Mother's Day Brunch at Disneyland Hotel

[ksdisneyfan]

Our family is going to Disneyland for the first time this May, and we will be arriving in Anaheim on May 10th, Mother's Day. I made a PS for the Brunch at the Disneyland Hotel for the family, but I'm not sure whether it's worth it or not. Have any of you been to the brunch on Mother's Day? Is it worth the $67 for adults? It sounds like there will be princesses there, but is there a lot of character interaction? Any opinions on this would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[fairycat]

UGH I had a long response but my computer just ate it

We have done the Easter Brunch three times the last being last year and I would say YES the hotel brunches are worth it!

Lots of good food!! Repeated stations so you don't have to go far. Characters with small lines with nice photo displays. They don't rush you so you have time to eat and relax with your family and friends. Good service and just a good time all around.

If you want more details let me know and I will try again

 

[Misskitty3]

Is it really just $67 for adults? I was under the impression the Mother's day brunch was closer to $90 per person.

 

[luvsmickey1968]

Is the Mother's Day brunch worth $67.00?
Well, I asked myself the same thing when I contemplated making reservations.
I know that I am not going to eat $67.00 worth of food so I had to ask myself if "the experience" is worth it?
I decided that it is definitely overpriced but as I may never be at Disneyland on Mother's Day again and I am considering it a once and lifetime thing, I am going to do it!
I must say that I really do object to them charging my 10 year old daughter full price but that is the way that it is.
I did the Fantasmic Premium Seating last May. It was quite expensive and I was very unsure that it was worth it but we absolutely loved it and didn't regret spending the money.
Now, I will have to buy a few less souvenirs and will not do any other character meals but it is not going to break my bank!
I am the type of person that would rather do it and regret spending the money than not do it and always feel that I should have, if you know what I mean.
According to the CM when I made my reservation, it comes to $83.00 with taxes and gratuity and they do give standard AP discounts.

 

[Sherry E]

UGH I had a long response but my computer just ate it

We have done the Easter Brunch three times the last being last year and I would say YES the hotel brunches are worth it!

Lots of good food!! Repeated stations so you don't have to go far. Characters with small lines with nice photo displays. They don't rush you so you have time to eat and relax with your family and friends. Good service and just a good time all around.

If you want more details let me know and I will try again

Fairycat - I was wondering about the Easter Brunch, as I am sure it's similar to the Mother's Day one, except with maybe different characters. Can you use an AP for a discount on the brunch? Is it all you can eat buffet-style, or a more limited buffeteria-style? Are the photo stations also PhotoPass locations? What characters were at the Easter meal? Here is what I envision, based on what I recalled seeing back in 1993 or 1994, and you tell me if I am correct: Roger Rabbit, the White Rabbit from Alice, Rabbit from Pooh, Thumper from Bambi and Br'er Rabbit from Song of the South, and maybe some Disneyland version of the Easter Bunny, along with maybe Minnie and Daisy or something. Anybody else?

 

[fairycat]

Fairycat - I was wondering about the Easter Brunch, as I am sure it's similar to the Mother's Day one, except with maybe different characters. Can you use an AP for a discount on the brunch? Is it all you can eat buffet-style, or a more limited buffeteria-style? Are the photo stations also PhotoPass locations? What characters were at the Easter meal? Here is what I envision, based on what I recalled seeing back in 1993 or 1994, and you tell me if I am correct: Roger Rabbit, the White Rabbit from Alice, Rabbit from Pooh, Thumper from Bambi and Br'er Rabbit from Song of the South, and maybe some Disneyland version of the Easter Bunny, along with maybe Minnie and Daisy or something. Anybody else?

From what I have heard the Easter and Mother's day events are run the same except the character theme. Easter has traditionally been themed as "Alice's Easter Brunch" so all the characters were from Alice in Wonderland. Alice, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts I do not remember a white rabbit. I do not remember seeing a photopass photographer but then we did not go to try and take photos last year. I have heard more classic characters come out for Mother's day but I could be wrong.

