Magical Blogorail: Favorite Disney Character Dining

Welcome to those of you joining me from A World View and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

This month, Magical Blogorail Red is sharing our favorite Walt Disney World restaurants for character dining. I've covered this before (click here) so I am going to take a slightly different approach from what I expect the rest of the gang is doing. I'll be briefly discussing the character meal locations within the theme parks.

Magic Kingdom

Crystal Palace: Serves buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Characters are Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet.

I prefer breakfast here over the other meals. I love how bright it is in the morning and it's a fun way to start the day. I find buffet character meals to be chaotic and this one is no exception but a Pooh bear hug seems to make it better. And my children eat breakfast better than any other meal, so that helps it be a more enjoyable experience.

Oh, my lovely Crystal Palace costume

Expecting Tink, October 2008

Bear hugs!, May 2013

This girl loves breakfast

Cinderella's Royal Table: Serves plated breakfast, lunch and dinner. The characters are Cinderella and her royal friends (no specific list is guaranteed.) For those on the Disney Dining Plan, two table service credits are required. A photo package is included in the cost.
This used to be a family favorite going back to the King Stephan's days but I haven't been here since 2005. At that time it was my choice for my post-marathon celebration dinner and other than the occasional meet and greet with Cinderella in the lobby, characters were not involved except at breakfast. I have two little girls so I am sure we will dine with Cinderella in the future. Since we are frequent WDW guests, I am spacing out some of the quintessential Disney experiences to make them more special. I think both of my girls will be the perfect age for this in about two more years.

Epcot
Garden Grill: We've dined here a few times, most recently as May 2013. This is a dinner served family style and Mickey, Pluto and Chip and Dale visit each table. The food here is very good and I have an overall good impression of the place. Gotta love a rotating restaurant. On our last visit, it seemed very hot and very loud but it just wasn't our best night so I'm not sure anywhere would have worked out smoothly.

Hanging out with Dale, May 2013

Couldn't resist a selfie

Menu from May 2013

Ridge with Mickey in February 2007.  I don't think Mickey's costume has changed.

Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall: One word: Fabulous! Akershus offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with an assortment of princesses. A photo package is included. The hot food is brought to your table and a cold buffet is available as well.

My brother and I had lunch at Akershus many years ago and other than a running inside joke, the experience didn't inspire us. Now this is a character dining location and it's wonderful. On our girls only trip in January 2013, we had the best time here. I can't do it justice in a paragraph. You'll just have to check out the review.

Me, my girls, my BFF, and Belle. 

One of my favorite Disney moments.

I do have pictures other than her eating...somewhere...

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Play 'N Dine at Hollywood and Vine: Breakfast and lunch buffets with characters from Disney Junior shows. I haven't been yet since my girls didn't really know the characters well enough to spend more time and money on character meals. However, Janine from our Minnie Moms had a fantastic time there for breakfast.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Tusker House: African-inspired breakfast and lunch buffets with Donald greeting outside the restaurant and Minnie, Daisy and Goofy visiting inside. Dinner is not a character meal.

We have had lunch here twice since it changed format from counter service to buffet and both experiences were very good. One of the advantages of writing a blog is being able to look back at what you thought in the past. After Tink's first WDW for her first birthday, I reviewed Tusker House as our best meal of the trip. We took both girls to the character buffet there in November 2012 and also had a good time. As I've said before, my girls eat breakfast well and we made our first pass on the buffet during the transition from breakfast to lunch. I was able to get Mickey waffles for the girls and the adults could begin to enjoy the seafood stew, samosas, and the other lunch offerings. As with other character meals, it was hectic for a time but the restaurant seemed to settle down about halfway through our meal.

The best pictures at character meals tend to come when the restaurant is slow, so the beginning or end of a meal period can work out well.

