will we be disappointed with chef mickey's?

[meab]

we have ADR's for monday at 8:30pm. since this short visit to WDW is water parks only, we figured we'd take the kids (ages 5 and 2) to a character dinner, and since our adr happens to be late, maybe we'll be able to see wishes from the contemporary (if they're still awake!).

as it gets closer, i'm getting concerned about the whole experience. we've done character dinners at crystal palace and 1900 park fare, plus a character breakfast on the disney cruise... but i'm worried about the food, since a friend just told me she doesn't like eating there at all. and in general, i think the food at character buffets tends to be just mediocre, because you're really there for the characters and atmosphere. some reviews i read a while ago seemed good, so that's why i booked it. and DH liked the way the offerings sounded on allearsnet's menus.

places at wdw that we've enjoyed are spoodles, kona cafe, boma... do you think we'll like chef mickey's??!!?? btw, the friend who didn't like CM didn't like kona either-which we did-and hasn't tried spoodles or boma. should i ignore her, or should i be looking for another restaurant for monday?

thanks.

 

[bleeps]

Ummm, I hate to knock your friend, but I think you might want to ignore her on this one (especially if she didn't like Kona and you, and us, and a WHOLE lot of other people think it's wonderful). Is Chef Mickey's fine, gourmet fare that you won't find anywhere else in the world? Nope. Is it hot, fresh, plentiful, varied, and (IMHO) a step above what you'd expect to find at a buffet? Yup. I'd stop worrying and prepare to enjoy a lovely evening at the Chef's....

 

[100%Libra]

I would go with Bleeps suggestion. I have friends who enjoy it very much with their kids now 9 and twin 6 yr olds. I am going to Chef Mickey's for the first time in August and am looking forward to it.
Have a great trip!

 

[Mymatisse]

Chef Mickey's food was not good and there was better character interaction at Cape May and Garden Grille.

 

[Lila95]

We had a great time at Chef Mickey's on our last trip. At the time the kids in our party were 1, 3, 6, and 7. The food was good...stuff kids really like but not what you would find in the upscale places. At our visit, the characters were great. They showered the kids with attention. We got tons of pics with the characters and all of their autographs. I thought it was a nice place for a family dinner.

 

[meab]

thanks for the 3 votes of confidence. i feel better.

mymatisse, the only problems with garden grill and cape may is that a) garden grill is in epcot and we're not going into the main parks this visit, and b) cape may character is a breakfast, and we need a dinner. but those are good suggestions that i'll keep in mind for subsequent visits. in the meantime, i'll just hope chef mickey's just had a bad night when you visited...

 

[CindyBella]

The food was not the great but I hate buffets. Kids love it. We go every time just for them.... and to eat with Chef Mickey of course.

 

[Armandocme]

We LOVE Chef Mickey's. I don't think you can compare it to Spoodles, Kona or BOMA because it would be like comparing apples to oranges. I think you should go there for what it is - a great character dinner. The food is good, but nothing like Spoodles, Kona or BOMA. The server we had was excellent. We liked our server so much, we had him sign our Autograph book and take a picture with our girls ages 3 and 5:

 

[bdklein]

My wife and daughter (me and my other daughter didn't go) didn't love CM. My daughter liked it better than my wife. However, we all liked Kona and 1900 Park.

 

[RumpleMom]

We had dinner at Chef Mickey's Jan. 2005 with our twenty-something kids.

Everyone enjoyed it, characters were great, food was good, especially the salmon.

It was a little noisey, but we knew to expect that, so we had a great time.

 

[princess-rn]

Chef Mickeys has become a first day tradition with our family. We were VERY nervous about trying it our first time too because of all the horrible stuff we had heard. It ended up being one of our most memorable meals. My DS LOVED all the character interaction. DH and I really enjoyed the wide selection of food. We do ALOT of buffets at WDW and this one is definately our favorite!

Have a great trip!!

 

[Mickeygolf]

Chef Mickey's is one of my families favorites. And not just for the character interaction. The food variety for everyone in our family is fantastic and the dessert bar was almost worth the trip alone. As someone earlier said it's not the most glamourous cuisine you'll find at WDW, but it's one of the best buffets we've ever encountered. Definitely not your normal buffet fair.

Forget what your friend is telling you and go enjoy!!! You won't be disappointed.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

We have been 3 times and everyone has always enjoyed it. Don't worry. Unless you are a gourmet foodie type, you will probably be fine with it. On the other hand if you are into "fine dining" then it might not be your cup of tea. Still, I don't think you will be disappointed, because there is a lot of variety. At a buffet, if I get something I don't like, I just go get another plate and try something else.

 

[Harvest02]

Who couldn't love Chef Mickey's? We go there every trip. I have never been for dinner, but breakfast is very good. I agree with some other posts...it is not gourmet food, but it is good just the same. The character interaction is great and my kids love this place! If the food wasn't decent would we keep going back? NO WAY!!! My parents took me when I was a kid and now I take my kids. It is tradition for us! Enjoy!!!!

 

[ainmama2001]

We do CM's every trip also. We go for breakfast and we LOVE their buffet. It has something for everyone and the snacks are YUMMY! I love the food there, and I'm pretty picky.

 

[excitedfordisney7]

If you are looking for something different...try O'hana's! It is absolutely amazing...your kids will have a great time as well.

 

[TheIncredibles]

It's not Boma, but you will enjoy it (especially & specifically the kids). Excellent interaction with characters.

The garlic mashed potatoes are not to be missed. They will enjoy the endless dessert counter options.

 

[meab]

thanks everyone. i feel much better now. at the very least, my kids will be able to see the characters (and maybe fireworks too) and it will make the trip a bit more "disney", since we're not going to magic kingdom on this visit.

thanks again!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

i love chef mickeys

 

[Scot-n-Michelle]

I plan I taking my kids there for the first time this march.