The food is grand scale buffet. Since the ballroom is HUGE they repeat stations through out the room around the edges and in a set down area in from of the stage. This is so you are never far from any of the food. It is very much all you can eat, especially since they do not push you to leave at a certain time. You can relax and eat at your leisure. They have many, many options with a kid's bar, cold seafood bar, breakfast bar with omelette and waffle stations, salad station, bread station, meat station, dessert station with crepes and other options we have seen brought in on and off over the years we went.

I want to add yes they allow AP discount, I know I got one with my Premium pass. They also were nice and let me use the discount for the whole bill though we split payment. I do not know if they will allow that now but they did in the past.

I hope some of this helps!

 

[ksdisneyfan]

Thanks for all of your info everyone! I guess I'm going to have to be more inquisitive when I call to make PS's. When the CM said the brunch would be $67 plus tax for adults, it didn't occur to me to ask exactly how much the tax was. Wow, almost $90 per meal might be a little more than I want to budget, especially since we're planning on doing a couple of other character meals while we are at DLR! With the entire family, I'm estimating it would cost us a good $300. EEKS! It sounds like a fun event though!

 

[luvsmickey1968]

ksdisneyfan, I have found that so much depends on the CM you get when you call as to how much information you get.
It is very expensive and if we had not already done all the character meals, I am not sure that I would go to the Mother's Day brunch in place of two character meals.
Sherry E, I don't know if you were considering the Easter brunch but according to the CM I spoke to, they have cancelled the Easter brunch this year.

 

[Sherry E]

From what I have heard the Easter and Mother's day events are run the same except the character theme. Easter has traditionally been themed as "Alice's Easter Brunch" so all the characters were from Alice in Wonderland. Alice, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts I do not remember a white rabbit. I do not remember seeing a photopass photographer but then we did not go to try and take photos last year. I have heard more classic characters come out for Mother's day but I could be wrong.

The food is grand scale buffet. Since the ballroom is HUGE they repeat stations through out the room around the edges and in a set down area in from of the stage. This is so you are never far from any of the food. It is very much all you can eat, especially since they do not push you to leave at a certain time. You can relax and eat at your leisure. They have many, many options with a kid's bar, cold seafood bar, breakfast bar with omelette and waffle stations, salad station, bread station, meat station, dessert station with crepes and other options we have seen brought in on and off over the years we went.

I want to add yes they allow AP discount, I know I got one with my Premium pass. They also were nice and let me use the discount for the whole bill though we split payment. I do not know if they will allow that now but they did in the past.

I hope some of this helps!

It does help a lot! Thanks, Fairycat! I had never really considered the holiday meals at the DLH before, and just started to get curious. So that info gives me a clear picture of what the meals entail. I like the idea of an Alice-themed brunch. They should certainly bring out the White Rabbit - especially on Easter. I remember seeing a flyer or something about the DLH Easter brunch back in 1993 or 1994, and the theme was the Disney rabbits, so all of those aforementioned characters were supposed to be there, along with some others I am forgetting (maybe Mary Poppins or something?) and a Disney version of the Easter Bunny. We didn't go to it, but it sounded interesting. At that time, they may have even had an Easter egg hunt for kids at the DLH, too. I think I vaguely recall seeing that mentioned in the ad back in the '90s.

ksdisneyfan, I have found that so much depends on the CM you get when you call as to how much information you get.
It is very expensive and if we had not already done all the character meals, I am not sure that I would go to the Mother's Day brunch in place of two character meals.
Sherry E, I don't know if you were considering the Easter brunch but according to the CM I spoke to, they have cancelled the Easter brunch this year.

Those CM's do tend to give conflicting info, don't they? I am thinking mainly of the ones in Reservations and at the WDTC, but I suppose all of them throughout all facets of DLR can give mis-information.