DisneyDad getting in on the fun

(If the spacing on today's article looks odd, I apologize. My computer is fighting my efforts to correct the overly spaced sections. It's after midnight as I write this and I am about to give up and go to bed. ~Amy)

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is My Dreams of Disney.
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 ~ Colorado Mountain Mom

2nd Stop ~ A World View
3rd Stop ~ Growing Up Disney
4th Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney
Final Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay

May Trip Report: Sick at Walt Disney World

In over 40 years of trips to Walt Disney World I never remember being sick until now.  Both my wife and I got sick on this trip.

Mom and I booked this trip to see the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival

I felt bad before we drove down on Saturday to be at Old Key West to meet Amy and the Girls on Sunday.  Sunday I made it around EPCOT for dinner at The Garden Grill in The Land pavilion.  An all-you-care-to-eat meal and I was sick. The food was good, I just couldn't eat.  I mostly watched the girls eat and how excited they got when Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Chip and Dale came by the table to visit with them.  Our waiter was excellent and made over the girls appropriately and gifted both of the girls with some stickers and one of the small Toy Story alien dolls before we left.

Mickey and the Girls at The Garden Grill

If you have never been to the character dinner at The Garden Grill it is fun.  Your dining room rotates so you see many of the scenes from the Living With The Land boat trip.  The food is served "family style" with plenty of choices.  Dinner started with warm fresh rolls with a maple butter.  Then there was turkey and stuffing, "sustainable fish of the day" (ours was grilled tilapia),  and a char-grilled filet of beef.  (The Garden Grill Menu can be found here.)  Since I was not feeling well, the warm fresh rolls were fantastic.  I ate a few bites of the filet of beef and some of the sides, but an all-you-care-to-eat restaurant when you are sick would not be my first choice.  Of course reservations had been made weeks before and everyone else was ready for a good meal.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Monday was Mom's birthday.  Amy and I were going to take her to lunch at Le Cellier in the Canadian Pavilion at EPCOT.  Unfortunately, since I was not feeling well, Amy canceled our reservation Sunday night. I was feeling better Monday, but would not have enjoyed eating there.  (Ridge ate there on his trip the end of May.  I hope he writes a full report for Growing Up Disney.)  We still went to Epcot.  By the time lunch came around, Amy had Tink and were off alone and Mom and I had Minnie.  Minnie had fallen asleep in her stroller so we pushed her around to The Liberty Inn at the American Pavilion for lunch.  She slept while we ate.  Mom wanted a cheeseburger and I ordered her the 1/3 lb Angus Smokehouse Burger and I had the Chili-Cheese Hot Dog (as you can tell I was feeling much better).  The Smokehouse Burger has barbecue pulled pork, cheese and an onion ring on it.  It was much bigger than what Mom could eat, but she tried.  The Chili-Cheese dog is big and I did my best to finish it off but left most of the fries.  Mom was not feeling well so we went back to the room early.

Minnie at EPCOT

Tuesday was Mom's turn to be sick.  Amy and I took the girls over to The Magic Kingdom and I had a ball with the girls.  We started with breakfast at The Crystal Palace which is another character meal with Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Pooh. We then visited Princesses (see post here), Mickey Mouse, took the girls on The Jungle Cruise, and then Aloha Isle for a  Dole Whip.  Mom was feeling better that evening and joined us at for dinner at Olivia's at Disney's Old Key West Resort.

Girls just want to have fun!!!

Wednesday everyone was feeling fine.  Amy took Tink and went off to a park while Mom and I stayed at Old Key West and played with Minnie.  We got out and went off property to Chevy's at the Crossroads for lunch.  Minnie loves Mexican and the chips and salsa are first rate.  She ate well but enjoyed the ice cream at the end the best.

Thursday we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Lunch was at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano.  We shared the antipasto platter for an appetizer.  I had the Penne alla Vodka, Mom and Amy shared a grilled sea bass and a gnocchi dish that they both enjoyed.  Tink had the best dessert with a Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcake.  It has to be seen to believed.  Disney's web site describes it as "A Chocolate Cupcake with "Spaghetti" Frosting and a Chocolate "Meatball"' with a Strawberry "Marinara Sauce" and White Chocolate "Cheese"."  Amy had told me about this but it really has to be seen.  See end of post for a picture.

