will i regret no princess meals?

[saraheliz]

ok, here's the deal.

taking dd2 (she turns 3 the day we leave) to disney at the end of april/beginning of may. 4 days for the parks. we have chef mickey's breakfast (late, though- 11:20), le cellier, and prime time ADRs. my initial thought was that if we were going to do a character breakfast, we should do chef mickeys to be assured seeing mickey, etc. didn't feel the need to do the princesses because dd wasn't that into them, and the meals themselves don't get great reviews (i know, neither does chef mickey's, but whatever).

well, now she's suddenly obsessed. spends her whole day dressed like cinderella. dances to princess music. talks constantly about going to the castle, meeting belle and cinderella (keep in mind- she's never even seen these movies!).

i'm beginning to feel guilty about not booking any princess meals. i keep telling myself that she won't know that she's missing out on them....but still...
they're so expensive, though...and i don't know how my mom and sis would feel about them. they'd do it, though, if it made dd happy...but she does love mickey and minnie, too, and i just don't see us doing more than one character meal.

should i get over my guilt or change our ressies?? thoughts?? i did check and there are ressies left for crt, akerhaus, and 1900 pf....

 

[mom2girlsx3]

Personally, I love the princess meals and we always do them when we go to WDW. However, if you don't want to change your ADRs there are plenty of other opportunities to get up close with the princesses. Be sure to stop by "Storytime with Belle," meet up with Ariel at her Grotto, or go to the Judges Tent to meet and take photos. Also, you never know who you might run into while visiting MK or Epcot. One of our favorite princess moments was when we happened across Jasmine and Aladdin in Epcot's World Showcase. I tend to think you'll get plenty of princess interaction without the meals if you opt not to change your ADRs.

 

[mkleinbe]

Ahhh....Mommy Guilt...it will get you every time. She'll have opportunities to meet princesses in the parks. Don't be so hard on yourself. Enjoy your ADRs!

 

[DW2010]

When I told my step-mom that we had to take DD to at least one princess meal, she informed me that she never took her 3 girls to any of them and they still had a wonderful time . I'm sure your DD won't know the difference.

With that being said, I'm pretty sure we're taking DD to CRT and Akershus since we're celebrating her 4th birthday on the trip

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Awww, we went through the same thing with DD a couple of years ago. About 6 weeks before the trip she told me she wanted to eat with Sleeping Beauty. Ack! I called the dining line a couple of times a week and finally at the last minute scored a cancellation for a late breakfast at CRT. It was expensive and I was freaking a little bit about the cost but in the end it was really the highlight of the trip for her.

I'm a sucker for this stuff, so I'd probably grab one of the ADRs that are still available. But if not, don't worry! It's two years later for us and DD still loves princesses so there's always a next time to look forward to.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

You've got to eat, so you'd might as well make the most of it If you can get one to fit in you schedule, do it. If it makes your little girl happy, it will be worth it. AND you will save tons of time since you won't have to wait in line for pictures and autographs at the parks I might be biased because we have all of the princess meals booked for next week But we are doing the DXDDP so we had to eat somewhere

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

My dd is has always been painfully shy, therefore we didn't do any princess meals on our previous trips because she wouldn't even go near the characters(fur or face) to get pics in the parks. I regret it, but I really didn't have a choice, considering. Well, this year, she will be 11yrs. old and is finally "outgoing" enough to be interested in doing a princess meal. Will she feel "too old" being surrounded by many little 3-4yr. old little princessses in their cute little dresses?

I figured she could just wear a cute princess shirt or something unless we get a ressie before MNSSHP. If we went before MNSSHP she would totally be in costume! My dh and our 2 boys would also be eating with us(unless the boys have a fit!)LOL

 

[JennSaint]

I would do it if she was really into the princesses! If you do the breakfast I think it's comparable to Chef Mickey's price wise.

 

[TillyMarigold]

My dd is has always been painfully shy, therefore we didn't do any princess meals on our previous trips because she wouldn't even go near the characters(fur or face) to get pics in the parks. I regret it, but I really didn't have a choice, considering. Well, this year, she will be 11yrs. old and is finally "outgoing" enough to be interested in doing a princess meal. Will she feel "too old" being surrounded by many little 3-4yr. old little princessses in their cute little dresses?

I figured she could just wear a cute princess shirt or something unless we get a ressie before MNSSHP. If we went before MNSSHP she would totally be in costume! My dh and our 2 boys would also be eating with us(unless the boys have a fit!)LOL

You know, *most* kids don't dress up for character meals. Maybe between 10-20% do. Most wear their regular park clothes, with or without Disney characters. The vast majority of the people in the restaurant will be dressed normally.

Everyone goes to character meals, at all ages, male and female. It's fine. Really.

 

[kpgriswold]

It is easier to find Mickey at MK than princesses, or at least that has been our experience. But you can also feel guilt-free about keeping your current ADRs. Not EVERYTHING has to be about our kids!

 

[itchin2go]

Princess meals are a great way to meet some princesses, but there are other opportunities.

