I love all the character meals as I have been to each one at some time or another. CP being my favorite. I also love LTT but it not being a character meal anymore will not stop me from going there. They have great food there. And I see that the characters just being a bonus. I go there for the food.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Character Dining changes coming
- Thread starter drew81
- Start date
AEfx
Well-Known Member
It looks like you'll be all set then.
However, you will find that most people do not feel the same way about character dining. Most visitors who pay $30/head for what many believe to be a mediocre meal (even those that like the food, like myself), pay that premium solely for the characters.
For example, not once in a million years would I pay that much for breakfast as one does at Norway for the food that is brought. You pay the money to see the Princesses. Same difference for LTT - $30 is enough to get a real meal elsewhere on property (where you have your choice of entree and don't have to satisfy the whole family with sliced turkey and mashed potatoes) and without characters many families will be hard pressed to spend that much and sacrifice food choice/etc. just to eat a warmed-over meal.
AEfx
I agree. But I still think they'll go ahead with this. If guests start complaining about the lack of characters at the meal then they might put them back.
I did hear a rumor awhile ago that Studios was considering bringing back a VIP Character meal.
MMFanCipher
Well-Known Member
Very Sad
I and my family went to LTT to meet Minnie Mouse, my daughter's favorite character. Minnie Mouse was great!!!!! :sohappy: My daughter had a baby Minnie Mouse doll that she wanted signed and Minnie took the time AND effort to sign the doll. It made my daughter's trip very special. I'm very sad to hear this.
I think I'll sign the petition. It might not help, but you never know. :shrug:
I and my family went to LTT to meet Minnie Mouse, my daughter's favorite character. Minnie Mouse was great!!!!! :sohappy: My daughter had a baby Minnie Mouse doll that she wanted signed and Minnie took the time AND effort to sign the doll. It made my daughter's trip very special. I'm very sad to hear this.
I think I'll sign the petition. It might not help, but you never know. :shrug:
RiversideBunny
New Member
OK.
I like the buffets because you can pick and choose what you want.
And you can pick out your favorites while leaving the other items.
You can sample and explore.
We tend to do the buffet breakfasts but I do want to try Crystal Palace for dinner sometime.
Hmmm. Puffed French Toast at Crystal Palace for breakfast.
Hmmm.
Scrambled eggs and Krispy Kreme doughnuts at Chef Mickey's.
The breakfast of champions.
At WDW all calories and fat grams are cancelled out by pixie dust.
It's magic.
:slurp:
Wow, these two places have been on our list of places to try some day. I'm glad we decided to go a head and book both of them for our trip in September.
I have never been to Garden Grill because there always seem to be places in the WS we wanted to try. And while we have done LTT for lunch (and loved it) I have been putting off doing the dinner because of the food. Like others have said, you can eat a "thanksgiving" meal any where for way less than $30. The only reason I have wanted to go was the chance to see the characters in a unique setting dressed in the different costumes. This trip will be the first and last time we eat dinner here.
I think if people vote with their feet, they will bring the characters back.
I have never been to Garden Grill because there always seem to be places in the WS we wanted to try. And while we have done LTT for lunch (and loved it) I have been putting off doing the dinner because of the food. Like others have said, you can eat a "thanksgiving" meal any where for way less than $30. The only reason I have wanted to go was the chance to see the characters in a unique setting dressed in the different costumes. This trip will be the first and last time we eat dinner here.
I think if people vote with their feet, they will bring the characters back.
cymbaldiva
Active Member
While I completely agree with what you are saying in theory, I'm afraid that in sad fact there are too few TS locations in MK as it is so the meals at LTT will remain fully booked whether they feature characters or not.
Mickey&Minnie
Active Member
I think this is the first time ever that reading a disney forum has made me depressed. LTT was always a tradition for me and my DH. We have been eating there for the past four years every year since our honeymoon. Unfortunately, we had to cancel this years trip and now I am really upset b/c that would have been our last chance to eat there with the character experience. I am sure that the food will still be good (and the yummy rolls:slurp but it is definitely going to be a heartbreaking change.
I am sure that Disney has their reasons but in m oppinion I think it is a stupid decision. They should have refurbed Crystal Palace and made it a none buffet experience. There are too many kids whos parents aren't watching sticking their nasty fingers in the food. Our experience there was less than stellar.
All that to say that I am sad and disappointed. Please bring back my characters @ LTT.
I think I feel better now that I have vented.
but it is definitely going to be a heartbreaking change.I am sure that Disney has their reasons but in m oppinion I think it is a stupid decision. They should have refurbed Crystal Palace and made it a none buffet experience. There are too many kids whos parents aren't watching sticking their nasty fingers in the food. Our experience there was less than stellar.
All that to say that I am sad and disappointed. Please bring back my characters @ LTT.
I think I feel better now that I have vented.
Yankeeplex
New Member
having 2 children, we search out character dining experiences. Although we are still booked @ GG for a dinner, we were planning on checking it out for a lunch with the characters. I probably will not be doing that now and will search out another character dining experience. Oh well...
