Is Mickey's Backyard BBQ worth it?

[96boilermaker]

We've booked the BBQ for April 2008. When we booked, we were told that the characters stay on stage and don't come to the tables. Is this correct? A friend of mine went in May 2007 and she said the characters visited the tables and her daughter got to dance with some of them. Need advice on whether the BBQ is worth it!

 

[KERdad06]

We went to the Backyard BBQ last October and had a great time. DW scheduled this on our first night, so it was a lot of fun and a great way to get us into the Disney spirit.

As far as the characters stopping at the tables, this wasn't an issue. Most people were on the dance floor in between eating, and had a LOT of interaction with the characters, including getting their autographs. Minnie even grabbed my DD9's hand and they led the dance line for one of the songs. She loved that.

Hope you have a good time!

 

[LindyN]

No, I don't think this is worth the price you pay, or the two credits on the dining plan. Its the same food as you get at the Trail's End Buffeteria. Its outside and subject to weather, and its crowded.

For two credits/what they charge I'd rather do the Hoop De Doo Revue or signature dining somewhere.

But its worth it if its worth it to you. If it appeals to you after you have read what everyone else says then go and have fun.

 

[Daggett]

My DW and I have it planned for the last day of our trip, Dec 1st. Is it worth it....Humm....It's the same food as Trails End, the cheapest buffet at WDW. And it's really good food, but for $45 you can get a lot of fried chicken and beer.

That being said, if you've got the money to spend, and you like to go to old fashion BBQ hoe down, it's worth it. I grew up in south west Oklahoma, and I feel like I'm 12 again when I do the Back Yard BBQ, so my DW has one 45 year old kid to deal with for a while!!!

It's just like everything else at WDW, expensive, but if shin dig with fried chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, juice, soda, lemonade and beer, with bad country music is your kind of thing, you'll have a blast.

The characters have never stopped by the tables in the couple of times that I've been there, but they are very accessible.

Either way. Enjoy.

Dag

 

[my3disneygirls]

Not for me. I was considering it, but it looks like they cut the time from 3 hrs to 1 1/2 and scaled back the selections. Even with the longer time and more food items it was barely worth it to me. It's costing me less to eat in the castle and we get a picture package to boot.

 

[96boilermaker]

Any idea when they changed the timeframe from 3 hours to 1 1/2?

 

[my3disneygirls]

Any idea when they changed the timeframe from 3 hours to 1 1/2?

It was updated on all ears within the past month.

 

[NJShoreDad]

96boilermaker,
I was asking myself the same question prior to attending the BBQ last night. It of course depends on what value you place on certain things. Here are some observations:

1. Food was decent. Based on the food alone, I wouldn't say it was worth 2 DDP credits, but there is more to consider...

2. Entertainment was good. I am NOT a country music fan, however, you couldn't help tapping your foot and dancing with the kids. There is a dance floor in the middle of the pavillion, and everybody gets up and dances throughout the event. It is quite LOUD though (understatement).

3. Patience is the order of the day. It was absolute mayhem at times with the characters out there, and kids positioning to get to the characters, especially on the dance floor. In fact, I almost saw a couple of guys get into it over something that was probably stupid, but there is a lot going on there and you need to look after your young ones. I found this especially trying, especially when it came to kids with Autograph books. Now I can see how much fun they are to those that have them, but I just wanted my children to be able to experience being near the characters, dancing and all and I can't tell you how many times they were pushed aside by pen-wielding autograph-seekers. Again, I can sort of understand the attraction with the autographs, but manners seem to go out the window when you have a pen and notebook in your hand. Especially at an event where you should be dancing and interacting with the characters. Why can't folks save the autographs for the parks?

4. 1 3/4 (6:30pm to 8:15pm) hours is just about enough and I can't see doing it for 3 hours! After about 45 minutes to an hour, people begin to filter out. Most did stick it out, but you can tell that some of the groups had enough.

5. As you can tell from my note (3) above, there is a lot of interaction with the characters. In fact, they never really go on stage, as the dance floor and tables are all on the same level. The band (a pretty decent country group) and the hosts (2 non-character CMs) were really the only ones on stage durnig the night.

Overall I would say it was a good time. My wife set up all of the ADR's for our trip (still there now), so based upon the description and the fact that I like a little bit better food, I probably wouldn't have picked it. But my wife was in charge of ADR's, booked it, and we had a good time overall.

 

[Mickeymouse1117]

I was not impressed. Of all the CMs we had it was by far the least liked. Finding a seat was a trick in itself. The characters did work the isles ( rather rapidly) but spent most of the time on the dance floor with the kids. The food was average and if your into drinking alcohol it is there for the taking. I think it is way overpriced. Now if you enjoy being jam packed with people you dont know, standing around waiting for a seat, eating luke warm food in an outdoor (no A/C) enviroment and seeing a Character maybe once on your row then it may be worth it.

 

[bubba]

Ie went last year with DM(60), DH(41), DS(3) and DS(7). We all had a ball ! The food was great - not fancy, but tasty and plentiful. The kids loved the opportunity to get up and dance rather than sitting at the table all the time like at most character meals. The band was great and the kids loved watching Cowboy Troy the roper. I seem to remember it lasting from 6:30 until about 8:15 or so which was really long enough. We are planning to do it again this year !

 

[maraki527]

During a girls trip we went and had a great time. We met all the characters and danced al evening. I would do it again once I have children of my own.