My Thoughts on the Character Meals

[pokee99]

We did three character meals while in DL this past week. We did Goofy's Kitchen, Surf's Up and Ariel's Grotto.

The Food:

We really enjoyed the food at all three restaurants (although, poor DD got food poisoning, and the timing tells me it was most likely Surf's Up).

The Service:

Okay at Goofy's Kitchen and Ariel's Grotto. Nothing special. Gratuity already included in the hefty bill, so not much you can do about that. Long waits to get in at both, even WITH a set reservation. Wassup with THAT?

Surf's Up had the most horrible service I think I've ever had. We were seated in a bad spot (crammed up against another table and a busboy walkway on the other side, where a busyboy would walk by every 5 mins balancing a huge tray of dishes right above my daughter's head). The waiter was an idiot. He looked like an actor that was so self-absorbed that he couldn't concentrate on just getting us our DRINKS (yes, folks, that's all he had to do. It's a buffet!). I had coffee, and he came by once to re-fill it and poured some mocha drink into my cup and went "Ooops! Thought that was coffee! Do you like mocha?" I am like, "Um...no, coffee please" and you know what he had the nerve to do? Pour out the mocha and refill it with coffee (and I knew this because there were still mocha marks on the outside of the cup where he splashed it all over my cup!). What a fiasco! To add insult to injury, when the bill came, there was an automatic gratuity added and a spot for a 'Tip'. WHAAAA? Isn't that the same thing? Ugggh....

The Characters:

Goofy's Kitchen was pretty good. We had 3 characters come by, even though we were tucked away in the corner.

Ariel's Grotto was a well-oiled machine! They announced 4 princesses and the all came by each and every table. Well worth it for guaranteed princess photos and autographs (and hugs!).

Surf's Up was a disappointment. The kids saw Pluto and Stitch, but Minnie came out and only went around half the restaurant and then went away. A couple of tables complained and they're like, "Oh, she'll be back in 20 mins". Yeah, well, we've been hanging out here for over an hour and paid $100 for breakfast. She should've been by here already! Let's face it - we're not paying just for the food - we're paying for character interaction. We couldn't stay and my daughter was really sad...


I'd probably do all three again in a heartbeat - despite the bad service at Surf's Up - because my kids loved all three meals (well, DS didn't really enjoy the Princesses flirting with him and calling him a 'Prince', but I thought it was hilarious!) and got really into meeting the characters (they were not compelled to 'wait in line' whist at the park to get a 'photo', but somehow were quite jazzed to get a visit while dining. Go figure? ).

 

[granismith]

Thanks for the review, we are doing Ariels & Goofys for breakfast. looking forward to a great time!

 

[marcemc]

Speaking only from our Goofy's Kitchen experiences, we always had good interaction and many characters, last year we had 3 princesses + Goofy + Chip & Dale + mad hatter & Alice + a bear (don't know the name).

We were there early morning, 7:30 am for breakfast, don't know if the time makes a difference.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment with Surf's Up. We've done this twice (one of them being March 7). We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Stitch & Max. The food was very good & we've always been pleased with the service there. With this being a smaller restaurant & usually smaller crowd.....we usually get tons of attention & great character interaction.

Ariel's set up really works out nicely for the character interaction!! We also like the food there.

Goofy's used to be our favorite, but the last time we went, we were a bit disappointed with the lack of character interaction. We had characters pass our table (with 10 people there, 4 being small children) & almost had to tackle them to stop.

I hope next time, your experiences will be more magical!!

 

[ConnieB]

The bad table...sadly that's the luck of the draw. I understand a restaurant's need to cram in as many as possible for profit's sake, but you'd think they'd avoid such awful seats because it just turns customers off from ever returning. Now me....I have actually told the hostess NO...I'm not sitting at the busyboy intersection (or whatever)....yes, you sometimes have to wait another few minutes until the next table is available, but that's better than ducking every 5 minutes for fear of a tray of plates on your head. I know it means some other family is gonna get stuck at the bad table, but I figure they can speak up for themselves just as I did! Maybe if that table went empty for a while they'd get the idea and just get rid of it, lol.

An FYI on the automatic gratuity....if your server didn't deserve it then speak to the manager. Not only will they make it right (or at least profusely apologize) but they can and will take the gratuity off or lower it at your request. I know some folks don't want to be thought of as cheap, or don't want to take the time to complain....but realize that if management doesn't know that they have a server who needs a refresher training course, then chances are it will NEVER get fixed. When managers don't hear complaints they assume everything went well.

