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View Full Version : Garden Grill Lunch Ends 10/08 & Liberty Tree Tavern Character Dinner Ends 1/09



kadesha
06-28-2008, 03:24 PM
Message updated by Figment! on 07-03-2008

Important Updates / Corrections:

Dining Reservations has been able to clarify that Lunch service at Garden Grill ends October 5, 2008. The location will only be open for Dinner service starting at 4:30 pm effective October 6, 2008.

Guests with Lunch reservations after October 5, 2008 should call to make alternative arrangements. Although Disney will likely contact the affected Guests, they do appear to be doing so in an expeditious manner thus far.

As previously noted, Goofy's Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern will be discontinued January 5, 2009. The final offering will be January 4, 2009.

Message originally posted by kadesha on 06-28-2008

I just called Disney Dining and they confirmed that effective October 5, 2008 there will be no characters at Lunch at the Garden Grill anymore.

Thankfully, I was able to get an evening ADR. Any of you who have ADR's for lunch and are hoping to meet the characters need to call ASAP to try to get a dinner ADR!

Well it's not just Garden Grill . Liberty Tree Tavern will no longer have a character dinner starting January 5, 2009. Not at any meal!! This is so dishearting, I will miss meeting the characters at these places. Character meals are always booked, it just doesn't make sense that they are taking them away instead of adding more! :confused:

If you have any doubts about your ADR's, please call and check them. I think it's so sad for everyone who has a lunch booked at GG hoping to meet the characters after October 5. I hope everyone is able to get new ADR's!

MickeyMomof2
06-28-2008, 06:12 PM
I don't have ADRs for this, but I was planning to. I hate that they are changing it!

ibrowse17
06-29-2008, 09:29 AM
Sorry to hear this. We have enjoyed this lunch several times, and will miss it in the future.

KineGirl
06-29-2008, 09:49 AM
Nevermind. I just called Disney Dining and they confirmed that effective October 5 there will be no characters at Lunch at the Garden Grill anymore. Thankfully, I was able to get an evening ADR. Any of you who have ADR's for lunch and are hoping to meet the characters need to call ASAP to try to get a dinner ADR!

After reading this I had to call and reconfirm our Oct 2 lunch ADR .. its our DDs 18th birthay that day and where the magic began for our family 14 years ago on her 4th birthday. It was the very first thing we ever did in WDW (we also went here for her 10 & 13 birthday ) so its our most endearing place to have a character meal. Im glad theyre leaving it open long enough for my family to celebrate another pivotal birthday.

Its funny how things come full circle. We always say that our DD really started her childhood in WDW and now she is turning into an adult there too. Garden Grill has gone through its own growths and changes and now is moving on to a different phase as well.

sighhhhh

One last ho-down with Mickey & the gang

Mrs Grumpy
06-29-2008, 04:53 PM
Really stinks about LLT. I wonder what they are planning on doing if it is going to remain the same or something different. It was always packed when we went.

kadesha
06-29-2008, 06:19 PM
Really stinks about LLT. I wonder what they are planning on doing if it is going to remain the same or something different. It was always packed when we went.

I've heard that it's going to just be dinner, no characters. Food prices will stay the same. (I can't provide any proof for that though)

Mrs Grumpy
06-29-2008, 06:35 PM
I've heard that it's going to just be dinner, no characters. Food prices will stay the same. (I can't provide any proof for that though)

That's what I have been reading also.

Belle_0717
06-30-2008, 01:44 PM
I posted "Looking for. . ." to get info about GG lunch. We now changed lunch with DNephew to breakfast at O'hana. I am so upset - we had always wanted GG.

CM told us on the phone they will be contacting guests with ressies for lunch to notify of change. We beat them to the chase thanks to your post.

Mackflava99
06-30-2008, 02:16 PM
Why would they remove character lunches and dinners? as a parent its tough to find a good reservation and ensure there is quality character time?
I am sad that its happening-
We need MORE variety to the charater meals- More not less-

buzznwoodysmom
06-30-2008, 03:08 PM
Please tell me that the characters are only being removed from the LUNCH at GG and not the dinner. GG is a place we've always wanted to have dinner at, characters included. I guess we'll have to make sure to eat here on our next trip incase they do away with the characters at all meals at GG. Does anyone remember the ice cream social with characters that used to be at GG? We had an ADR there once for it and cancelled last minute. The next time we went to WDW the ice cream social was no longer offered and I was mad at us for cancelling it on the previous trip.

I sure am glad we did LTT when they had characters. Its really ashamed that there will only be two character meals at MK now. You have one (well actually 3 if you count Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) geared towards girls at the castle and then you have pooh and friends (geared more towards younger kids) at Crystal Palace. Hard to believe there are no meals with Mickey at MK. It is so sad that they are taking these charater meals away. Not to offend anyone with little princesses, but they went crazy adding all these princess meals and now they are taking away two character meals that both boys and girls can enjoy. It really stinks for boys sometimes.

Mackflava99
06-30-2008, 03:11 PM
We did see Mickey scuba diving in Coral reef the other day- i guess that was pretty rare-

But i am saddened that the character availability will be lessened.
I think its a stupid move, but maybe we dont have the entire picture.

Figment!
06-30-2008, 04:26 PM
Character meals are always booked, it just doesn't make sense that they are taking them away instead of adding more! :confused:Internally it has been justified as addressing Guest complaints that there are too few non-character, table service dining options inside the parks.


Please tell me that the characters are only being removed from the LUNCH at GG and not the dinner. This is currently the case. The Character offerings have only been announced to be removed from the Lunch seatings.

KylesMom
06-30-2008, 04:29 PM
This saddens me greatly as well - GG has become a must-do for lunch with us. However, without the wonderful character interaction, it won't be nearly as special.


I think its a stupid move, but maybe we dont have the entire picture. Mack, you might be onto something here - how about several of the clubs at Pleasure Island that are slated to close in September be turned into dining experiences with the characters, including the villains? Anyone want to speculate on that one? :D The character meals have got to be a huge money-maker for them . . . .

OhToodles!
06-30-2008, 04:34 PM
So will the characters be there on 10/5? We have lunch reservations that day as it's DS 1st bday lunch. I guess I better be calling now to check.

