Too many character meals??

[Picabo]

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!

 

[CTKris10]

If I were you I would keep all your character meals. You can never have enough, especially with young children! I don't mind 1900 Park Fare- the food isn't incredible, but there is enough to choose from. Each of your meals have different characters except maybe Chef Mickey's and Cape May. I say give them all a go!

 

[megwilliams]

I'm kind of in the same boat. We have 2 yr old twins, who will be 6 wks shy of their 3rd birthday when we are in WDW. I have several ADRs and only one is not a buffet (several of the buffets are character meals as well), and that one is at Chefs de France for just my husband and me.

I'm booked at:
- Princess Storybook
- Playhouse Disney at H&V
- Chef Mickey's
- Crystal Palace
- Boma
- Cape May Buffet
- Les Chefs de France

My reasoning is that I know with buffets, my kids will be able to eat soon, if not immediately. They have a tendency to go a little nuts if they are waiting forever for food. Also, as they won't be 3 yet, they'll be free. They both have pretty diverse palates, so they'll be able to eat food other chicken tenders and mac-n-cheese (though they love that stuff, too) for free.

As for the character dinners, they don't know strangers, so I while I think they'd be fine in the parks, I think that having the characters right there will be so much fun for them. My daughter will definitely be "among her people" at the princess dinner. LOL.

Plus, I'm pretty nervous about taking them to the nicer restaurants in the parks/resorts. I know that they can be loud (they're 2... it comes with the territory), and I want to avoid them being loud while other people are trying to eat. It buffets/character dinners, the noise is kind of expected.

I think your mix of ADRs sounds fine. You will probably be bouncing all over the "world", so if you have a car, that would be a plus, but we are doing the same thing as we are staying at PO-R, and have meals planned at several resorts.

 

[goofypooh]

I don't think you have too many character meals planned. That is definitely part of the fun. I will be going to 1900 Park Fare for the first time in January....I think it sounds like fun & a great way to meet the stepsisters, too! And yes....your kids will still like the character meals when you go back again in a few years. My older kids still enjoy them. Have a great trip!

 

[abc999]

You can meet Cinderella at Toontown. She is usually in the Princess room. Also, she may be at Akershus.

 

[SRICE100]

I don't think you have too many character meals. It is the same number I have planned for my children.

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

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We love character meals, they make the whole trip! I wouldn't cut any, heck I'd add the Castle if you could get in (Cinderella is there!) I think my favorite part of disey is attening the character meals, my kids are getting older and I am really realizing how fast time flies, do it now, do it often, and take photos--- you will never regret it. My first born started high school today, it feels like yesterday that we took her to CM for her 3rd b-day. Go, and have a greeat time!!!!

 

[mamato3princesses]

I don't think you have too many character meals. We also had a lot of them the last time we went and even my 12 year old enjoyed it. We especially love Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, LTT (which is stopping character meals in Jan), and Garden Grill w/Chip and Dale (and Pluto and Mickey too!).

You are so going to enjoy the buffets and ability to let your kids just "pick" at their food. They'll be so distracted by the stuff around them that you'll actually be able to enjoy your meal too!!

 

[standleyent1]

If you feel the need to fulfill your rib craving then I would suggest the Spirit of Aloha. The ribs are awesome and IMO Cape May is not the quality or entertainment that SofA will be. You might consider the Hoop-De-Do review, they have an wonderful menu and the entertainment is superb especially for the little ones.
Hope this helps!
Have Fun!

 

[Vavasmon]

We love the character meals. When DD ate off the kids menu the buffets allowed her to have food more similar to what she ate at home (she has always loved broccoli, steak, and salmon). Even today (at age 12) they are a great way to see the major characters without waiting in long lines/heat/rain/etc. One trip we did all three princess meals and she loved it (plus Chef Mickey's). We have not been to 1900 PF in a couple of years but enjoyed it the last time - I know there have been some changes.

If you are going to Cape May for mainly the ribs the Hoop De Doo Review and Spirit of Aloha has ribs discussed above. The Trails End Buffet at Fort Wilderness (also fun to walk around some) served ribs that were good a few years ago - they seem to still be on the menu. The Whispering Canyon Cafe (not a buffet) but family oriented location in the Wilderness Lodge servers ribs too (we enjoyed them in March). There is/was a kids version of their AYCE BBQ skillet that I don't see on all ears any more. I think either of these is an easier commute from the Poly than Cape May.

 

[bellenbuzz]

I've "been there.....done that..." and LOVED It !!!!
SOUNDS GOOD TO ME AND ENJOY !!!

 

[Jubilee]

I would keep it If your sons hate them, I would cancel some mid-trip if you can get other places.

 

[lumpy08]

Here is my review on the ones we went to from your list. I would keep all your resesies so far. If you think the girls are up to making it, just make sure you call and cancel prior to your reservation so that someone can jump in. I just planned breakfast and dinners. We stayed at CR and took a break at the pool every afternoon. I just let them swim, then they rested. We had late dinners, but with them resting they were great.

Crystal Palace (bkfst)
When we went it will look very busy on the outside. Since one group of breakfast leaves another comes in. Go to the signin area it is to the left of the doors. The food was buffet style so I am sure you will find something that everyone will like. Since the characters come around while you are getting up and down from the buffet we just took turns so that we could get photo's and video. The characters are definately spread apart enough to allow time. There is also a little conga line the kids walk around with the characters. It is really cute!