As for the characters not making it to every table....that too is a management problem. Yes, they have to take a break every so often, but it sounds like you were there for an hour and Minnie still hadn't made it to your table. Sounds like each time she came out she only made it to the same tables over and over. We had that problem once at WDW at Chef Mickey...we sat at the far end of the room furthest away from where the characters came out, and each time they did they started at the table nearest their entrance...so those folks got the characters several times during their hour, while we only got one character once by the time we were done eating. I politely complained, but the manager didn't understand so I invited him to sit with us and chat about Disney for a few minutes...and he watched the characters come back in and start at the beginging, get about 2/3 through before leaving, return in another 10 minutes and start over there again. Manager's eyes were just wide with disbelief....he said that they were supposed to be able to get all the way through in their alloted time, but they obviously weren't.

So not only does that show why you need to be sure the manager knows there is a problem....but also helps to explain why some people think the character interaction at a restaurant is great and others don't, lol. I'm sure those at Chef Mickey's on that side of the restaurant were thrilled....but we were disappointed all on the same day.

I know it's too late for you to speak with the manager and let them make your meal right....but consider writing a polite letter to Disney letting them know your disappointment in your experience at Surf's Up. It may help the next family....and who knows what evil your family avoided because someone complained and it was fixed before you showed up, lol. Ahhh, the great circle of life.

 

[pixiewings71]

Your experience at Surf's Up! was just like ours at Goofy's Kitchen..and our kids didn't enjoy it enough to want to go back at all. In fact I asked the girls last week what they would pick out of all the Disney restaurants and I got an "I don't care, but I really like AG" from DD14 and a definitely "AG please!" from DD11. So I think we will just go to AG and maybe BB...if not BB then just CO. thanks for your reports, they are much appreciated!

 

[starshine514]

As for the characters not making it to every table....that too is a management problem. Yes, they have to take a break every so often, but it sounds like you were there for an hour and Minnie still hadn't made it to your table. Sounds like each time she came out she only made it to the same tables over and over. We had that problem once at WDW at Chef Mickey...we sat at the far end of the room furthest away from where the characters came out, and each time they did they started at the table nearest their entrance...so those folks got the characters several times during their hour, while we only got one character once by the time we were done eating. I politely complained, but the manager didn't understand so I invited him to sit with us and chat about Disney for a few minutes...and he watched the characters come back in and start at the beginging, get about 2/3 through before leaving, return in another 10 minutes and start over there again. Manager's eyes were just wide with disbelief....he said that they were supposed to be able to get all the way through in their alloted time, but they obviously weren't.

So, after he saw the problem, did he 'fix' it for you some? Get characters over to the other side of the room for your party or anything? I would have been so upset!

 

[wdwfan22]

Both Goofy's and Surfs Up seem to get pretty mixed reviews. Both for food and character interaction. Minnie's for breakfast is fantastic. Great character interaction, we saw 8 characters, which is less than a lot of folks, but still great. It does get somewhat mixed reviews for food, but we were very happy.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

We did 4 meals when we went at Christmas. Our favorite for food & characters was Surf's up...I am sorry you had a bad experience we had the opposite but we were lucky enough to get the table right by the stage and my son was always getting pulled on stage to help whatever character was headed to the stage (usually right after visiting our table) The whole experience was Magical. Absolutely in love with the Daisy that was at our meal!

Minnie's Plaza Inn ran a close second although with so many characters (I think we saw 12) we barely got a chance to eat in our 90 minutes and I think my son wolfed down one mickey waffle then was too busy to eat after that.

Storytellers...I love this restaurant but as far as a character experience..we had a really great interaction with Brer Bear...but most of these critters with the exception of Chip & Dale are B or C list characters none of the big 6 appeared at this meal.

Goofy's was a really bad experience (including the wait you mentioned we got in 90 minutes after our PS) but I cut them some slack as he was located in the ballroom while the kitchen was under construction.

 

[Sherry E]

....Goofy's was a really bad experience (including the wait you mentioned we got in 90 minutes after our PS) but I cut them some slack as he was located in the ballroom while the kitchen was under construction.

A really bad experience...except for that you enjoyed the food, from what you've said, right? So it wasn't all bad.

I've given the Critter Breakfast enough tries by now to know for sure now that it's not a character meal I am really interested in for the future. Everything about it is just so-so/blah to me (but I love love love the spaghetti at Storytellers during the non-character hours, and I love Storytellers as a restaurant in general!). It's not bad. It's not terrible. It's just...there.

