Which Character Breakfast for 8yo with autism?

[hsmamainva]

(I also posted this in the Disabilities forum!)

We'll be making our first ever visit to Disney World January 30th through February 6th and we want to do a character breakfast.

My 8yo has autism and sometimes has trouble in restaurants. She does very well with breakfasts (I suppose it's because it's "first thing in the morning when she's in a good mood") and she does well with buffets, where she doesn't have to wait for her food.

We've taken her to breakfast buffets several times on other vacations and she does well with a Denny's type of restaurant.

She LOVES Mickey and Minnie Mouse so we're considering Cape May Cafe or Chef Mickey's.

Is one better than the other when it comes to dining with a child with autism?

Thanks in advance!

 

[choirchic]

I really think she would like O'Hana...it's served family style (and all you care to eat) so you don't have to get up, and you really don't do much waiting for your food. The characters all come around to you, and if you want there's a parade for Children during the meal if she gets antsy and wants to get up and do something.

 

[tabithakp]

I agree O'hana would work well. It can get pretty loud though. Not sure if that would bother her or not. My son spent the whole meal under the table one year and I dont think anyone even notice. He doesnt do well in restaurants either.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I would take her to Chef Mickey's or 1900. Have A Magical Trip

 

[koolaidmoms]

My DS, 6, is also autistic. We have done CM but DS had trouble with the over stimulation. It was bright, lots of people moving around, having to wait for the characters at the table and when we went it was very crowded. Other than that the food was good, character interaction with him was great (they took his lead and did not touch him until he approached them) and in the end it all evened out to a pretty good morning.

Hope this helps a little bit.

We may try Cape May Cafe next time for breakfast.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Cape May was very quiet when we were there, and it had several seating areas with no more than 15-20 tables in each. The main dining room at Chef Mickey's is *enormous* and can be very loud. For that reason, I'd probably do Cape May (my DH is on the spectrum and for him, quiet was paramount--second only to good food ).

However, Mickey Mouse is not at Cape May. Cape May is Minnie, Donald, and Goofy.

 

[jreed1920]

I haven't been to the character breakfasts but my DD is also on the spectrum and our favorite character meal is Garden Grill with Chip & Dale in the Land in Epcot. It is very calm and the way the restaurant is set up you almost feel like you are in your own private little area. The character interaction is great and we really enjoyed the food.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Our DD 11 is in the spectrum, the best breakfast we found that was not overstimulating and pretty quiet and low key was 1900 Park Fare at the GF, Cape May may also be good but we have not personally tried it. CRT and Alkershus are also pretty low key, but they are not buffets.

Stay away from:
Chef Mickey's
Crystal Palace
Both are extremely loud.

We have not tried Ohana for breakfast but dinner there was very loud and rambuctous.

Good Luck!

 

[mcemouse]

I also have a son with PDD spectrum disorder....we have taken him to many Character breakfast in Disney and he has done well with them. He is 13 now but his first one was at 3...I agree that Ohana is very good, my son is an eater and does not like to wait for his food, it came rather quick there. The Cape May breakfast was really good to, much quieter we thought. we did Chef Mickey, but we were not in the main dining room but in the back room up the stairs in the corner actually, he loved that, the charactrs were very entertaining and made him laugh, alot. Have a great time......

 

[GoofTroop]

I have 3 sons on the spectrum. My 16 yo is high functioning, my 8 yo is more classic autistic, but on the moderate-high end, and my 4 yo has PDD-NOS.

The absolute WORST character buffet meals we've had we're Chef Mickey's and Hollywood and Vine. Worst is not based on food or character interaction, but on sensory overload, though my 8 yo loved the napkin twirling at Chef Mickey's.....He'd just giggle and giggle and giggle while that was going on. You would have thought someone was tickling his funny bone.

Our better charcter buffet meals were Tusker House, Cape May, Akershus, and Crsytal Palace. 1900 Park Fare has been "fair".

Does your daughter like the princesses? Akershus might be a good choice. Otherwise, if she really wants to see Mickey and Minnie, I'd probably go with Tusker House breakfast. It can get loud, however, most seating areas are not right next to the buffet area.

Also, not sure how your daughter is, but my boys actually prefer the buffets vs. the restaurants that serve family style. They get to get up during the meal, get food when they are ready and at their pace. No meltdowns due to waiting to order or the waiter/waitress bringing food.

Have a great trip! We leave in 10 days and I can't wait!

