The Wave vs. Chef Mickey -1st visit

[SLSerna]

I know these two restaurants are VERY different, but I am looking for opinions from the experts.
We have dinner reservations at the Wave for our second evening at WDW and I am thinking of seeing if I can get a Chef Mickey instead...simply because this is our first trip with the kids (3 and 6), and my first trip in 10 years.
Not that I am unhappy going to the Wave, but I am wishing we had more character meals (Akershus on day 3, Tusker on day 5) since it's our first trip.
Thoughts?

 

[robndani]

You're right... totally different. For my kids??? NO QUESTION - Chef Mickey's every time. For me? The Wave, every time! The food is really delicious. The kids did love the rainbow grilled cheese at the Wave and the staff was very friendly with them.

Unfortunately if you're trying to create more magical dining experiences for this trip, I would try for Chef Mickey's. The food is fine, pretty much Disney buffet standard. The characters are great and the kids will have a blast!

Glad to see Tusker House in there - it's one of the best buffets in Disney! HAVE FUN!

 

[B-Ride]

If you are okay with sub-par food a 3 yr old and 6 yr old will definitely prefer Chef Mickey's. As an alternative I would recommend Crystal Palace if the kids are okay with Pooh Bear and his friends vs Mickey and Minnie. The food at Crystal Palace beats CM hands down in my opinion.

 

[jacknsally19]

Personally, I think 2 character meals are more than enough. They are great but can a bit overwhelming! (Also I think the buffet food is always pretty meh) We did three on our last trip and it seemed like too much to me. If you are planning to do the Wave after MK, it's a good choice. It's a lot quieter and that can be pretty good for some downtime. I have always found the food very good there.

 

[senadler]

For a first visit and the age of your kids I would absolutely pick CM. The food is average, but not terrible in my experience. I think the character experience and the overall atmosphere with the monorail running through the hotel is worth it.

 

[jimmytammy]

Honestly, 2 character meals is plenty for one trip IMO. I no longer have small ones, but back in the day, especially the younger they were, it was like overload. Given choice of food, I would stay with what you have. And I have heard good things about Akershus and really good things about Tusker House. The Wave food is way better than CM.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

If you're already doing Tusker House, you're going to basically see most of the same characters. CM is Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Minnie. At Tusker you get Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy. And the food is MUCH better at Tusker! I've never seen a dirtier restaurant in Disney than CM--not to mention loud, chaotic, sub-par food, unsupervised kids everywhere, more food on the floor than on the buffet, kids reaching into buffet dishes with bare hands (and then putting the food back!)--just gross.

If you really, really want another character meal try 1900 Park Fare for either breakfast or dinner, 'Ohana for breakfast, or Crystal Palace for any meal. But honestly, two character meals will be fine.

We just tried the Wave for lunch on our last trip and LOVED it. Food was excellent, very relaxing/calm atmosphere (nothing fancy, but just relaxed), great staff. I would definitely keep that one.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I agree that since youre already doing tusker house (food at tusker is far better than chef mickeys!) then i'd skip chef mickeys altogether and maybe even do crystal palace? At first my son (about 10 at the time) thought it was too baby-ish. But the characters REALLY interacted with him, he ended up having a good time! Oh, and ive always loved the food there.

 

[nkereina]

Agree with the others - Tusker House and Chef Mickey's are the same characters and I wouldn't do them both on the same trip. I also agree that I max out at 2-3 character meals per trip, if that. The meals are stressful - I feel like I'm constantly trying to time my eating and watch where the characters are so I can be ready. It's not relaxing.

 

[BabyHabs]

I dunno.. I may be alone in this, but I really enjoy the character meals with kids. My kids are loud and picky eaters. I don't have to worry about either of these things at character meals. Character watching keep them all occupied and entertained. There is always something they will eat. We can get in and out as quick as we want or take our time and meet all the characters and I don't have to worry about my 2 year old shrieking in the middle of dinner.

 

[ttintagel]

Chef Mickey's is a maelstrom of noise and pandemonium. Whether or not it's worth it can depend on your tolerance levels for those things. I wouldn't set foot in there again unless I was being paid handsomely to do it.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

I haven't eaten at CM for supper but I love breakfast there & the characters there are my favorite.
Another suggestion is Ohana for supper. The food is awesome & it's a neat place that kiddos would enjoy. It is my favorite restaurant at disney!

 

[SLSerna]

Thanks everyone for the comments! I may have a hard decision to make if I'm actually able to get a CM reservation. I'd definitely prefer it at breakfast time, but not sure that will fit into our schedule. Only reason I had wanted to swap it with the Wave was to have characters earlier in our trip (right now they are on days 3, 5, 6)...this would give us one on day 1 or two (if I can swing it). Another option is to swap it for Boatwrights..again if I can get a reservation.

We are doing O'Hana for dinner! It's a MUST, our ONLY must as it's the only TS restaurant I've ever eaten at and LOVE it

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We took our daughter when she was four and again when she was six. We actually aren't a huge fan of the character buffets. I would try The Wave.