Character meals at Disney

decaturbride

We are planning our trip in December and need to decide if we are going to do any Character meals. Owen will be a little over 3 at that point. I know the meals are pricey so is it worth it? Do the kids really love it and get extra time with the characters? Also which ones would you reccommend? I was thinking of probably trying a breakfast if we are going to do one since we won't miss much park time and can hopefullly get in early to the park with an early reservation. Also, breakfast food is what Owen will usually eat the best. Thanks for any thoughts!

slwprincess

Here's my take on it.  If your kids are into the characters and you know you're going to have to do that anyway, it is 100% worth the price to just get it done without having to waste your time in the parks standing in line to meet them.  At 3, Gavin is still not that into them.  He likes them from afar but when he gets close up, he panics and hides behind us.  We have done the Garden Grill at Epcot several times b/c my niece enjoys it but Gavin is usually just kind of blah about it.  I think the main character breakfasts are Chef Mickeys and the Tusker House one at Animal Kingdom.  I agree with doing breakfast b/c that is usually when Gavin is best behaved anyway.  He gets more and more unpredictable as the day goes on.

amanda_holbird@hotmail.com

We did three character meals when we were at Disney earlier this month.  We did breakfast at O'hana (Polynesian Resort), lunch at Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios), and dinner at The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom).   We had a great time at all three, but our favorite was breakfast at O'hana.  The food was excellent plus we got to see Mickey.  I wanted to do Chef Mickey, but they were already booked even though I was booking a good three months in advance.  The character meals fill up quickly.  They can be quite expensive to do, but we got the deluxe dining plan for free so the price was no big deal.  The boys loved meeting all the characters and they got them to sign their autograph book and I got to take pictures.

K&P414

So far the only one we've made it too is the Crystal Palace in MK w/ Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.  The kids love it and the food is good, buffet style but better than average.  We've only ever gone at lunch though.

I think Tusker House in AK has a character breakfast.  Be sure to read the details on the Disney reservations website because some restaurants only have character meals at certain times, like Tusker House doesn't have characters at lunch or dinner. 

slwprincess

mrs.holbird:

We did three character meals when we were at Disney earlier this month.  We did breakfast at O'hana (Polynesian Resort), lunch at Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios), and dinner at The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom).   We had a great time at all three, but our favorite was breakfast at O'hana.  The food was excellent plus we got to see Mickey.  I wanted to do Chef Mickey, but they were already booked even though I was booking a good three months in advance.  The character meals fill up quickly.  They can be quite expensive to do, but we go the deluxe dining plan for free so the price was no big deal.  The boys loved meeting all the characters and they got them to sign their autograph book and I got to take pictures.

Oh yeah, O'hana- forgot about that and we were just at Poly last week.  Duh.  That one does get good reviews... may have to try that one next.

AugustaBride04

We've done character meals at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom and at Cinderella's Royal Table in Magic Kingdom. We enjoyed both. I do agree with prev poster if your child is scared or leary of the characters, it is on the expensive side. If your child likes the characters it is a great way to see multiple characters while you eat and you don't have to wait in line, saving your time for more rides etc.

Janimal

We just went a few weeks ago and DD, at 2 and half, LOVED the character meals.  Each character comes to the table and interacts with the kids, poses for pictures, etc.  DD LOVES characters and it was awesome for her.  Having her hug the princesses at dinner was worth every penny, and seeing Mickey and friends for breakfast was so neat.  The food wasn't awesome at any of them, but they weren't quite as spendy as I had expected. 

You could go to the singalong campfire at Fort Wilderness and roast marshmallows, which is free, and Chip N Dale are there.   

Daisy22

Our faveorite one is O'hana at the Poly which is only at breakfast. The food is always good and the characters are good at enacting with the kids. We've been to sevearl other character meals on property and nothing has beat O'hana.

It really depends on your kid if they are into characters or not. Bailey use to love them until we went in February. He now screams and cries if they get closer then 3 feet from him. Bryce loved it through. Stitch actually sat on the floor near our table and held Bryce to play with him. Bryce just giggled and smiled at him. It was so sweet.

UGAbride

We are doing free dining for our trip in September, so cost wasn't a factor...so I booked a few!  We are doing Chef Mickey's and Tusker House for breakfast, both before the park opens that day.  My boys eat breakfast better than anything, and they get up really early anyway, so it makes the most sense for us.  We are also doing a dinner at Crystal Palace the day we arrive.  My boys are 2 (turning 3 on our trip) and 4, and they love characters, so I'm hoping they are really going to enjoy these  

GTLawGirl

From my experience, the character meals can be great, but I would suggest sticking to the meals with the non-human characters.

We went to a couple of character meals when we took dd to Disney over Christmas, so here is my take on the toddler experience.   

We had dinner at 1900 Park Fare over at the Grand Floridian with the Cinderella characters.  She wasn't so crazy about that but I think that's because she doesn't really "get" the concept of the non-animal character (i.e. the princesses).  She kind of looked at me like "who is this person with way too much make-up on, making funny faces and interrupting my dinner."  

Alternatively, we went to Mickey's back-yard BBQ, where we got to listen to a live band and shake our booties with Mickey & pals.   We all loved this, and I highly recommend it.

 I think at this age, it's easier for her to grasp the non-human characters as something special and unique, whereas the human characters are just strangers in funny outfits.

Janimal

We did that same dinner at Park Faire and our toddler LOVED it.  But for weeks leading up to our trip we would watch the Cinderella movie, read her picture books and talk about how she was going to get to meet Cinderella, Prince Charming, the stepsisters, etc.  So when Drusilla came to our table DD yelled "DRUSILLA!!!" and the actress was so thrilled that one of the little kids actually knew who she was.  We had dinner at Cinderella's castle too and DD was SO into meeting the princesses.  The live action characters were just as exciting to DD.  And the live action characters actually talk to the kids, which the costumed ones can't.

I think it depends on your child and what they are into.  DD liked ALL the characters, both human and non-human. 

I have a few pics of DD with some princesses on my blog:

https://delilahsmomma.blogspot.com/2011/05/delilah-wears-her-snow-white-dress-and.html