[neday]

I see under "Don't Eat Here" that Chef Mickey's isn't that good. I am wondering which character meal would be best for a 3 1/2 year old granddaughter...or if it is a good idea at all. We were hoping to do one that did not need a park pass so we would not "eat up" time at the park and the Contemporary seemed like a good choice.

Any suggestions?

[missy H]

We love Chef Mickey's, a late ADR gets you loads of Character time. The food is wonderful, it is a great place to have dinner with Mickey and the gang.

[karliebug]

I love CM too, but with a little one that age you might want to try the new breakfast over at DS with Jo-jo and characters from playhouse disney. Or you could do Crystal Palace if she likes Pooh and friends.

[WishUponAStar]

I personally do not like the food or hubbub at Chef Mickey's but I would say if you have a young child it's definately worth a try. Most people I meet with children love it, I think it's the adults that tend to dislike it. If you want an alternative OUTSIDE of a park what about 1900 Park Fare?

Or what about opting for a character breakfast at a resort like "Cape May Cafe" at the Beach Club resort or Ohana's breakfast with Stitch?

[CaraMia]

We did 1900 Park Fare four years ago. It was just "okay". Good character interaction...food was so-so. We are going to Crystal Palace for the first time in September. We got a reservation for before Magic Kingdom even officially opens. We thought this way we would already be in the park at the time it opened. Our reservation is 8:20am and the park opens at 9am.

[lovemysons]

We also really enjoy Chef Mickeys. It is just really "Disney" for us. Crystal Palace is a great character meal too.

[DayDreamer]

We had a great time at Chef Mickey's but we also had a great time at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Its located in Norway at Epcot and you can have dinner with all of the princesses at one time. It was a great way for our daughters to meet all of the princesses, get their autographs and take pictures with them. The atmosphere and food was great for the whole family. I seriously recommend reservations.

[sdjhallett]

We've never been to Chef Mickeys for dinner, but we were there for breakfast. I think a 3 1/2 YO would love it! We thought it was great, you feel like a kid again. There was a lot of character attention, and we never felt rushed, so we were able to get a good meal into our son. I think it would be a winner, it was one of the most memorable experiences we had at Disney.

[PrincessPooh]

I thought Chef Mickeys was ok, not great, but not bad either. The character interaction was great, but the food was just so-so, and the atmosphere seemed a little stale to me. I wouldn't say I'd never go back, it's just not on the top of my must do list.

We really loved Crystal Palace in MK. Great atmosphere, and good food/service. The character interaction was definately awesome, each character came to our table atleast 2 or 3 times, and they spent time with us each time. They have a little parade in the middle of the room for the kids with birthdays too, and it was adorable!

Also really like Liberty tree tavern in MK. Again, smaller venue, so there was more opportunity with characters, who came to our table several times. Food was nice, and served family style to the table.

I think it depends on who you really want to see, or who the child wants to see. If you want to go the princess route, I definately enjoyed PSB in Norway over CRT.

This year, at the top of my character dining list, is Lilo and Stitch breakfast, Playhouse Disney breakfast, Liberty tree tavern Christmas dinner and hopefully 1900 Park Fare.

[Boss Mouse]

I vote for Crystal Palace. Like everything Disney, we all have someplace special. For us - Disney vacation starts w/ breakfast w/Pooh.

[Campbell87]

I had the breakfast for my 18th Bday at Park Fare and I loved it, we'd done it twice before and I really really enjoyed the food. The characters were good, you got to see them at your table at least once, twice depending on how long you stayed and there was this amazing waiter who was a show in himsel, cleaning tables faster than humanly possible, the whole room was mesmirised by him, Im not sure if he's still there tho.

Our first every character breakfast was at Chef Mickeys and it was really good, though definatly one for the younger family members, those who arnt really into getting involved (and there are some at Disney!) might not enjoy it as much! Its very energetic and the food is ok but nothing spectacular. The characters do spend alot of time with you though and the photo we got going in was great, a magnet lives on r fridge!

[llama]

Outside of the parks I would do either 1900 Park Fare Lane at GF or the Cape May at the BeachClub. Personally, we always preferred breakfasts to dinners when our kids were small. Everyone was always fresh and well-rested in the morning. By evening even big people can get cranky after a long day in the parks.

[chris24]

where is the playhouse disney breakfast?

[F-Troop]

The character meals were fantastic!! We were there last week and did the Chef Mickey Breakfast. My three DD's had an absolutely grand time there. There was plenty of character interaction which they loved and I also thought that the food spread was not bad either. How does you grand daughter feel about the characters?? Some small children don't fare well when the characters are up close and personal, in which case I would recommend that you stay away, if she is really into it then GO FOR IT!! The smiles will be from ear-to-ear on your grand daughter and after all...isn't that what it is really all about??

We also did the dinner at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends which was also well received by my girls.

I have to say that both character meals were an absolute hit for our first family trip and well worth the expense which in my opinion for a family of 5 was very reasonable (75.00 for the CM and 100.00 for the Pooh dinner).

We will definitely do again!!

[asp8tis]

Originally Posted by chris24

where is the playhouse disney breakfast?

Hollywood & Vine at MGM.

Our family (especially kids) have always LOVED CM. We have often gone for dinner on our first night at WDW and it's a great way to get right into the action and up close with the characters. The food was good & there was a nice selection for everyone (& a huge dessert bar!). My boys really enjoyed CM at 3 1/2.