Character Meal Advice

[boop0524]

Planning out our family trip for this fall for 6 adults, 2 kids (one toddler, one 7 yo). They'd like to do a character meal, first choice is Chef Mickey's. So I have two questions I need y'alls advice on.... One, is Chef Mickeys better at breakfast or dinner? Two, if I can't get into Chef Mickey's what's a good alternative? As a note, the kids are pretty picky eaters (they're grilled cheese and pizza kinda kids), and we are pretty easy to please too, nothing fancy needed. Thanks for your help!!

 

[Gary Stocker]

Planning out our family trip for this fall for 6 adults, 2 kids (one toddler, one 7 yo). They'd like to do a character meal, first choice is Chef Mickey's. So I have two questions I need y'alls advice on.... One, is Chef Mickeys better at breakfast or dinner? Two, if I can't get into Chef Mickey's what's a good alternative? As a note, the kids are pretty picky eaters (they're grilled cheese and pizza kinda kids), and we are pretty easy to please too, nothing fancy needed. Thanks for your help!!

There are only 5 character meals currently.

Chef Mickey's is the classic Character meal however I would only schedule if staying at the Contemporary and/or you are headed to the Magic Kingdom as you can walk from there.
It is pricy and if they are picky breakfast would be the way to go as the lunch/dinner isn't grilled cheese pizza but chicken/pork/steak with sides. It's actually better than when the buffet was open. Mickey Waffles, eggs, fruit, meats, pastries....all you can care to enjoy. However you should enjoy this once just to say you did....but I would parlay it into a walk over to the park.

However CM is an easier ADR to get than (my choice and also breakfast)- Topolino's Terrace at the Riviera. You get better quality for a little less $ (but it's not all you care to eat like CM).
To me Topolino's is an overall better experience as the characters are uniquely dressed up (Mickey I remember was a painter I think) which fits into the Riviera theme. To me the food was also better..but you get much less than Chef Mickey's and thus the tradeoff.

You can then hop onto the skyliner to Epcot/Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood Studios has a Disney Junior breakfast every day and is the traditional Disney breakfast. Never eaten there because the food reviews are unkind...but if your kids like Disney Jr then breakfast there.
For lunch and dinner it is a "seasonal dine" with Mickey, Minnie, etc and they are dressed based on the season (summer now and Halloween starting on the 10th.

Garden Grill is in Epcot and has Chip and Dale but I have never had the lunch and dinner. When available their breakfast skillets are awesome...and all you can eat. I recommend this one only for breakfast.

If any picky eaters I cannot recommend Tusker House in Animal Kingdom currently. It has Mickey, Minnie, etc in safari gear.

There are few yet to be open...Ohana breakfast with Lilo and Stitch for example, Trattoria al Forno with Flynn Rider, Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel (breakfast)...Artist Point with Snow White and a couple Dwarves, Crystal Palace with Winnie the Poo and friends, Akershus with all the princesses in Epcot (again not for picky eaters.). Cape May has something for breakfast too but never been there...but also not available yet.

Depending on when your trip is all of this might be back...maybe not buffets but the characters will probably open up.

For picky eaters breakfast should be the way to go...but if your kids like Thanksgiving dinner they might like Garden Grill.. the characters are really constant as this is a small place..

 

[Gary Stocker]

Here is a good article from 2020...keep in mind there are no buffets
https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2020...errace – Disney’s Riviera Resort. The... More

 

[boop0524]

Thank you so much!! Appreciate the detail, this is very helpful!! Is Topolino's all you care to enjoy?

 

[Gary Stocker]

Thank you so much!! Appreciate the detail, this is very helpful!! Is Topolino's all you care to enjoy?

No the only negative

 

[Dmason288]

No the only negative

You can get as much as you want at Topolino’s. They will even do “half orders” if you ask them. Last time there, I ordered the steak breakfast, along with a half order of the waffles, which are delicious! In addition, we always get the fruit plate for the table.