**UPDATE** Just called and we still have our reservation. I was told that Sunday, 10/5 was the last day they will be serving lunch. WHEW! Crisis averted for us!

Pop Centurion
06-30-2008, 05:00 PM
Internally it has been justified as addressing Guest complaints that there are too few non-character, table service dining options inside the parks.Wow! People asking for less character interaction is very un-disney like :(
The LTT character meal will be greatly missed by us. It's been a must do every vacation.

Mackflava99
06-30-2008, 05:07 PM
which characters were at the LTT?
i remember - Chip n Dale, mickey and Pluto at GG

Pop Centurion
06-30-2008, 05:15 PM
Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale.

TheRustyScupper
06-30-2008, 05:40 PM
1) Regrettable, but I do like the idea.
2) It was getting to be that you couldn't eat except at character meals.
3) I know of lots of people who complained that they wanted less character meals.

Septbride2002
06-30-2008, 05:42 PM
So is it only for lunches at LT and GG or are dinners also being effected? Sorry to ask this question but there is conflicting information within the thread.

I kind of have to agree about the lack of dining choices within MK that don't have characters in them and are sit down. Really there is only Tony's and for us that is :sick: In fact typically we avoid eating TS at MK and stick to CS - if we want TS we tend to go to the resorts where we can eat at CA Grill, Ohana's, Kona, and Whispering Canyon.



~Amanda

Aggie97
06-30-2008, 06:16 PM
So is it only for lunches at LT and GG or are dinners also being effected? Sorry to ask this question but there is conflicting information within the thread.

I believe that only GG lunch and LTT dinner are affected. LTT lunch already does not have characters. :mickey:

ElenitaB
06-30-2008, 06:18 PM
So is it only for lunches at LT and GG or are dinners also being effected? Sorry to ask this question but there is conflicting information within the thread.
No characters at lunch at the Garden Grill; no characters at dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (which translates into no characters at all there).

Personally, neither I nor DS are terribly happy about this. Seems that there's a lot of "taking away" these days with very little "new offerings" in return. :(

kadesha
06-30-2008, 07:16 PM
Personally, neither I nor DS are terribly happy about this. Seems that there's a lot of "taking away" these days with very little "new offerings" in return. :(

I TOTALLY agree.

MauiMouse
06-30-2008, 07:27 PM
Not too happy with this either, but at least I get one more dinner at Liberty Tree before the changes. Uuuggghhhh. :mad:

Goes4FastPass
06-30-2008, 08:00 PM
Frankly, we've been to LTT a few times when you couldn't pick up a fork because here comes Chip. Again. For the 4th time.

They should give you a little tent card or something to indicate "characters please visit".

LTT is a nice respite from the MK and sometimes you just can't face another CS meal.

But sometimes the best part of LTT is visiting with characters,

Gator
06-30-2008, 09:15 PM
There are plenty of non-character restaurants. It's called Downtown Disney. I can't believe they're taking the characters out of LTT. This is my favorite place to eat at WDW. The character interaction is great. Now I have the choice to overpay to eat with a princess or be beaten up by Tigger. Sounds like a raw deal to me. Just when you think Disney is done doing dumb things, they do this.

Why don't they stop having fireworks so that guest can have a fun-free night.

Crow
06-30-2008, 09:48 PM
I ate at GG last trip for the first time & liked it. Im not a character meal person, but respect them having some, no prob (well except when they change Akershus buffet for it)
yes, I would assume the prices wont change....less CMs to pay = more profit
Wow maybe they will leave a character, sounds like Eisner in disguise :thedolls:

DizneyRox
07-01-2008, 04:31 AM
This is bad news, although I do agree with the lack of TS dining options in MK. We don't go to MK much if at all, but when we do, finding a place to eat is always a problem. LTT is usually high on the list of places to go though.

Honestly, I think the problem is more about not enough TS choices, and not about not enough non character meal choices. How many TS locations are there in MK? 4? LTT is fairly small too IMHO, my guess is without the characters, they will squeeze the tables together (ala Le Cellier) and provide that oh so intimate dining experience everyone loves!

like2workout
07-01-2008, 08:44 AM
i can't even imagine ltt without the characters. they've always been there since i've been going to disneyworld. and garden grill has quickly become a new family favorite. does anyone know if they are maybe just going to replace them with different characters?

mouseketeer mom
07-01-2008, 08:53 AM
Frankly, we've been to LTT a few times when you couldn't pick up a fork because here comes Chip. Again. For the 4th time.

They should give you a little tent card or something to indicate "characters please visit".

LTT is a nice respite from the MK and sometimes you just can't face another CS meal.

But sometimes the best part of LTT is visiting with characters,

This made me laugh because we've had the experience quite a few times of not even being able to pick up a fork and eat because here comes Minnie, or Chip or whoever again!!!
We have GG booked for a character lunch in August and then LTT for Thanksgiving dinner in November. I will be very sad to see them both go. GG dinner is one of our very favorite character interactions ever. Something about the set up feels more private. We love it there.

yjgirl715
07-01-2008, 09:02 AM
I think that really stinks that people are complaining about having too many character meals. I have seen so much joy on kid's faces including my own son's face when he got to meet the characters one on one. I feel they have just taken out a little of the magic. :(

Mickey91
07-01-2008, 09:12 AM
Well, I for one am very upset with this. I cannot believe that Disney is yet again catering to the nonDisney crowd. There may not be many TS restaurants at MK, but there are plenty around the monorail. LTT is our one place we NEVER miss having dinner. We have eaten there every trip that we eat a TS meal. If you add up all the restaurants, there are still very few that offer character dining. There may be one or two additions for 2008, though I highly doubt it since the family doesn't seem to be on Disney's priority list anymore, there are only 10 out of 61(give or take) restaurants in all of Disney World that are character dining restaurants.

And all I can say to those of you complaining about the irritation of the characters coming out again and again and not being able to enjoy your meal because of them is DON'T GO TO A CHARACTER MEAL! You know going in that the characters are the main attraction. If you don't like it, go someplace else.:mad:

ibelieveindisneymagic
07-01-2008, 09:26 AM
I am heartbroken about the changes at LTT! :( It was the first meal we ever had at MK, and it has been tradition for us to eat dinner there on our last night of every trip!

