I think I need a poll (in regards to a character breakfast)....in fact I know I do!

[colbybug]

I've just got to make up my mind as we are within 30 days of our big DL trip and I haven't made any ressies. So please help. Whichever one gets the most votes is where we are going. Keep in mind we have a boy whose turning six on Sunday April 13th. We have MM on Sunday but also on Tuesday so I am not sure if we are going to drag our tired little behinds out of bed on Sunday. This remains to be seen.

These are my questions:
Where will we have the best experience for him?
Which place has the best food?
When is the best time to go early (7:30 am or later 10:30ish)

Many thanks for any opinions!

Kathy

I am editing this to add that I did not include Lilo's breakfast because I've pretty much narrowed it down to just the two I listed. We are staying at the DLH (we think) and will be in the park for MM. So, we are either going to try to do the first breakfast at Goofy's OR go do MM and then, since we are in the park already, just go to Plaza Inn. Lilo & Stitch is too far away. I am just trying to choose between the two options! I have ONE character breakfast for our group included in our package so that is also why it is limited to just breakfast - not dinner. Thanks everyone....keep the replies coming!

 

[PrincessKell]

I would suggest putting up Lilo's breakfast. We love it! We had our ressies at 7:10 I think and there was nobody in there.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

I agree with adding lilo & stitch to your list. It's an absolute favorite and must do for our family.

If you have your heart set on either Minnie or Goofy's, my vote would depend on what time you want to have a ps for. I've never done Minnie's, but if you'll already be in the park then it's just more convenient to do Minnie's rather than leaving DL to go to DLH for Goofy's. I'd vote for Goofy's if you plan on doing it before the park opens. We've done Goofy's before and have enjoyed it, but our best experience for breakfast has been at Lilo's, though.

 

[disneymom23]

This will be our first trip to DL but we are going to Lilo and Stitch for breakfast one morning and Goofy's for dinner one night.

 

[toocherie]

Where are you staying?

 

[bumbershoot]

I haven't been to either!

But in regards to timing...IMO if you're going to one in a hotel, do the earlier b'fast. If you're going to the Plaza b'fast, have a snack when you wake up and have a later character b'fast and ride some rides first.


Lilo at PPH was great, Storyteller's was great in other ways. Since we've done both, I'm very likely going to do Minnie's for DS's birthday trip character meal, though now that I think about it, maybe Goofy's *would* be fun! Hmm.

 

[mo3bys]

We really liked Goofy's. The boys liked getting up and dancing with Goofy and Pluto. We got the boys the birthday bags and cupcakes for their Bday's and they loved them. They really likes their Goofy pens and maracas. We didn't really care for Chip and Dale's. There wasn't as much character interaction there.
Minnie's was ok when we went but not like it used to be. We were there in 2005 and then again last December. I would suggest Goofy's. Although we have never been to Lilo and Stitch.

 

[got_ron]

Lilo and Stitch Definately!! We had such a fun time we had 7:10 resservation and there was almost no one there and we basically had stitch all to ourselves! the food was great and we had a wonderful time

 

[funatdisney]

Because you have a little one, I picked Minnie and Friends. I would take a small breakfast (really a snack) before you enter the park and schedule the Minnie and Friends breakfast later in the morning. Your little guy can enjoy the park and some rides with a lite crowd (especially on a Sunday) by the time he begins to feel slightly tired you can have a break during breakfast inside the park. Mind you, try to gage at what time this would be. You don't want it too late, he just may have break down when he is over tired or over whelmed. You know your little guy best. Schedule the time for breakfast around his tolerances.

 

[reynmagsmom]

we love goofy's for breakfast...... around 10 worked best for us lots of time with charactors dont remember them all but was a blast and they spent more than enough time at each table

 

[Califgirl]

Here's another vote for Lilo & Stitch. It's my favorite character breakfast!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

We've done all the character meals now (but have only done Goofy's at dinner, not breakfast.) We like each one for its own reasons, but we definitely have favorites.

We have two boys, now aged 3 and 7yo, and I would say their favorite is Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. Lots of characters, a chance to get up and dance with the characters, and Goofy is hilarious! My DS7's favorite memory from our first trip ever to DL was when Goofy sneezed in his napkin!

