Why and what are the reasons and your views on LTT characters being taken away?

[Amy&Dan]

I'm guessing LTT wasn't very popular, and it should be. It's great location, but I haven't dined there myself in many years. The other dining choices in MK are pretty much just as bad and just as BORING! Also, how healthy was that menu? Ham, Stovetop stuffing, instant mashed potato? C'mon.

Actually LTT is very popular. Its one of those ADR's that if you don't get it early, you don't get it. I have been there many times over the past three years and its always packed, and turning away walk ups.

We've always enjoyed the food, its not gourmet and its not supposed to be. And we enjoyed the characters, we thought having them in their colonial costumes was cute and different. Its been a great choice for an MK located character meal for our family since my son is too old to like Pooh and not into princesses.

I am sorry its changing, we'll just have to see what its changing to.

 

[marie8461]

I have done both lunch and dinner at LTT and although the character interaction is great at dinner, I've found the food to be mediocre. Lunch, on the other hand, is another story - the food is excellent and the atmosphere is very relaxing. So, who knows - this may turn out to be a good thing.

 

[ransom]

Perhaps they have removed the characters from that venue because there have been so many, many venues that have added characters in years past.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We were never huge fans of LTT, but the lack of characters there will affect us going there in the future. The only time we would eat there was when we were attending MNSSHP. We loved the characters...the food, however, was just okay to us.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I don`t understand why people would only go for the characters if the food is bad. Why pay $29.00 and forch yourself to eat " what you call bad food . I have eatten at LTT many time the food is some of the best at MK. I say save your money and go look for the same characters in the park. They are out there open your eyes and save $29.00 a person.

Character meals are the only way that my children will see them. My kids HATE HATE HATE to stand in line for autographs. (can't say I blame them)

 

[Karlzmom]

I have just heard today that LTT are taking the characters away. I am so shocked and dissapointed. It was our favourite resturant for food and characters. I am very dissapointed. Too many changes and cut backs are happening at the moment. Not all good.

How do you feel? Why are they taking them away?

Probably because the whole thing is "too American" and heavens knows you can't have that! Seriously, its too bad that we won't have it anymore, as I love the whole Colonial America theming of the characters. I'm sure some egg-head decided that we are soooo far past the bi-centenial [remember the hype?] that it has no relevance to today's visitors. For me, LTT as it stands is one of the "must do's"

 

[2crazy4disney]

I disagree with most of the posts onthis thread. Jim Hill said it was money, and Jim Hill is about as reliable as...the local weather report. No, the local weather report is right about half of the time...Yet people still quote him...

As everyone here has said, the food was awful. I'm guessing LTT wasn't very popular, and it should be. It's great location, but I haven't dined there myself in many years. The other dining choices in MK are pretty much just as bad and just as BORING! Also, how healthy was that menu? Ham, Stovetop stuffing, instant mashed potato? C'mon.

How many TS locations does MK have? And what are they? How does that compare to the other parks - especially when MK is the park with the most evening hours!

I think if they offer a more interesting menu, I'll consider dining there again. I say it was about time they made a change!

Ditto for Garden Grill - great location - uninteresting menu.

When I called about an ADR at the Wave, the CM hinted that there would be more dining changes along the same lines at WDW. Interesting, exciting, healthy dining options! If that's what they are going to offer at LTT, then I may well consider it on my next vacation!

My family loved the food and the characters at Liberty Tree Tavern. We booked all of our table service with characters. It makes it so much fun. I have 2 teenage children (1 girl & 1 boy) and also have 1 younger child. Even my husband and I love the character meals. Liberty Tree Tavern's service was great and very attentive. We had a ball at these meals, I would hate to see them phase out character meals all together because trying to see the characters in the park is very hard, and then people would have to spend their time waiting in long lines just to see these characters.

 

[nobodies36]

I liked the food at LTT and enjoyed the characters last year. One thing I noted, which makes me glad it will not be a character meal soon, is the number of times the characters fell or tripped. The poor lighting and poor visibility costumes coupled with the cramped space make for a bad character meal in my opinion. We were sitting by the stairs to the slightly raised area and the number of times during one meal that we saw a character trip or fall, just at that point of the restaurant, was unbelievable. I mean the width of each stair was half that of the costumed foot. For the safety of the characters I am kinda glad it will no longer be a character meal. This may have influenced Disney's decision to discontinue the characters at LTT.

