Too many character meals??

[stitch34]

I don't think it's too many character meals - in fact, I would add another!
Now, this is coming from someone who has 14 ADRs, 11 of which are character meals! There's still a couple meals I'm trying to squeeze in somewhere. Our own noncharacter meals are the Plaza, and then Planet Hollywood and Whispering Canyon Cafe - which those really still appeal to my kids.
And Ohana's is a great breakfast. Even if your kids aren't into Lilo & Stitch - Mickey and Pluto are there also. My twins had NO clue who Pluto was until that breakfast - he quickly became their favorite of all the characters (so now this trip have lots of meals scheduled with Pluto!) But Ohana's was a nice break from the buffets to be able to sit and relax and have it all brought to you.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

This will be our girls (AND DH's...) first trip to Disney. They'll be 2 1/2 and close to 4 when we go - I planned alot of buffets and family style meals since the 2 1/2 yr old will be free AND so the older one has options other than mac & cheese, nuggets, etc.

I have SEVERAL character meals planned and I guess part of the reason is b/c I just want the trip to be SO special for them! We live in Virginia and will NOT be going every year to Disney. My HOPE (if the first trip goes well and I can convert DH to be a Disney fan!) is that we will maybe return every 3-4 yrs. So I am thinking I want to do tons of character meals NOW while they are little - if we go back in 3-4 yrs...they'll still be excited at that point to go to the same character meals again, right???

Here's what I have in mind for a 7nt stay...

Crystal Palace (bkfst)
1900 Park Fare (dinner)
Chef Mickey (bkfst)
Cap May (dinner - non character)
Beirgarten (dinner - non character)
Coral Reef (dinner - non character) or Mama melrose (Fantasmic pkg)
Akerhaus (bkfst)
Kona (dinner - non character)
Ohana (dinner - non character)

Maybe this is too much? Should I drop one of the character meals and if so, which one?? Would really LOVE ribs and so that is why we picked Cape May but we'll be staying at Poly - should we do something else to get our "rib-fix"? Maybe I should dump 1900 Park Fare - I've read very mixed reviews about it - are there other ways to meet Cinderella if we don't go there?

Any advice/tips would be GREATLY appreciated!

THANKS!

I did a lot of Cm/buffets w/ DD when we went a few years back. By the end we were sick of buffets. You get a ton of food at buffets/TS restaraunts. You might find you're not even hungry for your next meal, just a snack. I would say, figure out who their favorite character is & book the meals based on that. 1900 is a very girlie place & you get to meet Cindy & the Prince. We took the boat from MK to GF. That was fun b/c we could see the castle from the boat. Ohana has breakfast w/ Lilo & Stitch. Haven't done it yet, but DD & DS love stitch,s o we will next visit. And don't worry, DD is almost 15 & still requests we go to Crystal Palace to see the Pooh friends. LOL And skip the castle, the food is horrible. Marrekkesh in Morraco is amazing inside. There is all types of food for everyone & you won't be stuffed when you leave. They have a belly dance & musicians & they get the children up to dance. You will see mixed reviews, but we LOVE IT.

 

[rocker123]

nice idea

 

[Hadjii]

Just a fun note...last night I read a post on the "funniest thing you've overheard in WDW" thread from a mom who said she had planned tons of character meals for her kids so they didn't miss out on anything. She said the first night she planned a night out at a non character dinner she sat the kids down and explained to them that they were going to a restaurant like back at home with no characters. Her DD5's reply was..."Good, I can finally eat in peace". Priceless. I laughed out loud cuz I know exactly how she felt. There is such a thing as character buffet overload lol. Have a great trip!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I guess you have to do what you want to do, then make your own choices on what you like and don't like. A PP said she thought the food at CRT was awful, while we have gone all but I think twice and think the food (breakfast is the only meal we have one) is wonderful. We all have different preferences, I despise the ABC Commisary but hear people say it is their favorite; and I really enjoy the breatkfast in the castle. I think the food is great and never tire of the experience. I would say, do what feels right for your family. For me, I can't get enough of the character meals. If you get there and you arn't enjoying them, then call and cancel them.

 

[Tricia819]

I agree with the previous posters. For my daughter's first trip I scheduled a character breakfast every morning. It was great because they were able to meet a lot of the characters without having to wait in long lines in the parks.

 

[Laneychris]

My kids love the character meals. We do at least 3 or 4 each time we go. The buffets are great because kids can pick what they want to geat.

 

[YouJustBideYourTime!]

The only reason I'd drop a character meal is if they were too expensive or something like that. Other than that I think character meals are fab especially when it's your first time at Disney, because it is such an easy way to meet characters, get their pics and autographs!!!

Have fun!!!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I LOVE character meals. I am planning on booking one everyday for our next trip. I hate waiting in line so it's a perfect way for us to meet characters and get autographs. Also it lets ME eat in peace while the characters keep my kids entertained! LOVE it! Have fun.

We want to do 1900 PF, Ohana, CM, CP and CRT.

 

[danielle.st]

Crystal Palace (bkfst)
1900 Park Fare (dinner)
Chef Mickey (bkfst)
Cap May (dinner - non character)
Beirgarten (dinner - non character)
Coral Reef (dinner - non character) or Mama melrose (Fantasmic pkg)
Akerhaus (bkfst)
Kona (dinner - non character)
Ohana (dinner - non character)

QUOTE]


I could write almost the exact same post, lol. I think that probably answers your questions! My only differences are that I am not doing the Coral Reef or a dinner at the Cape May (doing breakfast-- with characters) and am also doing H&V, LTT and Tusker House! lol
I think you should go and have fun. That's my plan

 

[Girly_Qs]

You can go to dinner anytime. Only in Disney can you have dinner with characters!

My thoughts EXACTLY!

We leave in the am, and we'll be doing Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park, Akershus, and Crystal Palace (plus a couple non-character - 'Ohana dinner where dd had a ball last time and Mama Melrose's for the Fantasmic Package).

They're different characters for the most part, see them while you can (and while the little ones will still be most star-struck!)!

 

[2PrincessDad]

Our thinking is that we can never have enough character meals with our girls. They love the interaction and just knowign that the characters are aroudn while we're having our meal.

We've done the dining plan on our last two trips and this has allowed us to do one character meal each day, except for maybe one when we do a "regular" restaurant.

We can never get enough of them. That's why we're there, to immerse ourselves in al things Disney!

 

[kaleighmariesmom]

I dont think there is too much... the kids are only young once!!!

 

[Picabo]

Thank you! You all hvae helped convince me! As many have said, we can eat "dinner" anytime, anywhere. But we can only eat with Characters while at Disney! Plus, the dining plan really allows us to do that guilt-free. And I do think that buffets are the way to go with little kids. No waiting, everyone can find SOMETHING they enjoy, entertainment for the kids as we eat, etc!

I've slightly modified my plans and here's my current thoughts:
Chef Mickey (Bkfst), 1900 Park Fare (Cinderella dinner), Ohana (dinner), Kona (dinner - mostly for DH to get the seared Ahi and me to get the girls a Kona Kone!), Akerhaus (bkfst), Teppan Edo (dinner), Crystal Palace (dinner), Biergarten (lunch), Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Dinner pkg)

We'll pay 2 OOP (Chef Mickey bkfst and Biergarten lunch) but I can't give up one of my choice so that'll just have to be the way it goes!!

 

[Stitchfans]

IMO that sounds great. I am planning a whole lot more.

 

[TruBlu]

It is not possible to have too many character meals. In my opinion - I think you should add more.