Which character meal?

[have2getaway]

I have been to Disney several times, but this will be the first time with a 4 year old. We definitely want to do a character breakfast with Micky and Minnie--our ds loves them. Any suggestions on where to eat. My dh and I went on our honeymoon and ate at all the signature places: Hollywood BD, Narcoosee's, Cali Grille, le Cellier, but with the exception of Cali Grille I am reluctant to take our son to any of these. He is extremely active and impatient. Lol. Any suggestions. I thought about O'Hana, and San Angel Inn. I was also considering Coral Reef. We want meals that we will all enjoy. Any suggestions?

 

[MissionMouse]

It appears that you are asking two things based upon your title and narrative:
What Disney Character meal might be a fit?
Where can we eat that we all could enjoy?

I think the hardest thing is to gauge the true meaning of your son's activity level. You might consider bringing something to the meal that will entertain your son after he gives up on his meal ...probably around the time you are starting to enjoy the meal. Our daughters are 2 and 4 and find bring a coloring book/stickers and crayons (small plastic container holds 20+) to hold them over so we enjoy the meal.

Chef Mickey's for Mickey

Restaurants with themes typically of interest to children...
The Coral Reef for fish watching at Epcot.
The Sci-Fi Theatre at Disney Studios
Whispering Canyon Cafe for kid entertainment - WL
San Angel Inn at Lunch - may turn into a short nap for some (dark/cool setting)
Rainforest Cafe - AK

A QUICK Get AWAY
You may not have an interest in this since sometimes we want to spend all our time together as a family but if you are looking for a quick get away for the two of you while you dine at one of the GF restaurants...I believe this is still available but you might need to check with the GF to ensure they didn't eliminate this service.

Mouseketeer Club - Children will enjoy a visit to the "Mousekeeter Club." For a minimum stay of 2 hours or maximum of 4 hours, children may play video games, movies, games, and arts and crafts. The Mousketeer Club Cast interact with children during their visit. Pagers available to parents upon drop-off of children. Payment of pager deposit required. Children must be potty trained and ages 4-12.

Daily 4:30 p.m. - Midnight
Available to Grand Floridian Guests and Guests dining at the Grand Floridian; $10 per hour per child and includes a kiddy dinner.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

If you're looking for character meals that your DS doesn't really have to sit "quietly" for, Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace are GREAT!!!! We have also done the princess breakfast in the castle and it is DEFINITELY a little more rushed and crowded, IMHO. But the food is great! (stuffed french toast...yum!!!!)

My son is soon to be 4, and he is NOT quiet in any way, shape or form! And we don't hesitate to bring him anywhere. But like MissionMouse said, we ALWAYS bring something for him to do when he gets bored! (paint with water books, coloring books, crayons, etc).

 

[gymmom]

We went to Crystal Palace on our last day of a January 2005 trip that had been extended from 9 to 11 days due to an ice storm in Atlanta. It was a really last-minute thing. Around 2PM, everyone was really hungry and we couldn't decide where to eat in the MK. There aren't a lot of choices and we had already exhausted all of them on previous days in the park. I decided to call CP for PS and they had one in 10 minutes. We headed over there.

Now, our 12-year-old had said he didn't want to do any character meals. We had been having great success in finding characters at the various parks for photo ops, but hadn't seen Tigger anywhere. The 12-year-old had had his picture taken with Tigger on his first and only other visit to WDW when he was 5. He wouldn't admit it, but he wanted to find Tigger, too.

Imagine our joy when we walked in to the CP and there were all the Winnie the Pooh characters. We had a leisurely 2 hour meal, enjoyed a well above-average buffet, and as it wasn't crowded at that time had lots of time for pictures with all the characters--including Tigger.

Besides breakfast at Boma, it was our best meal experience!

Lisa

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Good character meals - Liberty Tree Tavern, Chef Mickeys, and Crystal Palace.

My kids also really enjoyed Sci-Fi, Restaurant Marrakesh and they loved the dessert at Kona.