DD's favourite is Dale (and she likes Chip OK too), so it was a perfect ending to our trip. We always had awesome character interaction...we will really miss the characters :(

DDuck66
07-01-2008, 10:44 AM
Well, I guess we will not be eating at LTT anymore and GG will become a dinner only option. For the price we pay, I expect to get some great Character Interaction. If the prices are not adjusted accordingly (Which I doubt will happen), then we probably will not be eating there.
Goodbye Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie.
:pluto::minnie2::goofy2::goofy::dale::chip:

Disneyatic
07-01-2008, 10:58 AM
Wow, this absolutely stinks! LTT is our favorite character meal and it will definitely leave a whole in our trip having it unavailable after this year :(

I can see having "non character" offerings at the resorts and even Epcot, but you would think that the Magic Kingdom of all places, would be full of character meals! It is the most family/children geared park!

We have a DD, but she isn't a princess fan and I hate to see the lack of variety that is starting to occur. This will only leave a few meals that aren't princess.
I agree with Kyle's Mom that hopefully some of the new restaurants in DTD will include characters, but you would think that they would "tease" that.

I think they will actually lose revenue on the LTT change, at least initially because the families that went for the character interaction will go elsewhere.
This is just going to make it even harder to get into Chef Mickey's or O'hana's or any of the other in demand character meals.

Deesdisney
07-01-2008, 11:57 AM
I am not happy with this at all. I love the meals with characters. We try to eat at as many as possible so I do not have to wait in line for pictures. I always thought that they should have the characters out in front of the restaurant so you could get the pictures and autographs before sitting down at those rest. That way people that want a good dinning exp. without the characters could just pass the entrance and sit down or even the card on the table saying that they have already been visited. We had a couple of dinners where the characters came by at least 4 times. We enjoyed it cause they would play with you and your kids but some of the other people around us were complaining.

Stickey
07-01-2008, 12:12 PM
These proposed changes are a bad idea. Could this be another example of "dumbing down" meal options as a result of the expansion of the DDP?

1) Some people will complain about anything.
2) Complaints about too many character meals are baseless.
3) MK has always been weak for TS.
4) Additional TS restaurants will be necessary if Disney continues to push the DDP.

:goofy::chip::dale::minnie2:

joanna71985
07-01-2008, 02:22 PM
Not LTT!!! That is one of my favorites!

BritCody
07-01-2008, 02:55 PM
I agree LTT won't be the same. LTT is one of my families favorite restaurants. At least we will have one more opportunity to eat there on our next trip before the change.

wendy*darling
07-01-2008, 03:12 PM
Internally it has been justified as addressing Guest complaints that there are too few non-character, table service dining options inside the parks.
I can see that for MK. Tony's and the miniscule Plaza Restaurant are the only dinner options without characters. And Tony's is not a stellar place to dine (unfortunately). Their service and food need a big upgrade!!

But for Epcot??? Garden Grill is one of only 2 places you can dine with characters in all of Epcot! Outside of Norway and Garden Grill, you have 10 TS restaurants in World Showcase (none in America, 2 in France), and another TS in the Seas pavilion.
How could anyone say they can't find a non-character meal in Epcot?? :confused:

Sometimes I have to wonder where they come up with the "Guest preferences." :scratch:

Nascfan
07-01-2008, 04:41 PM
I can see that for MK. Tony's and the miniscule Plaza Restaurant are the only dinner options without characters. And Tony's is not a stellar place to dine (unfortunately). Their service and food need a big upgrade!!

But for Epcot??? Garden Grill is one of only 2 places you can dine with characters in all of Epcot! Outside of Norway and Garden Grill, you have 10 TS restaurants in World Showcase (none in America, 2 in France), and another TS in the Seas pavilion.
How could anyone say they can't find a non-character meal in Epcot?? :confused:


Thank you Linda, that's pretty much what I was thinking, although I didn't have the numbers at hand like you posted. And although I can't speak for Tony's, having never eaten there, it seems the real lack at MK is TS in total.
I'm not sure I understand the concept of complaining about enough non-character TS at Epcot at all. Pretty soon there won't be any options for those of us who do like a character meal here and there except a few of the resorts. Joy, what fun to try and transfer hither and yonder to get from resort to resort to have a character meal.

Pop Centurion
07-01-2008, 07:07 PM
I can see that for MK. Tony's and the miniscule Plaza Restaurant are the only dinner options without characters. And Tony's is not a stellar place to dine (unfortunately). Their service and food need a big upgrade!!

But for Epcot??? Garden Grill is one of only 2 places you can dine with characters in all of Epcot! Outside of Norway and Garden Grill, you have 10 TS restaurants in World Showcase (none in America, 2 in France), and another TS in the Seas pavilion.
How could anyone say they can't find a non-character meal in Epcot?? :confused:I couldn't agree more.


Sometimes I have to wonder where they come up with the "Guest preferences." :scratch:I've wondered the same thing myself. They must survey older couples that go to WDW and basically stroll the parks and like to eat in a quiet atmosphere. Which also makes you wonder....why they even go to WDW.

Bethis26fan
07-01-2008, 09:34 PM
That's sad, by time I have kids and they are old enough to take there won't been anything left.:(

"SULLEY "RULES!!
07-01-2008, 10:04 PM
My husband and I will be eating at LTT on December 2nd during MVMCP. Sorry to see the characters go. We'll definetly take lots of photos.... As for the Garden Grill, my husband and I are eating there for the first time for dinner. I'm glad we didn't schedule a lunch or we would have had to change it.. Can't wait to see "farmer mickey ":goofy::mjump::chip::dale:

Next trip: November 24th thru December 5th

Mickey91
07-01-2008, 10:04 PM
Does anyone have a good email and snail mail address we can all write to? I am getting angrier about this more and more as each minute passes. You would think that the fact that you have to make LTT reservations pretty early to even get one would be enough of a positive to stay the way they are. And why take away the only character meal at MK with the original Disney gang?? In my opinion there aren't enough character meals. They have already made the princess meals too expensive for an average family to enjoy. Now they take away the best dinner character meal at WDW. Anyway, if anyone knows an address please send it my way! Thanks!!

