Paradise Pier Character Dinner

[mommyslp]

has anyone done the character dinner buffet they are doing at paradise pier hotel while goofy's is closed? How is the food? Which characters were there?

 

[Nevada Jen]

We are doing it on Saturday. I am curious to see answers to this. I will be sure to report back though!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Overall, we liked the food. The buffet was smaller, but plentiful. There were pizzas, sliders, and mini hot dogs for the kids. Other dishes included salmon, sauteed green beans, smashed potatoes with sour cream and cheddar, tomato and mozzarella salad, potato salad, mac'n'cheese, cavatappi alfredo with shrimp, fried chicken, tri tip, ribs with bbq sauce choices, make your own s'mores, make your own strawberry shortcake, chocolate cheesecakes, salted caramel tarts, etc. Regular drinks were included. Service was very good. Our characters were Mickey (PhotoPass photo with him at the very beginning), Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. There was dancing with Donald whenever a certain song came on (twice, I think, during our meal). The characters came by our table several times during our meal. It was fun and made us think about trying Goofy's when the refurb is finished.

 

[aussiegirls]

We did it last week. Food was good but only 3 characters. Disappointing when you consider the price.

 

[amyg1975]

When does Goofy's reopen?

 

[figment_jii]

The original Parks Blog posting indicated the characters would be at PCH Grill at dinner through February 9 and Goofy's is taking reservations for February 10.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-to-pch-grill-at-disneys-paradise-pier-hotel/

So based on the food item list that theluckyrabbit posted, it sounds like it's the same Beach Side Bonfire Buffet that PCH Grill as normal. They didn't change the menu for this short period, they just added characters. I wonder, if they find that it really increases the number of guests at PCH Grill, would they consider making it a more permanent change. The last few times I've been to PCH Grill for dinner, it was pretty quite.

 

[mommyslp]

Overall, we liked the food. The buffet was smaller, but plentiful. There were pizzas, sliders, and mini hot dogs for the kids. Other dishes included salmon, sauteed green beans, smashed potatoes with sour cream and cheddar, tomato and mozzarella salad, potato salad, mac'n'cheese, cavatappi alfredo with shrimp, fried chicken, tri tip, ribs with bbq sauce choices, make your own s'mores, make your own strawberry shortcake, chocolate cheesecakes, salted caramel tarts, etc. Regular drinks were included. Service was very good. Our characters were Mickey (PhotoPass photo with him at the very beginning), Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. There was dancing with Donald whenever a certain song came on (twice, I think, during our meal). The characters came by our table several times during our meal. It was fun and made us think about trying Goofy's when the refurb is finished.

Thanks for the info. We have reservations for Monday but I keep debating if it's worth it. My daughter really wants to see Donald & daisy, but no guarantee if they'll be there. Thanks!

 

[mommyslp]

We are doing it on Saturday. I am curious to see answers to this. I will be sure to report back though!

Yes! Please report back.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I wonder, if they find that it really increases the number of guests at PCH Grill, would they consider making it a more permanent change. The last few times I've been to PCH Grill for dinner, it was pretty quite.

I really hope not! We finally went to this buffet on January 1 before the temporary addition of characters, and my family enjoyed it a lot. My kids are past the stage of wanting the characters at meals but in the prime stage of wanting to eat a lot (teenagers) so finding a buffet that had really tasty food but wasn't priced at the character dining premium was really exciting to me.

 

[ImDMous]

We went over Christmas after they had started the Beach Buffet but before the characters. We thought the food was great and there was hardly anyone there. It was better than any of the character buffets and had more selection than Storytellers does for dinner.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We went tonight. Mickey is for the official photo, Goofy, Minnie, and Donald walking around. I thought the food was ok. I thought the desserts could have been better, considering cost. The room itself should be more heavily themed, in my opinion. Maybe have it less brightly lit, maybe that is the bright sunshine beach theme, haha. But really, I think it needs a renovation to get people to walk over there (even though it is such an easy walk from the Grand Californian). Goofy's is a much longer hike.

We had a bad server (at a buffet, all you can do to get a bigger tip is bring my drinks in a timely manner and do refills efficiently. In her defense, it seemed like the servers were bussing and setting up too).

We saw a few large groups, like 19-20, and this place can handle those groups easily. It is relatively relaxing and quiet for a character meal, unlike Goofys! Kids seemed happy to go out and dance with Mickey and Minnie a couple of times.

I preferred the food at Storytellers for dinner by far (but no characters of course).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... My daughter really wants to see Donald & daisy, but no guarantee if they'll be there. Thanks!

Daisy was not present when we ate there. I don't know if she's a regular there or not.