Amy and the Girls at The Crystal Palace with Tigger

Friday as we prepared to leave we had breakfast at Olivia's.  Tink and Minnie had mini-Mickey Waffles and I had a big Mickey Waffle.  I love waffles anyway and the Mickey ones just make it a little more special.

If you haven't noticed yet Mom and I have been so many times to Walt Disney World over a 40 year span, we plan our trips to the park around were we want to eat for the day.  Of course when you are sick and don't feel like eating it really doesn't matter where you are.  Feeling bad is still feeling bad.  Of course somehow feeling bad is better if you are at Disney World and having my Granddaughters along for the week didn't hurt either.

--DisneyDad

Tink and....errr....Tink at EPCOT

Amy said since I had said the Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcake had to be seen, I should show it.  This is a iPhone photo that is a little dark, but I think you can get the idea of the cupcake with no problem.   I'll post more on this Monday's Five Photos post.  -- DisneyDad

Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcake from Mama Melrose - Yum Yum!!!

Minnie Moms: Favorite Character Dining: Cape May Cafe and Garden Grill

This month, our Minnie Moms are sharing their favorite Walt Disney World character dining experiences.  I love these team posts because while we all love Disney, we all have such varied points of view and we have each chosen a different restaurant.  Be sure to check out all three posts in this series.  ~Amy

Beth: For us, a character meal on our first day of a Disney vacation is a tradition. Not only are they fun, but I use them to see how my children will interact with characters before heading into the parks. Over the years we have tried almost all of them, and in all honesty, have loved all of them. Deciding which was a favorite was a bit tricky, since my girls would say a princess dinner, Joey would say Chef Mickey’s, and well, the list goes on. Each one holds a special place in our hearts for a different reason. But there is one spot that no doubt our entire would family would agree on, and that is Cape May Café’s Goofy’s Beach Club Character Breakfast at Disney’s Beach Club Resort.

This particular character meal, for me, has a few perks over the others. First it is much quieter than some of the others. It is a relaxing, peaceful atmosphere and the interior of the restaurant has very soft colors. The buffet offers foods for even the pickiest eaters in your travel party from breakfasts breads to fruit to hot dishes. It would be hard to leave this place hungry! This is also the meal that we have experienced some of our favorite character interactions, such as Donald squeezing into our booth for Hayley to give him a big kiss to Chip and Dale playing peek-a-boo with Joey when he was just 14 months to Joey at the age of 4 who didn’t talk, strike up a conversation with Minnie Mouse – it doesn’t get more magical than Minnie kicking off your child’s speech development. For me, we have such an emotional attachment to Cape May because of all the amazing magical memories we have that it by far is tops on our list of character meals.

Corby: My favorite character meal at Walt Disney World is Chip and Dale's Harvest Feast at Garden Grill. It is located at Epcot inside The Land pavilion. I will admit I'm not a huge buffet fan and that's one of the reasons I like this particular character meal the most. It's one of the few character meals that's not a buffet. Food is served family style, for dinner only.

At Garden Grill, you'll find Chip and Dale and their friends, typically Mickey and Pluto. On the menu, you'll find items such as roasted turkey, sustainable fish, char-grilled beef, fresh salad, smashed potatoes, fresh vegetables and fresh baked fruit cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert. Ever wonder what they do with all those veggies when you're riding Living on the Land? It's possible you may be eating them at Garden Grill since some of the vegetables served come from the Living on the Land greenhouses!

As if the food and characters weren't enough, the coolest thing about this restaurant in my opinion is that it is slowly revolving as you dine! So not only do you get the characters stopping by but you also get an awesome view of the Living on the Land ride scenes such as the prairie, rainforest (my favorite), farmhouse and more. And don't worry, it moves extremely slowly so you really don't feel it. Did I also mention Mickey's wearing a farmer outfit? Seriously, how cute is that?