But there are certainly other folks who think the Critter Breakfast is the best character meal of the 5 character meals at DLR, and they recommend it above all others!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

A really bad experience...except for that you enjoyed the food, from what you've said, right? So it wasn't all bad.

I've given the Critter Breakfast enough tries by now to know for sure now that it's not a character meal I am really interested in for the future. Everything about it is just so-so/blah to me (but I love love love the spaghetti at Storytellers during the non-character hours, and I love Storytellers as a restaurant in general!). It's not bad. It's not terrible. It's just...there.

But there are certainly other folks who think the Critter Breakfast is the best character meal of the 5 character meals at DLR, and they recommend it above all others!!

Yes Sherry GK food was good and the ham at that dinner was wonderful! I agree about ST I love the place but prob won't do the character meal again. Although if you had a kid that was totally animal crazy it might be just right!

 

[Sherry E]

Yes Sherry GK food was good and the ham at that dinner was wonderful! I agree about ST I love the place but prob won't do the character meal again. Although if you had a kid that was totally animal crazy it might be just right!

Very true! If anyone in your group is critter crazy, that's a good place to go, I suppose. I could almost think the Critter Breakfast was a must-do if the Brer characters (or at least 2 of them) were regulars there, or guaranteed to be there. But they seem to just pop in every now and then. The only real regulars are Chip & Dale (who I love, but they can be found at 2 other character meals) and Koda & Kenai. Beyond that, it's usually Terk...sometimes Meeko...sometimes Rafiki... The Brer characters are rare enough where it would be great for them to be exclusive to that meal. But I just never know when they will be there - they haven't been there once yet when I've done the Critter Breakfast.

 

[calidreamz]

Now I'm torn I was originally thinking we'd do Plaza Inn because I know they have a great Character turn out, but we read some reviews that said the food was bad. So we changed to Storyteller's because we have been told that the food was better, but if the character's aren't as good...now I don't know.

 

[newmouse82]

I just made our reservations for AG and GK today. We booked GK on our last morning because we leave at 10 and DD will b sad but I'm thinking of cancelling now if we're going to have a wait and it's not worth the money.

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Very true! If anyone in your group is critter crazy, that's a good place to go, I suppose. I could almost think the Critter Breakfast was a must-do if the Brer characters (or at least 2 of them) were regulars there, or guaranteed to be there. But they seem to just pop in every now and then. The only real regulars are Chip & Dale (who I love, but they can be found at 2 other character meals) and Koda & Kenai. Beyond that, it's usually Terk...sometimes Meeko...sometimes Rafiki... The Brer characters are rare enough where it would be great for them to be exclusive to that meal. But I just never know when they will be there - they haven't been there once yet when I've done the Critter Breakfast.

I think my favorite moment at Storytellers was Colton telling Brer Bear he needed to stay away from Brer Fox because he was a bad influence..and actually hearing the CM inside break into laughter. If we were walking by Storytellers (which we do every morning as we take the GC shortcut to the park) and I saw Brer Bear and friends inside I might stop to see if they had room to squeeze us in, but I don't think I would ever book it in advance again on the off chance they would be there.

Now I'm torn I was originally thinking we'd do Plaza Inn because I know they have a great Character turn out, but we read some reviews that said the food was bad. So we changed to Storyteller's because we have been told that the food was better, but if the character's aren't as good...now I don't know.

OK now the ST characters aren't bad..not the impression I was trying to give..they are just different. Mostly they outdoors critters...occasionally a Brer character, Chip & Dale, Meeko from Pocahontas, Turk from Tarzan...Just not any of what we lovingly call the big 6 Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy & Pluto. The CMs in costume were very attentive just most were not at the top of my son's must see list.

Minnie's food I think is subjective...some people are not buffet people...When we ate there the fruit was fresh & plentiful, the muffins & breads were moist & delicious. The omlettes were good not great but good...the Mickey waffles were...mickey waffles how could you miss the bacon was perfect crispy and tasty...The ONLY thing we were unhappy with as far as food goes were the premade scrambled eggs on the buffet which were for want of a better term "squeaky" and my 6 year old would not eat them, but this was true of all of the charater meals scrambled eggs they were just not good. Other than that it was decent buffet food nothing gourmet but not bad in any way.

Of course our favorite as a family is Surf's Up which had wonderful character interactions at the table and group interactions on stage like surfing lessons and dancing the swim, they had things on the buffet we did not see on the others like freshly made chorizo & eggs (at the omlette station) and mini churros and banana smoothies all totally YUM! Also we saw the most top 6 characters there Both Mickey & Minnie, Daisy & Pluto.

