I’m not just voting “other” to be a contrarian. ALL of my answers are based on taking my family. We would do a character meal or two for my middle child who really loved them. She’s 22 now and TBH I am sure next time we go to WDW she’ll still want a hug from Winnie the Pooh and Mickey. But these days I would skip them if going without her, whether with friends or with other family members.
I try to book a character meal on almost every family trip. This is mainly because my family doesn’t have the patience to wait for character M&Gs, so we have literally never waited in line for any character meet anywhere (in any Disney park or even on our DCL cruise).
This approach worked particularly well at DLP where the Plaza breakfast is delicious and has something like 7 characters (and almost all M&Gs have a 1-2hrs standby wait).
I have never regretted booking a character meal with the family - but have also never booked one when on a solo trip.
At WDW, we’ve only done CRT, Akershus, Hollywood & Vine, so I voted for the three that I most want to try next (but could have easily picked 5 or 6).
I have voting “other” too. For years Crystal Palace was the only TS restaurant we went to. My son loved Winnie the Pooh. We used to have a series of VHS tapes and we still ride WtP every time we enter MK because it brings those videos to life.
When introducing his fiancé to everything he loved about Disney, we brought her to Crystal Palace so she could meet Tigger and Pooh. It also didn’t hurt that for the years my son would only eat chicken and mashed potatoes, he could eat as much as he wanted.
Last October I brought two friends to Disney and Crystal Palace was the only table service we ate at.
If I thought of Be Our Guest as a character meal, I might add that to my list (although I haven’t ate there in years). I can’t add any other because I don’t like breakfast buffets (I was a short order cook and I am very picky about breakfast foods) and I don’t care about the other characters enough to not go to a signature restaurant for about the same cost.
I voted other because most of the character meals are at AYCTE or prix fixe, and unless I’m doing something very special (e.g., @Julianne_fki’s birthday bash), I don’t want to go to those type of restaurants. It’s just not worth the money because I eat very little these days.
I voted “Other” on the first question, because it depends…
Some I like for their setting, or characters, or quality of interaction, or food. Some I don’t. Plus a lot can depend on who I am with - if I’m solo, with just DH, or with Liners.
I voted “Other” for this as well. I have enjoyed every character meal I’ve been to, but I despise the high price tag!
I also wish it wasn’t all-you-can-eat (my kids and I have a small appetite), but I understand why they do that. Prix fixe is % worse though. If it weren’t for that I might go to Be Our Guest more often.
I agree this was tough, but it is interesting to see what people are choosing of their very top favorites!
Crystal Palace surprises me a little, but maybe it shouldn’t.
Artist Point gets such rave reviews that I’m not surprised it’s there.
I’ve heard Tusker House is great – one travel site said it was their favorite – but I am a little surprised to see it in the top 3, just because it seems like it doesn’t get a lot of press. It’s the hipster pick here.
I think I’m most surprised that Topolino’s is so low. Maybe the novelty has worn off?
On the podcast Chris mentioned that he prefers character meals at his resort because he doesn’t feel like you’re burning valuable park time. I would add that you seem to pay a premium for dining in the parks – plus you are paying for being in the parks! I prefer to do a resort character meal on my departure day, for example, if I’m going to do one.
What do you think about character meals in the parks?
Well, pretty much the same answer as I gave earlier. AYCTE a prix fixe are not my thing, but if there were character meals in the parks that weren’t like that, I’d love it.
To quote a smart, funny person I know, it’s NOT Disney Parks. It’s Disney World
I always do 7 days if not longer. Often I chose to do a resort day every other day. A resort character meal keeps the fun going.
Also, we have very very rarely done all day touring, so a park character meal at 10:30 is when we’re taking a break any way. Or, in the case of Tusker House, grab the last reservation time of the day, so we’re eating after the park has closed.
I look at a buffet as LL for food. I get to eat only what I want. I don’t have to have something else on my plate I’m not eating anyway. Or I can have 3rds on whatever’s good.
Really, how much does a whole entire plate of bacon cost? I might be getting a deal.
With @ThorKat’s help with the reservation we tried Storybook Dining because of the Queen and my sister’s affinity for villains.
I guess it could be considered pricey but my sister’s worth it. She thoroughly loved her surprise. The Queen was properly regal. So regal she ruled the room as she majestically swept through on her way to the meeting area.
This ain’t Tusker House or Cape May which we do every time. It’s special. Hoping to visit again in a few years.
I had a tough time with this poll. Maybe because my kids are adults now. They loved Chef Mickey’s when they were younger, but now we find it chaotic. My answer for characters is sometimes different than my answer for the food? For example, we love Pooh and gang, but the last time we ate at Crystal Palace, we were underwhelmed with the food. We think the food is good at Chef Mickey’s but would prefer other characters (). Loved BOG the first few times we went there, but now, not so much. We mostly prefer a buffet to prix fixe.
I think it depends on the stage of life your family is in, and how much of a premium you are willing to pay to have the characters included. For us right now, we would rather have food that we all like, and the character experience is less important.
I am usually underwhelmed by the food because I am not big on breakfast. I mean, it’s fine and I enjoy a good Mickey waffle, but I usually don’t have a big appetite until lunchtime.
That said, the 'Ohana breakfast in particular is very good – I love the pineapple-coconut bread and the POG. But I actually prefer Kona Cafe with the macadamia nut pancakes. And that is much cheaper.
% worse though. If it weren’t for that I might go to Be Our Guest more often.