Maximizing Character Meals

Emily M

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Messages
20
5n/6d trip planned for December '17 with Regular Dining Plan. Looking to maximize character meet & greets during meals, to avoid standing in line/using a FP to meet in the parks. 1 park each day: DS (arrival day), MVMCP, AK, HS, MK. Willing to spend 2 TS on one meal if its amazing (character & meal wise).

Also, are there any QS locations with characters? TIA :)
 
There are two princess meals, Akershus in Epcot, which is great, and Cinderella's castle in MK and is 2 TS credits. Overall, Akershus is better food, and usually better character interaction, and only 1 credit. People who choose the castle over Akershus do it for the envirornment, mostly. There really is something amazingly magical about eating in the castle.

There is also the new Bon Voyage breakfast with Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn. This is at Boardwalk, near Epcot.

Pooh and friends are in Crystal Palace at MK. Good food, good interaction.

For Mickey and friends you have a bunch of options. What resort are you staying at? This would make a big difference in recommendations. Top 2 choices at a park would be Tusker at AK and Minnie's seasonal dine at HS. For Minnie's dine, you can get a package which includes reserved seating for Fantasmic for the same 1 TS credit.
 

MK: Crystal Palace for Pooh Chracters
Ep: Akershus for princesses -or- Garden Grill for Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Farmer Mickey
HS: H&V for Dis Jr (breakfast)
AK: Tusker House for Fab Four (no Minnie)

Bonus: 1900 PF for Tremaine family (dinner) or Bon Voyage/Trattoria for Rapunzel, Flynn, Ariel, and Eric (breakfast)
 
There are two princess meals, Akershus in Epcot, which is great, and Cinderella's castle in MK and is 2 TS credits. Overall, Akershus is better food, and usually better character interaction, and only 1 credit. People who choose the castle over Akershus do it for the envirornment, mostly. There really is something amazingly magical about eating in the castle.

There is also the new Bon Voyage breakfast with Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn. This is at Boardwalk, near Epcot.

Pooh and friends are in Crystal Palace at MK. Good food, good interaction.

For Mickey and friends you have a bunch of options. What resort are you staying at? This would make a big difference in recommendations. Top 2 choices at a park would be Tusker at AK and Minnie's seasonal dine at HS. For Minnie's dine, you can get a package which includes reserved seating for Fantasmic for the same 1 TS credit.


I'm leaning towards the Minnie Dine w/Fantasmic priority seating. I've heard mixed reviews about the food, but good reviews for Character Interaction. Unfortunately we are't doing Epcot, so Akershus would be out (right?). We are staying at Wilderness Lodge.
 
CRT
Crystal Palace
Hollywood and Vine PPO Disney Jr breakfast with Fantasmic! package (after signing up for Jedi Training)
Tusker House Rivers of Light package
1900 Park (breakfast for Alice and Mary Poppins, dinner for Wicked Stepfamily)
Garden Grove if you must see Chip & Dale
 
CRT
Crystal Palace
Hollywood and Vine PPO Disney Jr breakfast with Fantasmic! package (after signing up for Jedi Training)
Tusker House Rivers of Light package
1900 Park (breakfast for Alice and Mary Poppins, dinner for Wicked Stepfamily)
Garden Grove if you must see Chip & Dale


Can you elaborate on the H&V Breakfast? I thought the Fantasmic package was only w/dinner... and also how to tie in the Jedi Training. (this combo could satisfy my 4yo daughter and 9yo son!)
 
Oh, I'm assuming you can do Fantasmic with H&V Breakfast. Maybe you can't. But if your kids like Disney Jr it's a can't miss. We like to get a 8am pre-park opening reservation and walk over to the Jedi Training sign-up booth before breakfast. Bingo-bango, it's 9am, everyone's full of sugar, you've met Jake and Doc McStuffins, and you have a whole day of Hollywood Studios ahead of you and the most convenient Jedi Training timeslot.

