If you could only do one...

[anniem8]

Our trip the first week of May will be an 'extreme budget' experiment. Camping at Fort Wilderness will save us big on our food budget, but we would like to take our DD11 and DD16 to one special meal. I know they are older, but I still think a character something would be good. (Where else can you eat with Mickey?) My question is this, which one would you choose if you could choose only one? Would it even be a character meal or one of the dinner shows? Just looking for opinions before I call and book something.

[GusMan]

Well, I think this depends on what they like, or more specifically, what characters do they like, if they still are into seeing characters?

For example, if they are big Mickey fans, Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary is your best bet. (At least in my opinion.) If Pooh and the Gang is more their style, go to Crystal Palace at MK.

If they are more up to a dinner show, I have only been to the Hoop-Dee-Doo dinner show at Fort Wilderness and it was really great. However, many say that the Luau at the Poly is excellent as well.

If you dont want a show, and they dont want characters, I would say go to OHana's at the Poly for dinner.

So, with that said, does that give you an idea? If not, maybe you can post some other preferences and maybe we can help you fine tune your options.

[BertDSweep]

For kids that age who are beyond -- even just beyond, as is the case w/the 11 y.o. -- the princess-worship stage, I'd say definitely HDD.

[geoffa]

Don't forget Liberty Tree Tavern with Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Chip n' Dale

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw...unchDiningPage

it's like a little Thanksgiving.

[jenjustinsmom]

With being on a budget do they still have the ice cream social with the chracaters?

[Greg in TN]

We've done Chef Mickey's & it was a lot of fun. I don't remember a whole lot about the food, though (but we do already have ADRs for a return visit, so it certainly was nothing to keep us away).

Liberty Tree Tavern (in the MK) was fun too, & I think the food was really good there. However, Mickey's not @ that one. Minnie is; as well as Goofy, Pluto & Chip & Dale.

So, if you really want to eat with Mickey, and the food just has to be edible, I highly recommend Chef Mickey's (the food may have been much better than edible, I just don't remember one way or the other).

If you want to make sure you enjoy the food, and you'd be satisfied with meeting Mickey somewhere else, Liberty Tree Tavern fits that bill.

They're both "all you can eat" so you're not going to leave hungry!

[DisneylandForever]

My question is this, which one would you choose if you could choose only one? Would it even be a character meal or one of the dinner shows? Just looking for opinions before I call and book something.

If I could only do one nice dinner in WDW with 2 kids, I would probably lean towards Cinderella's Royal Table. It's a neat experience eating inside the castle. And as part of the cost of your meal you get a free photo package.

[rph13]

What about O'hana's for breakfast, all you can eat family style, when we went over christmas, the characters were, Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto. Good value, (little less expensive than dinner but still has characters and great resturant)

[jengold29]

With being on a budget do they still have the ice cream social with the chracaters?

Sadly they don't offer that anymore. That was the best idea, I don't know why they stopped it.

[anniem8]

Thanks everyone. I took a look at the menus and prices and am leaning toward Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. I think my kids would think it was cool to ride the monorail into the hotel and go in for breakfast. And we are more the Mickey fan types than the Princess fan types. And Goofy is our favorite! We also need to find a 'reason' to see some of the other resorts- we've never seen one in real life! I really want to see the beach at the Polynesian (someone said to watch fireworks from there?) and I'd like to see if I could spot some animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's okay to ride around and look at these right?

[Drince88]

I really want to see the beach at the Polynesian (someone said to watch fireworks from there?) and I'd like to see if I could spot some animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's okay to ride around and look at these right?

YES!
What better way to suck you in to staying there the next time!

[crrees]

If I could only do one nice dinner in WDW with 2 kids, I would probably lean towards Cinderella's Royal Table. It's a neat experience eating inside the castle. And as part of the cost of your meal you get a free photo package.

i think they did away with this and now you get a sword for boys and something else for girls, probably a plastic crown

[rph13]

i think they did away with this and now you get a sword for boys and something else for girls, probably a plastic crown

When we went at the beginning of Jan. the girls got a plastic wand, boys a plastic sword both got a star and the picture package. which if you go to the camera center they will put it on your photo pass to be included in your CD if you end up buying that. (which was a great deal, $100 for the CD and we got over 80 professional pictures to do with as we want).


Anniem8, I think you will enjoy Chef Mickeys very much. My girls 13 and 9 have always loved it and were disappointed it could not be included in this last trip. Definitly check out the resorts, sometimes that is the best part of the trip.

[mom22gls]

I would also recommend Chef Mickey's. However, don't assume your daughters are too old to appreciate the princesss. A couple of years ago we took our neices to WDW; the oldest was 13 at the time, and interested in all normal teenage things. We did lunch at CRT, and the Princess Storybook lunch, primarily for the benefit of my girls, who were much younger, or so I thought. At the end of the trip, I asked the older girl the open-ended question what she liked best about the trip, assuming she would respond with a name of a ride, a park, Disney Quest, or a water park. To my great surprise, she said "Princesses."