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View Full Version : Princess Lunch vs Goofy's Kitchen Lunch



shna
02-22-2007, 12:24 PM
I have spent the last 45 minutes going through old threads about character meals -- most had to do with breakfast though.

Has anyone recently been to Ariel's Grotto for the Princess Lunch? If so, how were the food and the service? We tend to eat later than most people, so I'd likely not be aiming for peak dining time... maybe that would help with the service?

Our other option is Goofy's Kitchen for the character lunch there. Some people have said the food is icky -- others have been quite pleased. Has anyone had a recent experience with lunch there?

DD3 isn't really obsessed with Princesses, and seems to have no problem with large stuffed animals tickling her -- so there's not really a major child-related issue to push us one way or the other. I just want cute pictures & I'm sure that could happen at either. We loved the Minnie & Friends breakfast the day before Halloween -- just can't get myself up quite early enough for a breakfast again (we're spending only Sunday 2/25 at the parks).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

kohl
02-22-2007, 12:30 PM
For my family, we prefer Goofy's over the Princesses. At the Princess lunch, there are a few items to choose from on a menu. At Goofy's, it is a buffet and we all love it! There are so many choices at Goofy's that everyone can find things they like.

shna
02-22-2007, 12:33 PM
One more question:

Is there an easy way to get from the parks to the Disneyland Hotel, or is it a major production? We'll have a stroller for our daughter...

samsma
02-22-2007, 12:36 PM
You can take the Monorail from Tomorrowland ,and the station is right by the DL hotel.

emilousmom
02-22-2007, 01:50 PM
we have done the Princess lunch twice and were really impressed! But really have nothing to compare it to,lol. My daughter LOVES the princesses! Now, would we go if the kid didn't like princesses??? Probably not, that is what we pay for is that interaction.

I know some people don't like the food there, my parents loved it last time and felt it was priced right. I like the fixed menu cause then I don't over eat.

I hope you find the answer to make your choice easier.

Ang

Darkbeer
02-22-2007, 01:54 PM
Note, Goofy's Kitchen does not serve lunch.

Brunch is served 7 to Noon during the week, and until 2 PM on weekends.

Then Dinner from 5 to 9 PM daily.

mask41
02-22-2007, 02:01 PM
We made reservations for 11:10 am while we are there - there are enough items on the buffet that we definitely will be calling that meal our lunch for the day!
Have fun -
Amy

joinwonderland
02-22-2007, 02:27 PM
We booked a Goofy meal at around 11.30 thinking it closed at 2. When we arrived we were told it closed at 12 and that it would be fine we would have plenty of time. We felt rushed, the food was picked over and dry looking, the taste was OK but my daughter aged 6 threw up about 1 hour after leaving, something diasgreed with her. We are not going back to Goofys Kitchen. We loved Minnie at the Plaza but have not tried The Princess lunch.

shna
02-22-2007, 02:37 PM
Just made a reservation for 1:00pm on Sunday. The last reservable time is 1:30, so it sounds like Darkbeer is right (which does not surprise me in the least) about it closing at 2pm.

I'll report back on Monday to let y'all know how it went!

HobbitFeet
02-24-2007, 09:40 AM
Question about the *no Goofy lunch* thing...

I booked through Costco, and their dining options info lists:

Goofy's Kitchen
*DisneylandŽ Hotel (serving breakfast, lunch and dinner)


So...are they being misleading? (by the way, the Costco disney site leads to a Disney-looking site, just like going through AAA does...it all looks almost like the Disney booking site, only with Costco or AAA's special info on it) Are they being truthful in that DH serves lunch, but in reality, Goofy's Kitchen doesn't?

We're being crazy and got the 4 day dining option AND Costco is offering another free character b'fast. We get a character lunch with it...if Goofy isn't open for lunch, are the Princesses our only option?

Confused. :)

Darkbeer
02-24-2007, 09:47 AM
Pretty much, the other 2 hotel Character meals are Breakfast only, and so is the Plaza Inn Character meal.

mask41
02-24-2007, 09:55 AM
We're doing Goofy's Kitchen at 11:10am and definitely going to call it lunch! Check out the menu at dlresortinfo.com - it seems like the buffet is very brunch like - the kids and my mom will probably tend more towards the breakfast items, I will go for the more mid-day meal items and my dh will probably eat it all! This will definitely be our big meal of the day after our free breakfast at the hotel and snacks in the park - our dinner that day will probably be Pizza Hut delivery at the hotel.
FWIW,
Amy

HobbitFeet
02-24-2007, 10:29 AM
Pretty much, the other 2 hotel Character meals are Breakfast only, and so is the Plaza Inn Character meal.

