Reconsidering Buffets

[mom2febgirls]

We ate last night at a buffet and Dh said never again! It is always so hectic trying to get all 3 girls (9, 4. 1) something to eat first and then we have to take turns. It is just not relaxing at all!

I have Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace dinner ADRs for our trip (14 days!) but now I'm thinking I should definetly cancel at least one of them. Are there character meals that are not buffets (other than Akershus/CRT-already have Akershus)

I am thinking of keeping CM (first day) since eating with Mickey should be fun, but am willing to replace CP.

Help!

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (MK) is a Character dining experience. It is all you can eat, but they bring it to you, you don't have to get up and go to the buffett line. It usually has Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto.

Garden Grill at Epcot does character Lunch and dinner. That is the same way, all you can eat, but they bring it to you, you don't have to go get it. Those characters are usually Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.

Those are the only 2 that I can think of that are character meals that are served family style. All the others that I can think of have the buffett line.

 

[Pixiedust34]

At Ohanas breakfast and Liberty Tree Tavern's dinner, the food is served family-style at your table.

 

[TerriBelle]

the princess meals are not buffet.

We have found that breakfast buffets don't seem as hectic as dinner/lunch buffets. We have 3 kids also currently 12, 7, 7. We loved doing the buffets before the boys turned 3 because they were FREE! Since I noticed you are staying at the BW, the BC offers a character breakfast at Cape May. After breakfast you can easily get on a bus from the BC.

 

[jkmmah]

That's exactly the reason we chose LTT over CM's on our last visit. I like food selections from a buffet because you can try so much in small portions, but the option to have the food brought to us to avoid the whole up/down scenario won out. I'd rather relax than have a great variety anyday!

 

[klinlin]

We ate last night at a buffet and Dh said never again! It is always so hectic trying to get all 3 girls (9, 4. 1) something to eat first and then we have to take turns. It is just not relaxing at all

Are there character meals that are not buffets

We are starting off our week with the family style character breakfast at Ohana. My mom will be joining us for part of the week and wants us to do CP or CM with the kids. My husband and I both decided there is no way we are going to enjoy a buffet with our 2 1/2 and 4 year old boys. I can't see how it is logistically even possible to hold a small childs hand while serving food, and carrying back to the table. Too much stress for a "vacation."

 

[dcgrumpy]

That's funny, we eat at buffets because we find it so much easier with little kids. No getting antsy while they wait for food, plus we know they'll always find something they like. One of us goes and gets their food first, then we get our own.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

I totally agree! even though our DD's are older, I noticed during our last ttrip that we were rarely all sitting at once, always someone getting up to get something, meeting a character or having a picture taken....


I will also stick to family style restaurants next time, my kids are old enough to be patient but at least with that kind of meal, you don't miss the characters coming to your table while you are gone to the buffet filling your plate.

 

[shellybaxter]

If I had three children I'd go with the family style - served to your table meals. (LTT, Ohana, Garden Grill, the princess meals) over the buffet character meal. Dh and I took 4 year old Dniece and he got ill on the day we had CP breakfast. I took her on my own. I would never do that again. I think you need a 1 to 1 ratio of adults to kids at buffets. If not the meals can not pretty stressful

 

[Mom to Jordan]

LTT is our favorite character meal. Try it for sure. We do however like buffets and when DS and our two DN whom we had a lot at the time were little, this is what I would do. I would give each of them an empty plate and then fill one or two plate with food that I knew they all would eat and then give them a little at a time on their plates. At desert time I would do the same filling a plate with cookies or what ever. They always love grazing at a buffet and we had lots of time to eat. Sometimes we would start with a pack of those oyster crackers and that kept them happy while I got more food. A plate of fruit, then the main foods followed.

Good luck!!

Jordans' mom