Which character meal would you chose to do & why?

[allymc]

I was just going to book for the character breakfast at Cafe Mickey but have noticed there ate various different character meal options so would value any opinions on which is 'the best'. Our 4 year old loves the traditional Disney characters and is a big Toy Story fan if that makes any difference. Thanks!

 

[DLPdaft]

My honest opinion is that the character breakfast at Cafe Mickey is the worst value for money out of all the character meal options. Its expensive, it eats into either your EMH time or your main park day time, and you can do character lunch or dinner at the same venue for less money (and you see more charactes at dinner there than lunch or breakfast).

My absolute favourite, for value for money, is Cafe Mickey for dinner where we share a pizza (or 2 depending on how many are in your party - one pizza easily feeds 2).

I'd quite like to try Cowboy Cookout lunch too, because for a counter service meal, it looks like a lot of food and you get the characters too (including possibly Woody).

 

[jothp]

We have really enjoyed cafe mickey for dinner and you will see a selection of characters. We have always had breakfast included in with our hotel so have objected to paying more just to have breakfast with characters. We didn't really enjoy the cowboy cookout but lots of other people have had great meals there. The auberge we have enjoyed too but it is just princesses/princes + the mice from cinderella so may not be suitable if you prefer the classic characters.

This trip we are staying in DLH so have decided to try inventions for a change but can't really comment because we haven't done it before

 

[wmoon]

I like cafe mickey for dinner. It depends what you order but we have always enjoyed it there and it's probably one of the better value options and is always fun.

Cowboy cookout, we enjoyed that as well, although its a lot of food, being a set menu, there is live music so it's a wee bit different, we have done this twice and it's part of my plan for October.

Inventions, I used to love, the food is great but it's very pricey! The last time we went though there were hardly any characters in the 2+ hours that we were there, it really put me off and not sure we would go back now.

Last October we did the hawaiian brunch at inventions. It had a great atmosphere and the character interaction was among the best we have had, Stitch was fantastic. We all like good food and it was still brilliant, in fact my mother in law prefered the brunch food as a bit less fishy! Still pricey an maybe not great value but a very nice experience overall and if we were ever there on a Sunday again I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Shareholders discount makes the price slightly more bearable mind.

 

[tinkertaylor05]

Another one that would say Cafe Mickey but not at breakfast, we've never done it but have walked past many times and it just seems to be lacking something in my opinion. We've always been of an evening and really enjoyed our experience, lunchtime we did once and it was just ok for us. Inventions is nice but very pricey, it depends what you're looking for out of your dining experience really.

You can't guarantee which characters you'll get in Cafe Mickey but Mickey for sure we've had Mickey, Minnie, Chip n Dale, Pluto, Tigger everytime plus a variety of others at random. I've never done the cowboy cookout but others here have, I'd assume Woody and Jessie would be there?!? Hopefully somebody else can confirm?

 

[DLPdaft]

no, unfortunately theres no guarantee you'll see either Woody or Jessie at the Cowboy Cookout.

 

[Bexx]

We enjoyed the Sunday brunch at The Steakhouse - do they still do that?

 

[DLPdaft]

yes they do Becky, but I believe theres no wine or champagne included with the buffet meal price now.

 

[Bexx]

yes they do Becky, but I believe theres no wine or champagne included with the buffet meal price now.

Shame! Have to admit that was part of the attraction for me!! Certainly not such good value anymore then and other character meals will probably be more appealing now for that sort of cost.

 

[jennytablina]

Tough one, in all honesty it's tough to beat Cafe Mickey right now, unless you want to pay out extra for Inventions. But you certainly won't see the likes of Woody or Jessie there far as I know, sadly there isn't really any sort of TS meet and greet at the moment. Woody might appear at the Cowboy Cookout, but as reviews here suggest, those appearances can be few and far between.

Personally I'ld just go to Disneyland hotel, meet the characters in their 5pm mini performance + meet and greet session, Then go eat elsewhere - though admittedly Cafe Mickey can be great if you go at the right time.

 

[DLPdaft]

My experience has been with Cafe Mickey that you can meet up to a dozen different characters there over dinner in the evening (we've never had less than 7 or 8) and although usually theres Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Gepetto, you also get a range of characters from Woody, Jessie, Minnie, Chip n Dale, Baloo, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Genie, Captain Hook, Mr Smee, Stitch and loads more .

 

[aliscrapper]

We did the character breakfast at Cafe Mickey last year and loved it - the hot buffet and fruit salad is out of this world and we saw Gepatto, Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, Chip & Dale, Mickey Mouse and when everyone had left they were still doing the rounds!

My other favourite is the character tea party - the most amazing selection of cakes and pastries and lots of character interaction. Only drawback is that it is usually on when the Park Parade is; but the plus side to this I think is that when we went it was not as busy as some of the other character dining experiences.

We did Cowboy Cookout last year and while the food was okay; I thought it a lot of money for what is in effect a fast food meal. However we found it the perfect antedote on the last day when we were exhausted and needed respite from the crowds in the park - to have fun playing games with Mickey and the gang and on this grounds we've booked to do it on our last day this year!

 

[allymc]

Thanks all for the replies, we may well go for dinner at Cafe Mickey then instead of breakfast. Do you just book a table and then the characters come round? Or do you have to book specifically for the character dining experience? As in is it held in a separate part of Cafe Mickey (if that makes sense?)?

 

[Bexx]

Or do you have to book specifically for the character dining experience?

Not at all. The whole of Cafe Mickey is a character meeting place. So you can ring Dining Reservations before you leave, or go to City Hall or Cafe Mickey itself once you get there to make it. A reservation is important for Cafe Mickey if you want to eat there at a time that suits you.

 

[DLPdaft]

Thanks all for the replies, we may well go for dinner at Cafe Mickey then instead of breakfast. Do you just book a table and then the characters come round? Or do you have to book specifically for the character dining experience? As in is it held in a separate part of Cafe Mickey (if that makes sense?)?

early dinner (ie book for 6pm) at Cafe Mickey is a great experience, and you can order what you like from the menu (ie you don't have to pay for kids set meals, you can order pizza etc to share amongst you all) and still get the full character interaction .

But yes, definitely book in advance for Cafe Mickey, its a very popular dinner venue.

 

[allymc]

Many thanks for all the advice!