I was sort of considering the Easter brunch - if not for this year, maybe next. If not for Easter, maybe on a different holiday. So thank you, luvsmickey1968, for letting me know that the brunch will probably not take place this year! It sounds like a good idea for people who don't like to cook or don't want to do the standard Easter thing (or Thanksgiving or Mothers Day or whatever holiday they have a brunch for), and the food is probably wonderful, but that price is lofty (even by DLR standards, and even with an AP discount)!!! I wonder if they cancelled this year's Easter meal because of the dreaded economy? Heck, for the price of ONE person's meal (with tax and tip included) at the Mothers Day/Easter brunch, you could have TWO adult character breakfasts at Goofy's Kitchen or any of the other character dining places. And Goofy's is all you can eat. So, I don't see what the advantage of doing the holiday brunches is (as opposed to just doing a regular character meal), except for maybe just having different food choices and different characters???

 

[fairycat]

Personally having done the brunches and character meals I don't think they compare. It's a bit like comparing Mimi's to Napa Rose. While they might have some similar offerings and you get your food in the same way the quality and service are completely different.

The food and service are just better, making the experience worth it to us. We all were a little shocked by the prices a few years back when we started going, especially me who is picky, vegetarian and hates buffets. But in the end we all couldn't wait to go back! We had to miss a few years because of our jobs, but when the opportunity came back so did we. We would all be back again, but all of us have to be at work for our Easter again this year So until Easter goes back to March our group will have to miss out on the fun, but we will be back when we can!!!

If you go expecting characters to chat with you at your table, are rushed or feel a character meal is better suited for you, nope it won't be worth it for you. But if you are looking for a fun unique way to spend a holiday with your family and friends that can only be had at Disney and is only offered a few times a year then I say give it a go!!!! Besides even the chain restaurants bust up their prices pretty high for holiday brunches, since many people would rather go out then cook

But that is me

ETA: I also want to add again that while Goofy's has a 90 minute max. for your group (though not strictly enforced) the buffets have none. We have stayed for hours and no one rushes you out. In fact they will still keep happily helping you with what ever you need. This lets you eat and drink more too which is helpful to fill up on the $$ too hahaha! We mostly stay that long because we feel so comfortable and are happy to chat with those we came with we just lose all track of time and its just so fun. Can I add the piano player is AWESOME and takes Disney requests!!!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Personally having done the brunches and character meals I don't think they compare. It's a bit like comparing Mimi's to Napa Rose. While they might have some similar offerings and you get your food in the same way the quality and service are completely different.

The food and service are just better, making the experience worth it to us. We all were a little shocked by the prices a few years back when we started going, especially me who is picky, vegetarian and hates buffets. But in the end we all couldn't wait to go back! We had to miss a few years because of our jobs, but when the opportunity came back so did we. We would all be back again, but all of us have to be at work for our Easter again this year So until Easter goes back to March our group will have to miss out on the fun, but we will be back when we can!!!

If you go expecting characters to chat with you at your table, are rushed or feel a character meal is better suited for you, nope it won't be worth it for you. But if you are looking for a fun unique way to spend a holiday with your family and friends that can only be had at Disney and is only offered a few times a year then I say give it a go!!!! Besides even the chain restaurants bust up their prices pretty high for holiday brunches, since many people would rather go out then cook

But that is me

ETA: I also want to add again that while Goofy's has a 90 minute max. for your group (though not strictly enforced) the buffets have none. We have stayed for hours and no one rushes you out. In fact they will still keep happily helping you with what ever you need. This lets you eat and drink more too which is helpful to fill up on the $$ too hahaha! We mostly stay that long because we feel so comfortable and are happy to chat with those we came with we just lose all track of time and its just so fun. Can I add the piano player is AWESOME and takes Disney requests!!!!!

It sounds like it would be a fun thing to try once. I would like to do it just once, but not sure for which holiday! I guess if it's true there is no Easter brunch happening at the DLH this year, maybe it will be okay that you won't be able to make it after all! You won't be missing anything.