Elizabeth

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

As a mother of a child with autism, I would recommend Cape May to you. My DS can be sensitive to crowd/noise sometimes and many of the mainstream character breakfasts can be very crowded and noisy. When we ate at Cape May it was much less crowded and a bit smaller, it seemed to me anyway. My other personal pick is Chef Mickey's but that's just on a personal level because my DS's absolute favorite is the monorail. When he gets to watch that during his entire breakfast, everything else doesn't bother him as much!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Best Aunt]

We ate at Cape May Cafe on a Sunday morning. It was pretty quiet. People got their food from the buffet table. The characters wandered around to each table. There were no activities (parades, etc.) which would add to the noise level.

Since it's a buffet, you stay as long as feels right for your family. If it gets overwhelming, you can just leave.

And this really doesn't answer your question, but:

If you want to meet with characters in a quiet setting, and you have a Disney Rewards Visa card, you might want to check out the photo shoot at Epcot. It's in one of the Innovations Buildings near the front of the park. When we went in March 2008, there was no line at all. Lady with a clip board looked at your credit card, and then ushered you into a room for a private photo shoot with several Disney characters. When you go in the room, it's just your family with the characters. I would think that might be a good character meeting experience if someone gets overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises.

Some people have found the line to be long. I suppose you could check it out without telling the family what it was. That way, if you thought the line was too long, nobody would be disappointed if you decided to do something else instead.

 

[stitch34]

If noise is an issue, than Cape May Cafe I think is your best choice - the most mellow of the character meals I feel. There is Donald, Minnie & Goofy there.
1900 Park Fare was good, too. And all depends on characters your child is into. But thought you mentioned Minnie... so would say Cape May. First choice would be Chef Mickey's - got Mickey also then and more - but if noise is an issue, perhaps better with Cape May.

My 7 year old is autistic. Does well at the character meals. doesn't have problems with the noise or crowds and loves the characters... but only AFTER he's eaten. Really, we have so many pictures of him with the characters, where he's sitting there shoving food into his mouth and ignoring them.
What works for us with buffets, is the food is instant - no waiting to be served. I usually have my daughter go up to the buffet right away to just grab some fruit to bring to my son to get him started so he'll sit nicely.

 

[cbg1027]

I would highly recommend you AVOID Chef Mickey's. It's extremely loud because of the open setting and there's so much going on with all the people and the monorail going right overhead.

I haven't been there myself, but I think Cape May would be the best option for you. I've heard it's a bit quieter than the other character breakfasts, and looking at pictures the set-up seems better suited for an autistic child. I used to be a nanny for a child with Asperger's so I kind of know how these things can affect them.

Cape May doesn't have Mickey, but they do have Minnie, Donald, and Goofy in their beachwear. I hear the character interaction is a bit better at Cape May because the ratio of guests to characters is smaller.

Hope you have a good time whichever you end up picking.

 

[hsmamainva]

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice!!

We've already dropped the idea of Chef Mickey's!!

With my daughter, it's not so much the noise level as it is visually overstimulating (I went to google images and viewed some pics of the restaurant and it would definitely be too much for her!)

Now I'm between Cape May and Tusker House (which does have Mickey).

Of course, I'll be trying to make my ADR on October 27th!!! I'm already getting nervous about being able to make a reservation at either place! I think it's going to be a mob scene that day!

 

[donatalie]

Whichever meal you choose, make it a point to tell them that your child is autistic. I have two kiddos..... DD is clasiscally autistic and DS is quite low functioning. Many of the Hosts and Servers are very familiar with autism and will seat you in a less stimulating/quieter area of the restaurant. The characters and handlers will also have a better idea of how to approach your kiddo. It'll make a huge difference, I've seen it first hand many times!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I have a daughter with autism and have done may character meals. Don't do Ohanna's as others suggested. The food choices are limitted as the food is brought to the table. Although if you do not have an extra adult this is better.

I would choose Chef Mickey or Cape May. They offer many more food choices and you can go back on your own if your child wants more of something.

Cape May is quieter and even the decor is more soothing. They do not break out into a song every 45 minutes either. So if quiet is what you are looking for Cape May.

I will say that many characters understand autism. Donald at CM let my daughter touch his beak. Pluto would wave at me to go away when I kept telling my daughter be careful with the characters.

I always ask for a child's cup with a lid even now at 15. When my daughter was 10 they brought her a huge glass of orange juice and that was overwhelming for her.

 

[dzorn]

DD is on the spectrum and does well at all the character meals but I would go with Cape May for the quieter atmosphere. It is Minnie, Goofy and Donald all in swim attire.

Denise in MI

 

[NMK62303]

LOVED Tusker House last week -- DS is 6 and he did GREAT there. He is really used to eating out too so not sure if that makes any difference . . . we also did CP, CM and Boma. Of the 3, he did the worst at Boma, just not as kid friendly with the food offerings!

 

[Mich123]

I'd also recommend Garden Grill...it's really calm and there's not too much activity because the restaurant is circular. Once you're in the booth, you're set. Mickey is there, too!