Is Chef Mickey's THAT gross?

[Caramia01]

We were just in Disney in December on the dining plan. I want to try some new places. Last time we ate at 1900, CP, Sci Fi, Rainforest Cafe, Shutters and some CS places. I keep seeing CM is one of the most popular charachter dining places, but it was in everyone's bottom 3 places in another thread. I'm also up in the air about Goofy's Liberty Tree Tavern dinner and Concourse. Any thoughts on these 3 places for dinner?! Any suggestions? Here's my schedule to make it easier. Please help. I'm still a rookie!!

Wed Sept 6: arrive - no park scheduled,
Early Lunch - CS
Dinner - can go anywhere - have Chef Mickey's scheduled.

Thurs Sept 7: MK
CS breakfast
dinner - LTT

Fri Sept 8: Epcot
Break - Princess Storybook
DInner - Coral Reef

Sat Sept 9: Day off - Maybe Disney Quest
Break - CS
Dinner at Planet Hollywood since we'll prob be downtown

Sun Sept 10: AK
Break - OOP at Rainforest Cafe
Dinner - can go anywhere, have Concourse scheduled

Monday Sept 11: MGM
Break: CS
Dinner: CS

 

[kcashner]

Chef Mickey's is fun. It can get a bit rowdy sometimes. The buffet is a typical Disney buffet--hot, well maintained. There is a gentleman cutting ham and turkey...sometimes roast beef. Lots of selections. I certainly wouldn't call it gross.

Liberty Tree Tavern is one of our favorites. We're trying Concourse for the first time next week!

 

[Caramia01]

Thanks for the reassurance! Just know I'm not so good at planning like some of ya' all yet!! Wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious. Also, we might do a midevil dinner show the first night. That would actually open up another TS credit and we'd have to move CM! My head hurts.

 

[matt&jakesmom]

Just want to let you know that we eat at CM for dinner to start out vacation and breakfast to end it. We all enjoy the food, service and atmosphere . It is our must every year.

We ate at the Concourse last year and the food was very good. I had steak and it was one of the better steaks I had in a long time. Beats our steakhouses in Michigan. Enjoy!!!!

 

[cseca]

I don't like CM food, character interaction is great.
My DBF LOVES LTT dinner, and the character interaction is also wonderful.
I've never been to concourse for dinner, but bfast Sticky Mickey is awesome...

 

[Lewisc]

CM is fun. I don't think the food is much better than buffet restaurants like Golden Corral. The food is edible and there is a good variety. The fun atmosphere and character interaction is enough to distract from the mediocre, average food that's served.

 

[Christine]

No, I don't think Chef Mickey's is "gross." Of all the Disney property buffets, I *do* think it has the worst food, but it is still "just okay."

On the other hand, my whole family did the LTT for dinner and, to us, it bordered on being kind of gross. Not everything (the salad and bread were good). The meats were very "underwhelming." But, everyone has their own likes and dislikes and level of what they expect at a restaurant. It just depends where yours are.

 

[ugadog99]

I know many people bash Chef Mickey's, but in 10 trips we have never had a bad experience. In fact, it is the only restaurant that we absolutely must do every trip. The characters are fun, but really the food is good, too.

 

[mking624]

I've only been to CM for breakfast, and I really enjoyed it...both the food and interaction were great!

 

[scrapbookworm]

Although I haven't eaten there yet (but will be in less than 2 weeks!), I think that with ANY of the restaurants, it's all a matter of perspective and individual tastes. What the traveler is looking for in a restaurant, whether it be gourmet meals, inexpensive meals, character interaction, etc. I think that is the reason we disliked Coral Reef. It's a completely different style of seafood than what we are used to- we were spoiled on an excellent restaurant in Gulf Shores, and everything else pales in comparision. We were looking for something similar to the restaurant we loved, and Coral Reef was on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don't think that the food was badly prepared- just not to my taste.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We loved it. The menu changes often. Some times it's more deluxe than others.
But it was hot, fresh. I got my 30 bux out of a wonderful seafood salad with ocean scallops, shrimp, and white fish in it in a light dressing. Oh it was yummy and I probably could have just picked up the container and taken it to the table as much of it as I ate. The Prime rib was great. If the're down to the final end of the roast, wait a couple minutes for a new one. They don't quite trim that end off enough for my tastes. The Ham was good. We got a nice seafood Penne. I had 3 helpings of that. Our chicken was rather plain. I think it was Mojo or something like that. I skipped that entirely. But Junior said it was good.
We got Broccoli with almonds, and corn that was good. Mashed potatos were yummy (though a bit overhyped) The Mickey ravioli. was bland. I didn't care for it. The kids gave the mac N cheese thumbs up as well as the pizza.
I tried the Salmon. It was great. They had a Mango, wasabi sauce on it that was really good. I didn't eat that much of it though because I'm just not a huge Salmon eater.

