Character Meal Eustress

[surfsupdon]

Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast or 1900 Park Fare's Cinderella's Gala Feast Dinner?


The way I see it, the breakfast at the Castle is extremely popular, so we may not even get it. But, if we did, you get to eat with the princesses, particularly Cinderella, but the breakfast menu is extremely limited. This character meal alone appears that you are paying for the atmosphere and not the food.


The dinner at 1900 Park Fare, tho rightfully more expensive than the b-fast at the Castle, has both Cindy and Prince which is great for me and my sis, and some other characters from that movie. The menu is extremely extensive, but you just are not eating in the Castle.


So what do you think? Two parents, me and my sister, and our two grandmothers who have never been to a character meal. I'm leaning towards 1900 PF b/c the value appears to be much better. And I assume its 90 days out to call for either selection (we will be there after Christmas, lol.)

Thanks for your thoughts, be honest.
:king:

 

[Pioneer Hall]

We had friends who asked the same question last year, and ended up going with the breakfast. I tried to convince them to go with the dinner however. I think that for the slight price increase you get a much better meal with the same Cinderella character. You also get to eat in a resort which I personally like more than eating in the park.

 

[DiPSU224]

I did the 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella last year in August and I thought it was great. They had a lot of food and the dining area was really pretty. If I remember correctly, there were carousel horses all around the room. We got to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming along with the Fairy Godmother, and the last 2 are characters that you don't get to see very often in the park.

The main reason I chose 1900 Park Fare was because I felt that being 2 adults (me and my bf) I would feel out of place at the breakfast with all little kids. At the dinner, there were much more adults eating without kids.

Anyway, this is just my opinion. Good luck with your decision and have a great time.

 

[wolf29]

Besides eating in the Castle, which is a very unique experience, if you get a PS early enough you get the MK very much to yourself. That alone is very cool. We have not done 1900, but have heard great things about it also. Can't go wrong with either, but the Castle is a one of a kind experience. If you choose that, you will not feel out of place without children.

 

[phlydude]

We ate with a large party last year @ 1900 Park Fare. CInderella and Prince Charming were very attentive to me an my new bride (it was a post wedding reception for the family that was in FL). We have also had meals in the past in Cindy's castle.

While both are nice, I felt there was more interaction during dinner @ 1900 than in the castle.

Not only did we have Cindy and the prince, but we had the fairy godmother, the female worker mice from Cinderella and Goofy.

Not all the princesses but was still lots of fun.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I say do both!!!! Seriously though, you really cannot compare the two. Eating at the GF is cool, but the Castle is really amazing as far as atmosphere goes. It is 90 days out for the Princess breakfast to make reservations. Same goes for the Princess Storybook in Norway which I kinda liked as well. Id say try for the Castle and see what happens. Plus I Am very much a breakfast person, so I usually enjoy that more than any other meal. Dinner at 1900 Park Faire is really enjoyable, but cant be compared to the breakfast menus anywhere as it is a whole different thing. Eating in the Castle isnt only about meeting Cinderella & the Prince. If that is all you need there are several ways to do that without spending that kind of money. What kind of experience are you looking to have? Belle

 

[surfsupdon]

I just feel that the 20/person for breakfast at the Castle is a tad extreme for the limited breakfast options. Our b-fast at Contemp was phenomenal and had, like, triple the amounts of food selections as compared to the Castle. I do understand that the Castle is more of an "experience" and thus you are paying for it. 1900 PF is an experience too, AND has beaucoup food. Cindy's Castle would be the hands down winner if its menu was large and diverse like most other breakfasts. Beggers can't choose, tho.

Anyway, I hope I wasn't rambling, and I do understand that either way we go, it will be special and fun. We probably will try to book both, and then select from there. I think I just want to say "Yeah, I ate in the Castle."

Also, we've met all the princesses minus Cinderella, and I feel the dinner selection paired with Prince Charming will be good for the 4 ladies in our family. And the Godmother and Mice are fun, too.

So thanks for the opinions, and if anyone else wants to comment, please do!


And, BELLE, I do remember you highly reccommended OHANAS, which will get another visit from us this year b/c it was so incredibly good, so I have to weigh your knowledge and expertise in the decision of which character meal, in addition to all the other great comments from others, lol.

