Is it worth booking Cindys breakfast if going on a cruise ?

[jdybnsn]

My DD is nearly 5 and would love to meet Cinderella - I was going to book Cindy's breakfast at magic Kingdom, but now we have also booked a Disney Cruise as part of the trip, is it really worth doing the Cindy's Breakfast as well ?....since you get to meet her, and other princesses, on board.

What do you think ?

Is she likely to see as much of Cindy on board as at the Breakfast ?

Opinions please !

 

[mc'smommy]

Hi there
I have been to Disney World 25 times ( 26th upcoming ) and going on my 2nd Disney Cruise.. and the lines ups for the Characters on the 3 night cruise is somewhat overwhelming to me... I personnaly LOVE the Princess breakfast at both Cinderella's Castle as well as in Norway at Epcot.. But the all time favourite is dinner with Cinderella at the Grand Floridian...

Now I would not specifially get a park ticket just to have breakfast with her, the princesses only stop by the table for a moment for photos and autographs.. If you are going to be at the magic kingdom then I vote to have breakfast with Cindy !


Enjoy what ever you choose..

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

We did the breakfast with Cindy and the Princess lunch at Norway before the cruise (and Donalds Breakfastasuarus, Cape May, etc). I liked doing it that way because it freed up alot of time on the cruise. Often the Princess greets (either allowing photos or autographs but rarely both) on the cruise were at wierd times for us or the lines formed very early (like while we were still enjoying dinner) and were horrendously long. So we skipped pretty much all of them. But my kids still saw the Princesses and had some great interaction with them in the kids clubs (which was good since they never wanted to leave the club even the times we did want to pull them out to try and see a character). Having the meals at Disney World allowed us to enjoy seeing the characters with our kids at a leisurely relaxed pace, without sacrificing precious time onboard (which for our 4 night went WAAAAY to fast). And then if there was someone we had missed or really wanted to see again (had to get a photo of my ds and his pal Donald Duck in their matching tuxes) we did make sure we made an opportunity to see them onboard or at Castaway Cay (where the character photos turn out gorgeous).

 

[Mickeyhugger]

By all means, do Cinderella's breakfast (at MK.)

My reasons are somewhat different. Yes, your DD will be entranced, but the cream cheese/cinnamon danish pastry that's served with the meal is to die for, and it's the only meal in all of WDW where it's available. (The potatoes are wonderful too!)

 

[MickeyMania]

My daughter's newest favorite thing (and mine, too!) is going to the tent in Toon Town in Magic Kingdom. They have a room for the princesses - usually Cinderella, Aurora and Snow White. It's so much better than your typical meet and greet. The princesses spend some time talking with the kids - and ask them questions, etc...

It's really fabulous - and you don't have to pay $50+ to have breakfast. That said - the character meals are a favorite of ours, too.

We live near Disney and go to a park about once a week - EXCEPT in the summer We are going on our first DCL in March - and despite the fact that we see the princesses/Mickey/Minnie a lot - I am sure we will wait in all those lines on the cruise...

Hope this helps!

 

[clh2]

We did a 4-nt cruise about 2 years ago, followed by a couple of days at WDW. If I would have known how great the characters were on the ship, I would have cancelled all the character dining's that we had ressies for except Crystal Palace. I would have kept CP because Pooh and friends are not on the ship ever.

The character interaction on the ship was far better than in the character dining opportunities.

The Photo ops on the ship are far better than in the dining rooms, and if your pic fails, you can always purchase the ship's pictures. We downloaded our pics everynight onto our laptop.

The character dining is pretty expensive, and it is one area where we could have saved money. The only character I recall seeing at CRT that wasn't on the ship was Mary Poppins. In addition to CRT, we also did Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey and the Ice Cream Social.

 

[Kimmielee]

I am doing Cindy's breakfast in MK even though we leave on Magic just days later.... simply because the experience of being INSIDE the castle is amazing... it's beautiful, the view is wonderful (we had the best table in the dining area last year - so I've been spoiled) and like any other character dining experience... the kid(s) are too excited to eat much anyway.... If you can afford it, do it!!!

 

[lbgraves]

I am reposting our experience on our first cruise here to answer your question. DD doesn't even know that you can eat inside the castle...but she does know that she will get to visit with her favorite Princess on the ship.

