That was a fun day! 
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I think we are outliers because we are not character people at all. We did a few character meals when the girls were little so that the younger one could meet the princesses but after that no one cared particularly about characters and we could get better food at many different restaurants. We don’t line up in the parks either. The only character meet we’ve done there was Olaf which I dragged my family to when the line was basically non-existent. And they would have preferred to skip it!
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I think I don’t have a strong opinion either way for this one. I like both?
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Crystal Palace and Garden Grill are our favorites, but we did enjoy Tusker House. I liked Storybook when I got it for a single dining credit, but 2 credits or out of pocket is pretty pricey there, do the value doesn’t hold up. A note about Akershus… it is terrible. We’ve gone a few times but sworn it off. Perhaps it was due to my kids being older, but the character interactions were extremely rushed. I would barely call them an interaction since they swung by, posed for a photo, and split. The food doesn’t seem as good either. The food isn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I just think that this location is immensely overrated. (I shall step off my soapbox).
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As an older couple we are NOT into character meals. For that matter they are annoying. I wish they would just stick to the kids and teens. Disney, of coarse, has character meals to bring the price up.
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This is how I feel about Akershus. Time moves on and the best we can do is to look for other things we’ll miss. 
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Food has been on a downhill slide since even before the Princesses arrived. They’ve mostly delayed the precipitousness.
That’s a word, yes? 
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Silly me. I thought the higher price helped with the characters’ wages. 
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Sure.
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ooo - I am so late to the conversation.
I am so cheap. I squeeze a penny til Lincoln cries, but I LOVE character meals. I do try to do at least one per trip.
That said, I don’t like the second question, because I don’t like them more or less than meet and greets. They do offer a nice overlap in eating and meeting many at a time, but they take a while and the cost a lot.
I do miss the pre-park open breakfasts. I haven’t been to Crystal Palace since then. The only time I have had a park based meal during park hours was our once ever CRT.
I could see doing Tusker House if I get back to AK any time soon. There is a lot closed in that park at this point, and Donald in safari clothes sounds sooooo cute!
I didn’t do a character meal on our WDW last trip… I had planned to do Topolino’s but decided late in the game to save the money. Marie and I loved Storyteller’s at DLR.
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I’ve actually done MOST of the list!
I really want to do Garden Grill and Tusker House.
I wish I had done 1900 PF when it was Mary Poppins. I don’t like the mish mash there.
I couldn’t tell you who is at Hollywood and Vine, but I can’t imagine giving up park time at HS.
I’ve never done 'Ohana. We aren’t Stitch fans.
I forgot about Cape May - but that is Mickey and friends, right?
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I voted NO for my verdict on character meals as my kids are 22 and 17 now.
When my kids were younger, we always did character meals. It was a nice break in the parks or at the resorts and had food that everyone would eat. Our last trip with all five of us was December 2019. My trips now are with DD22 only or with two other friends on girls trips. DS17 doesn’t want to go as multiple times a year and DH prefers to stay home.
We had great character interactions at Storybook Dining. I wore a shirt with the evil queen that said “I’m not evil, I’m just misunderstood”. The Queen LOVED it and it lead to great conversation. Grumpy did not like it and let me know about it.
Akerhshus used to be a must do every trip. DD and DS loved the food and the princesses. I liked the precovid food options.
With the exception of Topolinos, our last character meals were in December 2019. DD22 and I went to Topolinos in December 2023 and we both loved it. Characters came around twice. Our reservation was for 11:30. The dancing they did when the music played was hilarious. The food was really good and we thoroughly enjoyed it. My friend’s niece is “friends with Anna and Rapunzel”. She says that Topolinos is a highly coveted character role. Character performers really want that gig and only the best get it. She said the ones she know that work there love it and like to have lots of fun with it.
I’ve never been to Cinderella Royal table and would like to dine there just once.
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They were amazing there. We still talk about it.
Have you seen the viral video of Daisy pantomiming Donald hadn’t proposed to her yet?
I wish I could make the internet work for me.
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I love character meals! Especially if I’m only paying for myself. I totally get why it is cost prohibitive for families. But I honestly think character interactions are often wasted on the young. 
I’ll never forget being at Topo’s with @LTinNC82 and DD23 and our interactions with Daisy and Donald. The handler was trying to get Donald to leave us to go see a child at another table and he pretty much refused to go at first. Then he went over but came right back to our table after. It was hilarious and so much fun. I think they really love the adults who know how to play along. It’s honestly one of my favorite things.
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Check out my PIKACHU SHOCKED FACE at zero other votes for 1900 Park Fare which was the most delightful character meal and usurped Topolino’s as my top pick. The characters are delightful. Prince Ali gracefully stepping aside with his hand on his chest and head bowed in deference as Princess Tiana crossed his path, special moments chatting with Mirabel about her sewing skills, Cinderella being Cinderella.
I would emphatically recommend to anyone.
I chose ‘other’ because I feel like it’s hard for character meals to nail both food and character interactions, they’re expensive, and also, when everything lines up, they are so worth the money (to me)
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For sure! Donald kept coming back to DD to get her to smile, take pictures, and just to bug her.
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I voted Other because I generally think it’s a waste of park time. But we did a Tusker House dinner right before park close. That was awesome! I would totally do it again.
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Pre-2020 we went to 1900 Park Fare at least 3 times. Two for breakfast and once for dinner. The Mad Hatter at breakfast and Mary Poppins were great. At dinner, the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters were amazing! They had a great time with DS who was 9 or 10 at the time. The sisters were so funny. I have no been since the change in characters.
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Maybe because it was closed for so long? I know it’s one I haven’t tried. It doesn’t have super appeal to me because the characters seem so random. BUT your endorsement makes me want to try it! So maybe next time.
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Cape May is Minnie in her beach finery
Same with Daisy - We always have the best conversations.
Donald is here also and always interacted with DH. They were having so much fun one trip I was quite certain we were all getting thrown out. 
Goofy is here as well tho he seems more animated at Tusker House. One TH visit Goofy and I were comparing arthritis woes.
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