For Fantasmic, you could carry out QS from Fairfax Fare and eat it in the amphitheater while you wait for the show to start.
 
Not sure you will find "amazing", so I would keep it to one credit. If you really want CRT, I would go just pay. Since you are going to be in the parks for 4 days I would do this:

MK: Crystal Palace
AK: Tusker House for Breakfast
DHS: Hollywood and Vine for Breakfast
Resorts: Chef Mickey's then head over to MVMCP

It looks like you are skipping Epcot, but if you were going there I would say Askerhaus for princesses or Garden Grill is princesses are not as important
 
If princesses are a priority, and staying at wilderness lodge, then Cinderella's castle is your best bet. You'll have to decide whether to use 2 TS credits for it or pay OOP. DD4 will absolutely be AMAZED eating in the castle. And, the princesses will make a fuss over DS9 also.

Most boys love the attention from beautiful girls, even if they would never admit it. :blush:

If the kids are into Pooh and company, Crystal Palace is a lot of fun. If they aren't into the characters, you can skip it.

Taking the monorail over to Ohana best friends breakfast should be considered. They have Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and Pluto. Food is served family style, not a buffet.

1900 Park Fare has a great buffet breakfast at Grand Floridean, with Mary Poppins and Alice. This is a lot of fun. Their dinner buffet is also very good, and has Cinderella, Prince Charming (I think he's still there), step sisters, and step mother. The villains might be the best character interactions we've ever had.

AK: Tusker house can also include Rivers of Light package, with Mickey, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy.

HS: H&V fantasmic package. Breakfast for Disney Jr (and easy Jedi signups) and Dinner with Minnie and friends. Lunch is supposed to change from Disney Jr to Minnie in Sept. But, that was already postponed once, so who knows on that.
 
We're doing the same thing. Staying at the Beach Club, we have Cape May Cafe breakfast with the fab 4, Akershus with the princesses including Belle (PPO so we should be able to meet A&E pretty quickly), Bon Voyage with a different set of princesses, plus we do the Visa meet and greets for shorter lines. Also have a few fps to finish off. By all means take the time to see Inside Out and Big Hero 6 characters.
 
We always kick off a Disney trip with kids at Chef Mickeys. Fab 5 and doe=wnright Disney.

For Princesses? I would book Akershus Breakfast. It is a great value on the DDP, and reallyhas good Princess interaction. I like this castle.

CHip and Dale? How about Garden Grill? We like this meal. The interaction is more relaxed than at other character meals, and it features the Chipmunks and Farmer Mickey.

In the MK? How about Crystal palace for Pooh and the gang?

I did not see the ages of the children, but H&V offers character M&G. I think it is DIsney Jr in the morning. Personally I would skip TS in DHS and just have a counter service meal. There are better M&G meals elsewhere.

I also like 1900 PF for breakfast to meet Alice and Mad hatter. Dinner features teh Tremain Family. Hysterical!!

DAK offers Tusker House, again the Fab Five. Cape May in the Beach Club has a very nice character breakfast with Mickey and friends.

I would look at the characters you want to meet, and then make ADR's that are both convenient and that include a diverse character assortment.
 
Have you considered skipping a character meal & doing Hoop-de-doo instead? It's so much fun & kids love it! (BTW we would skip Chef Mickey's because the food... yuck, just yuck!)
 
I think it'd be easier to help plan if we had a list of the characters you'd like to meet.