Momof2boys
07-02-2008, 11:56 AM
We've eaten at Garden Grill many times for lunch and love everything about it - the characters, the atmosphere, and the food. This October trip we decided to forego GG and book LTT for dinner before MNSSHP as we did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. The food is similar so we figured there was no need to do both. Now I'm glad we did and that we're able to enjoy LTT character experience one more time.

And as far as customer complaints being the souce of this, I've been complainining for YEARS about the lack of character meals for BOYS and nothing has been done so far. I hate to see 2 more of our options leaving us.

DisneyFan1979
07-02-2008, 12:52 PM
Just to add my thoughts, I do understand some people's views that there may be too many character meals in a sense. I don't think the answer though is to take them away, but maybe to make some adjustments.

For example, I'm in my 20's and visit Disney with my parents every year (this year twice!). When I was young sit-down meals weren't really in our vacation budget and character appearances in the park were much more rare. Consequently, we enjoy going to character meals and visiting the characters now because I never got the chance as a kid. Unfortunately, however, we've noticed that the characters don't pay our table of adults as much attention as they do the kids and occasionally we feel a bit out of place. I think the answer from Disney is not to cut out character meals but maybe to readjust how they present the characters and balance out fun time with the characters and eating time in order to create an experience that appeals both to adults and families with little kids.

DisneyFan1979
07-02-2008, 12:58 PM
I couldn't agree more.

I've wondered the same thing myself. They must survey older couples that go to WDW and basically stroll the parks and like to eat in a quiet atmosphere. Which also makes you wonder....why they even go to WDW.

I feel I need to respond to this. Is there a rule that adults can't go to Disney without kids? I don't think taking away character meals is the answer, but I do understand Disney's overall interest in keeping the parks interesting and accessible to persons of all ages.

Lizzie
07-02-2008, 01:21 PM
As a parent LTT was one of our favorite meals. My whole family loved the food and its so nice to see charachters while you are eating so we don't have to take time in the day to stand in line.

brownie
07-02-2008, 02:07 PM
I'm sort of glad they're removing some character meals. I'd like to be able to eat at the Garden Grill with a non-character meal. We ate there on our first trip in 1994, and it was a nice meal. We've never eaten at the Liberty Tree Tavern, but I might consider it now for lunch.

I enjoy character meals, but I only need 1-2 during a trip.

Aggie97
07-02-2008, 04:30 PM
I can see that for MK. Tony's and the miniscule Plaza Restaurant are the only dinner options without characters. And Tony's is not a stellar place to dine (unfortunately). Their service and food need a big upgrade!!

But for Epcot??? Garden Grill is one of only 2 places you can dine with characters in all of Epcot! Outside of Norway and Garden Grill, you have 10 TS restaurants in World Showcase (none in America, 2 in France), and another TS in the Seas pavilion.
How could anyone say they can't find a non-character meal in Epcot?? :confused:

Sometimes I have to wonder where they come up with the "Guest preferences." :scratch:

I agree. I feel that MK really falls short on TS options. (I'm not sure that eliminating character meals is the best solution to this, though.) But Epcot???

As far as where they come up with "Guest preferences," on our recent three-day weekend trip to WDW, we were approached by survey takers five different times. We are a couple in our early 30s, no kids. :mickey:

WorldTraveler
07-02-2008, 04:35 PM
Maybe a slight different thought on the subject.

Do any of you remember when the LTT was just a restaurant without a character meal? When they added the character meal for dinner and I for one was dissapointed and have only been going there for lunch since and still enjoying the great menu. Even though my DD has also grown up going to WDW (she is now 18), we enjoyed LTT as it was.

If they keep the characters at Garden Grill for dinner, I think that it will be okay becasue World Showcase does not open untill 11 and most guest are still in Future World at lunch time. Therefore the need for non character dining at lunch is possible. At dinner, there are all the locations in World Showcase to choose from and families with small children will most likly still be enjoying the attractions of Future World (Finding Nemo etc) Therefore, there is a choice for the guest.

We do not like changes. But, sometimes change is necessary and sometimes it brings on better things.

And finally, we try to make each visit to WDW different. If you keep going to your favorite restaurant, you have to be ready for the one time it does not meet your expectations. We always are eager to try new things.

Trust that we all will be able to ajust just fine.

Pop Centurion
07-02-2008, 09:57 PM
I feel I need to respond to this. Is there a rule that adults can't go to Disney without kids? I don't think taking away character meals is the answer, but I do understand Disney's overall interest in keeping the parks interesting and accessible to persons of all ages.I hope you didn't take my post the wrong way. I guess I should have worded it better. What I meant was they probably got complaints from older people who go there but don't want to be bothered by characters or even ride the rides. They basically go to walk around and keep to themselves. To me you miss out on a lot of the magic that way. That's why I said why even bother going if you don't want to be bothered.

Mike96
07-03-2008, 08:16 AM
We will miss the Liberty Tree character meal!! That was one of our favorites.:(

Texas Tinkerbell Too
07-03-2008, 04:12 PM
Why don't they stop having fireworks so that guest can have a fun-free night.

:secret: Please...Let's not give them anymore BAD ideas. It's already tragic enough that we are losing our LTT character meal. :(

Goes4FastPass
07-03-2008, 05:05 PM
...
But for Epcot??? Garden Grill is one of only 2 places you can dine with characters in all of Epcot! Outside of Norway and Garden Grill, you have 10 TS restaurants in World Showcase (none in America, 2 in France), and another TS in the Seas pavilion.
How could anyone say they can't find a non-character meal in Epcot?? :confused:

Sometimes I have to wonder where they come up with the "Guest preferences." :scratch:
You're entirely right. I think believing everything the Disney Company tells us comes from 'We've listened to our guests...' is a real trip to Fantasy Land.