Whichever you choose there is no better way to meet characters up close & personal none of the meals had characters that just autographed and took a photo and said good-bye like the M&G lines in the park. We spent extended time with Pinocchio at the Plaza Inn, Brer Bear at ST, Goofy at GK, and Daisy at Surfs Up (and all over the park later she was a joy all day!) You will enjoy whichever you choose...Don't worry & have FUN!

 

[spiderdust]

What do they have for breakfast at AG?

I'm wondering if that's where we might want to have our character breakfast (so we don't miss out on precious early morning time in Fantasyland). We've done GK and Storyteller's before, and while I liked our experiences there, Chickadee might like seeing some princesses.

 

[Sherry E]

I just made our reservations for AG and GK today. We booked GK on our last morning because we leave at 10 and DD will b sad but I'm thinking of cancelling now if we're going to have a wait and it's not worth the money.

newmouse82 -

I don't know why experiences seem to differ so much between people, but I've never, ever had to wait that long to be seated at Goofy's. We are always seated within 10 minutes maximum, and usually less than that. That's not a guarantee that it will be this way for you or anyone else. I can only tell you about my own experience.

And...as for whether it's worth it? That's subjective. Only you would be able to assess if it is worth it for you. My friends and I have been eating at Goofy's for just under 20 years, so for us, yes, it's definitely worth it. Other people have different preferences, expectations or tastes, and they won't feel it's a worthwhile.

On any given day on this board, you might see a thread filled with all the people who love a particular character meal. And then one week later, a new thread will pop up filled with all the people who dislike that same character meal!! I've seen it happen repeatedly! It happens for pretty much every restaurant in DLR - character meal or non-character meal. Some people will love Cafe Orleans; others will not. Some people are huge fans of Blue Bayou. Others feel it is not worth it for any reason other than the ambiance. Some folks love Surf's Up with Mickey. Others don't. Goofy's is no different!

 

[Vala]

I just made our reservations for AG and GK today. We booked GK on our last morning because we leave at 10 and DD will b sad but I'm thinking of cancelling now if we're going to have a wait and it's not worth the money.

If it's worth the money is unfortunately a subjective thing. Personally I'm in the Goofy's fan club with our founding president Sherry.

But I can confirm too that we never had to wait more than 5 minutes. They even got us in within that time frame when we only had called 30 minutes before to actually do the reservation.

 

[Sherry E]

Now I'm torn I was originally thinking we'd do Plaza Inn because I know they have a great Character turn out, but we read some reviews that said the food was bad. So we changed to Storyteller's because we have been told that the food was better, but if the character's aren't as good...now I don't know.

calidreamz -

Honestly, I have not done the Minnie & Friends' breakfast yet, but I've read many reviews and seen many photos, and...the Storytellers characters are not as good and not as bountiful! (But I suppose it depends on what the interests are of your group/family.)

Here's the thing - the 2 characters that I care about at the Critter Breakfast are Chip and Dale. But...Chip & Dale are pretty much regulars at Goofy's Kitchen and at Minnie & Friends.

The other characters that we always have seen at the Critter Breakfast are Koda and Kenai (who people may or may not care about). Terk is usually there, and people may or may not care about Terk. We've seen Meeko a couple of times (but not every time, and Meeko is sometimes at Minnie & Friends as well). We even saw Pluto at the Critter Breakfast once (but he can be found at other meals). And I think Baloo was on his way in or out of the Critter Breakfast one time when we were there - but we usually see him at Goofy's. We have not been so fortunate to see any Brer characters at the Critter Breakfast thus far.

So you can pretty much count on seeing Chip, Dale, Koda, Kenai and probably Terk at Storytellers. And then there may be one other character.

I definitely think the characters at Minnie & Friends are more appealing/fun (Captain Hook, Mad Hatter, Pooh & friends, etc.) and there is much more of a variety of characters there than at the Critter Breakfast.

 

[babyruth]

If it's worth the money is unfortunately a subjective thing. Personally I'm in the Goofy's fan club with our founding president Sherry.

But I can confirm too that we never had to wait more than 5 minutes. They even got us in within that time frame when we only had called 30 minutes before to actually do the reservation.

Oh good because I was starting to get nervous. We have a brunch reservation for noon on a Sunday and with 3 hungry boys if we are waiting a long time to sit that is never a good thing LOL.