 

[Gary Stocker]

You can get as much as you want at Topolino’s. They will even do “half orders” if you ask them. Last time there, I ordered the steak breakfast, along with a half order of the waffles, which are delicious! In addition, we always get the fruit plate for the table.

I stand corrected then as on my last trip before the Apocalypse it didn't seem to be an option. Awesome!

 

[boop0524]

You can get as much as you want at Topolino’s. They will even do “half orders” if you ask them. Last time there, I ordered the steak breakfast, along with a half order of the waffles, which are delicious! In addition, we always get the fruit plate for the table.

Oh nice! That sounds delicious

 

[Dmason288]

Oh nice! That sounds delicious

To further answer your initial question, Topolino’s is our favorite restaurant at WDW right now…and we haven’t even tried their dinner! We have two toddlers who are picky eaters so we tend to try the “fun” restaurants and hope we hit on great food as well. Topolino’s is the full package…excellent food, characters, amazing view, upscale atmosphere but not stuffy. We also like to take the easy Skyliner ride to Epcot after breakfast.

The only other character meals we have done are Tusker House and Ohana…both pre-Covid. Both are good, but I agree with Gary’s assessment on Tusker House - not good value for picky kids.

Our next trip, we plan to try Chef Mickey’s since it has been getting solid reviews during pandemic. Additionally, it’s walking distance to MK.

 

[boop0524]

To further answer your initial question, Topolino’s is our favorite restaurant at WDW right now…and we haven’t even tried their dinner! We have two toddlers who are picky eaters so we tend to try the “fun” restaurants and hope we hit on great food as well. Topolino’s is the full package…excellent food, characters, amazing view, upscale atmosphere but not stuffy. We also like to take the easy Skyliner ride to Epcot after breakfast.

The only other character meals we have done are Tusker House and Ohana…both pre-Covid. Both are good, but I agree with Gary’s assessment on Tusker House - not good value for picky kids.

Our next trip, we plan to try Chef Mickey’s since it has been getting solid reviews during pandemic. Additionally, it’s walking distance to MK.

that all sounds lovely!! We have yet to ride the Skyliner too, so that would be an added bonus

 

[disneydreamer1980]

My favorite character meal is Garden Grill. Their lunch and dinner is simple food (think thanksgiving with Mac and cheese), it’s very good and character interaction is by far the best of any character meal because the restaurant is small. Sometimes it seems like the characters come around too much lol! At chef mickeys, its so big there’s minimal character time. Of course things are different from usual, but that’s how it usually is. And even in “normal times” Garden Grill is served family style, with all you can eat skillets. It’s consistently voted the top character meal by several different Disney blogs too

 

[RanDIZ]

Right now
Breakfast- Chef Mickeys
Dinner - Garden Grill

When all restaurants open
Breakfast - Chef Mickeys
Dinner - Akershus

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

The biggest drawback of Topolino's is you have to get there, since it's at the Riviera. You can't park there all day, so leaving on Disney transport is not an option if you drive. Topolino's is also incredibly hard to book, so unless you have a long stay on property, I wouldn't bank on getting it on your 60 day mark.

You can watch a bunch of recent character meal experiences on YouTube. None of them are bad choices, and since the switch to family style, the food reviews have been positive at all of them. Some are ranked higher, but you shouldn't have a bad meal at any of them right now. I would base the choice on which characters the children really want to see. They all have Mickey, but not all have Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Donald, or Daisy.

 

[boop0524]

My favorite character meal is Garden Grill. Their lunch and dinner is simple food (think thanksgiving with Mac and cheese), it’s very good and character interaction is by far the best of any character meal because the restaurant is small. Sometimes it seems like the characters come around too much lol! At chef mickeys, its so big there’s minimal character time. Of course things are different from usual, but that’s how it usually is. And even in “normal times” Garden Grill is served family style, with all you can eat skillets. It’s consistently voted the top character meal by several different Disney blogs too

Nice! And is this the one where the restaurant turns and you can see into Living with the Land? Also, how does their dinner menu compare to LTT?