(Corby couldn't find the photo she wanted to use but Mickey is too cute not to share, so this is me at Garden Grill in 2007. ~Amy)

Many thanks to Beth from Pursuing the Magic and Corby from Travel with the Magic for contributing to this series!  Please check out our Minnie Moms page for more information about these terrific ladies and tons of past articles.

Photo Flashback! Mickey's Best Friend

 

Just in case Pluto ever gets lost, his tag lets you know how to get him home.  What a cute detail!  I took this picture in 2007 at the Garden Grill Restaurant in The Land pavilion at Epcot.



Minnie Moms: The Best and Worst Restaurants for Kids (Part 2)

Lunch at Casey's

 Kelly:  My favorite places to eat with the kids at the Walt Disney Resort? There are quite a few and some will probably surprise you. I love dining at the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club Resort; we have been dining there since my youngest was under two. The food is great, the service is great and I have never felt uncomfortable taking the kids there. We ate there a few years ago and one of the kids got sick and I was mortified. He was fine before we got there and then all of a sudden…. it was gross. The staff was amazing and so helpful and I will never forget that. I have also loved taking the kids to California Grill, Grand Floridian Café, Hollywood Brown Derby, and The Plaza. I know some of these are two table service credits on the dining plans and some people consider them “fancy” but we have never had an issue dining there. I also really like taking the kids to Toy Story Pizza Planet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; I know it is not a sit down restaurant but it’s fun and the food is actually good. I really wish Disney would do a Star Wars or Pixar character meal for the boys. I have dined at the Princess meals but not with the boys. Another quick service place we LOVE and always have lunch is the Lotus Blossom in China. They have the best orange chicken and the kids love the ice cream there.

The boys checking out the menu at The Wave

As for places I do not like to dine, we are over Liberty Tree Tavern. I always loved eating there as a family but lately the food is not good and they took the characters away so it is just not the same. We also avoid Tony’s at the Magic Kingdom. I have never had a good meal there and so now we are done trying it. I am also done with Chef Mickey’s. I used to love it but the kids have been there so many times and its just not as fun as it used to be for them. My husband does not really like the food there at all. I will try any place at least once and if the kids do not want to go back then we don’t.

 
Amy:  Overall, Walt Disney World is one of the most kid-friendly places you can visit. While small children are allowed at all but one WDW restaurant, some just work better than others. On our trip last April, our best dining experience with my then 12 month old child was at Tusker House. The buffet allowed us to begin feeding her quickly and minimize the wait that is so hard with little ones. They have a good variety of foods and I chose items from both the children’s and adult buffets for her. The restaurant wasn’t overly crowded and there are several smaller dining rooms, so there was enough activity to provide her people to smile and wave at, but not so much as to be a distraction from the task at hand. Children under 3 eat free at Disney’s buffet restaurants, so that was a nice bonus.

We had breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and Chef Mickey’s on that same trip. As nice as it is to meet characters without waiting in lines, I think we’ll hold off on character meals until she’s a little older. Both locations have good food and good character interaction, but now that Tink is quite mobile, I’m not sure she’d be content to pose from her chair. I don’t think I’d want to set the precedent of getting in and out of the highchair over and over. Of course, I wouldn’t pass up a trip to Crystal Palace if a walk-up table is available, but we didn’t make any reservations for character meals for our upcoming trip.

Rose & Crown is a favorite restaurant of my family, but it didn’t work so well for a 12 month old. We got her some grapes from one of the appetizers and I always carry plenty of snacks. However, the wait for our food was too much for her. My dad and I ended up taking turns walking her around outside.

Andy and I were celebrating our 5th anniversary in April as well. We left Tink with her grandparents and went to Jiko for dinner. We had a fantastic meal and couldn’t help but notice that several tables near us had small children. Tink is pretty well behaved in a restaurant, but Andy and I agreed that if we’d been traveling without willing babysitters, we would have passed on Jiko. The Cast Members are friendly and the children were welcome, but I would hate to have to eat that wonderful food as quickly as you have to do with little ones.

