Honest opinions on Character Meals

[maggie1020]

I just planned our WDW vacation for July 08. I will be traveling with DH and my two little guys 3 and 6 ( at that time). We went last October and they really loved all the character meals we took them too and a must for them is Chef Mickeys They had a blast. However did Crystal Plaza and really wasnt crazy for it. We were only there for 5 days so thats all we did. This time I wanted to try Mickeys Backyard bbq and The clambake with goofy at the beach club if they still have it. Can anyone recommend any others and if the food is good ? My sons are open to the princesess and the hubby woulndt mind it either thanks and sorry so long


maggie

[Maleficent's Dad]

The clambake at Cape May is not a Character Meal - only breakfast at Cape May is a character affair.

As far as Mickey's BBQ, you will see characters, and there is live music. But those are the only positives of the event IMHO. You can do a search in the dining forum to get opinions on that dinner show. It's not a favorite in my family - far from it. (I don't mean to sway you, it's just that we - and several others on these boards - have had a bad experience there!)

The Poly has a nice character b'fast.
Cindy's is a tough ressie, so book on the first day you can if you want it.
If your kids like JoJo & Goliath and the Einstein crowd, head to the b'fast or lunch at H&V at MGM.

There are several other meals I'm not mentioning - the GF, for example.

Good luck with your decisions, and have a great trip in July!

[pogo]

My DW and I really enjoyed the Garden Grill. We were there with out kids ( empty nesters ) and we thought the food was excellent and the interaction with the characters wa great.

Try it and you'll see Farmer Mickey and friends.

[Madame Leona]

I really like the character breakfast at 'Ohana with Lilo and Stitch. Also, I really liked Liberty Tree Tavern. The food was good and the characters were very nice to my little one.

[Pirate Granny]

We like Liberty Tree at the MK...love the food, atmosphere and the characters are great...bringing the new grand-daughter for her first MNSSHP and her first character meal.

[kdsjjb]

We did not like the backyard BBQ at all. I completely agree with Maleficent's Dad. For us the negatives far outweighed the positives. We wont bother with that again.

We love b'fast at O'hanas, and dinner at Liberty Tree tavern. Both have good food and character interaction.

We have also done the b'fast with the princesses. DD loved it but DS's (11 & 6 at the time) weren't too crazy about it. "Too girly" they said. Food was good though.

I'm surprised you didn't like Crystal Palace. We love that and do it every trip. Almost always do it for lunch the last day.

On a side note, it's not really a character meal but if you are thinking of the Hoop De Do Review, thats a great show.

Good luch with your choices, and have fun.

[BigRedDad]

I don't see this one recommended often and it was one our most favorite. We were at AK at about 7:45AM for EMH at 8AM. Unfortunately, it was not an EMH day (poor planning). We were waiting and a CM asked if we wanted to go to Donald's Breakfastsaurus. We did and it was the most quaint we've been to. It is not a huge restaurant and there was far more time with the characters than other places. We stayed until 9AM because no one was waiting for seats. We had Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and another one I forgot.

Crystal Palace is neat for Pooh and Friends, but the time with the characters is so short. We took about 3 pictures and they were gone. If you are seated at a table the characters just passed, you can have over an hour before they came back

[like2workout]

the character meal at liberty tree is the favorite of mine and my family. great food and fun characters. i saw meeko there once too. not sure if he is a regular now but he was a nice surprise. we go there every trip. i'll be going to the garden grill the first time in october so can't wait to try it too.

[Samtastic]

Donalds Breakfastauraus (yes i have no idea how to spell that ) is closing to make way to a Tusker buffet (i think with characters). Since you can't make ADRs yet anyway, I'd tentatively plan that and wait to finalize it when reviews come out. Tusker has a GREAT CS so hopefully it will be a good TS.

[SurferStitch]

DH and I don't have kids yet, but we love to do some character meals. Our favorites are:

1. Dinner at LTT - great food and character interaction
2. Breakfast at 'Ohana - I am a Stitch fanatic, so this is my very favorite breakfast. Food and service are great.
3. Breakfast at the Crystal Palace - Excellent food, friendly servers and who doesn't love Pooh??? We easily saw some of the characters twice in only about 35-40 minutes.
4. Breakfast at Chef Mickey's - Great food (so many things with cheese, and I LOVE cheese), and the character interaction is pretty good. DH doesn't care too much for the frantic atmosphere, but we go there now and then. Haven't tried dinner yet.

We will be trying the new Donald's Safari Breakfast in AK in December. I'm just waiting for the ADR's to open up.

[DDuck66]

LTT is a must for us. We always love the food and the characters have been some of the best around. The same goes for the Garden Grill at EPCOT.

[disneydrmr]

Breakfast at Ohana with Stitch is a must! Not only because he's my favorite but the food was excellent! They do a parade around the restaurant with all the kids, giving them maracas to shake - really cute and a fun time for kids!

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern was another excellent choice! Food was plentiful and yummy! And character interaction was great!

[January-2007]

We love Chef Mickey's, really like 'Ohana, and did not care for Cape May's when it comes to character breakfasts. What I liked the most about Chef Mickey's was how much in character the characters were, it was just like stepping into a cartoon. But you've done that one, so I'm sure you know. We're trying the Crystal Palace in a week and a half so that we can get into the Magic Kingdom early and I hope it's okay. I haven't read much praise for Mickey's Backyard Barbeque though. Remember people do tend to shout the negatives before praising things they liked, so who knows until you've tried it first hand, you know? Happy planning.

[GrmGrninGost]

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern is a must!

[jpH/keD]

We were not impressed w/ Crystal Palace either. We didnt care for the food and our kids dd4 and ds2 were spooked when the characters just appeared in front of them! They prefer to warm up slowly to characters! Our favorite of all time is Chef Mickeys! We loved everything we tasted and the characters spent so much time w/ us it was fantastic! I would suggest O'hana's breakfast so your boys can meet Stitch! Have a great trip!

[wedway fan]

huge thumbs up for breakfasts at ohana and chef mickey's. wound up stumbling into dinner at liberty tree one night when a sudden rainstorm hit and we found ourselves hiding out on the porch there. walked in (this was pre-DDP days!) and had a terrific meal with great character interaction.

[bkfree]

We also love Chef Mickey's and also breakfast or dinner at Crystal Palace. I am surprised you did not like it, maybe try it for a different type meal.It is a must for my kids each trip.
We are also not fans of BBQ or LTT. Mine(boy and girl) love the CInderella/Prince Charming and the mice and fairy Godmother meal at the Grand Floridian in 1900 Park Fare and it is now a must do for us.I know there is a new one at MGM but cannot remember what it is. Sci fi is not a character meal, but very unique and mine LOVE it, if you haven't been there. I have heard not so good reviews of the food choices at the Princess meal at Askerhaus in Norway, check out the menu and see if you would like it.Mine do much better at a buffet than a preplated meal, so that narrows it down for us also.

[Jared]

Cape May Cafe and 'Ohana serve unheralded character breakfasts. When Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace are completely booked, sometimes tables remain available at the Beach Club or Polynesian.

For dinner, try Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom or Garden Grill in Epcot. As another poster mentioned, the Cape May Cafe clambake is a traditional buffet, not a character meal.

[jsw123]

I echo the suggestion of O'hanas for breakfast. Our very favorite character meal. Stitch, Lilo, Mickey, and Pluto. The food was GREAT! The restaurant was the most welcoming we encountered. Great!!!

[dml]

Hi! I'm new to this site, but wanted to add that breakfast at O'hana and 1900 Park Fare are musts for my family, along with the Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. Good luck and have fun!
Dani