There can be only reason for dropping character dining at GG for lunch: Some bean-counter determined families take exactly 11.23 minutes longer to turn a table when characters stop to visit and pose for pictures and character CMs make an average of $x.xx per hour and Soarin' has moved The Land from empty to busy so according to my chart we can save $x per day eliminating characters from GG at lunch.

They've forgotten the look on a child's face when Farmer Mickey comes around the corner is priceless.

merlinmagic4
07-03-2008, 06:17 PM
Well, we'll never experience either meal. Now I wish we had gone to LTT on our P&PP night!

jillluvsdisney
07-03-2008, 06:53 PM
I guess we go against the grain and I'll get flamed for this but we avoided LTT at dinner because it was a character meal. WE would only go there for lunch. I avoid character meals now because of two bad experiences. That doesn't mean I am a non Disney Person.

There are other dining options at the Magic Kingdom and resorts for character dining fans. I'll think everyone will survive.

5fromabove
07-03-2008, 08:36 PM
:( Wow, this is a bummer. I haven't done GG yet, but guess we'll maybe try it for dinner sometime. The catfish on the menu had scared me away LOL :blush: As far as LTT, we have reservations for dinner this Aug...I had booked that on a whim. Now I'm glad I did. I think it's really unfortunate anyway that you can't see Mickey Mouse at a TS restaurant in the MK. Seems odd to me. I also agree that the MK needs more TS restaurant options in general.

Jared
07-03-2008, 09:50 PM
1) Regrettable, but I do like the idea.
2) It was getting to be that you couldn't eat except at character meals.
3) I know of lots of people who complained that they wanted less character meals.
I completely agree. I suppose I'm in the minority, but I was thrilled to read this news. I love Liberty Tree Tavern, but my family has avoided dinner because it is a character meal. It is now a must-do for next trip if the menu remains the same.

:tasty:

Figment!
07-03-2008, 09:52 PM
**Original Post Updated with Important Clarification**

Melanie
07-04-2008, 09:40 PM
Very disappointed to hear this news about LTT. Our family loves the food and characters there! :(

lockedoutlogic
07-04-2008, 10:08 PM
first...the liberty tree dinner was probably my favorite and one of the few character meals i would go to with any frequency.....

so that is somewhat disheartening.....

but at the same time.....i do think they need to tone back the character meals.....the average meal time for a party has to be significantly higher....allowing for fewer seatings....

the restaurant crunch has gotten pretty bad....i expect economic conditions to take a chunk outta them soon.....

but anything that increases availability is a plus....especially if there is no significant decrease in dining plans peddled....

lots of moving and shaking going on with restaurants these days....which could be good.....


anyone else notice that not a single....zero new attraction is in development right now?

not a one.....for the first time in forever....

just thought i'd throw that in....:thedolls:

i will still miss paul revere goofy....betsey minnie....and chip and dale with the powdered whigs and spectacles.....

those were probably the cutest assemblage of character costumes anywhere

Gator
07-05-2008, 05:51 PM
I feel I need to respond to this. Is there a rule that adults can't go to Disney without kids? I don't think taking away character meals is the answer, but I do understand Disney's overall interest in keeping the parks interesting and accessible to persons of all ages.

My wife and I have been there twice without kids and we went to the Character Meals as much as now with the kids. I go to WDW to be a kid again (that's really why I hate all the alcohol over at Epcot-not very kidlike). Taking out character meals is really a dumb budget cut, if that's what it is.

Goes4FastPass
07-05-2008, 06:14 PM
I've been to CP, LTT and GG in all adult parties and had a fine time greeting the characters, even if it's a wave as they go by.

bytheway, d'ya think the cost of the meals will decrease when they take the characters away?

Ian
07-06-2008, 09:43 AM
Internally it has been justified as addressing Guest complaints that there are too few non-character, table service dining options inside the parks.I can actually believe that for LTT. I mean there's a big shortage of sit-downs at MK anyway and 50% of them were character meals before.

But why GG? I mean Epcot is loaded to the gills with non-character meal places to eat. I don't get this one at all.

Personally, I think the entire thing is bogus. It's a money saving move. I mean think about it ... the way they always justified the outrageous prices for their character buffets was by comparing them to dinner shows.

Now they're going to have the same prices and no characters?? That's shady if you ask me.

Figment52
07-06-2008, 10:52 AM
Wow! People asking for less character interaction is very un-disney like :(
The LTT character meal will be greatly missed by us. It's been a must do every vacation.

I don't think it's un-disney. Some guests may like the character's just fine, but would rather not have them present for meals. Especially if it's restaurant they'd like to eat in for theme and food, but may have a hard time getting a ressie due to it being a character meal.

DD and I have done a few character meals over the years, but we've found few we'd return to. And now that DD is an adult, the characters seldom linger. For us, the price doesn't justify the quick hello and photo-op, and the food in many of the places has gone downhill. They bank on the characters to bring the money in regardless.

Out of curiosity - might it be a space thing with LTT? Last time DD and I ate there, it seemed rather crowded, and the characters had a hard time moving between tables.

SurferStitch
07-06-2008, 06:19 PM
Wow. I'm so sorry to hear about LTT! That's one of our favorite in-park dinners! Thankfully I have a dinner booked for us in October to have one last character meal there.

I doubt we'll be returning after this trip. The food is very good, but it was the character interaction that made everything special.

Oh well, that just eases up my list of must-do dinner places for us.

Rekenna
07-07-2008, 09:01 AM
I know somewhere in this thread there was some discussion about there being too many character meals. I disagree, there seems to be quite a few (although obviously not enough) of the princess meals. What about those of us with all boys or girls who aren't gaga about the princess meals. I know we will really miss the LTT not having characters-I think it is very unfortunate. Maybe they will come out with something new, that would be great!

Also, there are about a million and one places to eat at WDW, very few being character meals (for those of you who think there are already too many character meals). Have a great day everyone! :mickey:

Seasonscraps
07-07-2008, 09:39 AM
I can see where the MK could use another non-character sit down meal. They take a little longer and with all the parties they have there now, I am sure they want to increase turn over and accomodate more families in the park. I wonder if they are going to change their menu? It was the family style eating that never really appealed to me.

Taking the characters out of Garden Grill is kind of surprising though. Maybe Disney is cooking something up someplace else in EPCOT?