Otherwise, it's process of elimination to avoid repeats (assuming you want to avoid repeats). As far as I can recollect, the character meals are:

Animal Kingdom
  • Tusker House (Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy in safari attire)
Hollywood Studios
  • Hollywood and Vine [breakfast] (Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, Jake)
  • Hollywood and Vine [dinner] (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Goofy)
Magic Kingdom
  • Cinderella's Royal Table [2 credits] (Cinderella plus assorted other princesses; often Ariel, Aurora, Snow White)
  • Crystal Palace (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore)
Resorts
  • Beach Club; Cape May [breakfast] (Minnie, Goofy, Pluto in beach attire)
  • Boardwalk; La Trattoria [breakfast] (Ariel & Eric, Rapunzel & Flynn)
  • Contemporary; Chef Mickey's (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Goofy in chef attire)
  • Grand Floridian; 1900 Park Faire [breakfast] (Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter)
  • Grand Floridian; 1900 Park Faire [dinner] (Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, step-sisters)
  • Polynesian; 'Ohana [breakfast] (Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, Pluto)
Ok... since Tusker House and H&V dinner have the same exact characters, I'd drop one, and as Tusker House is the only character meal in AK, I'd keep that one. By the same token, I'd keep at most one of Cape May, Chef Mickey's, and 'Ohana to get Pluto - 'Ohana also gets you Lilo & Stitch.

For princesses, I'd rather spend the two credits at a combo of 1900 PF for a dinner and La Trattoria for a breakfast than spend two credits at CRT.

That leaves H&V (breakfast), Crystal Palace, and 1900 PF (breakfast) to round it out. If you've already decided on 1900 PF for dinner, I wouldn't repeat it, though.

So, my recommendations: Tusker House (any), 'Ohana breakfast, 1900 PF dinner, La Trattoria breakfast, and either H&V breakfast or Crystal Palace (any).

Working with your list above, I'd suggest:
  • Arrival Day (Disney Springs): 1900 Park Faire dinner
  • MVMCP day: 'Ohana breakfast
  • Animal Kingdom day: Tusker House (any)
  • Hollywood Studios day: La Trattoria breakfast [alt: Hollywood & Vine breakfast]
  • Magic Kingdom day: Crystal Palace (any)
Should get you a total of: Mickey (twice), Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Lilo, Stitch, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, the two step-sisters, Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, Flynn, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore.

Note, this is strictly based on maximizing unique character meets via meals. Characters are, of course, subject to change without notice at any meal.
 
Have you considered skipping a character meal & doing Hoop-de-doo instead? It's so much fun & kids love it! (BTW we would skip Chef Mickey's because the food... yuck, just yuck!)

I have been hearing great things about the show, but I don't know if I could convince my group of 12 to go there... but I'm slowly working on them. The rest of our party goes every other year, so they are kinda set of what they do. I'm trying to get the most out of this trip, as it is my chance to win hubby over as a believer.
 
I think it'd be easier to help plan if we had a list of the characters you'd like to meet.

Otherwise, it's process of elimination to avoid repeats (assuming you want to avoid repeats). As far as I can recollect, the character meals are:

Animal Kingdom
  • Tusker House (Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy in safari attire)
Hollywood Studios
  • Hollywood and Vine [breakfast] (Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, Jake)
  • Hollywood and Vine [dinner] (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Goofy)
Magic Kingdom
  • Cinderella's Royal Table [2 credits] (Cinderella plus assorted other princesses; often Ariel, Aurora, Snow White)
  • Crystal Palace (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore)
Resorts
  • Beach Club; Cape May [breakfast] (Minnie, Goofy, Pluto in beach attire)
  • Boardwalk; La Trattoria [breakfast] (Ariel & Eric, Rapunzel & Flynn)
  • Contemporary; Chef Mickey's (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Goofy in chef attire)
  • Grand Floridian; 1900 Park Faire [breakfast] (Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter)
  • Grand Floridian; 1900 Park Faire [dinner] (Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, step-sisters)
  • Polynesian; 'Ohana [breakfast] (Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, Pluto)
Ok... since Tusker House and H&V dinner have the same exact characters, I'd drop one, and as Tusker House is the only character meal in AK, I'd keep that one. By the same token, I'd keep at most one of Cape May, Chef Mickey's, and 'Ohana to get Pluto - 'Ohana also gets you Lilo & Stitch.

