Character dining with a 4yo

[Stephhd]

I've been to Disney several times but have never done character dining. We are taking our 4yo DD for the first time in February and plan to do character dining 2-3 times. Right now we are thinking about Minnie & Friends lunch at Hollywood and Vine in DHS, Akershus Banquet Hall lunch, and the Tiana icecream social and boat ride at MK (DD is dead set on this one.)

Anyone who has done these, how long was the entire experience from start to finish (including wait times)? I want to have some idea so I can hopefully plan a FP around meals. And did you feel like between the food and/or character interaction you got your money's worth? TIA!

 

[DisAl]

We did H&V for lunch last June (Disney Jr. characters such as Handy Manny and Doc McStuffins at that time). We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation and were seated right on time. For buffet type meals we always plan for at least one hour and feel lucky if we get out quicker.
We had dinner and Akershus. Again we arrived 15 minutes early and were seated right on time. For meals that are ordered and served we always plan for at least one and a half hours. Sometimes it takes less but I would not plan anything within that time frame.
As for whether or not they are worth it keep in mind that for any character meals you are paying a premium price for the experience. But the smile on our grandkids faces made it worth the price. Akershus was the best character experience we had out of five (yes, five....) character meals.
Of course "your mileage may vary" but that has been our experience.

 

[Raegansmommy]

My favorite is Akershus. My daughter's like the cold buffet and then you get a sit down meal as well. It takes a bit longer than your typical buffet since you also order from the menu, but their food is good. Also, you get to see the princesses!!! Our last trip we had breakfast at Cape May twice. We seemed to be in and out really fast at breakfast. I have honestly never timed a meal though, as we are on vacation. Chef Mickey's is a good choice as well and they have really added to their buffet from our most recent trip in December, to the one prior 6 years ago. We also like Crystal Palace and are trying out 1900 Park Fare on our next trip.

 

[zurgandfriend]

Our nieces loved the Crystal Palace with Winnie the pooh and Co.

 

[Baldy]

I took my niece for her 5th birthday. We did
Crystal Palace - the characters were great
Hollywood & Vine - this was her favourite. If you do an early lunch, the breakfast food will also be out. Mickey waffles. Yum!
Tusker House - She was not a fan of the food here and the characters seemed rushed
Chef Mickey - another favourite
1900 Park Fare - amazing character interaction
Akershus - great way to meet all of the princesses. She didn't love her meal but was more then happy to make herself cheese sandwiches from the appetizer table.
I'm sure she would have loved the icecream social if she had known about it.
We arrived about 15 minutes early and always spent a good hour in each restaurant. I would book fast passes no closer than an hour after your reservation time.
Enjoy!!! There's nothing better than seeing Disney through the eyes of a four year old.

 

[Schneewittchen]

I've done a bit of character dining at WDW with my family the last 7 years or so with DH, DS7 and DD5. I hate standing in lines for autographs.... And at dinner, I want to sit in the AC and rest for about an hour instead of wrestling for a free bench in a QS restaurant, so I can make some general recommendations about a few places:

Tusker House @ AK - a lovely atmosphere with great character interactions with Mickey & friends, and the food is pretty good too. A lot of Indian/African influences at dinner.

Akershus @ EPCOT - a must do for princess fans. Just a great opportunity with meet the classic princesses (Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, etc.). Some people don't like it, but my family loves the Scandinavian food.

Crystal Palace @ MK - another must do for Winnie the Pooh freaks. My babies love hugging the Pooh. Anyway, it's like Gold Corral without the intestinal upset. Dinner is generally yummy, fatty, sweet, bland American fare.

Chef Mickey's @ Contemporary - the place to see Mickey 7 friends. Cool atmosphere with the monorail above. And the dinner food is generally of the bland, fatty, sweet, tasty, mac n cheesey, American sort.

Mickey's Backyard BBQ @ Fort Wilderness - dance with Mickey, Minnie, Chip n' Dale instead of visiting at the table. So much fun. The food is basically the stuff you see at a cookout, not fabulous, but it will do.

'Ohana @ Polynesian - Mickey, Minnie, Lilo, Stitch. My kids love Stitch. It was great. A very tasty pineapple infused breakfast.

I'm trying out Garden Grove at the Swan in a couple of months. We'll see how that goes. I have high hopes.

Also, I've heard Hollywood and Vine is slop, but I have no personal experience there.

If you're familiar with DIS Unplugged, some useful info:
Top five best character meals -


Top five worst character meals -


And yes there is some overlap.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I've been to Disney several times but have never done character dining. We are taking our 4yo DD for the first time in February and plan to do character dining 2-3 times. Right now we are thinking about Minnie & Friends lunch at Hollywood and Vine in DHS, Akershus Banquet Hall lunch, and the Tiana icecream social and boat ride at MK (DD is dead set on this one.)

Anyone who has done these, how long was the entire experience from start to finish (including wait times)? I want to have some idea so I can hopefully plan a FP around meals. And did you feel like between the food and/or character interaction you got your money's worth? TIA!

I've only done one of the meals you mention -- Akershus Banquet Hall lunch. Compared with other character meals we've had (dinner at Cinderella's Royal table, dinner at Crystal Palace, breakfast at 'Ohana), it was the most efficient and enjoyable. We waited less than 5 minutes to be seated, and the restaurant was the least boisterous, with the princess characters being the most relaxed and sociable. It's definitely the character meal I'd most recommend out of all the ones we've had!

I've read about the Tiana "cruise" and seen a lot of photos of the view -- just be sure to manage expectations. The character interaction will be lovely and there will be some cute snacks on offer, but be sure your daughter understands that the parade view from the ferry boat will be distant, and partially blocked by trees.