We did this about two years ago in August '02 and loved it!
Definitely arrive early. Be prepared to stand in line. Bring sunlotion and bug spray. There's a petting zoo nearby that one parent can take the kids to while the other waits in line. That seemed to work best for us. Goofy came out to entertain those in line after a while. They also issue your ID bracelet for alcohol consumption before entering.
The long line snakes into the pavilion and through the food line first before finding a seat so don't have too much to carry with you as you'll have to juggle that along with a food plate! We also chose to sit on the outer edge near the open air where a slight breeze came through. The staging area in the middle was hot under the lights. The beer and wine was over in one corner opposite where we were sitting, unfortunately. LOL
We all loved the food and went back many times but then I'm a picnic/cookout food type person, if there is such a thing! They ran out of one kind of beer pretty early on, as I recall. I'm trying to think of what else they had besides what was already posted...potato salad, watermelon, baked beans, mac'ncheese and some kind of cake for dessert? I wrote a review upon returning but my memory fails me now!
Go see the characters as soon as they come out or else wait till later. We had no problem getting pictures of who we wanted in a reasonable amount of time, mainly just Minnie, as we had seen all the others at another character meal that trip.
We ended up leaving early to see the outdoor movie at Ft Wilderness but we enjoyed it thoroughly. We bought the pictures they took in the beginning. We'd love to go back again during a less hot time of year, whenever that is!
Have fun!
