trails end or chef mickeys

[kitkat4622]

which would you keep? the trails end is a brunch on sunday 4/2 and we would take the boat over to MK afterwards, or a breakfast at chef mickeys and walk from the contemporary to MK....we have never done both and have other character meals planned during our trip.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Yikes! My 2 least favorite restaurants! I would have to put Trails End on the very bottom though. So, Chef Mickeys would be my choice, by default.

Do you have 1900 Park Fare or Ohana breakfast planned? Even Kona has a great breakfast. I would choose one of those for a pre MK breakfast.

 

[kitkat4622]

Thanks I have not planned1900 park faire but do have ohanas booked. What did you not like abou trails end?

 

[DISNEY1975]

Thanks I have not planned1900 park faire but do have ohanas booked. What did you not like abou trails end?

Quite honestly, everything! I went there with high hopes after reading great reviews. We were staying at the Poly and took the monorail over to the Contemporary and hopped the ferry over to Ft Wilderness. It was a fun morning and we loved the transportation. The walk from the ferry dock to Trails End was quick. We arrived at the restaurant and it was so cute! Nice big porch with rocking chairs, hula hoops for the kids to play with etc.. So far so great! After about a 5 - 10 minute wait, our name was called and we went inside. O M G. Think log cabin meets pub / arcade / saloon. Im sorry, but I dont enjoy a sports bar with multiple TVs going right next to my table. Also, the Ft Wilderness arcade room is attached to this restaurant and kids coming in an out all the time. It was really loud in there.

The food...mediocre to bad. Fruit was edible, but not the eggs or rubbery pancakes or breakfast meats drowning in grease. Pastries were borderline stale. Just a bad bad bad experience and I will never go back. Possibly a bad food day, but the atmosphere was something I never want to go to again. Ive been to the BBQ and HDDR and liked them both. Never imagined a Disney restaurant this bad.

Chef Mickeys...mediocre food, but the characters are great and clean restaurant. Its my least favorite TS breakfast, but its not terrible. 1900 Park Fare is 100000000% better food and options.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

Trails End breakfast is our favorite buffet. We go there every trip & have not had bad food at all. In fact I have reservations there this coming Wednesday. It's quiet & relaxing. Not noisy & frantic like Chef Mickeys. For us it was finding a hidden gem.

 

[ariane37]

We did the Trails End brunch in August and loved it! So much so that not only do we have Thanksgiving dinner booked there, but another brunch 2 days later FWIW never noticed any kids whatsoever running through, didn't even notice the arcade nearby lol. Also no pancakes at the brunch but the pastries and sausage, bacon etc. were delicious as was the french toast bread pudding with praline sauce which is divine It's been years since we've done Chef Mickey's but I highly recommend the TE brunch!

 

[jimmytammy]

Im not sure what the brunch is at TE, we always do breakfast there. Not big on the other meals, but breakfast is great. Food wise, prefer TE over CM.

 

[alliecat523]

I also think TE is better and less chaotic than CM. We've never had kids running through from the arcade. I think the food is better than Cm too.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

If you are on the Dining Plan CM is a much better value, however we love TE! We stay at the Fort as often as we can and it really is a hidden gem -- both breakfast and dinner. We haven't done the brunch yet but have an ADR in January to try it out.

Here's a review from June that Easy WDW did: http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/tr...w-at-fort-wilderness-resort-and-some-scenery/

I can't wait to try that bacon!

 

[NileNellie]

Since you already have a character dining reservation, I'd dump CM and go with Trail's End. I really enjoyed our breakfast there (I think I ate my weight in the French toast bread pudding) and loved that it wasn't as hectic as Chef Mickey's. I was a little wary of having to take transportation to get there but my son who is 4 loved it. You'll save some $$ and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[nkereina]

We like both but they are very different. CM is larger with more people, larger buffet, more dining options. It's a character meal so its busy, loud, and a little chaotic. But lots of fun for kids. Trail's End is much smaller, with a smaller buffet area and fewer offerings. It will be less expensive and more quiet/relaxing. We enjoy the food at both, so just depends on the makeup of your party and what kind of experience you're looking for.

 

[ilovebassets]

Trails End is much calmer, more pleasant atmosphere, infinitely better food, and way cheaper. Unless you feel strongly about seeing characters, I'd skip chef mickeys. I know a PP was very down on Trails End and I'm not discounting his/her opinion, but I think you'll find most reviews of Trails End to be very favorable.

 

[jawa7400]

We love TE! FW has a calm, relaxed atmosphere that's fun to enjoy on a rest day for us.