Chef Mickeys dining experience

[scritchell]

Has anyone been to chef mickeys for dinner and the whole dining experience / character dining

I’ve heard that the food isn’t too good and the whole experience is draining as it takes around an hour for the characters to visit all the tables?

Any reviews please?

 

[slappy magoo]

The experience isn't particularly draining. It's not like it's outside in the hot sun. You're air conditioned, and while what you've heard about the food is true, if you take your time to enjoy it best you can (as opposed to many people's habit at buffets of stuffing themselves as much as they can, as FAST as they can, until they can't move in order to "get their money's worth") it can still be pleasant. How long it takes for the entire group to make a route around the floor can vary from meal to meal. Last time we went...I suspect maybe one of the CMs playing Goofy called out sick because we saw Goofy on the floor, then after the song where everyone waves their napkins around, he disappeared for quite a bit and then came out just as we had given up and started packing it in. But usually, it takes about 45 minutes max. It behooves the restaurant to keep characters circulating, as some guests treat a pic with each character like Pokemon, gotta collect them all, and will stay an hour, or more, until they see every character. This means more of a build up waiting on tables, more unhappy guests, potentially more CMs having to stick around to keep serving and they can't really close the joint until everyone's fed and gone. So they'd rather keep things moving so you split.

 

[Minnie Mum]

Well done Slappy. You nailed it!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Chef Mickeys can be loud, but comfortable. Some parents have poor control over their excited kids. All of the character meals are similar. The draw isnt neccessarily the food, its getting the characters out so the kids can see them, get hugs, get photos and families go away with memories to take home. All the characters have a route around the tables and they are trying to pass around as efficiently as they can. Some tables demand more time and others wave them through. The character friends do try to keep them moving along. Most CM servers try to ensure your table gets all the visits and if you miss a character they can sometimes direct them over. Guests are paying a premium for the experience and they do want to see all the characters to get their moneys worth.
The food is general Disney buffet type food. Nothing extravagant but palitable. Theres enough variety to keep fussy kids and adults happy. Sometimes the dessert selections are the best part.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Basically, it's a character infused Golden Corral (which I happen to enjoy occasionally). I happen to think all guests with children should experience a character buffet at least once while on property. Is Chef Mickey's a AAA five star restaurant? No, but it's also MUCH better than grabbing a meal out of your local gas station. For breakfast, however, I would recommend either Crystal Palace or Trattoria al Forno.

 

[threvester]

They have the big shrimp.......'nuff said

 

[slappy magoo]

Is Chef Mickey's a AAA five star restaurant? No, but it's also MUCH better than grabbing a meal out of your local gas station.

For the record, when it comes to eating, those aren't your only two options.

 

[erasure fan1]

Its been a big skip for us. It's extra expensive and the foods been pretty miserable even for Disney standards. But what turned us off was the last 2 times we went, the character interactions were terrible. The problem is the interaction with the characters is what you are paying for. They were completely rushed with little interaction and couple that with mailing in the food quality. Must skip for us.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

For the record, when it comes to eating, those aren't your only two options.

What I meant by that is that sometimes the buffets get a bad rap...I know there are other choices.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Food quality and selection has gone downhill in recent years. Once they 86'ed the parmesan mashed potatoes (which were a delicacy, almost their own food group), I was done dining there. It used to be a must-do, now it's a hard pass.

 

[Rsj88]

We went for breakfast about six years ago and love it. Then we finally went back recently for dinner thinking it can’t be that bad. It was! If we want a character meal we go to the Tusker House. Better food, atmosphere and character interaction. The food at Chef Mickey’s was terrible. If we ever go back it will be for breakfast only. I just can’t pay that kind of money for terrible food. The timing can also be complicated when the characters keep coming and you can’t get up long enough to get everyone food. It feels rushed to us. Now we usually hit the character spot in Epcot for hugs and pics. I know lots of people love it but it’s just not for us

 

[DarthVader]

My family love the experience, whether you're talking breakfast or dinner.