That is where DS3 (2yo at the time) fell in love with Minnie Mouse.

The character line-up there always includes Pluto (greeting people at the door) and Goofy, but the other characters vary. Each time we've been we've seen 5 or 6 characters. In two visits we've also met Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Aladdin and Gepetto.

The food is served buffet style, and (at least for dinner) there was a great variety of items, including many special just-for-kids items.

My boys also loved the Lilo & Stitch breakfast at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Seems to be the same 5 characters there (Lilo, Stitch, Pluto, Minnie and Daisy Duck), and they do a couple of entertainment type activities to get the kids up to play with the characters.

This is also buffet food, including standard American fare as well as more Island/Asian fare. If you go there, try the pineapple-coconut scone. I don't like coconut, but it has just a faint coconut flavor, and this is YUMMY!

the Chip & Dale's breakfast at the Grand Californian Hotel is a beautiful setting, and a much quieter atmosphere than the others. You are able to order the buffet or from the menu, which is nice. All the characters are animals. We saw Chip and Dale, Terk (girl gorilla from Tarzan?), and Meeko (from Mulan); and just as we were leaving, the two bears from Brother Bear came out.

At Minnie and Friends breakfast at the Plaza Inn (inside Disneyland park), it's counter service food, you choose it and pay for it before being seated. It seemed very crowded and chaotic when we went, with some kids being allowed by their parents to roam free. Also, the characters did not follow a set route through a room, so we were missed by a couple of them. We saw Tigger, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Foulfellow, and Eeyore. Often there are characters from Winnie the Pooh, which was a big draw for us, since DS3 is a huge Pooh fan.

Honestly, odds are that whatever you do you will have a great time, so just pick whichever you think your family would enjoy the most.

 

[hlbtimes2]

Because you have a little one, I picked Minnie and Friends. I would take a small breakfast (really a snack) before you enter the park and schedule the Minnie and Friends breakfast later in the morning. Your little guy can enjoy the park and some rides with a lite crowd (especially on a Sunday) by the time he begins to feel slightly tired you can have a break during breakfast inside the park. Mind you, try to gage at what time this would be. You don't want it too late, he just may have break down when he is over tired or over whelmed. You know your little guy best. Schedule the time for breakfast around his tolerances.

Yeah, that.

 

[hlbtimes2]

At Minnie and Friends breakfast at the Plaza Inn (inside Disneyland park), it's counter service food, you choose it and pay for it before being seated. It seemed very crowded and chaotic when we went, with some kids being allowed by their parents to roam free. Also, the characters did not follow a set route through a room, so we were missed by a couple of them. We saw Tigger, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Foulfellow, and Eeyore. Often there are characters from Winnie the Pooh, which was a big draw for us, since DS3 is a huge Pooh fan.
.

That is not completely accurate. Lunch and Dinner at the Plaza are counter service, where you choose and pay. Breakfast is all you can eat. Part serve yourself buffet, and part (hot foods) served buffet. There is a person behind the hot food line that plates your food for you or prepares your omelet. I actually like it that way. I hate regular buffets where everyone is allowed to handle the food. I've seen more then one person touch something and then not take it.

As for characters, we have had the problem we experiences at Goofys, but not at Minnies. Guess its just hit and miss.

 

[colbybug]

however, the way the poll looks today, you are all representative of the exact state of my mind - 50/50! That is way too funny! Help! Unless someone convinces me otherwise, I think we'll do Minnie and Friends.
Your replies have been very helpful and reminded me that my son is not the "get up and dance" kind of kid so perhaps Minnie's would suit him better...

Thanks!

Kathy

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

I certainly don't know which one is better since this will be our first trip to DL but I'm going to go ahead and add my two cents too! We love character meals at WDW so it was a no brainer that we would give them a try at DL when we go in May. After reading all the post on the different meals, DH and I have narrowed our choices down to Minnie and Friends and Goofy's. We've decided to eat breakfast at Minnie's and have a dinner at Goofy's. Now we just have to wait for the 60 day mark to make our reservations.