Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Red. Enjoy the ride as we share with you our favorite spots in Disney for breakfast.
The Growing Up Disney family loves breakfast and when you can combine that with Disney, all the better.
At home, we make Mickey pancakes and have three different Disney waffle irons: Cinderella, Pooh/Tigger and Mickey and friends mini waffles.
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| Clean out a bottle from ketchup, pizza sauce, etc. and use it for pancake designs. |
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| My mom and Aunt Suzie. This wasn't breakfast but Mom did cook in the kitchen for this pre-wedding party. |
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| The full kitchen in one and two bedroom villas at Old Key West. |
When we want to go out for breakfast on vacation, Kona Cafe and its Tonga Toast are at the top of the list. Even with the cult popularity of this dish, 'Ohana's character breakfast gets most of the attention at the Polynesian so we have always found mornings at Kona to be calm. I tend to order the Tonga Toast and share it with my brother or husband, having them order something savory. The press pot of Kona coffee is a treat but the carafe of coffee isn't too shabby either. Tink wanted to ride a boat on our last vacation, so we took a bus from Old Key West to Magic Kingdom and boarded a boat to the Polynesian from there. After breakfast, it's a quick monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom.
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| Tink enjoying a boat ride to breakfast. |
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| Mickey pancakes from the kid's menu at Kona. This was one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments. |
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| Tonga Toast |
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| This was at Kona for dinner. Tink liked the umbrella in her cup. They didn't do this at breakfast on our recent trip but you could always ask. |
The classic Disney morning meal experience is the character breakfast. Our favorites are Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's. I worked at Crystal Palace during College Program so it is a sentimental favorite. Pooh and friends are my favorites so I love to begin the day with a hug from the silly ol' bear and his pals.
Our first visit to Chef Mickey's was in the early 90's, back when it was at what is now Downtown Disney Marketplace. Our most recent visit was in 2010 for Tink's first birthday. I wanted her to spend some time with the Mouse on her big day. It was very busy but we got a good table and a warm birthday cupcake. Next week, my best friend and I are taking my children to Walt Disney World for a girls' trip. We will be kicking that trip off with a late breakfast at Chef Mickey's.
I haven't been to breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table but with two daughters, I am certain that is in our future and I'd like to wait until Granddaddy (DisneyDad) can go too. Thankfully, that's not the only place to dine with the princesses because it is a must-do on a girls' trip. We are all looking forward to trying Akershus for breakfast. I am glad that at least some of the meal is served family style. Full buffets have the benefit of being able to get a plate in front of a wiggly child quickly, but they aren't the least bit relaxing.
Until I became a mother, I didn't totally understand the appeal of the character breakfast. I knew it was a way to have a meal and meet characters without waiting in line. Now I see the beauty of getting everyone up and out of the room and sitting down to a meal together before anyone needs a nap. No matter how I try to work with my kids' current schedules, it seems that the ideal time for lunch is hard to predict.
Using the theory above, our upcoming trip will include the two character breakfasts that I have mentioned plus a trip to Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge. We aren't particularly in a hurry to get to the parks in the morning so we'll spend a little time exploring the resort after our meal. I have enjoyed the restaurant's antics at dinner and think we will have fun at breakfast. The Mickey waffles on the all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast platter should assure that my children eat well.
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| Be careful what you ask for at Whispering Canyon. You might end up with a little soda or a huge one. |
What is your favorite Disney breakfast?
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Growing Up Disney
2nd Stop ~ My Dreams Of Disney
3rd Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay
4th Stop ~ Colorado Mountain Mom
Final Stop ~ A World View
We loved breakfast at Chef Mickey's, but our absolute favorite character breakfast is Cape May Cafe. It was our first ever character meal on my first trip as a mom, so I think there is a sentimental attachment! :-)
ReplyDeleteBeth, I think of you every time I think about going to Cape May Cafe! I've been for dinner but after your recommendations, someday I will get us over to CMC for breakfast.
DeleteI love the picture with the baby with Mickey! :) SO precious!
ReplyDeleteYou know how you said the 3 pancakes that make a mickey is an "aha, why didn't i think of that?" idea? That's how I felt about using an old kitchen bottle to make designs! Great post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! After I took that picture (Valentines Day?) I ended up buying a bottle specifically for pancake batter but the pizza sauce one works just as well and is probably easier to deal with.
DeleteCrystal Palace is definitely a must do on our Magic Kingdom days!! I am going to second Beth's vote for Cape May but I picked Tusker House as our favorite so far. Great post!!
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I have yet to try Tonga Toast? And I had O'Hana Character Breakfast on my list to try next trip... maybe I need to switch to Kona!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, lots of fun ideas and info here. :)
I haven't been to Chef Mickey's yet, and you make it sound inviting. Definately need tp put this on the list.
ReplyDeleteI love the mix of homemade and park selections. And I definately need to check out Chef Mickey.
ReplyDelete