Tink and I are going back to the World soon with my parents and Chris. It’s a longer trip than usual and the Food & Wine Festival will be in full-swing so we are going to play most of our meals by ear. We do have a few ADRs and are looking forward to trying Yak & Yeti, Kona (dinner), and Via Napoli. We’ll also be visiting Olivia’s, an old-favorite and a good place for Tink, at least once.

 
Corby:  I always recommend getting the Magic Your Way with Dining package. And of course when free dining is offered, it’s a must! In my opinion, going to the Disney restaurants makes your experience even more magical. The atmosphere, service, and of course the food are wonderful. I personally think ALL of the restaurants in Disney are kid friendly. We’ve never had a bad experience or felt out of place at any of them. We’ve had wonderful experiences whether it’s a character dinner or when we’ve taken our son to the Wave or Le Cellier. Of course some restaurants do cater more specifically to kids and I’ll pass on some of our favorites.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater: If you have older children, especially boys, I would highly recommend this restaurant. It was my 5 year old son’s absolute favorite restaurant last year; I would venture to say it was his favorite experience overall that trip. I’ll admit, we went in with very low expectations and were pleasantly surprised. Our son enjoyed watching the old “horror” movie clips on the large movie screen while dining in a “car.“ I wasn’t expecting much from the food and was happy it ended up being delicious. The milkshakes are to die for and my son enjoyed getting his “license.”

Whispering Canyon: Be sure to bring your sense of humor to this restaurant. It’s very loud and the waiters are full of antics that can be seen as obnoxious however, the kids will love it! Enjoy the all-you-can eat Canyon skillet while your kids “ride ponies” and do the hokey pokey. Don’t forget to ask for the ketchup!

Prime Time 50’s Café: The food is not my favorite here but the kids will probably enjoy the atmosphere which makes it worth a try. It’s as though you’ve gone back to the 50’s and you’re eating with family, your server being your “cousin.” The kids will enjoy the kitschy theme with televisions at the table which show clips from the 1950’s.

Tony’s Town Square: Yes, I am recommending Tony’s Town Square, again. Tony’s gets very mixed reviews, I realize, however, it’s still one of my family’s favorites. If you can time it right as I’ve mentioned before, you can dine while viewing the Spectro Magic Parade/Main Street Electrical Parade. You will need to check ahead of time to see when the parade starts as it’s not every night and the schedule does change. You will also need to request to sit outside. We’ve planned it correctly for our past three trips and it just wouldn’t be the same without it. We get the steak and catch of the day, the service has always been wonderful (I think we‘ve had the same server every time) and you can’t beat the location.

Last but not least is the obvious…character dining. I’m not a huge fan of buffets but in my opinion, this is a must do if you have younger kids. Our favorite has been the Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends. We have reservations at Chef Mickey’s in November. We’ve also tried The Garden Grill which is good because it has some of the more popular characters (such as the Big Cheese himself.) I would pick whichever location is going to have your child’s favorite character(s)/princess(es). The children love the one on one interaction and the memories they make will be treasured for years to come.

 
Thanks to our Minnie Moms for sharing such helpful tips! If you have a question for us or a topic you'd like us to cover, please leave a comment or email Amy.

Minnie Moms: The Best and Worst Restaurants for Kids (Part 1)

Heather:  WDW Dining… Where else can you have a Breakfast safari with Mickey and Friends, Lunch in a 1950s car while watching Sci Fi Movies, and wrap up the day at a Polynesian luau?

Last year as WDW newbies we didn’t call as early for reservations and while had some great meals, this year we were on the phone 180 days out for not only our choice of restaurants but also times. We like to eat last after an afternoon of tours, saving our table service credits for dinner.