Quasimodo
07-07-2008, 09:52 AM
Personally, I think the entire thing is bogus. It's a money saving move. I mean think about it ... the way they always justified the outrageous prices for their character buffets was by comparing them to dinner shows.

Now they're going to have the same prices and no characters?? That's shady if you ask me.

I agree. This is more about money than guest complaints. I suspect that the real reason for this is that Disney is hoping to seat more guests at these restaurants each day. Eliminating the characters means people will not linger at tables as long. They will not be distracted and will eat their meals faster and leave the restaurant sooner. Meaning Disney can seat more guests each service. Which in turn means more money taken in per service.

Granted there are some who will no longer book a reservation at these restaurants due to the lack of characters, but there are literally hundreds of other guests in the parks each day that will gladly take a walk up reservation if it is available. Characters or not.

BigRedDad
07-07-2008, 10:20 AM
I am fine with Garden Grill going away. I ate dinner there last April and it was our worst meal experience. The food was decent, the characters were OK, but they cramped 5 people in a table for 2. We even complained and wanted a different table. They said it would be an hour wait.

LTT is disappointing. Too many great memories from there with the characters and the meals.

conorsmom2000
07-07-2008, 11:14 AM
I'm very disappointed to hear about LTT. To be honest, the only reason we went there was for the characters - I doubt we'd make an effort to go back with so many other dining choices available to us (not exactly in MK, but elsewhere).

We've never been to GG but it was on our wish list for some day. I'm really surprised by this change as well. There's so little character dining in Epcot as it is.....:confused:

Carol
07-07-2008, 11:39 AM
I am very bummed about the Liberty Tree. :(

I wished they did away with the princesses for dinner at the castle instead. I miss 'regular' meals there. :unsure:

I can honestly say I have not been back to the Garden Grill since they discontinued the character breakfast there. Yep - it bugged me that much!

All the more reason for me to continue to go to Disneyland instead of the World.

lockedoutlogic
07-07-2008, 12:30 PM
just as a tie in....

I seldom ever go to jim hill media.....but i saw an article from there referenced on another site....and decided to take a look....

it was "Disney's Season (Winter) of Discontent" and they are basically saying that the always hated call to limit outflows and maximize profits went out all across property.....

and the elimination of the character meals....outsourcing of more food services....and the elimination of pleasure island were all done to squeeze more cash out of a rock....

not an illogical point.....but if true....the couple of recent moves are only the beginning.....and more will come.

Remember: Disney's crystall ball sees far into the future and knows when the well is going to start to dry up......i think they've been tracking trends very closely for awhile.....

I even heard that disney lobbied congressman for the economic stimulus package to be hammered through.....instead of an energy credit that would have been logical.....

who was going to catch more throw away cash in their nets than WDC?


anyway...off topic.....but was interesting to see the attempt to tie in....if lacking a little evidence

tinklover
07-07-2008, 01:12 PM
There are plenty of non-character restaurants. It's called Downtown Disney. I can't believe they're taking the characters out of LTT. This is my favorite place to eat at WDW. The character interaction is great. Now I have the choice to overpay to eat with a princess or be beaten up by Tigger. Sounds like a raw deal to me. Just when you think Disney is done doing dumb things, they do this.

Why don't they stop having fireworks so that guest can have a fun-free night.

better yet open the park and TS but have no characters anywhere in the park and no rides or shows running. no background music. and have a true fun free day and night. see how they like that?

xoHelloKittyox
07-07-2008, 02:03 PM
This makes me want to cry :(
thats so upsetting. I mean I'm almost 20 but I always loved the characters at these resturants. They were my favortie.


ba hum bug :mad:

OhToodles!
07-07-2008, 02:08 PM
I was reading through here and seeing everyone's comments on here about taking the characters out of lunch at GG to accomodate more non-character meals. While I don't think it's necessary for Epcot, but maybe at MK, although I've never eaten at LTT. Anyway, they aren't just taking the characters out of the lunch at GG - they're taking the entire lunch out. So only dinner will be offered now, at least that's how I see it. Seems a shame to get rid of a character meal there especially with how crowded the area has become with Soarin'.

amorillo
07-07-2008, 02:20 PM
Our family has done GG at lunch quite a few times. And we always had a great time! I agree... this move just doesn't make sense!


And LTT! Yikes! This was definitely one of our favorites! We have some very fond memories here! Including a dinner with just DH & I! We also had the opportunity of eating here during MNSSHP... We loved that the characters & cast members got all dressed up for halloween! It's sad that we will never be able to share this meal with our youngest! I guess all we have now are the memories and some photos! :(

Imagineer1981
07-07-2008, 02:42 PM
this is the dumbest thing ever...it probably has to do with the rising costs and its cheaper not to pay the character actors.

lockedoutlogic
07-07-2008, 03:47 PM
this is the dumbest thing ever...it probably has to do with the rising costs and its cheaper not to pay the character actors.

characters make a pathetic hourly rate.....

everyone assumes they are paid like actors....they are not....

the most difficult part of characters are finding person's of the right height to don the costumes......and the maintenance of the costumes.....

if anyone has ever seen what they charge for an event or a wedding.......you'll agree that characters aren't costing anybody anything....

i think that in the case of liberty tree....it is a move to increase volume and put more fannies in seats....especially with the redonkulous demand for cinderella's and crystal palace....both featuring bad food.....

garden grill obviously wasn't crowded enough at lunch......as as the international programmers that staff the showcase eateries are by far cheaper to disney.....why wouldn't they want you to eat there?

if coral reef didn't have the aquarium...i would think their lunch would be gone also

Goes4FastPass
07-07-2008, 04:15 PM
I don't blame Disney for cutting expenses. I'm not even surprised. The rising costs of fuel must be a big issue at WDW with driving costs up and flying costs over the fence.

I just wish they'd say they're cost cutting rather than some blather about "listened to our guests"

I wonder how the DVC members feel about changes like this? How many families looked forward to years of LTT character meals with their children and their children's children?

Auntie
07-07-2008, 04:32 PM
I can actually believe that for LTT. I mean there's a big shortage of sit-downs at MK anyway and 50% of them were character meals before.

