which character meal FIRST?

[collegejunkie]

i convinced dbf to do a character meal and i want to do 2 - chef mickey's and crystal palace. which should we do first to convince him to do a second? if it's not one of these, which would you pick? we have chef mickey's, crystal palace, 1900 park fare, ohana, and cape may all for breakfast booked, so there are choices even though i really want to do cm and cp.

 

[Windsor Princesses]

We always feel like Mickey is a great way to start off with our vacation. Chef Mickey and Cape May are both great choices.

 

[neodymm]

Does he have any characters he'd prefer to dine with? CP is not one of our faves of the character meals, but that's mostly because Pooh and co. are not on the top of our fave characters. They do have a large selection on their buffet though. We rarely miss a trip to CM or CRT and never do Disney without a lunch or dinner at Akershus. But, we are Princess fans. 1900 PF gets mixed reviews, but the dinner characters can be quite entertaining, as is the Mad Hatter at breakfast...and it's also a decent sized buffet with various choices. Maybe take a look at the menus, too, since they all have different types of foods to offer. Ohana was just ok for us, I think it's the worst for food choices. Cape May seems to be the best for character interaction. They spend a little more time visiting, if you are interactive. Unfortunately, I always feel rushed at CM...but it still stays at the top of our list. You didn't mention Donald's safari breakfast at Tusker House in AK...we enjoy the food choices there, too, but character interaction seems rushed there, too.

Wherever you go, have fun with the characters! I honestly can't say they are any that I would avoid, they area all magical I there own way.

 

[goofyintoronto]

i convinced dbf to do a character meal and i want to do 2 - chef mickey's and crystal palace. which should we do first to convince him to do a second? if it's not one of these, which would you pick? we have chef mickey's, crystal palace, 1900 park fare, ohana, and cape may all for breakfast booked, so there are choices even though i really want to do cm and cp.

Honestly, I would do Cape May & Crystal Palace breakfast. I think if you decided on Chef Mickey's and did that first, he'd be turned off. Its VERY loud in there, and the food selection isnt good, ditto for the quality of food. If you really want to do C.Mickeys that bad, do it last. Not first.

 

[River Country]

Cape May Cafe first

Chef Mickey's is just not that great food wise but very easy to get to.

 

[heatherandnick]

Honestly, I would do Cape May & Crystal Palace breakfast. I think if you decided on Chef Mickey's and did that first, he'd be turned off. Its VERY loud in there, and the food selection isnt good, ditto for the quality of food. If you really want to do C.Mickeys that bad, do it last. Not first.

Ditto. We did not like CM at all, although we went for dinner. It is SOOO loud. Cape May is so great...fun decor, good food, relaxing, and good character interaction.
CP is my favorite breakfast. It's super cool to walk down an empty Main Street if you can score an 8:05-8:30 ADR (as long as it isn't EMH). Also, the food is super yummy and the place is beautiful. Have fun!

 

[Karbase8]

I have only done Crystal Palace many many years ago, I had a great experience and great character interaction, I have also heard and have it booked that Epcot's Garden Grille has a great character interaction.

 

[TyTysMommy]

Chef Mickeys is our traditional first day meal. It really gets you in the mood for Disney. Many people say its loud, but I never noticed it being a distraction.

 

[smiths02]

Crystal Palace BEFORE rope drop.
1) It is in MK. For my DH, convenience is key. (And MK is always the first park that I want to visit)
2) You can get an ADR for 8:05 or something when the park opens at 9. You get to walk down empty main street, then you can eat, and get out as soon as the park opens and get fast passes and wait in few lines.
3) Puffed French toast...my DH was in training and on a strict diet and even he couldn't resist this.


Everyone says Cape May, but I don't get it Granted, we went to dinner, but it was a PITA to get to depending on where you are staying. Yes, I should have just drove, but I thought I might want an alcoholic beverage.

My lesson learned is that I will only eat breakfast at my resort, at the park, or at a monorail resort ("brunch" at 1900 Park Fare worked well for us).

 

[tinkgurl]

Chef Mickey's is always a first day tradition for us. It's a fun way to start the trip. Plus, what better way to do that than with Mickey and his friends?!

 

[laxchik18]

chef mickeys 1st!!

 

[laxchik18]

Chef Mickeys is our traditional first day meal. It really gets you in the mood for Disney. Many people say its loud, but I never noticed it being a distraction.

same here

 

[OhThePain]

I personally don't see enough of a difference between the breakfast buffets to say any 1 is better than another. They all do eggs, bacon, sausage, potatos and Mickey waffles. They each have a couple of unique dishes but nothing that really stands out.

My girlfriend actually insists on Chef Mickey's for breakfast on our last day. It's a great way to end the trip by saying "See you soon." to the Fab-5 and have a decent breakfast at the same time. Then we usually head to MK for one last stroll down MSUSA before heading back to meet ME. So, if you have time on your last morning before heading home, I'd go with CM to finish off the trip.

I agree that maybe leave the choice of the other character meal to your DBF. Maybe there is a character he wants to see.

Also, I see that you don't have any princess meals planned. We have had some really nice lunches at Akershus, but if the menu doesn't float your boat I've heard the breakfast is good. My girlfriend and I have had some great character interaction there. The princesses have spent a lot of time at our table (mostly to tease me and make sure that I am a suitable prince for my princess). A decent character dinner option is Garden Grill. Chip, Dale, Pluto and Farmer Mickey come around to the tables and due to the shape of the restaurant (which rotates around LwtL) they often visit 3 or 4 times. The food is ok, but the character interaction is great and it tends to be a less hectic character meal.

 

[DDM101]

Crystal Palace with an 8:05 a.m. ressie on a non-EMH day is a MAGICAL way to begin a Disney World vacation. Not only is the food, service, and character interaction top-notch, but the opportunity of walking down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom before opening offers some invaluable photo opportunities. Enjoy! All other character meals takes a back-seat to this Crystal Palace experiece, as far as I am concerned.

 

[collegejunkie]

thanks for the input! no princess meals because dbf has zero interest, even though i insisted that i would be among my "colleagues" lol. maybe if these go well, he will be up for one next year. he didn't mention any characters he wants to see except for the fab 5, but he doesn't care if that's at a meal or just for pictures.