Just thinking about this brings tears to my eyes. On our first cruise DD was just 3 and didn't know much about the characters since she hadn't seen many Disney movies that came out before she was born. I got her story books for the princesses & we talked about some of the others but she was quite taken with Cinderella. When Cindy came out on our second day DD hid behind me watching her talk to the few kids in front of us. Her eyes didn't blink. When it was her turn, Cinderella saw that she was a bit shy & knelt down on the ground to get down to DD's level. She let her stand close to her asking her questions...which the only response she got was "ah ha" from DD. Her mouth didn't close...she just couldn't believe that Cinderella was talking to her. She asked if she could give her a hug & DD just nodded her head. She asked DD where DS was since his autograph book was there too. Was she going to the club? Did she like the pool? Not in any kind of rush to get on to the next child. After their picture she hugged DD again and told me that she was just adorable. DD's feet didn't touch the floor the rest of the cruise.

That night after formal dinner we decided to get changed & go see Nemo. DS got in his Mickey PJs & DD chose her Cinderella PJs...of course. Well...who should walk out of Shutters as we came around the corner but Cinderella herself. We were still a good distance away when she clasped her hands, knelt on the floor so she could hug DD & DS, and said "Oh Kaitlyn! It's so good to see you again! Is this your brother, William? How did you enjoy your time in the club this morning. I missed meeting you but am so glad to see you tonight. And I just love your pajamas, those are one of my favorites." She chatted a bit then said goodnight and continued on to her photo op downstairs.

It was like that every single time we saw her that week, which was once or twice a day. IDK why she was able to remember DD's name but the way she was with her touched my heart. It will never be like that again I am sure. I left a thank you note at GS for her to thank her, but she will never know how it affected DD. Her self confidence increased so much from her experiences on the ship...from Cinderella to the attention she received from our host & wonderful servers. She returned to PS and started talking in class! They had never heard her utter a single peep beyond a whispered thank you or please and here this child was telling everyone about the ship & her friend Cinderella. We had to send out an invite for her Bday party and "received" a reply that she would love to attend but her duties at the castle & on the ship simply couldn't be changed but she was looking forward to seeing her again on our next cruise.

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

The character interaction on the ship was far better than in the character dining opportunities.

We had exactly the opposite experience on the Wonder in August. When we did make the effort to wait (photos or autographs) it was so rushed on the ship. Although the interaction we did see in the kids clubs was fantastic (but the parents often miss that). And I do agree the pictures are a million times better on the ship.

When considering skipping the meals at WDW due to the cost, also think about how much you might miss onboard the ship (that you also paid for) while you are in line for these character greetings. Some of the best times we had onboard were when everyone else was in line for the big Princess greets. Might not be a big deal on a 7 night, but on a 4 night it was huge.

 

[d'Isigny]

I am doing Cindy's breakfast in MK even though we leave on Magic just days later.... simply because the experience of being INSIDE the castle is amazing... it's beautiful, the view is wonderful (we had the best table in the dining area last year - so I've been spoiled) and like any other character dining experience... the kid(s) are too excited to eat much anyway.... If you can afford it, do it!!!

I must agree with Kimmielee...this is an awesome experience. We often try for the first seating of the day. This way...we can walk down main street with just a few of our dining mates. If you are able to finish breakfast as the park opens...you can complete some rides before people get through the front gate. It's almost like having one of the lands to youself...and a few friends. Yes, it's expansive...but - you may never pass this way again.

what ever you decide...enjoy your time at WDW. K

 

[lillygator]

If you have never done it - I would definitely go for it. It is awesome!! We were spoiled with our first expereince there...DD was 18 months...Cinderella scooped her up, whispered things with her, took about 10 minutes just talking quietly and looking out at Fantasyland....it was awesome!!!

We are staying at WDW before our cruise this year but decided not to do it this time as we have done it quite a few times this year and I am afraid of overkill!

 

[jdybnsn]

Thank you all so much for all your advice and tips, and sharing some of your wonderful experiences.

I have decided that I will try and book Cindy's before we cruise - I don't really want to spend our valuable cruising time queueing and after reading your descriptions, the inside of the castle sounds great !

Looking forward to our trip - just hope I get lucky with the Cindy ressie !!

 

[jdybnsn]

OOpps posted twice and don't know how to remove it