opinions on garden grill character dinner?

[sazzifrazz]

We have ADR's for
1) chrystal palace breakfast at 8:05am
2) chef mickeys breakfast 7:05am
3) garden grill dinner 4:05PM

heres the dilemma: I have to pick just one!

a) when i book CP I thought my 2 yr old would love it. He has NO interest in pooh characters. I like the time and location but, not sure he will think its magical. This trip is all about him.
b) chef mickeys characters would be perfect (thats what DS is into) but the time is just SOOO early and we are staying of property.
c) garden grill time is good, dinner is fine, but I haven't heard much about it in general. Is it fun? i like that its not a crazy caotic buffet. the menu seems kinda wierd. Since DS is 2 he is free. will they expect him to eatthe adult food or will they bring him kids menu items free?

 

[dawgfan]

I went with three kids ages 9 to 12. They had a decent time. I remember there being some chicken fingers or something that satisfied the smallest kid. They had an ice cream plate after the meal that was a big hit. The charesters are great and the photo ops are close and good. The charecters come around one at a time and spend a long moment at your table and then move on. The food, while good, is a little wierd. We enjoyed it but it was not a menu I would have chosen if allowed to put it together. Overall, it is not a bad meal but Chef Mickeys is WAYYYY better.

 

[sazzifrazz]

is it a lot calmer/quieter than chef mickeys?

 

[JerseyJanice]

is it a lot calmer/quieter than chef mickeys?

Yes, it's definitely calmer and quieter.

We liked the food at Garden Grill although the menu is changed a bit from when we went (8/08). They'll bring you a children's platter with chicken nuggets and mac & cheese if you ask for it.

 

[jwhtewolfd]

The nice thing about Garden Grill is that the food is brought to your table so you won't miss characters, you won't have to bring/chase the 2 year old up to the buffet , and you won't have to fic your plate in shifts. We thought the food was really good. The characters are Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Your ADR is early, so you may even luck out like we did and have them visit your table several times.

 

[Elmo888]

No to Garden Grill. Bad food, bad service. Characters were fine. I prefer Chef Mickey's (we did breakfast) or Crystal Palace (we did dinner) to Garden Grill.

I would call and see if you can get a later CM ADR.

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

we love garden grill, mickey and company in farmer clothing. and you slowly revolve around and get to see all scenes of the land. food is (in my opinion) excellent and fresh.(much is grown and raised in the land)

it gets my vote

 

[stitch34]

My kids loved Garden Grill, we all enjoyed the food, too. I was nervous thinking we'd hate it - but nope, really loved it.

I'd say go for that instead of such an early Chef Mickey's. Looks like the same characters I believe - except for Goofy at CM whereas would be Pluto at GG (Pluto is a huge hit with my kids I know!)

 

[sazzifrazz]

the 7:05 AM at Cm was the only one available next week other than late late evening and hopefully DS will be asleep by then. I tried for ohanas breakfast but all booked
I booked CP in late novemeber and thought it would be perfect...kids change quickly!

 

[Disnsyncey]

My fam loves Garden Grill.....the catfish is great Last time we went, Mickey came around 3 times!!! We felt bad cuz we ran out of stuff to talk to him about! Only thing is, I wish they had our fav dessert (apple crisp and ice cream instead of apple bread pudding) when we went.....

 

[GC&S]

We've been to Garden Grill 3x for dinner - we've always had good service, good food and great character interaction. Last year Mickey sat and played tic tac toe with my dd. Of course she loves the dessert - decorate a cupcake so that's why she always wants to go. We like it because they bring the food to you, the restaurant revolves and you can see the scenes from the Living with the Land ride. They have a kids platter with the basic stuff so dd is happy.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

They have a kids platter with the basic stuff so dd is happy.

Are "big" kids (i.e., those of the teenage variety, and maybe their moms too ) allowed to dine from the children's platter?

My 13 year old DS is a very selective eater, but loves the regular kid fare (macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.).

We are investigating different dining options for a possible trip in August, and this was one we had considered. For $30 per person, though, I want to be sure everyone is going to get full!

 

[cmaee]

This was one of our kids favorite meals last trip. We were there for lunch and were actually the first ones to be seated that day. It was fantastic. The characters spent so much time with our kids. They spent time to "play" with our kids, not just a wave, quick hug, autograph, photo, and off to the next table. I liked the food a lot. My DH and I made a pig out of ourselves. It was so nice not to have to walk through another buffet line in shifts and then have to watch for the characters to make sure we don't miss them by being up at the buffet line.

 

[J3nn78]

We LOVE Garden Grill. Food was awesome and character interaction was great too. Chip and Dale were funny too.

Anybody can eat the chicken nuggets and macaroni. It is not just for kids, just ask for it.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Anybody can eat the chicken nuggets and macaroni. It is not just for kids, just ask for it.

Thank you so much for that clarification!!!

And this is why I am growing to LOVE Disney. They just seem to make things so easy.

 

[Stitchfans]

Love it love it love it. The food is real good, and the character interaction is awesome. Chip and Dale are the greatest. Loved joking around with Pluto. Mickey was as usual awesome too. This is one meal we will always book. Have an ADR for it this March trip.

 

[AnnetteF]

Best character interaction anywhere in Disney. The meal is great, too. Try the catfish sticks - you will love them! And much better than having to get up and get the food yourself. Chef Mickey's is a crazy busy loud place and the character interaction is hit or miss, but you'll never get the attention from the characters there that you will find at GG.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I love Garden Grill! (We even went twice during one trip.) The character interaction is great - quiet, organized, and lots of attention. (My favorite picture of DS and Mickey was from there.) DH and I both loved the food, and DS loved the decorate-your-own-cupcake.

 

[mom_to_2]

LOVED the Garden Grill!!!! the food was excellent, the noise level is much lower than in other meals with the characters, and you get a lot of time with them as they go table to table. Another plus is the fact that they bring the food to you, rather than you hving to get up afraid you'll miss something. I have booked it again for our trip in March!

 

[sazzifrazz]

ok good. Im excited about this now. I hated the idea of a caotic buffet with a 2 yr old. i don't like caos myself and get stressed out when i feel well...just hate it. lol This sound like a good match for our family. Are all of the tables the rounded booths? seems so nice and private. i hear the place isn't spinning now, its broken.