HOw many days at DL/Character meals

[sdrsdd]

WE will be going to DL for the 1st time with our DS6 and DD4 --HOw many days should we do at DL 2 or 3? Thanks!! We did a whole week at DW in 2007, but I know DL is much smaller. Also--are there character meals worth doing? THanks!

 

[Sherry E]

WE will be going to DL for the 1st time with our DS6 and DD4 --HOw many days should we do at DL 2 or 3? Thanks!! We did a whole week at DW in 2007, but I know DL is much smaller. Also--are there character meals worth doing? THanks!

If I were you I would do 3 days to get everything in at a leisurely pace. We have been to DLR for 3 days before and still left without seeing/doing everything, so 3 is better than 2 if you can swing it.

As for character meals, I think they are ALL worth doing, honestly, for different reasons. My absolute favorite restaurant in all of DLR is Goofy's Kitchen in the DLH, which is an all-day/night character buffet - breakfast/brunch and dinner. Other members of DISboards love the Lilo and Stitch buffet in the PPH, and still others swear by the Chip and Dale (who are also at Goofy's) breakfast buffet at Storytellers Cafe in the GCH. And if your daughter is into Princesses, she will love going to the Princess meal at Ariel's in DCA, which people seem to love. Plus, there is the Minnie & Friends breakfast inside DL at the Plaza Inn, which gets high marks as well. Minnie's has a lot of different characters there - probably more than at Goofy's - so you may want that one. But Goofy's has been my favorite since 1992!!!

 

[ballarinamom]

Definately 3 days. We were just there for 5 1/2 days and it wasn't that crowded. We got almost everything done. We did all of the character meals because we don't lie wasting time in lines to meet the characters AND we have to eat. We have now moved lunch/ dinner at Ariel's grotto as the best. The fod is fabulous. And DD7 is always happy to see the princesses. Lilo and Stitch for breakfast is tied for second favorite. Goofy's for dinner has the best prime rib. Have fun!

 

[cheshiregirl]

We also love Lilo and Stitch and Goofy's for breakfast. They are two totally different experiences (or at least they were for us).

We had an 8:30 PS on a day that the park didn't open until 10 am for Lilo and Stitch. The restaurant was only maybe a quarter full so we gots lots and lots of attention from the characters with everyone making repeat visits to the table to play with DS (we were there for his 1st birthday on Sept. 8th). Even Goofy (who was on door/picture duty) would sneak over to our table whenever he could get away! The only downside is that there are relatively few characters (Lilo and Stitch of course and then Pluto) in the restaurant and then Goofy and Minnie in a tropical dress were taking turns with door duty. But, the characters are consistent--same ones every day and they are very good and very playful. The food was also pretty good, but I was not blown away by the pineapple scones that I had heard so much about online! Our favorites were actually the omelet bar and the maple bacon--it was so delicious!

Goofy's was also a great experience, but very different. We went on Dec. 22nd and had an 11:20 PS time. It was very, very crowded and we actually were not seated until 12:10--almost a full hour after our arrival!!! But once we were in, it was great and we met a lot of characters. We met Pluto (at the door), Goofy, Belle, Baloo, Alice, Chip and Dale (working separately which was kinda weird for us as we are used to seeing them together at the Visa meet and greet). The interactions were good, but were kinda all over the place in terms of how long they would spend at the table. And no one came back a second time during the 90 minutes we spent there. We could have been done a lot sooner except we waited for Alice to make her way to our table since DS had never met her before, and it was totally worth it. She had the cutest little british accent and was a delight to interact with! Also the food was very good, but the only thing that really stood out to me was the peanut butter pizza--sounds kinda gross, and totally geared at the kids, but it was divine!

Anyhow, I would highly recommend Goofy and L&S, and I would say to steer clear of Minnie and Friends at the Plaza Inn. I know that it's tempting because it's in the park, but I feel as though the prime location leads DL to skimp in the quality of the food and the character interactions. We have gone twice and had bad experiences both times--we will not be back.

Have a great trip!

 

[A-T-G]

I love Goofy's kitchen! I've also really had a blast @ Storyteller's for breakfast. I can't get enough of the fab food. And hanging with Chip. Dale & the characters from "Brother Bear" is fun! The characters are always so playful..and we don't even have kids in the party!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

The character meals are worth doing if you think those in your party will get into meeting the characters. Some folks just don't get it; they think the character meal is overpriced and the food not the quality they were expecting for that kind of money (many of the meals are buffet.) But I think they're missing the point.

The food, even the buffet food, is good, and in some places you can order off the menu or the buffet, which can be a savings for those picky eaters in the group. And you aren't just paying for the meal, but all the character interaction. When you consider the long lines in the park just to meet a single character, having 6 or 7 characters come to your table while you dine is a great time saver!

We always allow plenty of time (about 1.5 hours) for a character meal to make sure we can meet them all and get our fill of food, including dessert.

Each location offers a different type of experience and different characters. Goofy's Kitchen I think tends to be the liveliest, with lots of characters and a 'floor show' of sorts, encouraging the kids to get up and dance with the characters for a few minutes. The lineup changes, but I believe Pluto and Goofy are always there. My boys love this one!

Lilo & Stitch also offers a chance for the kids to get up and play a game or dance the hula with the characters. Lilo is very sweet, and Stitch is a hilarious prankster. Last time he took one look at my 8yo son's thick, overdry hair and smoothed it up into a fauxhawk.
The lineup there in addition to Lilo & Stitch includes Daisy Duck, Pluto and Minnie Mouse.

Our experience at the Brother Bear breakfast (Storyteller's Cafe) was very calm and quiet. All the characters are non-speaking animals, and they have marvelous non-verbal communication skills, they actually communicate more easily than you'd think! Even though my kids didn't know many of the characters, they still loved it.

I took DS(3yo at the time) to the princess meal at Ariel's. I believe we met Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel. Other than Ariel, whom you meet upon entering, the princesses are formally announced as they enter the dining room, and escorted to each table in order. Food is selected by course from a limited (but good) menu. My pretty-ladies-loving boy had a great time at this meal as well.

Our least favorite, but still fun, meal was the Minnie & Friends breakfast. It had standard breakfast fare (breakfast meats, scrambled eggs, coffee/juice, etc.), and the big draw for us, characters from the Winnie the Pooh stories. Some kids were just allowed to roam, which was odd, and characters didn't always follow a route through a room, so we were missed by a few of them. Still fun, and I know for others this is their favorite character meal, so take that with a grain of salt.