[LittleMissMagic]

We're going to Universal Studios this summer! (It was supposed to be a surprise, but Rachel wouldn't shut-up about a vacation, and my dad told her he had already booked, and then she wouldn't quit bugging him about where, so finally, in order to calm her, he had to spill. Oh, well.)

I was looking online at what's new, and I noticed a character breakfast (pictured Dr. Suess Characters... the Cat in the Hat) at Islands of Adventure. It's at Confisco Grille ($15.95 adults/$9.95 children) from 9:00 am to 10:30 am and said to call to reserve.

Has anyone tried this? Is it worth the money (not that much compared to Disney's steep prices)? We are staying at the Portofino, again, and last time we just ate cereal each morning, which was a nice money-saver (not that I'm concerned ...kidding).

Does anyone know if the Universal/IOA reservation system is like Disney's ADRs? I'm tempted to call and book, maybe do it, maybe not, but I don't know if they're going to want a credit card. It's a rather inexpensive meal, so I wouldn't think so, but just wondering....

[mickeymotto]

I remember posting some photos on here a while ago about our experience there....let me see if I can find them....

http://www.mousebuzz.com/forum/orlan...kfast-ioa.html

If I remember correctly, we were not at all impressed with the food. The characters were OK, not Disney of course, but the boys liked Spidey and the Grinch.

IMHO, I would say go for it if you all like the characters there, but don't expect Disney quality food cause you will be disappointed.

I can't remember the reservation system there. We just walked up and got in for breakfast. It wasn't crowded at all. (You can see how few people were there in the second photo) I guess it depends when you go. I do think they have a system you can call ahead, but we just did it while we were there.

[E&B's Mom]

I am so jelous!!!! We LOVE Universal.

Anyway, we had the same opinion. The character interaction is great, but if I remember correctly they only have 4 characters (which could change, but I think have been the same for a while) - Cat In The Hat, Thing 1 & Thing 2 and Spiderman. We went first thing in the morning - first reservation- and it was so empty and the characters were able to spend so much time with us. I have heard bad reviews of the interaction later in the morning when it gets crowded, so I would recommend getting there early.

The food is just everyday breakfast fare - nothing special, but not bad. If I remember correctly it is set up as a buffet, but Chef Mickey's it is not.

I think it is worth the $ if you go early. You probably won;t want to do it again, but it is worth it to try it.

If I remember correctly they do have a dinning reservation # and I think you can call 30 days out (check DISboards for sure). It was funny, when I called to make our reservations the CM had to stop every once in a while because of a large noise. I asked what the problem was, and he replied that it was no problem - their office were right next to the Hulk coaster and that was what I kept hearing.

[ddoll]

Ooh, too bad the breakfast food there is just okay.....because the lunch and dinner meals at Confisco are quite good. When we went the character meal was dinner and there were lots of characters. Universal keeps tweaking their character meals, as they have changed several times.

No Grinch now? He was our favorite, as he made quite the scene being bad.