But why GG? I mean Epcot is loaded to the gills with non-character meal places to eat. I don't get this one at all.

Personally, I think the entire thing is bogus. It's a money saving move. I mean think about it ... the way they always justified the outrageous prices for their character buffets was by comparing them to dinner shows.

Now they're going to have the same prices and no characters?? That's shady if you ask me.


I agree with your assesment of the situation. It's always about the bottom line..right or wrong, that's just the way it is with Disney..or any company for that matter. Just seems a shame, we enjoyed Liberty Tree Tavern. Was always a nice way to end a day, and then see the fireworks. Our kids have grown up going to Disney..first trip with them all was '91..and we've seen a lot of changes over the years. Guess these latest cut backs are just going to be added to a host of changes that we reminisce about. Too bad..I'm sorry to see it go.

I think when you go to the MK..you expect it to be about fantasy, and the characters are a part of that. Our family is grown now..and we still enjoy them. When we don't want a character interaction..we schedule something for Epcot or Downtown Disney. Shame about the Liberty Tree.:(

Red Randal
07-07-2008, 05:24 PM
The Liberty Tree move makes sense the more I think about it. I mean, you already have character dining all day at Cinderella's Royal Table and Crystal Palace, plus it's the MAGIC KINGDOM for Pete's sake! It's not like there are no other character opportunities around. LTT is in one of the most "adult" areas of the park. I don't mind it being turned into a more adult restaurant too. Now, if they were to mess around with the Columbia Harbour House THEN they would be in trouble! :mad:

As far as Garden Grill goes, that makes less sense considering there are tons of "adult" restaurants at the park. I don't really see the need to take out a character meal there unless they plan on putting one somewhere else. Of course, I used to be able to walk in there without ADR's in the pre-dining plan days, so maybe it's just not doing the kind of business year-round to justify the lunch.

luvdiznee
07-07-2008, 05:52 PM
Between these changes & PI...I geuss I will just wait and see. :confused:

Auntie
07-07-2008, 09:49 PM
The Liberty Tree move makes sense the more I think about it. I mean, you already have character dining all day at Cinderella's Royal Table and Crystal Palace, plus it's the MAGIC KINGDOM for Pete's sake! It's not like there are no other character opportunities around. LTT is in one of the most "adult" areas of the park. I don't mind it being turned into a more adult restaurant too. Now, if they were to mess around with the Columbia Harbour House THEN they would be in trouble! :mad:

As far as Garden Grill goes, that makes less sense considering there are tons of "adult" restaurants at the park. I don't really see the need to take out a character meal there unless they plan on putting one somewhere else. Of course, I used to be able to walk in there without ADR's in the pre-dining plan days, so maybe it's just not doing the kind of business year-round to justify the lunch.

What I liked about Liberty Tree was that the characters were old standards. Mickey, Minnie,..Goofy, that sort of thing. Also..we're not much into the Cinderella thing anymore. I think it's great especially if you've got a little girl. However, once you're passed that age with the kids..or want a character interaction that isn't so...hmm..girlie...your options are more limited. The pooh and friends strikes me as more for really little ones. That's why we will miss the Liberty Tree character dining.

Speedy1998
07-07-2008, 10:04 PM
Wow! People asking for less character interaction is very un-disney like :(
The LTT character meal will be greatly missed by us. It's been a must do every vacation.

Actually, I can understand this. Especially from adults coming to Disney without kids. I have actually gone to lunch at LTT just so we could have a meal where we got to choose our food. And on our last trip, after dining at Sci-fi my parents were commenting on how nice it was to eat a meal with out stopping every few minutes to take pictures of the kids.

JohnnyJayhawk
07-08-2008, 12:15 AM
I'll add my voice to the chorus disappointed with the decision to remove the characters at LTT. That's a meal that we enjoy with our kids every trip. As fate would have it, our next trip with the kids won't be until late January '09. Oh well.

Doug The Disney Man
07-08-2008, 01:07 AM
My understanding was that the GG lunch was simply being discontinued. Maybe I didn't read that correctly, but even that makes little sense. As has been stated, there are a dozen noncharacter table service locations at Epcot, and comparatively few character MnGs.

I liked the LTT, but that restaurant never seemed to be big enough for the characters to move comfortably around the dining room.

Personally, I've always felt that Disney should do more character meals with different characters. Crystal Palace (Pooh Bear), the Castle (princesses), Ohana (Lilo and Stitch), and the Studios location? (Playhouse) are great because of the more unique characters. Seriously, how many places do we need to meet Mickey and Goofy? I'd love to see a Pixar char. meal. Or Adventurers, like the men that match with the princesses (Aladdin & Genie, Beast, even Herc). Or what about a Star Wars meal during the weekends? Of course, with a son, I wish something existed as a complement to the princess stuff. Well, a dad can hope.

murphy1
07-08-2008, 11:41 AM
That stinks, we love going to GG for lunch and a break and this is probably the best character interaction, even if we are day guests.

Minnie4me
07-08-2008, 11:56 AM
Just made our ADR this morning for LTT.

January 4, 2009....the last night for their character dining. :thumbsup:

BelleLovesTheBeast
07-08-2008, 12:22 PM
Internally it has been justified as addressing Guest complaints that there are too few non-character, table service dining options inside the parks.

According to website that contains Disney news it is being reported that it is due to budget cuts because the stockholders are looking for a bigger profit.


Does anyone have a good email and snail mail address we can all write to?

I have heard that there is a petition with over 4000 signatures on it already. I don't know where it is but you might want to google it.


My wife and I have been there twice without kids and we went to the Character Meals as much as now with the kids. I go to WDW to be a kid again (that's really why I hate all the alcohol over at Epcot-not very kidlike). Taking out character meals is really a dumb budget cut, if that's what it is.

Same here. My DH and I have no children but love to go to Disney, find characters and have character meals. I'm glad we are going to LTT this Oct. The ONLY reason we are going is because of Character Dining. I can easily make the food that they serve at home and honestly don't care to eat when I'm dining out. But I really want the character experience so we'll be eating there. It is a shame that Disney is making these budget cuts. I understand PI closing. It costs an awful lot of money to run a club. A lot more than most people think. If they replace it with some late night restaurants with live music (like HOB or Raglan Rd.) it will be a smart move. However getting rid of characters in the restaurants I feel isn't a smart move.

