No sight of this the time I went. This may have completely changed my opinion.
I will add that some of my favorite WDW memories as a kid are from meeting the characters at the Buffeteria (the 80’s iteration of Chef Mickey’s). So I suppose that is a reason to go.
2 Likes
Hey. I thought Disney had a policy against CMs having facial hair. Jack Sparrow clearly is in violation! 
Regarding the Chef Mickey…I think the fact that you’ll be staying at the Contemporary means you’ll get to “enjoy” seeing the characters simply because you’ll be able to see down over the area while the characters are there from the monorail or looking down from the balcony hallways. If you are doing a Mickey meet and greet elsewhere, then actually eating there becomes unimportant. I will say, however, that even when we just take a monorail THROUGH the Contemporary, just looking down over Chef Mickey’s and seeing the characters milling about is a bit magical…evidence we’re not in Kansas any longer (figuratively speaking).
2 Likes
When I started this thread I was feeling pretty meh about going to Chef Mickey’s. Now I’m actually excited! So I have it booked. Not at an ideal time, so I’ll keep working on that. I think my kids are really going to enjoy it. And I will enjoy their joy 
So as of now my character meal list looks like this:
Chef Mickey’s (breakfast)
Storybook Dining
1900 Park Fare (dinner…we did breakfast last year so I’m okay skipping that though we did enjoy it)
Hollywood & Vine (dinner, still iffy, but would like to see the costumes)
Be Our Guest
Trattoria al Forno
Garden Grill (breakfast)
I’m having trouble fitting Crystal Palace in so we will probably skip it since we’ve done it before. I haven’t made a final decision about Tusker House, but we probably will end up skipping it.
So we end up with 7 character meals over 10 days. I know that seems like a lot, but I feel like each one is so different (aside from Chef Mickey’s and Hollywood & Vine) that we won’t get bored with it.
Thank you for all the input!
4 Likes
This!
3 Likes
Chef Mickey 2006 - then same kid 2018
10 Likes
That’s not a CM, that’s Jack Sparrow! Just like when you meet Mickey - he’s not a CM. And don’t you dare talk to me about the CMs who are “friends of Mickey”…
2 Likes
Did is the word…
Jan 24, 2012 - Disney’s new official policy on facial hair is as follows: For all male Cast Members, a fully grown in, well-maintained mustache, beard, or goatee is permitted, unless otherwise restricted by regulatory codes and standards. Facial hair must be neatly trimmed and may not present an unkempt appearance.
Ah. I guess I missed the memo on that. I guess I can become a cast member now!
I really don’t understand all the hate directed at Chef Mickey’s. It’s a Disney restaurant. It’s the only place to meet Micky, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto together. It is standard Disney buffet food. Is anyone going to sit there and say “the waffles taste better at Tusker House” or “the bacon is better at Garden Grill”? It is noisy, just like many other Disney table service and quick service restaurants. Come on people! This is Disney! Did you come all this way and pay all this money just to have a “quiet meal”? Relax and enjoy the ambiance that is Disney. Even after reading all the negative reviews on the place, I did Chef Mickey’s during my last trip back in February, and I enjoyed it. Was it Gordon Ramsey inspired food? No. It’s waffles and pancakes and bacon and eggs and grits and hash browns just like you’d get at any of the other places to eat. Unfortunately, sometimes the food may not be as fresh because you went up to the buffet after the food has been there awhile. Sometimes the food is nice and warm because you timed going up to the buffet right as a fresh batch of food was made. Everyone will experience it differently, but everyone should still experience it. So to answer your question as to whether you should try it, go for it.
6 Likes
Also Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are totally different venues. We go at Dinner time and the food is quite good and I like it but to my wife it is just another buffet. Can’t please them all. 
We are in the same boat-staying at Contemporary but never had a want to CM. I got a rezzie finder alert and booked CM. We have done most character meals and I haven’t regretted one-even H&V! I am positive my DD8 and DS5 will see the hype and want to visit! This trip is 100% for them-then again, so is every trip.
2 Likes
My kids are older now but when they were younger and we took them to WDW they didn’t seem nearly as impressed as my wife and I were. I think that is because of video games and sure which cause WDW to be kind of ho hum to them. I remember going to WDW with my wife for the first time many many years ago and looking down Main Street USA and seeing the Cinderella Castle for the first time. It kind of was like climbing the bean stalk and going just above the clouds and there it was in all it majesty. So do we go for the kids? Not any more because we still believe and they never did.
1 Like
Exactly!! Doesn’t hurt that I have an amazing time too though!
How old were your kids when you first took them?
The first time I went I was 12 or 13. I was thoroughly unimpressed. I grew up a thrill ride junkie and was expecting the same level of thrill at Disney. I was also past the age of the “magic.” I think if we had gone when I was younger I would have still liked it at that age, but because it was my first (and only visit until last year at 37) visit and my expectations were so off, I had no love for Disney. It’s totally different seeing it through my young children’s eyes though
3 Likes
You have clearly grown up, but Goofy hasn’t aged a bit!
Not a kid, but I plan to go have a couple of meals with Goofy. He is my favorite!!
1 Like
I’d do it just for convenience, and because it would be hard to keep walking by it and having my kids ask if they could go!
I’d also consider ‘Ohana since it’s the next monorail stop over and you can meet Mickey in a Hawaiian shirt and Pluto outside (not to mention, Lilo and Stitch!). Breakfast there is served family style and we really enjoyed it!
That was much of my original thinking. How do you stay there, see it every day, and not do it? But we’ve now decided to stay at Gran Destino for the first 4 nights instead of Contemporary, so I’m not sure we will Chef Mickey this trip. It is something I have decided I want to do at some point, but probably only when we’re staying at an MK adjacent resort.
1 Like
I didn’t even read everyones comments but its a no. Proximity doesnt equal importance. If the food meh and uve got other dining with characters, just dont. That being said, my BF is doing it again (bc at contemporary) n she has several other character dining just bc she feels she “has to”. Im trying to convince her otherwise with no success, lol.
2 Likes