help with character meals

[bluslag]

We will be in Disney with our son, wife, and 3 grandchildren. We never do character meals but thought it would be fun for the grandchildren. Three granddaughters ages 9,4,1. We always do buffets when we take a group just so I have an idea of how much we will be spending. Any suggestions on which character buffets the granddaughters will like. Appreciate any help!!

 

[bluslag]

Sorry, I put this in the wrong place. It should of been on the restaurant page. Anyway maybe someone will move me. Also if anyone reads this we only would like dinner.

 

[isk8]

We did 2 character dinners our last trip with my 4 year old DS. Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. Chef Mickey's had Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Minnie. Crystal Palace had Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.

They are both buffets. I don't think one was better than the other food wise, but if I had to pick based on food, I would give a slight edge to Crystal Palace.

The main difference for us was at the Crystal Palace, we were seated 35 minutes after our ADR time. Plus, we checked in 15 minutes early. So that was 50 minutes of waiting around. Then, once we got inside, it took 45 minutes for the first character to come to our table. I don't know if this is the norm for CP, but we will not be back there anytime soon.

I would go back to Chef Mickey's dinner again.

 

[Cherinva]

We've been to:

Crystal Palace (Dinner)- Loved it....great meal and the characters are wonderful

Chef Mickeys (Breakfast) - Loved it....food was normal breakfast buffet food, and the characters there were wonderful

1900 Park Fare (Dinner) - Food was good, characters were great...a little on the noisy side...waited a long time to be seated after ADR time

O'Hana (Breakfast) - this is my most favorite place as I love Lilo and Stitch...the food is served family style, all you care to eat...typical breakfast foods, but very good..and the juice they serve is awesome

Cinderella's Royal Table - (Dinner) - more costly, but the food was so good, and the show was great also...plus you get your picture taken with Cindy before you get seated

Liberty Tree Tavern (Dinner) - this one is hit or miss...been twice, had a great meal once, the second was not so good...same thing with being seated..on time, got right in, the next we waited an hour past our ADR....

Hope this helps.. have a wonderful time

 

[QTPie7375]

Definitely Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys! Cinderellas Royal Table would be nice with three granddaughters but I would only recommend for breakfast.

 

[myhouseofmouse]

Since you have all grandDAUGHTERS I would add "Akershus Royal Banquet" to the mix, For girls I would recommend it over everything besides Chef Mickeys. Yeah the castle, THE CASTE, however the food is not good at all and at Akershus there are usually more Princesses and the food is always great. (I would even do 1900 park fair over the castle. )
My ranking would be

1. Chef Mickeys: The fab Five and good food
2. Akershus: All the princesses you need and good food
3. Crystal Palace: pooh and friends, good food

 

[myhouseofmouse]

We've been to:

Crystal Palace (Dinner)- Loved it....great meal and the characters are wonderful

Chef Mickeys (Breakfast) - Loved it....food was normal breakfast buffet food, and the characters there were wonderful

1900 Park Fare (Dinner) - Food was good, characters were great...a little on the noisy side...waited a long time to be seated after ADR time

O'Hana (Breakfast) - this is my most favorite place as I love Lilo and Stitch...the food is served family style, all you care to eat...typical breakfast foods, but very good..and the juice they serve is awesome

Cinderella's Royal Table - (Dinner) - more costly, but the food was so good, and the show was great also...plus you get your picture taken with Cindy before you get seated

Liberty Tree Tavern (Dinner) - this one is hit or miss...been twice, had a great meal once, the second was not so good...same thing with being seated..on time, got right in, the next we waited an hour past our ADR....

Hope this helps.. have a wonderful time

"By the Way "The Liberty Tree" NO longer has characters. I know it sucks, we loved it there.

 

[Mich123]

I know you said dinner, but...I agree with the previous poster who recommended Ohana. The breakfast is awesome and a lot of fun...plus, they have MICKEY and Lilo and Stitch! Stitch is hilarious!

And, if you're doing buffets for dinner, Ohana is loads of fun and great for kids. The singing, stories and coconut races keep it lively. I really like the food choices, too. It's definitely one of my favorites. We went with a crowd--my parents, brother and sister-in-law, DH and four kids ages 11, 8, 6, and 4 and everyone was happy.

We also enjoyed the Character meal at Garden Grill. It's a unique experience because the restaurant rotates and is inside The Land ride at times. It moves so slowly you don't really notice it. My kids loved the food. I thought it was pretty good and recently I read some good reviews of the food, so perhaps it's improved.

My parents took the girls to the Princess Breakfast at Akershus, and they all enjoyed it. In fact, my dad wasn't feeling well and was late for breakfast--he missed the princess photo op and the breakfast pastries--so they gave him a free breakfast! Not that I recommend being late, but I think it shows the great service and kindnesses of Disney CM.

Hope this helps!

 

[auntfrannie]

I always do Crystal Palace for breakfast before the park opens. I love walking down Main Street when it's empty. The food is always good and of course, I get to see Eeyore!!

 

[miprender]

If they are into princesses, we really love CRT for dinner,1900 Park Fare and the resturant at Norway.

We also have eaten many times at Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys.

But where ever you eat will be fine, I (oops I mean my children) love eating at any of the character meals.

 

[snow_white's_mom]

1900 park fare is a must! for dinner it has cinderella, prince charming, the step mother, and step sisters. The food and character interactions are great!

Ohana for breakfast. It's not buffett but family style breakfast and the characters especially stich is great. My daughter loves it there so we go everytime

crystal palace anytime is great with the pooh characters

cinderellas royal table isnt a buffett but its prepaid, It used to be that cinderella was only there for dinner, and you take pictures with her before you go up for dinner and they are included in your dinner. Make sure everyone potties before going up lol

 

[jdisnut]

First, ask yourself which characters your granddaughters like! Most of the character buffets offer similar food, so I recommend basing your decision on the characters in attendance.

Next, decide which meal you want to try. Most people stick with the traditional breakfast, but some restaurants offer wonderful lunches and dinner that will allow you to enjoy the characters without waking up before sunrise.

You will hear a lot about the popular places, like Chef Mickey's and Crystal Places. Nothing wrong with that, but consider trying one of the lesser-known meals! The Garden Grill in Epcot, for example, serves different and better food than all of its counterparts.

I know I raised more questions without answering many, but I hope this helps you make a sound decision!