Tiggerfanatic
Well-Known Member
Agreed. I'm taking my niece & nephew, both first-timers, on this next trip, and was trying to get them as much character time as possible without having to stand in line. I cancelled my GG lunch reservation yesterday and rescheduled the Princess dinner.
formercast84
New Member
Maybe they are trying to make LTT the way it was before. It wasn't a character dining place for a long time. I did hear from one cast member that Disney has been receiving complaints that there were too few sit down lunch/dinner places that weren't character dining and that the non-character dining places are not as expensive usually. I think cost is relative at Disney. Not sure how accurate that is, but it would answer a lot of questions as to why.
kcw
Member
I don't know if this would work, but what about trying to make a restaurant cater to those who want characters as well as those who don't? If I remember right, there's about 6 different "areas" at LTT. What if say, the upper rooms (on both sides), didn't have the characters. It's easy enough for the characters to skip those two rooms in their rotations, and when someone calls to make a reservation, they are simply asked whether they would like characters or not. (Kinda like at a regular restaurant, where you've got your choice or smoking or non). Depending on what the ratio is of people who want characters vs people who don't, you could even set it up so that the characters only visit one half of the restaurant. Then those who don't want the character experience will be seated on the other half.
The only problem I could see with this would be you'd have two different pricing scales- but that shouldn't be too hard to work with. Besides, if they're really leaving the price at the same amount once the characters leave, then it looks like they don't care much about making it "fair"
Man, I'm still so upset about this.....
disnyfan89
Well-Known Member
That does sound like a great idea for Studios. I just hope that it wont follow in the traditions of the new character dining locations. Where it's not about the interaction but numbers.
TravisMT81
Well-Known Member
So minuse the characters and they are still raising the price by one dollar!
RiversideBunny
New Member
It would be nice if they would have those same characters, in their colonial era outfits, hanging around the area between LTT and The Hall of Presidents regularly.
disnyfan89
Well-Known Member
To close to castle show.It would be nice if they would have those same characters, in their colonial era outfits, hanging around the area between LTT and The Hall of Presidents regularly.
KCW did spark an idea though. During busy parts of the year they open the Diamond Horseshoe to accommodate more Sit-down meals. If im not mistaken they operate out of the old verandah kitchen. Why dont they just permately open the Diamond Horseshoe or better yet, JUST CONVERT THE VERANDAH!
It was just a rumor, but a possible one at that. I want them to bring back a Disney Stars meal like they used to have at the Soundstage. You could have anyone from Quasimodo and Clopin to Aladdin and Genie.
formercast84
New Member
I don't know if this would work, but what about trying to make a restaurant cater to those who want characters as well as those who don't? If I remember right, there's about 6 different "areas" at LTT. What if say, the upper rooms (on both sides), didn't have the characters. It's easy enough for the characters to skip those two rooms in their rotations, and when someone calls to make a reservation, they are simply asked whether they would like characters or not. (Kinda like at a regular restaurant, where you've got your choice or smoking or non). Depending on what the ratio is of people who want characters vs people who don't, you could even set it up so that the characters only visit one half of the restaurant. Then those who don't want the character experience will be seated on the other half.
The only problem I could see with this would be you'd have two different pricing scales- but that shouldn't be too hard to work with. Besides, if they're really leaving the price at the same amount once the characters leave, then it looks like they don't care much about making it "fair"
Man, I'm still so upset about this.....
Not a bad idea, but I don't think that they do that setup anywhere else? They would probably also have a problem with staging and keeping the non-character diners away from the character area. Actually, I think they simply need more sit down restaurants (both character and non-character). They all fill up quickly and I bet they would have no trouble filling up new restaurants either. Just a thought...
Biff215
Well-Known Member
I don't know if this would work, but what about trying to make a restaurant cater to those who want characters as well as those who don't? If I remember right, there's about 6 different "areas" at LTT. What if say, the upper rooms (on both sides), didn't have the characters. It's easy enough for the characters to skip those two rooms in their rotations, and when someone calls to make a reservation, they are simply asked whether they would like characters or not. (Kinda like at a regular restaurant, where you've got your choice or smoking or non). Depending on what the ratio is of people who want characters vs people who don't, you could even set it up so that the characters only visit one half of the restaurant. Then those who don't want the character experience will be seated on the other half.
The only problem I could see with this would be you'd have two different pricing scales- but that shouldn't be too hard to work with. Besides, if they're really leaving the price at the same amount once the characters leave, then it looks like they don't care much about making it "fair"
Man, I'm still so upset about this.....
The most difficult part of your idea that I can see is accounting for an accurate number of openings for reservations and an equal number of available tables. It could work, but I could also see problems when a party gets seated before another that came before them because their "section" had an available table first.
If it is possible, I would like to see something like this instituted at all restaurants where there are character meals. My wife and I have never really cared for them, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't enjoy a breakfast in the Castle or dinner at Liberty Tree. In fact, we sometimes have lunch at LTT just to enjoy the restaurant without the characters.
Of course, with our first child due in a month, life as we know it in WDW is about to drastically change for us! :animwink: