The Character Experience !

real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You know after 5 trips consisting of 56 days inside the bubble,I've never done a character meal..Breakfast,Lunch,or Dinner...Now Hatter junior will be 17 on our next trip,and there's no way he's wanting Mickey & the gang hovering over our table..:joyfull: Don't get me wrong, on our first trip he was just 6 years old and got his photo taken with every character he saw..Some we had look up,who the hell they were.:eek:.I could be way wrong here,but I think teenage girls still enjoy interacting with characters more than teenage boys..And to be honest,at my ripe old age,I'd rather put my $$$$$ towards a nice signature meal than a omelette with Winnie & Co..:oops:..What are your thoughts on this.?
 
zurgandfriend

zurgandfriend

Well-Known Member
My family is about the same as yours; DW, DS who will be 16 if I let him, and me 60+ years old, boy us late starters are something. We enjoy our food very much and eat at several signatures during our trip. That said there is still something to say for DS cringing when taking pictures with the ugly step sisters at 1900 Park Fare or after being told to take his elbows off the table at 50's PTC as well as seeing DW's reaction asking for a refill of her water and getting a bucket sized glass at WCC. They're fun for the family and the food isn't bad so we usually do one a trip. When DS was smaller we did several.
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
figmentfan423 said:
No way will he be too old!!!!!!!!!!! I'd do CP for the earliest breakfast as you can. If he's not interested they will leave him alone but while stuffing his face at an all you can eat that will hold you over a god part of the day he might just surprise you and let you get a pic or 5.
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Trust me..He would go berserk if I booked it..He's now shaving,using a designer after shave ( dolce & gabbana ) puts cream on his face at night ( gives his face a soft feel,so he tells me :oops: ) designer jeans,trainers,shirts,etc..The days of cheapness are a thing of the past..So having a fluffy faced character at the table,would be a no no.:jawdrop:
 
sgtmgd

sgtmgd

Well-Known Member
figmentfan423 said:
No way will he be too old!!!!!!!!!!! I'd do CP for the earliest breakfast as you can. If he's not interested they will leave him alone but while stuffing his face at an all you can eat that will hold you over a god part of the day he might just surprise you and let you get a pic or 5.
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Figment said it..Ill reiterate it...NO WAY YOU'RE TOO OLD...yuo are missing out my friend...forget your son...YOU should enjoy them,..Our upcoming trip 11-16 SEP we have a few scheduled..Donalds Breakfast at Tusker House in AK (gets us in early) 1900 Park fare for dinner, the Evil Stepsisters are absolutley hilarious with adults and children alike..the Evil Stepmohter is also quite good..and we will do the Akershus Breakfast in Epcot..again it gets us in Epcot BEFORE the crowds and Ill get some one on one tine with Snow White and Princess Aurora..good times...I really wanted to try the MAd Hatter breakfase at 1900 park fare but wont make it..we are big Alice in Wonderland fans...the character interactions are just as fun now as they were then...and the Pictures are worth a thousand words
 
Figgy1

Figgy1

Well-Known Member
real mad hatter said:
Trust me..He would go berserk if I booked it..He's now shaving,using a designer after shave ( dolce & gabbana ) puts cream on his face at night ( gives his face a soft feel,so he tells me :oops: ) designer jeans,trainers,shirts,etc..The days of cheapness are a thing of the past..So having a fluffy faced character at the table,would be a no no.:jawdrop:
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He'll still like the all you can eat and you'll love the view of the castle. there's something for the whole family there. The characters do go by but will leave him alone! It's your vacation also!
 
D

DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
real mad hatter said:
You know after 5 trips consisting of 56 days inside the bubble,I've never done a character meal..Breakfast,Lunch,or Dinner...Now Hatter junior will be 17 on our next trip,and there's no way he's wanting Mickey & the gang hovering over our table..:joyfull: Don't get me wrong, on our first trip he was just 6 years old and got his photo taken with every character he saw..Some we had look up,who the hell they were.:eek:.I could be way wrong here,but I think teenage girls still enjoy interacting with characters more than teenage boys..And to be honest,at my ripe old age,I'd rather put my $$$$$ towards a nice signature meal than a omelette with Winnie & Co..:oops:..What are your thoughts on this.?
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I have to slightly disagree... My son is 24 and we STILL do Chef Mickey's and some other character meals during our stay. My son gets a kick out of me seeing Pluto, and never fails to let Pluto know he's my fav. My son said, last Fall, it brings back soooo many memories from his childhood. I have to completely agree :)
 
real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DisneyDebNJ said:
I have to slightly disagree... My son is 24 and we STILL do Chef Mickey's and some other character meals during our stay. My son gets a kick out of me seeing Pluto, and never fails to let Pluto know he's my fav. My son said, last Fall, it brings back soooo many memories from his childhood. I have to completely agree :)
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:eek: You've hypnotised your son..:joyfull:...Don't get me wrong,our son up till last month wasn't that excited about going back in 2015,now he's looking at Halloween costumes,and is daring me to go on the new Snow White ride.:facepalm:.So I won't rule it out yet.:p
 
