Tony's, CP or Chef Mickey

[chefhah]

Taking grand daughter and great niece the end of May for a quick trip. The day of arrival we will be tired (especially me).Flight lands at 10:30 AM. I'm inclined to reserve at Tony's because we won't have to fight a buffet crowd. Should I go ahead with the character experience of CP or Chef Mickey? BTW we are have dinner the next night at CRT. What to do???

 

[kcwiak]

I would recommend CP. Love it! The food is great and you have the wonderful WtP characters. We did not in any way like or enjoy Chef Mickey's. Food was not good and too crowded and loud in such a small space. Don't know about Tony's. Hope this helps!

BTW, we are a family of 4 with 8 and 7 yos.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

Here's another vote for any non-Chef Mickey's option. No longer a favorite for our family, although YMMV.

 

[Wendy31]

I totally understand wanting to avoid the sometimes craziness of a character buffet on your first night!

Tony's has an adorable "Lady & the Tramp" theme. If your granddaughter & grand niece are collecting autographs, you can give their autograph books to your server, & he/she will get Lady's & Tramp's autographs for you. Lady & Tramp "hang out" in the kitchen! Tony's doesn't always get great reviews on this site, but, while it's not one of our "every trip" restaurants, we do enjoy it. Our younger DS really likes the Mickey ravioli. I like the shrimp scampi - it's a lighter dish & always tastes fresh to me. Due to reviews, DH & I tend to stay away from the "red sauce" dishes. He normally gets the pork dish. And we like the Tiramisu for dessert! We've never had bad service. We also enjoy sitting in the sunroom area. And being right there on Main Street would be fun for your first night!

You might also consider Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom - the food is traditional "Thanksgiving" fare & is served family-style. The setting is early colonial American.

You could also try either the Grand Floridian Café in the Grand Floridian or Kona Café at the Poly as 2 other possibilities in a calmer setting.

Whispering Canyon Café at the Wilderness Lodge is a fun option too & is just a boat ride away from the MK; however, while it's a fun experience, it's also a loud experience! For dinner, there is an all-you-can skillet that is served "family-style."

And another possible character meal is 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. It's a buffet w/ the Fairy Godmother in the lobby, & Cinderella, Prince Charming, & the stepsisters making their rounds in the restaurants.

Crystal Palace is one of our "must do" character meals, but we normally have breakfast or lunch there. I'm usually not a fan of buffets, but I like this buffet because it has some "not-so-typical" buffet items. However, it can take the characters a while to make it around to all the tables. And it can be one of the louder character meals as well.

We prefer breakfast at Chef Mickey's to dinner.

Hope this helps some!

 

[OKW Lover]

Anything but Tony's. Really, really bad "Italian" food. Really bad service.

 

[stormer]

Tonys recently changed their menu also. We were never crazy about it but the few things we liked are now gone. My kids were very upset that the cheeseburger calzone is gone too.

 

[goofyintoronto]

chef mickeys isnt the best choice. Its not awful like tonys, but its not the best either. Characters are super cute thou! I agree about CP. We always always had great meals there. Characters are as sweet as pie! The place is gorgeous too.

I would recommend CP. Love it! The food is great and you have the wonderful WtP characters. We did not in any way like or enjoy Chef Mickey's. Food was not good and too crowded and loud in such a small space.

YES!!! ANYTHING but Tonys. The food is horrendous! Yuck!!!

Anything but Tony's. Really, really bad "Italian" food. Really bad service.

 

[Wendy5055]

Funny...my mother really liked Tonys and suggested it for our next trip! Personally, I felt the food was mediocre.

Crystal Palace is a "must do" for us...we enjoy the food and character interaction. It gets very busy there.

I would highly recommend Liberty Tree Tavern...my dd11 loves this and we enjoy it as well. No characters so there is not the character interaction, but the food and atmosphere are great.

We love Chef Mickey for the characters and the breakfast. It's fun and also gets busy.

We've done 1900 Park Fare the day we arrived...it was fun and crowded.

As with all character meals, you will need to allow extra time as the characters come around and visit. Sometimes fitting in a run for food without missing characters can be tricky. They are definately FUN for kids though and a great way to kick off a trip!!!