Last year we had Table Service meals at:

Crystal Palace- Great variety and service, perfect spot for Pooh and Friends character dining. My biggest complaint was the noise level, but understandably this is a great family stop that is central to the Castle.

Biergarten- My husband and I both love German food. We sat right up front for the show and the dancing. We will be back this trip. Picky eaters should pack some snacks as we did for our then 3 year old, who didn’t find much he would eat on the buffet.

Sci-Fi Drive in- Hands Down one of the BEST burgers/fry/shakes in WDW. Plus who wouldn’t love eating in a retrofitted 1950’s car while ogling the campy 50’s movies while you eat?

BEST MEAL of the Trip….. The Garden Grill at Epcot. We felt like we had “settled” for a 3rd tier character meal when we booked only a month in advance. We were so wrong that it was the first place we booked this year. The smaller restaurant is perfect for lots of stops by Mickey, Pluto, and Chip and Dale (by the 4th time stop we waved them on), the food is served family style and included herb encrusted turkey, maple braised salmon, and marinated skirt steak. Serious yum and a real change of pace from the monotony of burgers, pizza, and fries.

This year we added the Ohana at Dinner and Chef Mickey’s, both of which we are looking forward to experiencing.

I have marked up my map of preferred counter service meals to avoid crowds and unnecessary walking. Outside of good food I also look for a place to rest, repack, and close proximity to bathrooms, thus no standing up eating a turkey leg as “lunch.”

Animal Kingdom- Yak and Yeti (the café in the courtyard next to the full service restaurant)

DHS- Toy Story Pizza Planet (new option this trip)

Epcot- Eating our way through Food and Wine tents or the small cafes throughout World Showcase

Magic Kingdom- Cosmic Rays has the usual burgers but also more options like chicken sandwiches with a great fixings bar. This year I’m adding Terrace Noodle Station for our 2nd day in the MK

We also ate at least 3 meals in our hotel (Port Orleans-Riverside) food court. The selection and variety was outstanding. From mufflettas, made to order salads, pancakes, beignets, pizza as room service the food was a selling point for why we are again staying at Port Orleans this trip.

My bottom line advice is plan your meals, esp. if you want hard to secure reservations at Chef Mickey’s and Cinderella’s Royal Table 180 days out. Also consider if on a dining plan how you can maximize the plan to take advantage of restaurants your might not consider due to price. We quickly learned that a $4 milkshake and a diet coke counted the same on our plan.

Happy eating.. You won’t go wrong in the World.


Janine:  We have yet to take Felicity, 9 months, to WDW and have not travelled with any other children. However, as we have eaten in different places at The World, there have been places that I would feel comfortable returning to with F, places we will most likely not go back to until she is older and somewhere I literally cannot wait to take her.

So I will begin with places where we have previously eaten that I would feel happy taking our child into. Obviously a lot of WDW is catered for families and little ones but some places seem more kiddie friendly than others. One of our most visited CS restaurant in MK is Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe. For a place to be on the ‘OK’ list for me, it has to cover 3 things. 1 – have a child friendly atmosphere. I don’t mean full of kiddies running amok but just so that if F kicks off or gets over excited, we don’t need to rush out. 2 – there needs to be a kids meal option on the menu or something I would be happy with F consuming. And 3 – decent prices. I’m not paying $10 for a few chicken nuggets and a carton of milk. I think CRSC would be just right. It has always appeared bright and fun, with plenty of space even when it’s busy with lots of tables and a great view of the castle (we once sat outside when it was a bit cooler and watched an artist sketching. Maybe he was one of the actual Disney illustrators, we’ll never know!). Prices are reasonable, kids meals such as chicken nuggets and PB and J sandwiches – the usual – are $4.99. I would also be happy with her eating any of the adult meals such as the vegetable wrap or burger.