1900 Park Fare (dinner)
This was my Favorite!!! We didn't get into CRT but my dd is 3 so I am sure we will get back there when she will remember really eating at the castle. We had a great food experience here. The characters were AWESOME. My dd is a HUGE fan of Anastasia. She kept coming over to our table. My daughter was playing with the Cinderella plastic little figures for some reason we had two prince charmings and one with black hair and the other with brown. Well Anastasia kept yelling to prince and Cinderella and she put herself with prince... Drizella actually sat on the floor with my dd for about 5 minutes just chatting with her. (wish I knew what they were saying to each other). Cinderella and the prince dance in the middle of the dining room during the night. They ended up both dancing with both of my kids.

Chef Mickey (bkfst)
This is also a great time. On the idea of CP with the buffet and the characters coming around. The characters are alot of fun here. This was how we started off our trip which was nice for the kids to see Mickey right away.

Coral Reef (dinner - non character) or Mama melrose (Fantasmic pkg)
The kids loved the Coral Reef. Debbie at the Coral Reef also made personalized menu's for us. If you call the Coral Reef just leave a msg and ask about how to do this. She will get back to you just give her some time.

We did the Hollywood and Vine with the fantasmic and from all the reviews I read with people saying how aweful the food was. I think I had it in the back of my head how bad it was going to be. It really wasn't bad at all. But the fantasmic was AWESOME. I really liked it so much I bought the CD of music. It is nice to have the package since you can eliminate the really long line. I also bought some of those light up bracelets (At Michael's they had them for 15 for $1). Let me tell you -- the best money I spent. I bought 2 packs and gave them to all the kids sitting around us. There is a little wait time. I think we waited 1/2 hour. But for kids it is an eternity. They all played with the bracelets, by the time they started to get bored the show started. I also picked up some ear plugs at the nurses station for the kids. I had forgot them at home. But my kids are sensitive to loud noises (ie. fireworks - they block their ears).

Akerhaus (bkfst):
We had the dinner for this. The characters were very good. There was also a lady that came around to see if all 5 characters came by. We were there in June and Belle was the one the kids got their picture with. We had Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty. I had bought some princess books at the Dollar Tree they had 6 of the princess books. I forgot to bring them to this dinner so the next time we went back to epcot we stopped at the spots for Snow white, Jasmine, Belle etc and had them sign it.

Ohana (dinner - non character)
We had the character breakfast. It was my favorite breakfast. They actually brought a huge looking wok filled with breakfast items. I loved it since we didn't have to get up and down while the characters were coming by. Not sure how dinner was, but the breakfast was tasty!

 

[perriwinkleblue]

I can't give you any advice about ribs but I think you made good choices. Buffets work very well for us. The food is sometimes hit or miss but if you are flexible you'll find something good to eat. My kids have been picky eaters and it's great if they are in the mood to say just eat a plate of fruit and one chicken nugget, well, you can give them that. Also, let's face it, for most little ones, it's all about the characters. Bring a camera and/or video. The character interaction is great at all of these places. (My kids especially liked the stepsisters at 1900 Park Fare, Tigger at Crystal Palace and June (Little Einsteins) at Hollywood and Vine.) Seeing the characters at a meal frees you up from standing in line to see characters in the parks. Have those autograph books ready if you think your kids may want them. If you're not sure just bring little notebooks just in case.
We've eaten at all of your choices except Biergarten and Mama Melrose and have enjoyed them enough to go back. The adults in our party enjoyed Kona and Coral Reef and the kids menu choices were more than adequate. 'Ohana, although not a character meal, does have a lot for the kids (coconut races, hula lessons etc.). These were led by a singer who is fun and joyful - my kids loved it.
One final comment, eating at the sit-down restaurants, especially character buffets, is time consuming. Just make sure your adr's fit in with your touring plans. I hope you have fun and enjoy your meals.

 

[RMulieri]

You can have as many as you want! just a thought though, Do you think your children will be afraid of the characters? If unsure you may want to rethink a little bit.We scheduled mostly character meals when our niece was 4.We thought she would love it.We were wrong.She was absolutely terrified, at the very first meal ( arrival night).Not good, since we still had 6 more character meals scheduled.We ended up trying to scramble and switch things around.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I dont think you can ever have enough character meals...we are going for 5 days and I have a character breakfast booked for every single morning that we are there

 

[HappyCamper87]

If it would work for your schedule, I think you should try O'Hana for breakfast. It is one of my favorites. I just realized I haven't even taken my kids yet. I am the Disney freak of the family and O'Hana in the morning with the view of the castle was just perfect. 2nd only to Crystal Palace.

I agree with other posters - You can not have too many character meals. Especially with kids, no waiting and lots of kid-friendly choices with other options available if they decide to be adventurous.

Happy Planning.

 

[Picabo]

If it would work for your schedule, I think you should try O'Hana for breakfast. It is one of my favorites. I just realized I haven't even taken my kids yet. I am the Disney freak of the family and O'Hana in the morning with the view of the castle was just perfect. 2nd only to Crystal Palace.

Happy Planning.

Well, so far, my girls have NO interest in Lilo and Stitch. I've showed them the movie and also the show that is on TV from time to time...no interest at all. But who knows, we have a year to go so things may change. We'll be staying at Poly so Ohana bkfst would be simple....it's almost as if I need more days to squeeze in all the restaurants!

 

[HappyCamper87]

Well, so far, my girls have NO interest in Lilo and Stitch. I've showed them the movie and also the show that is on TV from time to time...no interest at all. But who knows, we have a year to go so things may change. We'll be staying at Poly so Ohana bkfst would be simple....it's almost as if I need more days to squeeze in all the restaurants!

I'm not a great big Lilo and Stitch fan either so I can relate. When we went it was right before they started the Stitch thing. It was Mickey, Goofy, and Chip and Dale...

Still happy planning...

 

[bradyloganmom]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY CHARACTER MEALS!!!
We're booked at Chef Mickey (breakfast AND dinner, Crystal Palace, Garden Grill, and Liberty Tree.