In the MK, go to Toontown (for as long as it's still there!), and get in the princess line in the tent. If it's a priority, go right when it opens (usually 10). Get there 15 minutes early in case they let folks in early. The princess line won't be nearly as long as the fairy line. Also, you could make a beeline for Ariel's grotto at 10. No matter how long the line looks at 10, it will just get longer as the day rolls on. Priceless opportunity to get a photo with Ariel as a mermaid (not in a dress).

Epcot is a goldmine for princesses. They are scattered throughout the World Showcase in their corresponding countries (Snow White in Germany, for instance). We always catch a few princesses in WS. We've seen Mulan, Belle, Jasmine and Snow White, I think.

If you do end up trying to book a princess meal, here's my opinion. CRT is THE CASTLE EXPERIENCE. There's no substitute for dining in the castle. That said, the setting is by far the best part of this meal. We had breakfast there, and while we enjoyed it, it was just scrambled eggs and such. We also ended up with 2 princesses and 3 miscellaneous characters, which was a little disappointing.

Akershus in Epcot will usually feature 5 princesses, with Belle in her stunning yellow gown welcoming up front and posing for pics. Princesses we saw at lunch there were: Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora and Pocahontas. Interaction was great. Food was ok. Akershus is no castle, but it's a charming setting.

Good luck!

P.S. If you end up cancelling Chef Mickey's, we have found that the Character Spot in Epcot (Future World) is the best way to knock out the major characters. It's one line to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, maybe? The line took awhile, but once you were in, you went to each character - boom, boom, boom. Cute setting for pics. Characters were great!

 

[reducereuserecycle]

try to cut costs another way and go ahead and go to Chef Mickeys and whichever princess meal you mom and sis want to go to....that way they have some say-so in it and you and dd will be happy for whichever princesses/characters you see at any of the 3 princess meals you mentioned

and maybe try one of them as breakfast and one lunch since breakfast is cheaper

 

[wildcatfan]

I think she will enjoy Chef Mickey's but I would tend to switch to one of the princess meals if possible. She is a perfect age and we have eaten at both AK and CRT. I would go with AK because of price and the food is just as good.

 

[Googilycub]

I would try to add a princess meal. I have found the lines for the princess are always way to long to wait in, or closed when I go to them. For us, a meal is a sure way to get to see them!

 

[djp0630]

Personally, I would add a princess meal. Especially if she is into the princesses. We enjoyed both CRT lunch & Akershus lunch in Sept. We are going again in May and DD3 (will be 4 in May) specifically asked to go back to the castle. We are going to CRT & Akershus again, but for breakfast.

But I have to add that both WDW trips are really for DD (and for me). She is obsessed with the princesses and thought it would be neat for her to go and see them while she believed in them. So our trip in Sept was all about the princesses. We saw princesses all the time, she loved it!! CRT is more rushed and more expensive, but so special!

 

[saraheliz]

thanks for the advice, everyone. i'm thinking i'll add in a princess meal now and then i have a while to decide and cancel something if i want to. better to get it and not need it, right?

 

[djp0630]

thanks for the advice, everyone. i'm thinking i'll add in a princess meal now and then i have a while to decide and cancel something if i want to. better to get it and not need it, right?

Yes, it is. Especially since there is availability. However, both Akershus & CRT require credit cards. And you have to pay in full unless you are on the dining plan. If you are on the dining plan, then you just give your credit card and it won't be charged unless you don't show up or cancel within 24(or 48) hours. So be warned, if you don't show up, you will still be charged.

 

[saraheliz]

ok, so i just booked akershus for our epcot day. which means we have that at 10:30 and le cellier at 5:30. think this is enough time between them? or will we still be full from breakfast? (i know it's a lot of sitting/eating for one day, but i'm ok with that)

 

[momofkhm]

Well, this year, she will be 11yrs. old and is finally "outgoing" enough to be interested in doing a princess meal. Will she feel "too old" being surrounded by many little 3-4yr. old little princessses in their cute little dresses?

I figured she could just wear a cute princess shirt or something unless we get a ressie before MNSSHP. If we went before MNSSHP she would totally be in costume! My dh and our 2 boys would also be eating with us(unless the boys have a fit!)LOL

At 11, I wouldn't have her wear anything special because of the Princess meal. As someone else said, most kids don't dress up. Those that do are the little girls. If she wants to wear a princess shirt, fine! But I wouldn't do it because of the princess meal.

My girls still enjoyed our princess meals last trip and they were 14 and 11. Enjoy!

 

[LAWalz23]

You have enough time between breakfast and dinner. Just wanted to add that two of my favorite memories of WDW is eating at the castle with my niece her first trip (she was 3 years old and it was my first meal in the castle also) and the 2nd is a few years ago when my sister and I didn't tell her that Ariel might be at dinner at Akershus and when my niece saw her, the look on her face was truly a priceless moment and worth every cent it cost for a dinner that no one ate very much at. By the way she is now 12 and still requests a princess meal every trip (it alternates between the castle and Akershus). Have fun!