D

DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
real mad hatter said:
:eek: You've hypnotised your son..:joyfull:...Don't get me wrong,our son up till last month wasn't that excited about going back in 2015,now he's looking at Halloween costumes,and is daring me to go on the new Snow White ride.:facepalm:.So I won't rule it out yet.:p
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I can relate LOL We just got CJ's Captain Jack Sparrow costume for the cruise LOL He even said, "well next year's trip, I can dress as Capt Jack for MNSSHP"
 
mickey2008.1

mickey2008.1

Well-Known Member
there is no better way to start the day than a big breakfast buffet, the characters just add to the magical day that one will be having. And who doesnt like Mickey Mouse? Hey, if it was a buffet of scantly clad princesses, I am sure every teenage boy would be lined, as well as papa, with $$$ in hand, but unfortunately PI shut down, and we will never see that.:rolleyes: But a breakfast buffet with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, whoever, certainly gets us going in the AM. We dont do the princess thing, as it does not have that original character feel like the original gang. Mimosa anyone?
 
Bob

Bob

Bo0bi3$
Premium Member
You can see characters all over the park. Why pay the extra on a meal for something that you can get out in the parks for free. Spend the extra money on a nice signature meal!
 
jkl2000

jkl2000

Well-Known Member
First off, I haven't been to WDW since 2000, and back then it really didn't seem like the character meet & greets were nearly as big a deal as they are now. I actually can't remember seeing any characters that visit! I'm sure they were there, but I don't remember them. When I went in the 70s as a kid (once), I remember meeting Winnie the Pooh and that's it.

I love reading the trip reports, but when it comes to the character meeting and interacting, I just don't really get it. Of course, I didn't grow up with nearly as much Disney as a lot of people. I don't think my wife's really interested in it either. It's interesting to read about the character interactions, but I don't have the desire to experience it.

SO, when we go in October with DS4 I'm interested to see what he makes of the characters. I'm guessing he's going to be somewhat scared of them, because he had one "puppet show" experience that's still occupying his mind and it was like a year ago! I'm actually hoping he just doesn't notice them much and we won't have to wait on lines for them. Of course, if he's interested we'll make sure he gets some chances.

DS14 - I'm pretty sure he's not going to be wanting any more hugs than necessary!

Having said all that, I can see how the right character(s) might spark interest from my kids - DS14 might like to pose with Buzz Lightyear for a picture, for example. There are a lot more characters now than there were in 2000!
 
jw24

jw24

Well-Known Member
I honestly think the only person who can answer this question is your own son. I mean, he knows more about himself than anyone else. If he's comfortable with character dining, then good to go. If not, a compromise may need to be in order or something can be worked out so that the characters pass by if he's not interested in interaction if character dining is really a huge necessity. If character dining is not a huge must do, then do what you want with your dining. I mean, you could easily eat a CS location for all three meals and leave more money for souvenirs even!
 
LostPrincessKarleigh

LostPrincessKarleigh

Well-Known Member
My DBF is going to be 25 on our next trip (and I am 22). We will be having breakfast with Mary Poppins and the Mad Hatter AND breakfast in CRT (on his birthday). He is almost more excited than I am! (This is my tenth trip to WDW and my first time going to CRT so I cried when I made the reservation...the CM was trying to console me! LOL!)
Long story short, everyone is different. If your son is kinda wacky and a little wild, he might have a great time with a character meal. If not, he'll think it's cool when he has kids of his own.
 
ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
If you son really doesn't want to meet characters but everyone else does he could be the picture taker for the group! The buffet at Chef Mickey's is good, but if no one wants to do characters then you are better off at Boma. But no one is ever to OLD for characters!
 
The Incredible Schmulk

The Incredible Schmulk

Well-Known Member
Both my fiancee and I are young adults (relatively young, in my case), and we don't have any children. I see no reason for us to eat a sub-par meal and pay a premium so that I get to be pestered by a costumed actor for three minutes. My better half is of the same opinion. If we had kids or were borrowing the children of someone else, I can see doing it for their benefit, but for just the two of us we would be happier bellied up to a bar or tucked away in a quiet corner with a waiter who does just enough to keep us comfortable and otherwise leaves us alone.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
When my DS reached the teen years he wasn't enthused about character breakfasts or dinners... all he cared about was EATING EVERYTHING in sight. So we made reservations more for the meals instead of which characters might be there. He did put up with them coming over to the table and even though he didnt want to show us he liked them,( It's just not cool dad...) you could catch a glimpse of a smile. The little child still remained inside the moody teen buried deep but it still made an appearance. As an adult I like going more to watch other families kids having a ball. So I dont mind booking an occasional character meal.
 

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