In the Parks:
Minnie & Friends: Probably the most unique mixture of characters. We saw Piglet, Pooh, Hook, Fairy Godmother and many others. And the character interaction was very good here. They were playful and paid equal attention to teens and adults. The restaurant is on the end of Main Street in Disneyland and is probably closest to Crystal Palace. This is a breakfast buffet, eggs waffles, bacon, etc. Although I preferred breakfast at Minnies. Also, it is one of the lower priced meals. For theses reasons this is one of favorites.
Aeriel's Grotto: Being the only princess meal can be very crowded. It is located in DCA. Prior to it being a character meal it was originally a higher end (I forget name) but it has lovely glass light fixtures. This is not as grand of an experience as CRT it is closer to the Epcot one. If I were to rank them I would put CRT first (although pricey) Ariels second, and the Epcot one third. Upon coming down the stairs you meet Ariel. Similar set up to CRT where you meet Cinderella first. During the meal 4 of her friends will come around. However, the interaction is minimal. Pose for a picture and they are gone. There is also outdoor seating at this location. We have had breakfast and lunch here both were fine. This meal is served in courses and we have noticed your experience here relies heavily on your server. If you have someone who brings the food hot and refills beverages it can be a pleasant meal. However, if food is brought slowly and warm you might feel as though it is greatly overpriced.
At the Hotels:
Goofy's Kitchen: Located in the Disneyland Hotel this is a buffet. I would say pretty close to Chef Mickey. You used to see several rare and different characters here. They changed this recently and now I think it is Goofy and 4 friends. This was the reason I was asking if there was kids in your group. When our kids where younger this location was actually too much for them. There was no clear rotation of the characters so every time you would start to eat a character would come, then 2 more just after, then they had the kids bang pots and pans in a little parade. My kids actually left here hungry. I think the price is not justified for this meal.
Chip n Dale critter breakfast: Located in the Grand Californian this is a character buffet breakfast. This one is supposed to have the best breakfast. There is an omelet bar. However, we were there off season and the chefs could not keep up with the lines so food temperature would be off by the time you went back to the table. The character were of a woodland theme in keeping with the hotel. Chip, Dale, Meeko. They did come to our table with kids. Although I saw several adult table who never got a visit. Honestly, this is more of an upscale breakfast with a few random characters than a character meal. The location is very similar to the Wilderness Lodge.
Surfs Up!: At the Paradise Pier Hotel. This is a buffet breakfast. As this is not a very large location the character interaction was fun. It did not seem as chaotic as Goofys. I think there was also an omelet bar at this restaurant. Since it is a smaller location food temperature was still hot. For cost and character interaction this was probably our favorite Hotel character meal.
Honestly, for character variety and interaction I think Minnie's wins.
The character interaction is great. Also, if you get the PP+ The photo package is included.
It was reaaaaaally bland.