HS and AK both hold a yummy fast temptation for us – pizza! We really like Pizzafari in AK and Toy Story Pizza Planet at HS. Pizzafari comes with a Caesar salad too for $7.99 and there are kiddie sizes for $4.99. This has lots of space and the occasional character wandering through. TSPP in HS is also fun and spacious with quick queues and seating inside and out. There are also collectible keepsake cups to purchase here – DH loves his. Here they do a veggie pizza as well as the usual cheese and pepperoni and have the choice of just pizza (from $5.99 or one with a green salad (from $7.99) which we always get. There is again a smaller child's pizza or even a couple of mixed salad choices.

The Electric Umbrella (again lots of space and no ‘standing to attention’) which has chicken wraps or cheese burgers for $4.99. But my favourite CS in EPCOT is The Liberty Inn in the America Pavilion. This also does the cheeseburger and wrap as well as kiddies nuggets. There is a veggie burger, salads and chili on offer. I also love the sound of the Baked Apple Dumpling – yummy! We will most definitely stroll the Boardwalk too with F as there is a lot of outside seating which will not effect anyone else. Sandwiches or pastries from the BW bakery are more than enough for a lunchtime snack.

Now – somewhere we wouldn’t take F just yet. We are BIG fans of Planet Hollywood at DTD but we agree this is way too noisy for her at this tender age (she’ll be a preschooler still when we go). It is also pretty expensive for her just to pick at a meal. We would feel this about most TS restaurants to be honest. I could not imagine taking her into somewhere like The California Grill even though they do serve children. Victoria and Albert's doesn’t serve under tens. Can’t say I blame them.

Somewhere I really want to take F to is Chef Mickeys. Now there are plenty of character meals (Amy has already written about her experiences with her Tink) and 1900 Park Fare also sounds good. But I can already picture my little girl giving Mickey and Minnie a huge kiss, whilst mummy and daddy fill up on Mickey shaped waffles – YUMMY!


Click here for more info on our Minnie Moms. Please let us know if there is a topic you'd be interested in seeing or a trip planning question we can answer for you!

Team Favorites - Character Meals

Character dining is one of the truly unique experiences offered at Walt Disney World.  Yes, lots of places offer a good breakfast but no one other than Disney lets you combine that meal with the magic of some one-on-one time with your favorite characters.


Today our team discusses our favorite character meals at Walt Disney World. 

Amy:  For breakfast, my favorites are Chef Mickey's and The Crystal Palace.  We took Tink to Chef Mickey's breakfast for her first birthday.  It was a good meal, a fun atmosphere, and I like the chef costumes for the characters.  You can't beat a ride on the monorail to start the day.  For my full review, click here. 

I worked at The Crystal Palace during College Program, so it's a sentimental favorite.  The food is really good here and the team replenishes it often.  The characters are Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet.  You'll see them lead a parade with the kids once or twice during your meal.  I love this building with all its windows, curlicued decor, and Magic Kingdom location.  I think dinner is the best meal here but come hungry because it's not cheap.  It's now $32.99 per adult for dinner.  Kids 3-9 are $15.99. 

My other dinner pick is The Garden Grill.  This restaurant is in The Land pavilion at Epcot.  It rotates very slowly so the view changes throughout your meal and sometimes you overlook scenes from "Living with the Land."  Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale are the characters you'll meet.  The Garden Grill is only open for dinner now.  The meal is served family-style with steak and turkey for the adults and chicken and mac and cheese for the kids.  Some of the produce is grown in the greenhouses at The Land pavilion.  This location is a few dollars cheaper per person than The Crystal Palace.

DisneyDad:  I have to admit I enjoy the character meals as much as any kid.  Over the years we have been to many different character meals and I have enjoyed them all.  Most recently we had the Breakfast Buffet at Chef Mickey's at The Contemporary.  The first time we went to Chef Mickey's it was a restaurant at Downtown Disney complete with...who else... Chef Mickey!

