looking for help....suggestions re: meal with characters

[BJK]

hi everyone...

we are new to DVC..but this seems to be where the true experts are....

we are coming in May....so its a long way out to ask, but i'm wondering if anyone has a good suggestion regarding dinner with the characters....

are some restaurants better than others ?? are there more characters at some than at others ??

we have a pretty big group....at least 11, possibly up to 18, and some are vegetarians as well...

are some spots better for large groups, and do they have any menu options ??

any anwers to any of these questions would be appreciated...


ps....how do you get those countdowns to your next trip at the bottom of a message...i can't figure out how to do that....

thanks...

 

[Belle041281]

Hi BJK,

Don't know about the character meals. However, if you go to the Technical Support page under faq you'll find how to add a timer.

I'm interested in what others have to say about the meals as well.

-Sherri

 

[floridafam]

We're not big character meal eaters but we are going to try Chef Mickey's on our next trip.

We are also going to try 1900 Park Fare at the GF.

My DD is not into princesses so we haven't tried the Princess Breakfast at Epcot.

I'll let you know how Chef Mickey's is.

 

[WebmasterDoc]

I'll move this over to the Restaurants Board for you. That's a much better forum for questions about...Restaurants!

 

[DeeP]

For character interaction Chef Mickey's is wonderful and is also where you find the "big cheese" himself! We like the food at Park Faire better though. Cape May Buffet has a very nice character breakfast with good food that is usually much less crowded and hectic than either Chef Mickey's or Park Faire. Cinderella's table is a BIG hit with little girls that love the princesses, the food is ok, we like Cape May's breakfast buffet better. But there is something magical about dining in Cinderella's castle and having her and the prince visit your table, especially if you have a DD!
We personally do not care for Crystal Palace character meals because it is usually way too crowded and hectic for our taste.
The character breakfast at O'Hana is also good and has good food although they have cut back on the fresh fruit offered considerably, which is a shame.
We have never done the character breakfast at Norway with the princesses so can't comment.
Donald's breakfast at AK is good food but it can also get really crazy in there.
Hollywood and Vine's character dinner is ok, not one of our favorites.
IMO, none of the character meals are for the food, you go for the characters and the fun atmopshere. Some have better food than others but basically they are all buffet foods and can't compare with having a freshly cooked meal prepared for you, however neither are they as expensive as eating at many of WDW's sit down restaurants.
Enjoy!

 

[halfway there]

For a large group and a more leisurely meal I would recommend the resorts rather than the parks for a character meal unless it is not an important park day. It takes time (especially with lots of people) to take pics, get autographs and for all the characters to get around to your table. That said, check out the various restaurants offering character meals right now:

http://wdwig.com/cb.htm

Remember that this could change at any time and especially before May so keep checking to see what might be new. You can base your decision on type of food, type of characters or specific meals.

My top picks for a resort area meal that would accomodate a large group with great food, characters and atmosphere are:

1900 Park Fare for dinner - right now offering Cinderella (a rarity)

Chef Mickeys for breakfast - Mickey's homebase

Cape May for breakfast - characters in beach attire

Coral Cafe at the Dolphin for breakfast - a surprise find, only on Sundays

One honorable mention:

Crystal Palace for breakfast - although in the MK, it's spacious and there are Pooh characters, good food too!

 

[twotoohappy]

We love Chef Mickey's!!!!

 

[cvallee]

We loved doing Crystal Palace. My DD is 10 and DS is 4 and they both loved the Pooh chacters. But it is true that the food is only OK. Don't go for the food, go for the fun. We're doing Donalds Breakfastauras, Crystal Palace, and Cape May next trip.

 

[myhandd]

We ate supper at the Liberty Tavern. It was a buffet served homestyle. Our DS got to see and take photographs with, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, and Meeko. We ate at 7:20 pm and the park closed at 8:00 pm. It was really laid back, non crowded setting and in addition the food was really good.

 

[tink2]

My family loves character meals! We travel with my family and will have a party of 15 this year. My big advice is to make PS as soon as your 90 day mark arrives- especially if you are going at a busy time! You will probably be sent to group dining when you call. At Crystal Palace this year, we had to take the first or last seating for dinner because we had a party of 15. They said this was the only way we would be guaranteed to be seated near each other. We took the 4:00 seating. You will also be asked to give a credit card number for parties this large.
We have traveled with a group of 11 twice, and every restaurant was very accomidating. The only problem we had was at Garden Grill when we ate lunch without a PS. Now, we just stopped in and checked if they had anything available and were told "no problem- we'll seat you right away". It turned out to be a problem- but the lunch was wonderful and character interaction was terrific!
To find out about characters at the meals, go to wdwig.com and look under character dining. That should have everything you need to know! I highly recommend character meals- especially if you have little ones!
PS- If you try for CRT- you might want to split your group up into two parties of 12 people or under. When we tried to get CRT for 15, 5 people of our 6 calling were sent to group dining which took up too much time and we didn't get in. The one person who was not transferred only got a party of 12 in. The CM told us to split up our numbers because over 12 has to go to group dining. Just discuss it with your group and decide who can go if you don't get everyone in! Luckily, we got a group of 11 and 4 in for the same morning- and the reservations are only 20 minutes apart- meaning we'll be in there at the same time for the most part!

 

[BJK]

thanks for the replies and suggestions...

the website was very helpful as well...
thanks everyone !