 

[luvsmickey1968]

fairycat, thank you for reconfirming that I am making the right choice!
We have done all the character meals at least once and some several times.
Although we have enjoyed them all, we have begun to be less excited about them as we have done them and we are now paying full price for my DD.
Please don't get me wrong anyone. I understand that some people enjoy the character meals over and over again and I am the first person to say that everyone should do one at least once.
I felt that the Mother's Day Brunch would be a new and different experience and I am glad to hear you confirm this.
I am excited about the fact that characters do not come to your table as I find that they often come at inopertune times and I am often afraid to go get more food in case them come when I am gone. In addition, it is so hard to control who is in the background of your picture. I also dislike when a specific character does not come to my table and I have to pester the staff about it. My husband will never forget how long we spend at the Lilo and Stitch breakfast because I refused to leave without our picture of Lilo. LOL!
I am perfectly happy to go wait in line for our pictures with the characters and look forward to the nice backgrounds.
I am looking forward to the decor, the food and now, the piano player!
Thanks again for all the information

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I have already made my reservations (on Wednesday) for the noon seating for Mother's Day brunch and I wanted to share with you the costs and basics as the CM shared them with me.

The cost (includes tax and gratuties)
per adult (age 10+) is $83.02
per child (age 3-9) is $21.06

Premium AP holders recieve a 15% discount (making it approximately $70.57)
Deluxe and So Cal AP holders recieve a 10% discount (making it approximately $74.72)

The meal includes carving and omlet stations, cold buffet, hot dishes, a chilled seafood station, and dessert station. Other items include free range chicken, smoked salmon, etc.

The Princesses will host this Royal Buffet and there will be portrait stations for photographs.

You may also receive 4 hours of complimentary parking at the hotel.

Hope this helps. Let me know if we will see some of you there!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for that info, Nancy. Okay, since it's Princesses, it's definitely not for me this time! My friends and I have little interest in Princesses because none of us have kids. It's furry characters or nothing for us! But, mainly, even though I would like to try the buffet, that price - even with my AP discount - would be a tough sell to anyone I know. That is a lot of money to spend, and even if I had the money to do it (which I don't) there is not one person I know who would spend that kind of money on a brunch. Then again, we are happy if we can just find a good BBQ place, a good burger place or a good pizza place - which can be a dive, as long as the food is great. So I think it's out of the question for us.

Oh, and by the way, I am one of those people who does character meals again and again - specfically, Goofy's, but I like to try the other ones too, such as Storytellers, and I like to eat at other places for breakfast too. I actually like the food at Goofy's Kitchen and I think it IS good quality and taste and variety and all that. Then again, I am odd like that - I have absolutely no interest in Napa Rose, but I LOVE the food at Goofy's Kitchen! I like being able to get exactly what I want, how much I want of it, in whatever combination, load up on my protein and fruit so I am not hungry the rest of the day, drink endless OJ and coffee, etc. I don't eat buffets in normal life, but when I get to DLR, I like to do at least one. So I look at Goofy's as a restaurant I like which just happens to be a fun character meal (and the characters have changed at Goofy's over the years), whereas I think most other folks approach character meals in the opposite way - they go specifically for the characters, and if the food is good too it's a bonus. To be honest, all the friends who have gone with me to Goofy's have loved it, but I don't think many of them really want to get in pictures with characters if they can help it, and they certainly have been interrupted by characters when they have had food in their mouths! It happens. They just liked the yummy breakfast, though. I am the one who likes getting in character pictures, but I could NOT drag my one friend (who is always with me at Goofy's) there if she did not like the food. She would not go there just for characters. She goes and pays for it because she likes the food. It's worked for us since 1992, so if it ain't broke.....

That said, I think we would like the selection of food at the DLH holiday brunch buffets, but again, there's no way I would ever get anyone I know to plunk down that kind of money to eat one meal, so I don't think it is in the cards just yet. I think I would go with either the Easter brunch or the Thanksgiving meal, though, if I were to pick.