Of the character dining experiences WDW currently offers my two favorite are Chef Mickey's and The Crystal Palace.  Chef Mickey's is in the Grand Concourse at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Depending on where you are seated you can watch the monorail run though.  The restaurant brings Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy to your table as you bring all you can eat from the buffet to the table.  We recently had breakfast there and the food was as good as any breakfast buffet I have been to anywhere.  All the food was fresh, the hot food was hot and the cold food was cold and it all was delicious.  My favorite for breakfast is always the Mickey Waffles and theirs were fresh and warm.  (Did I say I enjoyed this as much as the kids?)

My other favorite, The Crystal Palace, is just off Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom.  The restaurant looks like a Victorian conservatory complete with palm trees growing under the glass dome.  The food here is buffet style also.  (My daughter worked here in the College Program.  On one trip here only one side of the buffet was open while they were getting the second side setup.  We actually had the buffet opened for us by one of the chefs so we could be first in line.)  (Amy's note: one of my cast member friends thought this would be a special treat for my parents.  Looks like he did make some magic.  My parents are still happy about this and it was in 1997.)  Pooh and Friends come visit your table at The Crystal Palace.  The last meal I had here was breakfast and it was excellent.  It is a great way to start the day at the Magic Kingdom.

Ridge:  I have to say that character meals aren't really my thing at this point in my life.  As far as the characters are concerned, The Crystal Palace would have to be a favorite of mine since I am being asked to choose. T-i-double G-er has to be one of my favorite characters, right after Mickey Mouse, of course.  At The Crystal Palace we have always had good luck with having the right amount of time and getting the pictures we wanted. It also doesn't hurt anything that the food here is also really good.  But if you want to see the HC (Head Cheese) himself, you really can't beat Chef Mickey's. It was a real cavalcade of characters and only took about 45 minutes in the rotation to see them all. Here's a tip, if you are in a spot where the characters rotate off stage, because they only stay on the floor for about 15 minutes before "rotating," keep an eye out for their handlers. We were seated right at the point where our Chefs were rotating and it is easy to get overlooked because the replacement might confuse where his/her counterpart left off. If you accidentally get missed, just ask one of the handlers and they'll steer the character back your way.

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It looks like our team has similar opinions again.  Other character meals we've had over the years that didn't make our favorites include 1900 Park Fare breakfast, Liberty Tree Tavern dinner (discontinued), Olivia's breakfast at Old Key West (discontinued), and Donald's Breakfastasaurus (now similar meal at Tusker House).  


Cinderella's Royal Table (formerly King Stefan's Banquet Hall) used to be a family favorite, however, the restaurant started changing in the early 2000s.  Our last visit there was in 2005.  We might go back someday if Tink insists, but in my opinion the elegance of the place is gone now that it is a character dining location.  It's also very pricey and VERY hard to get a reservation.  I realize I am in the small minority here and if you have never had a meal in the castle, then this is a treat.   


I would like to try the character breakfast at Tusker House.  Our lunch there was wonderful.  For my full review, click here.

Cape May is not on my to-do list.  We ate dinner once when we stayed at Beach Club and I wasn't impressed.  Since we usually stay at Old Key West, this restaurant would not inspire me to make the journey over there.


Akershus Banquet Hall is a must-do once Tink gets a little older.  Most of the princesses will greet you at this character meal.  The breakfast was so popular that it's now a character location all day, so if you don't want to get up early for breakfast, you can still meet Belle at lunch or dinner.  Breakfast is traditional breakfast fare while lunch and dinner feature a Norwegian menu with hot entrees and a cold salad/herring bar.  Chris and I had lunch here once and enjoyed the food. 


For me, the jury is still out on 'Ohana.  I love breakfast at Kona Cafe, but 'Ohana just seems chaotic to me.  Lilo and Stitch are here in the morning.  Maybe someday I'll brave this one.


What are your favorite places to dine with the characters?  Do you have a character meal that you just must have each trip?  Any that you don't want to repeat?  Please leave your comments below. 

(Check back because I just might scan some pics of me in the oh-so-lovely Crystal Palace costume...)