Chef Mickey: Lunch or Dinner?

[BandMan]

We're heading to WDW in late August, and want to get our ADR's done soon. Trouble is, I can't decide whether to do Chef Mickey's for a late breakfast or for dinner.

Because it's August, we want to get to the park early, and take a break from the heat in the afternoon. We thought it might be nice to book Chef Mickey late in the morning, and then head back for pool time. The times listed are until 11:30 am. Does that mean that's the latest they'll seat you? If so, how soon are they going to want us out of there?

OR, we coul d hit Chef Mickey on our way back from pool time for an early dinner, just before we head into the park.

Breakfast is cheaper, but DW likes the buffet choices at dinner better. We've never been to either. What's the opinion from the experts? :confused:

[Quasimodo]

I don't know if 11:30 is the last time they seat you or when they start pulling the food from the buffet line. I would recommend avoiding being at the very end of the service with a buffet. You just don't know if they will continue to put food out towards the end. You could end up with very few choices. But I think if you got there at 11am you would be fine.

As for choosing between breakfast and dinner, thats more of a personal preference. I personally like breakfast buffets better than dinner buffets. But Chef Mickeys does have a pretty good dinner buffet.

[KylesMom]

I'd vote for a late breakfast and then a swim. 11:30 would be the last seating. Although we eat earlier for CM's, I've never read posts on Intercot of any mention at any of the Disney buffets that the food from the first sitting is any less fresh from the last. Folks have mentioned that they get alot more "character" time closer to the end of the buffet as well.

Late August will be awfully warm - if you go for an early dinner, you may eat to your heart's content from the buffet, but may feel sluggish when you head to the park with the combined heat, humidity and food. We like both breakfast and dinner, but opt for the breakfast over at Chef Mickey's any day. :mickey:

[Quasimodo]

I've never read posts on Intercot of any mention at any of the Disney buffets that the food from the first sitting is any less fresh from the last.

I wasn't talking about the freshness of the food. My point was that if you eat at the very end of a buffet service, it is very possible that they may stop bringing out more food while you are still hungry. It has happened to me. However, if 11:30 AM is in fact the last seating, they will continue to put out food for those seated at that time. But if you have slow eaters in your family, as I do, you can end up being the last one in the restaurant with no food left on the buffet line. In addition, when the characters visit your table, all eating stops. So that makes it take longer for the slow eaters to get their food down.