inventions or cafe mickey?

[mummy2boys]

Hi
my little boy will be almost three when we go to dlp, i am booking the cookout as he loves woody but looking at booking one other character dinner. my little boy will need his own meal wherever i book but not sure what the price difference is. any recommendations as to which one is better for a little one
thanks

 

[Vala]

Inventions is buffet, Cafe Mickey is a menu you choose from.

Inventions is quite a bit more pricey than Cafe Mickey. You can do Cafe Mickey on budget by sharing pizzas etc.

Personally I'd do Inventions if you can swing it financially. The quality of Cafe Mickey has gone down a lot in my eyes, both food wise as for character interaction and character amount.

 

[JustJonathan]

Cafe Mickey - ESPECIALLY if your son will be eating his own meals and you feel you won't all get the full benefit of it.

Not only that, but inventions (in my opinion) was of a far more relaxed atmosphere, whereas cafe mickey is usually hectic, (but in a good way if that makes sense) with lots of characters about.

When we ate at inventions, we were sorely dissapointed.. we felt the food selection if you didn't like fish was nothing great at all, and actually - we got more character interaction at cafe mickey. The only major plus for us was that we got a castle view, but it was not worth paying for.

 

[Hipster Meg]

Personally I'd got for Cafe Mickey - we had a lovely meal there last November with some really good character interaction. The food in Inventions was good, plenty of choice but tbh I don't think the character interaction was good enough to justify the massive price difference between the lunch time buffet without character and the dinner time buffet with. If we decide to do Inventions again it'll probably be for lunch.

 

[DLPDreams]

It depends on how foodie you are - if you want quality and better service then go to Inventions but be prepared for your DS not eating his 'quota full' if you see what I mean. You may also see more unusual characters there but for your DS that may not be too much of positive?

I like both places and we are doing both next week! However, I think Cafe Mickey food is mediocre and the service isn't great at times. Having said that, we've only ever done lunch there - most people who like it do an evening meal. We go for the character interaction really but even then as Vala hits on, it's not as great as it used to be - the same old characters seem to be there. Fine if you aren't going to visit often though! And can be a good laugh!

Overall, if you can only do one then with a 3 year old I'd do Cafe Mickey! My DDs have ranged from 6 months up to 4.5 years when we've been there for lunch and always had a fun time!

 

[mummy2boys]

Thanks for the advice everyone, to be honest totally booking a character meal for my ds as i don't want to scare him with the pushing in the parks to see them so not too worried about the food as i guess he prob won't eat a thing when they come out. i would be tempted to book both but not sure if this is a bit excessive for his first trip, my husband also doesn't know were going so not been able to see what he thinks!

 

[Happy Tappy]

If your son is under 3, you wont have to pay for him at Inventions and he will get his own plate.

I personally prefer Cafe Mickey because I'm not a big buffet fan.

 

[jothp]

If your son is under 3, you wont have to pay for him at Inventions and he will get his own plate.

I was about to add that buffets are free for under 3's Also you can share pizzas and garlic bread etc in cafe mickey instead of all ordering separate meals. We have done cafe mickey and enjoyed it lots but have decided to try inventions this time for a change.

 

[Mum to Belle]

We took our DD when she was nearly 3 and opted for Inventions, partly because we had the Premium meal vouchers, partly because under 3's are free and partly because of the great reviews.

We have eaten in both restaurants twice and I like both. The food in Inventions is of much better quality and if you love seafood and desserts it is a real treat!!

We have had great character interaction in both restaurants.

One thing you should consider is how long your little one will be happy to sit for in the restaurant. If you are paying for Inventions you will want to get your moneysworth which will mean a fairly long sit in my experience - you don't want to rush it!

That said we spent 3 hours in Cafe Mickey - but we did have 3 courses PLUS a birthday cake and it was absolutely packed!!

Lunchtimes tend to be quieter in Cafe Mickey - this may be a more enjoyable experience?

Ahhh decisions, decisions!! Do both if you can afford it