Least crowded character dining

[maizey05]

My DS will be 12 months at the time of our trip. I'd like to do a character meal. Which one is the least crowded(can be anywhere, B, L or D)? Also, I think he might prefer characters such as cinderella, prince charming, etc. , as they aren't "big" and probably wouldn't scare him as much.

[Natazu]

The best character meals that seem less crowded are the "family style" restaurants like Liberty Tree, Garden Grill, and 'Ohana. People aren't moving around as much and are less apt to "capture" your characters.

[LibertyTreeGal]

Yes, if you want un-crowded, your best bet is to completely avoid anything with princesses, but especially avoid chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace, they are always packed.

[spinnerf]

I would suggest the Cape May Cafe or the Garden Grill. In my experience the Cape May Cafe is lthe least crowded but the Garden Grill is nice because of the setup of the restaurant you reall dont have people getting up to get food.

[ElenitaB]

My recommendation would also be for Garden Grill. One of the nice things about it being in the round, is that the little ones don't see the characters too far in advance of them actually arriving at your table.

Have fun with your little one at WDW! :mickey:

[luvkatiebug]

Garden Grill is one of my favorites. In my experience, the food is wonderful, and it is never very crowded. I would do an early lunch, and I think your kids would love it. It had Mickey and Minnie and Chip and Dale (last I checked). The last time we went, the characters must have come around to our table at least 5 times. The restaurant also rotates around which your kids will get a kick out of. We do it almost every trip. Enjoy!:mickey:

[princessM0m]

I'd suggest the character meals at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. The breakfast features Mary Poppins, Alice, and the Pooh Characters. The dinner (formerly called Cinderalla's Gala Feast) has Cindy, Prince, and now the stepmother and stepsisters (more "human" type characters). More laid back than many of the others.

[vamaggie]

AS a bit of a side-note: If you are not sure how your DS will react to characters you may want to hold off on the character meals. Nothing worse than a little one getting freaked out (or MAJORLY freaked out) at a meal especially if he is a fussy eater to start with. If you are not sure how he will react, do a test run if you can. Is there a theme park by you with characters you can visit? maybe the Easter bunny at the mall? Something to see how he will react. Also remember that he will react based on how you react. If you are apprehensive, so will he be. If you are calm and upbeat, hopefully he will be too.

[magicman]

I also agree with the previous posters who said Garden Grill.

The set-up of the restaurant makes the interaction much less rushed, quieter, and more personal.

["SULLEY "RULES!!]

I'd have to say Liberty Tree Tavern. The food is great and the characters meet and greet with you a few times at your table. My husband and I have been there many times and were never rushed around and usually isn't crowded.:thumbsup: We'll be there on Nov.12 for dinner before MVMCP. The Garden Grill sounds great. Hopefully next year we'll book that one for our October trip.:mickey2::minnie2::chipdale::goofy2:

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . I'd have to say Liberty Tree Tavern. The food is great and the characters meet and greet with you a few times at your table . . .

Absolutely a good choice.

[Jenemmy]

Another point to consider is that timing is everything! We ate at Chef Mickeys last fall -- during free dining no less -- and scheduled the first available seating -- 7:00am. We actually arrived before the characters and were the first people to even poke at the buffet that day. When the characters did come, there were only 2 other tables with people at them in our section. My kids got TONS of attention :mickey: It was sure worth being an early riser as Chef Mickeys is usually PACKED!

[Scotcelebrity]

We also ate at Chef Mickey's at 7am and it was WONDERFUL! We were the first ones there so we got my then 6yr old brother to eat before he saw all the characters. There were about three or four other families and we just had a blast. We got all the pictures we wanted and the characters didn't have to rush to the other tables.The characters were Mickey and the gang. BYW breakfast was so yummy and since no one was there we had it all to our selves!

[Jared]

The best character meals that seem less crowded are the "family style" restaurants like Liberty Tree, Garden Grill, and 'Ohana. People aren't moving around as much and are less apt to "capture" your characters.
I agree with Jym's point. The buffets are so bustling and active. People are constantly walking around retrieving food and creating traffic.

'Ohana, Garden Grill and especially Liberty Tree Tavern seem relatively uncrowded because servers bring platters to the table.

Remember that 'Ohana is only a character meal during breakfast, Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner and Garden Grill for lunch and dinner.

:tasty:

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We're huge LTT fans, mainly because of the calmer, quieter atmosphere.

The food is good, the characters wonderful, every time we've been there they have been just great, spending lots of time at the table, interacting with DD (and DH).

I would highly recommend it, as a good 1st character meal.