH, my mom and dad, and maybe a couple of cousins.

Also, another question is what time of day would you recommend...lunch, dinner????

Thank you for any advice...p.s. we will be going Oct. 30 as this is her actual birthday.

 

[Tinkerbellish]

I think that I would be fun to do a character dinner for her Birthday! For sone reason dinners to me always seemd more special than a lunch. And 5 is a very important age!

I think that a character dinner would be REALLY fun for her, and she can have more of a recolection of it as opposed to when she was 2.

Since her Birthday is so near to Halloween they may have a special surprise!

 

[dletz]

It depends on your budget. Goofy's kitchen is expensive (extremely) They do have a birthday package where you can add stuff to it. Another thought would we Ariels cove, its pricy too, but I don't think its as bad as goofy's kitchen. We like the plaza inn birthday celebration. Not the same thing as a character meal, but we had fun. Each person gets a hat (paper b-day hat with mickey ears), plastic cup, personal cake with frosting and sprinkles). You each decorate your cake then Mickey comes out they take pictures, etc. It's a lot of fun.

Donna

 

[Amy&Dan]

I would vote for Goofy's. It is expensive but you get a lot of bang for your buck! It's so entertaining with all the characters dancing etc. Also the Plaza only has the breakfast and cake thing whereas Goofy's has three meals. Ariel's is nice and a little cheaper but you have much less selection and characters. One thing to consider is at Goofy's they will bring her a little cupcake with a candle and sing happy birthday at no charge. We did this our first trip for our son's birthday not realizing we could have added other birthday options. All in all however, I don't think you can go wrong! It might just hinge on which characters mean the most to your daughter. Have fun!

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I did all 3 last week (goofy's/Plaza Inn Pooh/and Plaza Inn Birthday) and I enjoyed them all but my Fav would be goofys-

The Birthday thing is fun but not as great as goofys (but at double the price- it may even out..)

-em

 

[lkohawaii]

Don't forget to go to City Hall on the day of your DD's birthday. They will put her on the phone and I think goofy wishes her Happy Birthday. She then gets a sticker saying it's her birthday and the CM's will say Happy Birthday all day. My DD loved it. We celebrated her b-day at Airiels. It's not as lively as Goofy's and I don't think my daughter really thought we were celebrating. I've never been to Plaza so I can't tell you which one is better.

 

[suz72]

Thank you all for your advice. Money is not really the issue, we are doing disney for her bday instead of a big party at home b/c we already have APs.

Last year we had a huge party at home and it cost over $500, so we are actually doing this to save money.

I think we will probably go with Goofys kitchen for the celebration this time.



I know that DD will be happy with whatever we do as long as it is Disney.

Thanks,
SUsan

 

[cjsmom5]

We did Goofy's in May for a six year old boy's birthday. He LOVED it. The characters were great and they made a big deal about everything. We bought a birthday bucket (They have a princess one for girls) and it has a small cake and all types of goodies. You can also buy just balloons for the table that say happy birthday and you a great a treat, I think. Anyways, the food at Goofy's was great, too. Not cheap but if you are looking for memory and "event" Goofy's would be the place. We've done the other three and for the last two years have stayed with Goofy's.

 

[JC Butterfly]

I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday next year and I think that *I* want in on all of these celebrations, sounds like lots of fun!

 

[AStarOnMars]

I did Goofy's Kitchen for my 12th birthday (22 now) ... it is one of my favorite memories I have from Disney.

 

[dsnylndmom]

Another Goofy's Vote!

My youngest was born on Veteran's Day so he always gets a 3 day weekend his birthday weekend. This year is a 4 day and he picked DL over a birthday party(APer's also)So We'll be heading back to Goofy's and getting another birthday bucket!! He still has his birthday bucket from 2 years ago in his room, that was when they only had Mickey! This time he wants Buzz!

We're getting the goody bags option at Goofy's for the 4 other kids coming.

 

[SomeSayImGoofy]

I'd go for Goofy's (with the extra birthday options) early in the day (Breakfast/Lunch) than head to the Plaza Inn for a "regular" evening meal...during the parade is nice, because, depending on where you sit, you get peeks of the parade as it progresses past the restaurant.

At the Plaza Inn...the employees are all very "into" borthdays, since that's what they do in the afternoons. Several times, we have gone there and told a CM that is was someone's birthday, and they brought out balloons, led the restaurant in singing "Happy Brithday", etc. It was a very nice freebie.

Have a great time!

 

[suz72]

Hi-

Thanks again for all of your advice!

We've decided to do Goofy's for DDs 5th b-day...on Friday night, the night before her actual birthday...we will have 4 adults and 3 princesses

Should they dress in costume? What do you think?

We will be going to Build a Bear afterwards to build a bear...well acutally, a pink poodle! & something for the 2 party guests.

How long do you think we will be at Goofy's? (5:10pm ressies)


We will be in the park all day Sat October 30th for Ally's birthday and I had thought about also doing the Plaza Inn thing that day. I haven't made ressies yet.

Could someone describe in detail how the Plaza Inn bday thing works: Do you have to eat a meal? Do all party guests get a cake to decorate or just the bday girl? I saw that Mickey and Minnie come out...do they spend time at your table? Any extra info would be great.

Thanks, Susan

 

[Amy&Dan]

Just did the Plaza Inn thing on September 10 and it was really a lot of fun, our daughter was 8 that day. Each guest gets a cake, frosting and sprinkles. You do not have to order a meal. The party is done outside and is separate from other guests there just to have lunch. The cost is $10 per person and you can get your AP discount. There is the guy named Pat E. Cake who runs the party, he is a lot of fun and wears a bakers uniform and funny birthday cake hat. Then Mickey and Minnie come out later in the party. They did come to each table briefly but did not sign autographs. You can take pictures quickly and of course the disney photographer will take a group photo of your table plus a photo of the birthday boy/girl with Mickey and Minnie. The photos will have the Plaza Inn Birthday logo on them and the year. They also bring you punch and water to drink. We really enjoyed it and our daughter loved it. We still did Goofy's later that day so it was quite a day! One note, when we did this a couple of weeks ago it was not very crowded. I would imagine that the more birthdays they are celebrating the less personal it would seem. Our seating time was for 1:45, the party was started promptly at 2:00 and I think over by 2:30, 2:45 at the latest. I think that you said your daughter was going to be 5, this would probably be perfect for her. I hope all this info helps!

 

[suz72]

Thanks for the info Amy!

I've booked it...I'm soooo excited for her birthday, I feel like it's my birthday.

Susan