:king:

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey there again!!! Gee Don you are going to make me blush!!! I only know because I get down there pretty frequently so I have the option to try lots of places. I havent been everywhere by any means though. That having been said I am still torn. I dont bother to do a breakfast and a dinner character meal. Too much of an overload for my adult playmates usually. One they will put up with me, two specially in the same day, is REALLY pushing it!!!
How about doing the 1900 Park Faire one night and the Castle for dinner another night? I love the Kingdom Feast ( Filet Mignon with veggies and root smash, a special type of mashed potatoes that is awesome!) The last time I was there my friends had the salmon, which Sam said was amazing, probably the best he had on property anywhere!!! My other travel buddy Richie had the Prime Rib which he said was "allright" The ambiance of eating in the Castle is the same, just minus the Princesses. You may still catch a princess or two in the waiting area, but it isnt like breakfast where they are in the dining room and coming over to you.
And to further muddy the waters, one of the best buffets I have seen on property was at Boma's which does NOT Have a character breakfast but is an amazing variety of foods to select from and for slightly less than the character meals. I have also heard that Chef Mickey's over in the Contemporary is wildly popular. I think I recall you did this on one of your trips yes? Have I managed to completely confuse you now??
Although given my experience with such matters, if I had to choose between the two you specified I say go for the Castle. It is truly a remarkable experience. If you arent into the breakfast menu, go for lunch or dinner, which is an alacarte setting. I think the ambiance of the Castle is worth a trip there. You will have an amazing time whichever you choose I have no doubt, but there is just something about going into the Castle. My parents were absolutely enchanted by it all!!!! Good luck on getting the ressie. Dont forget to have a credit card handy as they will request a $10.00 deposit per person at the time of booking. Also the person whose name the ressie is under MUST present photo ID at the podium to be seated!!! Let me know how it goes!! Belle

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Vote for 1900

While nice, the castle breakfast is really a hassle, and my opinion is that it really is more for young kids. Not only is is difficult to get in, but those that are there feel much more like all CM's owe them something. A bit to hectic for my taste.

We do enjoy the castle for dinner. Reservations aren't hard and as Belle said, the menu is fairly large.

So I suggest 1900.

Kind of a drift, but I thought 1900 did Mary Poppins characters?

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi Clemson, They had switched that a while ago as the Princess meals are SSSSOOO popular. They added it so that way they could have the two princess breakfast locations and the one dinner location!!! Belle

 

[Nansafan]

We did the Cinderella breakfast last year as well as 1900 Park Faire for dinner. It took us 3 years of trying to get a Cindy breakfast PS. When the princesses appear, the noise level in the room is amazing with all the little princesses squealing. While an enjoyable experience, the food was so-so. Being pre-plated, my picky eater son was hungry immediately following breakfast. The buffet at GF was awesome and satisfying for all. We had much more time with the characters at the GF than at the Castle.

 

[surfsupdon]

Thanks buddies! From these posts, and the reader reviews I have used to take a gander at, the 1900 PF dinner outweighs the B-fast in the Castle, which is sort of what I expected, even though I would have wished it the other way. We will see what happens, after all, it is my parents who will cast the deciding vote.

And, Belle, yes, we will only be doing one character meal per vacation. (It's our new thing, after trying our first one last year with two teenagers, lol). But we all had a great time. Other meals for this trip include Ohanas, 50s Prime Time, and a New Years Eve dinner at Les Chefs de France. Hope that's good, too!

Here's a thread within a thread still relating to me and meals. How about Les Chefs??? Good? Bad? Comme ci comme ca?? I just want to speak French and have good food!:king:

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey Don, I seem to be the dissenting vote on this thread!!! I really was NOT impressed with Chefs De France at all. I found the selection to be average at best and I wasnt blown away by anything but the service. The girl we had as our waitress was nice and went out of her way for me, but I wouldnt go back to the restaurant again. For great food, Possibly French Language and great wines may I suggest Le Cellier in Canada?? It is an amazing restaurant!! make your PS for this one ASAP as it is tough to get into at the least crowded of times, it will be impossible on New Years!!! Try the sweet Reisling wine it was awesome!!! There is a dry Reisling as well but I like fruitier wines!! You will LOVE the 50's Prime Time as well!!! great downhome cooking, and awesome atmosphere!!! That is the one restaurant I dont think I have missed on a trip since I found the place is 2000!!!! Enjoy!!! Belle