For princesses, I'd rather spend the two credits at a combo of 1900 PF for a dinner and La Trattoria for a breakfast than spend two credits at CRT.

That leaves H&V (breakfast), Crystal Palace, and 1900 PF (breakfast) to round it out. If you've already decided on 1900 PF for dinner, I wouldn't repeat it, though.

So, my recommendations: Tusker House (any), 'Ohana breakfast, 1900 PF dinner, La Trattoria breakfast, and either H&V breakfast or Crystal Palace (any).

Working with your list above, I'd suggest:
  • Arrival Day (Disney Springs): 1900 Park Faire dinner
  • MVMCP day: 'Ohana breakfast
  • Animal Kingdom day: Tusker House (any)
  • Hollywood Studios day: La Trattoria breakfast [alt: Hollywood & Vine breakfast]
  • Magic Kingdom day: Crystal Palace (any)
Should get you a total of: Mickey (twice), Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Lilo, Stitch, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, the two step-sisters, Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, Flynn, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore.

Note, this is strictly based on maximizing unique character meets via meals. Characters are, of course, subject to change without notice at any meal.
I think it'd be easier to help plan if we had a list of the characters you'd like to meet.

Otherwise, it's process of elimination to avoid repeats (assuming you want to avoid repeats). As far as I can recollect, the character meals are:

Animal Kingdom
  • Tusker House (Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy in safari attire)
Hollywood Studios
  • Hollywood and Vine [breakfast] (Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, Jake)
  • Hollywood and Vine [dinner] (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Goofy)
Magic Kingdom
  • Cinderella's Royal Table [2 credits] (Cinderella plus assorted other princesses; often Ariel, Aurora, Snow White)
  • Crystal Palace (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore)
Resorts
  • Beach Club; Cape May [breakfast] (Minnie, Goofy, Pluto in beach attire)
  • Boardwalk; La Trattoria [breakfast] (Ariel & Eric, Rapunzel & Flynn)
  • Contemporary; Chef Mickey's (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Goofy in chef attire)
  • Grand Floridian; 1900 Park Faire [breakfast] (Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter)
  • Grand Floridian; 1900 Park Faire [dinner] (Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, step-sisters)
  • Polynesian; 'Ohana [breakfast] (Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, Pluto)
Ok... since Tusker House and H&V dinner have the same exact characters, I'd drop one, and as Tusker House is the only character meal in AK, I'd keep that one. By the same token, I'd keep at most one of Cape May, Chef Mickey's, and 'Ohana to get Pluto - 'Ohana also gets you Lilo & Stitch.

For princesses, I'd rather spend the two credits at a combo of 1900 PF for a dinner and La Trattoria for a breakfast than spend two credits at CRT.

That leaves H&V (breakfast), Crystal Palace, and 1900 PF (breakfast) to round it out. If you've already decided on 1900 PF for dinner, I wouldn't repeat it, though.

So, my recommendations: Tusker House (any), 'Ohana breakfast, 1900 PF dinner, La Trattoria breakfast, and either H&V breakfast or Crystal Palace (any).

Working with your list above, I'd suggest:
  • Arrival Day (Disney Springs): 1900 Park Faire dinner
  • MVMCP day: 'Ohana breakfast
  • Animal Kingdom day: Tusker House (any)
  • Hollywood Studios day: La Trattoria breakfast [alt: Hollywood & Vine breakfast]
  • Magic Kingdom day: Crystal Palace (any)
Should get you a total of: Mickey (twice), Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Lilo, Stitch, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, the two step-sisters, Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, Flynn, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore.

Note, this is strictly based on maximizing unique character meets via meals. Characters are, of course, subject to change without notice at any meal.


THANK YOU!!! This is absolutely amazing and exactly what I was looking for! It was so hard to piece all the characters and options together :scared:, so thank you for laying it out straight for me. :thanks:
 





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