Crow
07-08-2008, 01:25 PM
cost cut..unfortunately a lot of the recent cuts are affecting CMs.
why dont they take the princesses away from Akershus & leave 1 of the others?
while i really appreciate the princesses :D
the old buffet meal was a lot better before.

Rayadragon
07-08-2008, 02:56 PM
I'm a bit on the fence with these changes.

The one I'm more wavering on is the removal of the LTT character meal. First thing I have to say though, with the thought of full disclosure, is that the one time my brother and I ate here for dinner the food was horrible but the characters were fun. On one hand, it's nice at times to be able to find a non-character meal, and MK is definatly the hardest one to find a non-character meal in. On the other hand, the removal of the one character meal with Mickey and friends is an odd choice. I doubt they'll do anything about the princess meals, but there are 2 Pooh themed meals now at Crystal Palace. From my perspective it would've been better to either remove the characters from the CP dinner buffet and leave LTT dinner intact, or to change at least one of the Pooh themed meals to Mickey. I clearly wasn't one of the "guests :hmghost:: asked though.

Honestly, the GG lunch removal doesn't bother me as much. Dinner is still avaliable for meals with characters. Although it's odd that they're removing a lunch time meal place, as other posters have mentioned, it's not like Epcot is particularly lacking in places to eat. Another thing I'm curious about is if the restaraunt is permenatly rotating or if it has to be turned on. The restaraunt would loose some of it's charm if it's not rotating. That could be another way in which Disney is trying to cut costs, and not necessarily just because it's a character meal.

TheRustyScupper
07-08-2008, 03:25 PM
According to website that contains Disney news it is being reported that it is due to budget cuts because the stockholders are looking for a bigger profit.


1) I do not believe it.
2) The parks generate HUGE profits.
3) What hurts is the bonuses of executives.
4) It is Ogre (I mean Iger) that is charge.

Goes4FastPass
07-08-2008, 06:24 PM
According to website that contains Disney news it is being reported that it is due to budget cuts because the stockholders are looking for a bigger profit.That's It!

The answer to Disney World cost cutting is buy Disney stock!

That way, when we hear, "No more extra magic hours" We can say, "Whee! Up goes the dividend!"

Figment52
07-08-2008, 06:49 PM
That's It!

The answer to Disney World cost cutting is buy Disney stock!

That way, when we hear, "No more extra magic hours" We can say, "Whee! Up goes the dividend!"

I already own stock - DD got it for me for my birthday a few years ago. Granted, it's just one stock, but maybe with all these cost cutting measures I'll see more than the .30 cent or so dividend I normally get.:laughing:

Harriet
07-09-2008, 04:35 AM
I am sadden about LLT as I felt this was a very special dinner. If they want more sit down why don't they create some more places to have a sit down meal. They have so much space to expand. One place they could add a TS is in Toon Town.

Aggie97
07-09-2008, 11:45 AM
One place they could add a TS is in Toon Town.

That would be a really fun location for a character meal! :mickey:

lockedoutlogic
07-09-2008, 12:31 PM
That would be a really fun location for a character meal! :mickey:

My hope has and always will be that they add a Blue Bayou or Blue Lagoon restaurant to pirates.....as they have in Cali and Paris.....

One of the best meals i've ever had at any disney location was at the blue lagoon in disneyland paris.....

wonderful experience.....

Aggie97
07-09-2008, 12:44 PM
My hope has and always will be that they add a Blue Bayou or Blue Lagoon restaurant to pirates.....as they have in Cali and Paris.....

One of the best meals i've ever had at any disney location was at the blue lagoon in disneyland paris.....

wonderful experience.....

I agree -- we also have enjoyed wonderful meals at both of these restaurants... another great idea for WDW. :mickey:

TwingleMom
07-09-2008, 01:19 PM
BB in DL was awesome. I actually think that the whole LTT should be transported to WS. American Pavilion has the lamest food there. ADRs are always in demand at WS.

Texas Tinkerbell Too
07-09-2008, 01:23 PM
I actually think that the whole LTT should be transported to WS. American Pavilion has the lamest food there. ADRs are always in demand at WS.

GREAT IDEA! Can we put you in charge of planning and development for food service at Disney?

Cinderelley
07-09-2008, 02:05 PM
This stinks. Why is it always an "either or situation"? Why not make half of LTT a character meal and half without if guests are complaining that much? Obviously the ones who are happy with it are booking it without complaining. Maybe they should consider expanding the TS options at MK without getting rid of the ones that work. There is plenty of empty space around to use.

lockedoutlogic
07-09-2008, 02:09 PM
BB in DL was awesome. I actually think that the whole LTT should be transported to WS. American Pavilion has the lamest food there. ADRs are always in demand at WS.


I hope they at least they retain those characters and put them somewhere permanent either at AA or HOP....

i'm not a character person.....but those costumes are the best on property...in my opinion.....

but if they did open a new american themed character place in epcot.....it would do phenomenal business......

not a bad idea at all

TwingleMom
07-10-2008, 10:12 AM
Maybe we could start a LTT at American Pavilion campaign.

dephenn
07-10-2008, 08:05 PM
That's a shame about Goofey's CM. We will be there in OCT. glad we booked it for our trip.

dudeman1975
07-20-2008, 08:29 PM
I personally love the character interaction. I remember when I was young and dale sat down in my parents seat while my dad was videotaping and ate his eggs. That was over 20 years ago, and these are the moments that you remember about a Disney trip, what kind of magical moments will be left for our kids? What is going on with the parks, the removal of characters, destruction of one of the original garden wings. What's next take the 1900 Park Fare Breakfast with characters out or Chef Mickeys because the kids are having too much fun laughing and the Deluxe hotel guests are getting mad because of the noise from the "magic" that is still left being created. I hope things start to improve as others have said the magic may disappear in order to make the good old dollar. I will always love disney, but I am getting concerned.