Hi, which character meal would you recommend for us if we only did one? My kids are 1 and 3 and love Mickey and friends the most. Ideally we'd like a buffet with good quality food. Hopefully not outrageously expensive since we're on the budget, but we will pay a little more if it's worth it though. We'll be at all the parks and will have a car so can get to any location. This is for May 2018 if it matters. Thanks!
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Which character meal would you recommend?
- Thread starter Dreaming of Disney World
- Start date
Disneyratboygenious
Member
I don’t recommend Chef Mickeys just because it is really loud. Anywhere you go yes their will be noise but I find it a little too loud.
My families favorite is Ohana at the Polynesian. It’s good food. The characters come to you. The Polynesian is beautiful atmosphere as well.
My families favorite is Ohana at the Polynesian. It’s good food. The characters come to you. The Polynesian is beautiful atmosphere as well.
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
May 2018? You might just be relegated to taking what you can get at this point.
My top choice would be Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House Animal Kingdom.
Cape May Cafe at The Beach Club.
Ohana at the Poly.
All of these feature some combo of the Fab 5.
None are what I would consider a good value, but then again, none of Disney’s Character meals offer anything resembling a good value.
Schneewittchen
Well-Known Member
All character meal prices are out of line.
When my kids were toddlers, their favorite was Crystal Palace. We still usually go there for dinner and AC on our MK days. We're only skipping it this spring because I snagged a Cinderella's Royal Table this time. My 6 year old daughter is going to be over the moon.
Akershus is really good for princess lovers.
Tusker House is great for Mickey and friends people - but the food may be adventurous for some.
Chef Mickey's is a great Mickey option too, but like the previous poster said it's loud and crowded.
Garden Grove at Swan is not my favorite, it was okay. Less characters (no Mickey), less buffet options. But really good desserts.
Ohana breakfast with Stitch is awesome.
If you want something completely different, you could try Mickey's Backyard BBQ. It's mostly hot dogs and burgers - picnic foods. But the character interactions are unique. The kids get to dance with the characters. My kids loved it when they were itty bitty. And you can line up for autographs too.
When my kids were toddlers, their favorite was Crystal Palace. We still usually go there for dinner and AC on our MK days. We're only skipping it this spring because I snagged a Cinderella's Royal Table this time. My 6 year old daughter is going to be over the moon.
Akershus is really good for princess lovers.
Tusker House is great for Mickey and friends people - but the food may be adventurous for some.
Chef Mickey's is a great Mickey option too, but like the previous poster said it's loud and crowded.
Garden Grove at Swan is not my favorite, it was okay. Less characters (no Mickey), less buffet options. But really good desserts.
Ohana breakfast with Stitch is awesome.
If you want something completely different, you could try Mickey's Backyard BBQ. It's mostly hot dogs and burgers - picnic foods. But the character interactions are unique. The kids get to dance with the characters. My kids loved it when they were itty bitty. And you can line up for autographs too.
Prince-1
Well-Known Member
We enjoy The Crystal Palace located inside the MK. It doesn't have Mickey and friends but it does have Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends. Good food (for a buffet) and inside the park so no traveling at all.
However, like others have said, all character meals are outrageously expensive.
However, like others have said, all character meals are outrageously expensive.
JIMINYCR
Well-Known Member
The buffet foods tend to be about the same quality ... sometimes Ok, usually good.... There are variations in the offerings from place to place, so check out the menus to see what your kids will enjoy eating. Prices are high because youre paying for the character interactions.
1900 Park Fare at GF was our favorite on our last trip. Food was excellent and we had great character interaction. The dining area isnt loud and its a less frantic dining option. We got the longest character visits and best attention of all while dining there.
Tusker house was good as well with excellent character attention to the kids. The buffet there had a nice variety of foods. If you specifically want the MIckey crew, this should be your destination.
Crystal Palace has Pooh characters that parade around with the kids. They are pretty attentive at each table. The buffet has been hit or miss but has gotten better in past few years.
1900 Park Fare at GF was our favorite on our last trip. Food was excellent and we had great character interaction. The dining area isnt loud and its a less frantic dining option. We got the longest character visits and best attention of all while dining there.
Tusker house was good as well with excellent character attention to the kids. The buffet there had a nice variety of foods. If you specifically want the MIckey crew, this should be your destination.
Crystal Palace has Pooh characters that parade around with the kids. They are pretty attentive at each table. The buffet has been hit or miss but has gotten better in past few years.
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
From a food standpoint my vote would go to 1900 park fair or cape may. I'm not a fan of chef Mickey.
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
Tusker House, Garden Grill, or Crystal Palace IMO. The food isn't good enough at any of the resort character dining locations to justify a special trip. and I find it much more convenient to do your character meals right in a park.