Not cheap, and it is a buffet, but that's the beauty of it. The lines for the food are typically short (I've never had to wait in a long line), the food is good and the character experiences is top notch. We usually do this character meal every time we go WDW.

 

[Hcalvert]

The only food I like at Chef Mickey's is the dessert like those tropical mango tarts, key lime tarts, mousse tarts....I guess I like tarts.

For a dinner character meal, my kids liked it when they were younger, and I think we went a total of 3 times in a 10 year span-the last time was in 2016. I have boys, so princesses were out and they do have the Fab 5 there, which is a plus. It can be loud, but it is just excited kids. I do agree with others that there are better character meals out there.

 

[Rasstuss]

Has anybody been for Brunch in particular? We have a late Brunch reservation on the day that we are doing the Very Merry Christmas party. We basically just planned it for the character experience (4 and 7 year old daughters) and to eat a late lunch so we can just snack later in the evening and get the most out of the Christmas party.

 

[correcaminos]

This is a total skip for us. The food has been pretty bad for me to the point I felt lousy after. Not that the food was bad/handled improperly, but just too greasy and that just didn't sit well with me. I'm also not usually a fan of buffets so this one isn't a favorite at all. Too noisy too. I'd rather eat almost anywhere else.

 

[JohnD]

Given a choice, I like Garden Grill better. I've only done breakfast. Food is brought in a skillet so no getting up to get your food from a buffet table. I've always found it to be laid back, not chaotic. The characters are Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. Probably one of the few character meals I've done more than once and enjoy.

 

[slappy magoo]

This is a total skip for us. The food has been pretty bad for me to the point I felt lousy after. Not that the food was bad/handled improperly, but just too greasy and that just didn't sit well with me. I'm also not usually a fan of buffets so this one isn't a favorite at all. Too noisy too. I'd rather eat almost anywhere else.

I find breakfast to be less greasy but that's damning with the faintest of praise. My oldest considers it a "tradition" so it's a must do. Plus we are staying at Bay Lake so when it's walking distance it seems more worthwhile to go, it's so little of an effort to roll out of bed and walk 5 minutes.
But I dont write home about the food, and the fact that there's no MTO station for what you're paying really rubs me the wrong way.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Total tradition for our family. We will agree food is not great, but certainly acceptable. Primary draw is a character meal in an awesome place (CR) with the monorail going through it. Many times it is our first meal at WDW. If we drive, it may be a late lunch or early dinner. If we fly and stay in the CR, it is probably a breakfast. While not fine dining, we love it.

 

[Gitson Shiggles]

Has anybody been for Brunch in particular? We have a late Brunch reservation on the day that we are doing the Very Merry Christmas party. We basically just planned it for the character experience (4 and 7 year old daughters) and to eat a late lunch so we can just snack later in the evening and get the most out of the Christmas party.

Some of the buffet items are switched out for brunch. It’s not necessarily a larger selection of food or improvement in quality. If Chef Mickey’s is a tradition for your family, as it is mine, still go.

 

[Rasstuss]

Some of the buffet items are switched out for brunch. It’s not necessarily a larger selection of food or improvement in quality. If Chef Mickey’s is a tradition for your family, as it is mine, still go.

It is not a tradition for our family as this is our first trip but it has been in our plans from the beginning. Not only is it a character experience for our little ones but one for me as well. Growing up WDW to me was a one day trip to the MK while visiting my Grandparents who spent the winter in a RV park near Orlando. I remember on my first trip riding the Monorail through the Contemporary and looking down at people eating and thinking that was the coolest thing ever and always had a dream of someday staying in that hotel. Alas, when it came time to plan this trip, staying at the Contemporary just wasn't in our budget so when I found out about Chef Mickey I put it on our "must do" list. I'm going in with virtually no expectations of the food, just looking forward to the experience, and the time and location work well with our plans for that day.