The menu changes often. But in all likelihood, you should expect solid, but not spectacular food. There's not a whole lot of choice but you'll probably find something you like. And expect the kids and the family to have a good time.

 

[Katienphil]

We like CMs for breakfast...never did it for dinner.

We like Concourse....yummy steaks...of course that was 8 years ago!!! LOL.

Never been to Liberty Tree Tavern.

 

[java]

To us it is that gross. I guess for the price I expect the food to be at least edible. And our breakfast there was not. (we have been twice- the first time fine- 3 years later awful!) But that was breakfast. I am of the if they can't get a bagel right am I going to trust them with Prime Rib?

 

[Christine]

I am of the if they can't get a bagel right am I going to trust them with Prime Rib?

Actually, when I went, the Prime Rib wasn't all that bad for a buffet. What I had the most problem with was the buffet veggies and the other stuff in the steam trays. We had some very soggy, mushy broccoli. And the dessert area was just such a letdown.

It really wasn't horrible, but I definitely enjoy ALL of the other buffets more.

 

[ptrbryant]

the character interaction was great, the food was fine...nothing great, but I do think it was a bit better than most chain restaurants mentioned. As a reassurance to OP, if most people's experience with CM's truly was gross, why would it be so hard to get reservations there? Every restaurant can have "off" days or nights. Our favorite spot for lunch had always been LTT, but last year, it was so bad (even when ordering our "usual") that we're passing on it this year. (BTW, LTT character dinner is great!)

Karla B.

 

[Nancyg56]

My family enjoyed both CM and Concourse Steak House. We are scheduling both again next time. I think that CM is a buffet, with buffet food. It is loud and kind of frenetic. My family loved this to kick off our vacation. Some would disagree. We also enjoyed the CS, but is is noisy. We liked watching the monorail. If you are looking for a relaxing end of day experience, this may not be the place to eat.
Restaurants are like music. My taste may not match yours. I would go with the menu selections and the atmosphere you are looking for, and use the reviews as a guide, not the final decision maker. What ever you choose, I hope that you enjoy it.

 

[GarrettJD]

We went to CM once-- three years ago for our first trip in 2003. The food was pretty good, and we enjoyed it. However, we've never really felt the need to go back. We've been to Crystal Palace every year, and we loved LTT so much last year that we're going back this year.

 

[tiff211]

If you are going there to satisfy your palate, don't bother. If you are going there so your kids can have a memorable, very interactive time in a loud setting with plenty of characters, go for it. It makes it worth every penny!!! I didn't not care for the food and I am not picky at all! My expectations were higher because of the price I guess.

 

[Yacht Club Family]

We go to CM's at least 3 times every trip. While the food isn't necessarily Cordon Bleu, it is usually very good. They have a couple of very good dishes, and several pretty good ones. The salads are very good, we like the desserts, but aren't that big on desserts. We've already scheduled 3 more meals for July. While the food may not be as good consistently as Crystal Palace, we've never had a bad meal and it's our 12 year olds favorite.

On the other hand, we stopped going to LTT 3 years ago. The characters were great, the salad is amazing, the rest is cafeteria food (to us). The ham and turkey are just okay. The potatoes are okay. The macaroni and cheese is frozen Swanson's or something. We don't even serve that at home, I surely won't pay for it at Disney.

I'd check out the menus on wdwig (Deb's website) and then you'll know pretty much what to expect. If you like simple, homestyle foods you can find those. If you like more upscale, you'll find that, too.

Good luck and enjoy wherever you choose to go!

 

[Harmony]

CM is one of our favorite buffets! My toddler loves it! My 10y/o loves it! Even my teenager says that it's his favorite!

The food is buffet food. Still, it's not bad at all. We've been there several times and the food has always been hot, presentable and tasty.

The best thing about CM's is the character interaction!