Kevin_W
Well-Known Member
I'll second this. The price is about as low as it gets for a character meal, you get to meet Mickey and Minnie, and the food is really good.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
Minnie’s Holiday Dine at HS is you want those characters.
Garden Grill has great character interaction too. (Family style serving which is a huge bonus)
Ohana breakfast (also family style), my favorite character meal of all.
I’m one of the few who isn’t a huge fan of Tusker House.. it was a little too loud and obnoxious imo. It could also be because our table was so far from the buffet and I felt like I was swerving around people to get to it.
I know a lot of other people love Tusker House, so don’t take my semi-negative review as a reason not to go, just fair warning to be prepared for that ‘worst case’ scenario.
Garden Grill has great character interaction too. (Family style serving which is a huge bonus)
Ohana breakfast (also family style), my favorite character meal of all.
I’m one of the few who isn’t a huge fan of Tusker House.. it was a little too loud and obnoxious imo. It could also be because our table was so far from the buffet and I felt like I was swerving around people to get to it.
I know a lot of other people love Tusker House, so don’t take my semi-negative review as a reason not to go, just fair warning to be prepared for that ‘worst case’ scenario.
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CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
My biggest knock on Tusker House is that there's so much good food at Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Lodge that it gets pushed so far to the bottom of the list. My two favorite TS at all of WDW are Boma and Sanaa, and my two favorite QS are Flame Tree Barbecue and Satuli Canteen.Minnie’s Holiday Dine at HS is you want those characters.
Garden Grill has great character interaction too. (Family style serving which is a huge bonus)
Ohana breakfast (also family style), my favorite character meal of all.
I’m one of the few who isn’t a huge fan of Tusker House.. it was a little too loud and obnoxious imo. It could also be because our table was so far from the buffet and I felt like I was swerving around people to get to it.
I know a lot of other people love Tusker House, so don’t take my semi-negative review as a reason not to go, just fair warning to be prepared for that ‘worst case’ scenario.
Thanks for all the replies! I didn't think to mention this in my original post, but we've been to Tusker House and Crystal Palace and loved them! I was hoping to try a new character meal unless those would really be the best for us. So far we have reservations for many of the places mentioned just so we could get them, but we plan to cancel some once we decide what we want to do.
exnihlio13
Member
We've heard O'Hana breakfast is one of the best that can be done so we've locked it up for our May trip.
Plus you get to visit a super fancy resort!
Plus you get to visit a super fancy resort!
MomofPrincessGrace
Well-Known Member
Hollywood & Vine at DHS has a Disney Jr breakfast which was good, and the Fab5 at lunch/dinner. The food was pretty good. 1900 Park Faire at the GF was probably the best in terms of selection. Mickey and Friends aren't there, but Cindy, Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia & Drizella are. That was a super fun experience for everyone!
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
I enjoy Crystal palace. Usually I'm not a fan of character meals because I don't like buffets but I think the food is pretty good here.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
About breakfast at 'Ohana - it's great if you have kids who are into Lilo and Stitch as that's the only character meal where you can see them. It's all you care to eat served family style as opposed to a buffet. But the menu as a result is incredibly limited. Basket of Poly-themed breads, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, mickey waffles, fruit and admittedly very tasty potatoes. But that's pretty much it. With the possible exception of those potatoes, nothing on that menu is IMO outstanding, nowhere near worth the money.
Our last experience at 'Ohana left a bit to be desired. Our server pretty much disappeared for a while, it took a very long time for our food to arrive, a longer time to get refills on drinks and an even longer time to be asked if we wanted seconds on anything.
I couldn't recommend more highly 1900 Park Fare. Great selection of foods including a MTO egg/omelet station, and consistently really good face time with characters like Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Tigger & Winnie the Pooh. One of our best experiences came a few years back when my oldest was 6 and my youngest not quite 3. We snagged a super late breakfast, one of the last of the day, so it was more like a brunch. We weren't getting the leftover dregs, food continued to be prepared fresh, but as the prior guests left and no other guests came to take those tables, my kids got a lot of time with the characters, especially Alice and the Mad Hatter. My kids can be pretty goofy so I think the CMs were having as much of a kick talking with my kids as my kids clearly were talking with them. And if it so happens that the CMs hated it, they really hid it well. If going to WDW is an addiction, then that late breakfast at 1900 is the high I'm always trying to relive, the dragon I always chase.
IanDLBZF
Well-Known Member
I have never done character dining at all, but I've heard the character interactions at 1900 Park Fare (particularly at breakfast especially with the Mad Hatter and Alice, and at dinner especially with the Tremaines) can be very hilarious. Be warned though, the Mad Hatter can be loud, and the Tremaines are known to scream.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Tusker house, park fare, crystal palace or garden grill would be recommended.
Avoid the princess puke and thons and most definely chef mickeys
Avoid the princess puke and thons and most definely chef mickeys