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View Full Version : Where are the best places in Disney to dine with characters?



ilesofsmiles
06-19-2003, 08:10 PM
Hi Everyone!

Will be traveling to Universal, Disney, Lego et. al. 1st week of July.
Can you suggest great places to dine with the Characters? Do you have a preference and why? My Kids are 9 & 12. Read that Ariels Grotto is overpriced and has yuckie service. Paradise Pier breakfast with Minnie & Goofey's Buffet at Disneyland Hotel is what I booked, are these good choices?

Also do you have any suggestions where to stand for the parades; Electrical, & Parade of Stars? Couldn't get balcony seating for Fantasmic so...where is a good place to camp out for the show and how early should we get there.
Got rained out at DWorld 2 nights so really MUST SEE!

Any suggestions are most appreciated. We Honeymooned in Disney 18 years ago..now going back for my 40th Birthday! Yea!

"Two Thumbs WAY up"
for all that reply!

jerjer2005
06-19-2003, 08:24 PM
Ok... First off im very excited for you for your trip! It sounds like you will have a magical Journey!

Ok first about parade seating:

Parade of the stars:
the area in front of great moments with Mr. Lincoln is usually never crouded. Just remember that if you see the 1st parade of the day the parade starts at Small World and ends on Main Street. If you see the 2nd showing it starts on Main street and ends at Small World. If you want a true expieriance why dont you and your children be in the parade! just find the omnibus (the bright green double decker bus) 1 hour before the parade starts (cast members in cloud covered overalls should be on it) and sign up. its totally free and you get a free gift and 1,000 memories to take home!

Electrical Parade:

This parade begins in Sunshine plaza and ends next to the orange Stinger. The end of the parade route is never very crouded and you will probably have about 10 to 20 feet of room all to yourself. This is great option if you dont mind waiting for the parade to get over to your area. The area of sunshine plaza gets VERY CROUDED. so the end of the parade route is probably your best bet.

Fantasmic:
You can utilize many options for this show. Heres my best suggestion. Get over in the area right as the first show is ending. (the show is 22 min. long so you do the math) then watch the fireworks then snag a great spot for the 2nd showing. you willl get great seats with minimal wait (approx. 45 min. after the fireworks have finished)

Character Dining:
Goofys kitchen has a pretty good character dining. and theres one that takes place in the park before the park opens with pooh and friends. not sure what its called though. (call guest services for more info they will tell you everything you will ever need to know)

P.S.- stop by and see the aladdin show in DCA get there when the park opens and go to hollywood backlot to get tickets for which ever show you want. Its a magical expieriance you wouldnt want to miss!

I hope i covered everything and i hope your trip is memorable and more magical then ever before!

ilesofsmiles
06-19-2003, 08:29 PM
Thank you so much. I have been reading as much as I can and it seems as though you can never be too prepared. I know the parks will be teeming with people so i want to make the most of our time. I was told (by Disney Guest Services) that Fantasmic will not be shown on 7/1.

All the Best
ilesofsmiles

jerjer2005
06-19-2003, 08:33 PM
This probably has to do with the pirates event coming up. If theres any other questions or concerns you have that you think i could be a help on dont fear to ask

HBTiggerFan
06-19-2003, 09:05 PM
Electrical Parade: The route that is right near the Golden Vine Winery restruant is an excellent viewing area. They do sell "dinner packages" that cost an arm and a leg at the Winery and offer "premier seating" however for free you can sit on the ground below the seating or across from the winery and get a more personal view of the parade.

I have heard that the Plaza Inn has a good character breakfast with the 100 Acre Woods characters.

Disneyfan&mom
06-21-2003, 07:23 AM
I took my kids (10 and 12) to Goofy's kitchen last Summer for breakfast (made a priority seating reservation before we left home) We went at 7:30 am and then went straight to the park after and rode the Matterhorn...not such a great idea as my son felt nauseous after eating a big breakfast and we had to go spend a couple hours in First AId while he slept it off!!

They LOVED It and had a great time! This year we are planning to go a little later in the morning....maybe 11:00 instead:-)

Disneyfan&mom
06-21-2003, 07:25 AM
Just re-read that and it sounds funny! They loved Goofys and had a great time- of course lying around in First Aid wasn't so much fun:-)

Nancy
06-21-2003, 03:31 PM
If you go to Goofys Kitchen call and ask them when it might be slower or make a reservation late brunch or late lunch. The food is always good and there is plenty of it, no matter what time you arrive.

Gemini Cricket
06-21-2003, 07:00 PM
The best place to dine with characters is wherever a bunch of MousePadders have gathered to get something to eat.
:D

MonorailMan
06-21-2003, 08:12 PM
Originally posted by Gemini Cricket
The best place to dine with characters is wherever a bunch of MousePadders have gathered to get something to eat.
:D

Good One! :D

ilesofsmiles
06-23-2003, 06:57 PM
Thank you everyone! I guess I made a good choice at Goofey's Kitchen.

Any comments about Minnie's?

6 days left to GO!!

ileosfsmiles :)

LifelongAngelsFan
06-23-2003, 07:11 PM
The Character Breakfast at the Plaza Inn is excellent as well. Pooh and company are the characters. Great food and plenty of access to the characters. Not too croweded either.

mrfantasmic
06-23-2003, 07:49 PM
Plaza inn is the best shot... It has good food.
I'd rank it close to the top... what do you think?

Wizard69
06-23-2003, 10:40 PM
Goofy's Kitchen and Plaza Inn are great for character dining. I like Ariel's too. I never had any bad experiences there. However, at Ariel's the characters are limited (Chip, Dale, Pluto, Mickey, Minnie and Ariel). Goofy's has the most characters and the widest variety. Plaza Inn has Pooh characters.

PsychDoc
06-25-2003, 08:01 PM
We just got back from 5 magical DL days ate at Goofy's Kitchen, Pooh and Friends at the Plaza Inn, and Ariel's Grotto (yeah, we're kind of character junkies). For food quality I'd rank Goofy's the best, Ariel's second best, and Pooh third. Also eaten at Minnie and Friends at the Paridise Pier and would rank that the worst. My daughter said, "I guess Minnie doesn't have too many friends because the only one here I see is Timone from Lion King. Does she even know him?" The food was okay, but way overpriced. I was amazingly surprised by Goofy's Kitchen. Everone in our party loved the food; I'd go back just for the food. Yes, it was pretty overpriced ($80 for 2 adults, 9 year old and and infant -- they didn't charge for her but she eat the yogurt and bread). Although I made "priority" reservations 3 weeks in advance, we got stuck in the corner. We saw (I assume) every character, however the lag time between them was long. Also, we couldn't see the "dance" by the buffet that they do every 45 min or so. Ariel's is a great deal! A three course lunch is only $13 and the variety of food is great with table service and a terific view to boot! Yes, there are less characters. However, the ones there characters really interact with you and spend a lot of time with everyone. It was also kind of cool to drop in and see Ariel when ever my daughter wanted to; she was never really that busy. She actually looked a bit lonely. The Ariel was great. She remembered both my daughter's names and asked for hugs goodby when we left. Pooh is great for the character interaction. Tigger is always a bit "frisky" with the ladies in the group. The food however has gone down hill in the past years. Hope my review helps. PS you need to eat at Blue Byeu at least once for lunch. There are no characters but the atmosphere is great, especially for kids.