 

[crisi]

I agree its probably a capacity thing - no characters means guests move through faster. Since the DDP, Disney fills their restaurants to capacity - they need more capacity and turning tables faster is one way to get it without having to build new restaurants. Likewise, that's one reason why the dessert may have been dropped from the DDP, turns tables that much faster.

(Cost is ALWAYS a factor in business decisions).

 

[ICF]

We've been there every year that we gone and the kids (now 8 & 5) have always enjoyed it.

It was a chance to "meet" the classic characters at a meal we would all eat that wasn't breakfast. We enjoyed the food, but I doubt we would pay $100+ for it w/out the character interaction any more.

My kids will be sad to find out that if we go in 2009, that LTT will likely not be on our list of stops.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's simple: the money honey.

Disney wins two ways. First, they don't have to pay Entertainment Cast for characters and handlers. Second, as has been observed, the tables will turn faster. In a park that already has two other character meals (with harder-to-find characters), plus 3 more just a monorail trip away, LTT is the first to go.

 

[piratemom07]

We have ressies for LTT in two weeks and we like the FOOD and the CHARACTER interaction both were good when we were there in May 06.

I know lots of people say the food is bad I enjoyed our meal I guess I am just a simple person and I dont care for fancy food maybe that is what others are wanting.

 

[DumboDash2006]

I know lots of people say the food is bad I enjoyed our meal I guess I am just a simple person and I dont care for fancy food maybe that is what others are wanting.

See, I love that TYPE of food (mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread, i.e. comfort foods) but I thought the LTT version of those items to be very disappointing. My mother or myself can make them all at home much better.

 

[TDC Nala]

Apparently the uk boards said it would be starting in January along with other of GG no characters at lunch. Fantasmic being cut to twice a week.

As of October 6, Garden Grill will not serve lunch at all. It's not just getting rid of the characters. They will still have a character dinner.

Costs of everything are rising and rising quickly, and I'm betting in the next few months WDW will also be seeing a downturn in attendance, as people can't easily afford to travel there anymore. They had too many character meals already.

Likewise, that's one reason why the dessert may have been dropped from the DDP, turns tables that much faster.

It's the appetizer they dropped, not the dessert - which wouldn't have affected either LTT or GG since they're fixed-menu meals.

I would look for other cuts, short of more closings - cheaper ingredients, etc.

 

[BellesFavoriteBook]

I was hoping to do character dining one time if and when I visited Disney World in Jan or Feb next year. Is the LTT where you could dine with Meeko? He's my favorite animal character and I would have loved to dine with him. According to a book I've got (I think it was the book) Meeko was available to dine with at LTT.

 

[skater]

We loved their lunch menu, but since the appetizers have been dropped from the DDP (and therefore doesn't include crabcakes), we've dropped this place from our list. No characters at dinner just cements the fact that we won't be visiting there anytime soon for lunch or dinner.

 

[Alexander]

Keep the characters, change the food! I have never had such a gross meal! Good grief, if I want a sodium-laced Stouffer's meal, I can swing by the freezer aisle at the grocery store! Then for $29 I can feed a family of 6!

It really doesn't cost that much for the characters to make an appearance. Those people make between $7.50 and $10.00 an hour. Most are at the bottom end of that scale. Fill two tables just one time and you have your characters paid for.

 

[KMLOVESWDW]

Not sure if anyone has heard yet or not, but are they doing away with just the characters or are they getting rid of the buffet too? I love LTT for lunch & would like to see that menu expanded into dinner hours. But that's just me!!

 

[TDC Nala]

The impression being given is that it will be the same meal, but sans characters.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I am glad the character meals at LTT and GG are going away.
2) There are just too many character meals.
3) In MK, where can you eat a TS meal without characters?
4) I think the a new menu will be far better than the character food.
5) Finally, a place to sit down and eat without fur in your face.

NOTE: The extended family does like character meals, but not all the time. I will be looking forward to a new menu to see if they make a good eatery out of it. I'd like to add a 6th place to eat at WDW. (I only eat at five TS locations in Disnye, and only two of them are Disney owned.)