 

[boop0524]

The biggest drawback of Topolino's is you have to get there, since it's at the Riviera. You can't park there all day, so leaving on Disney transport is not an option if you drive. Topolino's is also incredibly hard to book, so unless you have a long stay on property, I wouldn't bank on getting it on your 60 day mark.

You can watch a bunch of recent character meal experiences on YouTube. None of them are bad choices, and since the switch to family style, the food reviews have been positive at all of them. Some are ranked higher, but you shouldn't have a bad meal at any of them right now. I would base the choice on which characters the children really want to see. They all have Mickey, but not all have Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Donald, or Daisy.

Some really good call outs here. We are staying off property this trip, so getting ADRs will be a factor for sure (and why we need a plan B!!). Also looking to do this on an off day, so hopefully transportation won't be an issue. I still want to try the Skyliner though just for a ride!! Lol

Truthfully I haven't given much thought to the characters there outside of the one that's strictly Disney Junior. I'll need to look into that for sure. Sounds like I've got some research to do!!

 

[RanDIZ]

Nice! And is this the one where the restaurant turns and you can see into Living with the Land? Also, how does their dinner menu compare to LTT?

Yes Garden Grill turns very slowly with Living with the Land below. I’d say its similar to LTT in that both are AYCTE and the turkey and vegetable offerings. Thanksgiving like. My choice would be GG over LTT. The character experience is great. We always see each character numerous times throughout the meal.

 

[Turksmom]

Also looking to do this on an off day,

If this means a day when you aren't visiting parks, you will only be able to dine at the resort character meals. You need park entry for dining in the parks

 

[Cheburashka]

Planning out our family trip for this fall for 6 adults, 2 kids (one toddler, one 7 yo). They'd like to do a character meal, first choice is Chef Mickey's. So I have two questions I need y'alls advice on.... One, is Chef Mickeys better at breakfast or dinner? Two, if I can't get into Chef Mickey's what's a good alternative? As a note, the kids are pretty picky eaters (they're grilled cheese and pizza kinda kids), and we are pretty easy to please too, nothing fancy needed. Thanks for your help!!

Chef Mickey's is good at breakfast. Topolino's Terrace at the Riviera resort is a very nice character experience at breakfast, too. They can both be very hard to get a reservation for.

If you can't get a reservation for a character breakfast at a Disney resort, try to make a reservation (typically much easier to make) at Ravello's character breakfast at Four Seasons Orlando, a hotel which is within the Disney gates and very close to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort (Magic Kingdom area). Disney transportation won't take you there so you'd have to drive yourself or get a taxi or Uber (easy to do). Keep in mind that if you drive there, you'll need to tip valets for parking as Four Seasons Orlando is valet parking only. The breakfast is very good and Mickey, Minnie and Goofy will be there. It's not available every day of the week, though, only once or twice a week depending on time of year. Saturday is always one of the available days. Here's a link to the Four Seasons Orlando website for more information about this.

Ravello Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals

 

[boop0524]

Chef Mickey's is good at breakfast. Topolino's Terrace at the Riviera resort is a very nice character experience at breakfast, too. They can both be very hard to get a reservation for.

If you can't get a reservation for a character breakfast at a Disney resort, try to make a reservation (typically much easier to make) at Ravello's character breakfast at Four Seasons Orlando, a hotel which is within the Disney gates and very close to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort (Magic Kingdom area). Disney transportation won't take you there so you'd have to drive yourself or get a taxi or Uber (easy to do). Keep in mind that if you drive there, you'll need to tip valets for parking as Four Seasons Orlando is valet parking only. The breakfast is very good and Mickey, Minnie and Goofy will be there. It's not available every day of the week, though, only once or twice a week depending on time of year. Saturday is always one of the available days. Here's a link to the Four Seasons Orlando website for more information about this.

Ravello Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals

oh wow I’ve never heard of this option before! That’s really great to know, thank you!! Will def check it out

 

[PortieOwner]

1900 Park Faire when it reopens has a good breakfast.