Aw man. While I have a strong feeling that our boy would LOVE having lunch with princesses (he's very impressed by princesses), I also have a strong feeling that he'll be the only boy there by choice.

Oh well. Seems odd that they'd offer such a "choice", when there's no real choice involved.

At some point I'm going to actually call the travel people (I booked online) and talk to them. :)

Thanks for helping me!

disneyfan4ever54
02-24-2007, 03:38 PM
Here is a sample menu from Goofy's Kitchen. They won't have exactly these choices, but it will give you an idea of the type of food to expect. We consider it "lunch" too when we go there for brunch. I think they have enough lunch-type foods there for it to qualify as a lunch. I don't eat breakfast foods and I have never had any problems filling up on the non-breakfast foods. I like the fact that it is a buffet and there is so much to choose from.


http://www.mouseforless.com/tripplanning/menus/dl/recipePrint/goofy.htm

mask41
02-24-2007, 08:01 PM
Someone on this board recommended sneaking out with a brownie or lemon bar for a late night hotel snack. Since we are not big eaters at all (except my husband will probably gorge himself) I don't think I will feel guilty stuffing a couple of snacks in our backpack, especially after my kids and mom eat like one little thing. I hope I am not offending anyone by offering this little hint for those that feel like the price is a little steep and have little ones who may only eat a little pb&j pizza like mine;)

HobbitFeet
02-24-2007, 10:53 PM
I'm trying to ignore the price. :) I'm calling it "all part of the package" and ignoring how it all breaks down... Even though the hubster and I could use some Weight Watchering (actually, hubby is in WW), we can never "break even" with buffets, since we're veggies. We don't even try, we just try to enjoy what's on our plates and be OK with what we paid.

Doesn't mean I won't think of what you're mentioning, I likely will... :)

I am, however, hoping that DS is in one of his eat-the-universe growth spurts during our trip with pre-paid character meals!


*****
So I used a different part of my brain to read the character lunch info, and since Goofy doesn't serve lunch I figure what they are calling a character lunch must simply be the Princess thing. HOWEVER there are double asterices next to that, and it is later explained that the vouchers for the lunch can be used at a variety of other restaurants. Whew. I was getting tense, thinking of 3 breakfasts and 1 lunch, wondering where all the food was going to go... I feel better knowing that the lunch vouchers can likely be used for a dinner...

disneyfan4ever54
02-25-2007, 01:20 AM
Are you sure the coupon doesn't cover Goofy's brunch? The meal is not referred to as a "breakfast" at Goofy's but a "brunch" .....which might be included in a lunch option? Just wondering. :)

HobbitFeet
02-25-2007, 10:25 AM
The wording I'm reading from my stuff is Character Lunch, vs the Character Breakfast they also have in the 4 day dining plan. Under the list of options, they annoyingly state that Goofy's Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which someone has stated isn't true as "lunch" indicates non-breakfast food. :) And later, once I screwed on my thinking cap differently (LOL), I saw that it SEEMS that the lunch vouchers can be used for other things. Which is good. I didn't want the pressure of "lunch" after all the "breakfasts" we'll be having! :D

disneyfan4ever54
02-25-2007, 01:33 PM
Sounds like it was confusing but you worked it all out. Hope you have a great time!:)

shna
02-26-2007, 10:30 AM
On the Disney website, it says that Goofy's Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were there yesterday at 1pm -- most of the food was more breakfast-oriented, but there were some "lunch-ish" items as well. My husband ate a lot. I wish I had been hungrier -- definitely didn't get my money's worth on the food. However, my daughter really enjoyed meeting Dale & Goofy & Belle & Baloo (somehow we missed Pluto :( ).

I wouldn't recommend the scrambled eggs & wouldn't have gotten them if I had seen the omelette station before I got to them. Hubby said the bacon was really good but he filled himself with Mickey waffles. I enjoyed the Mickey Pancakes (they're made with orange juice -- don't need syrup in my opinion). One of the CMs recommended the French Toast Creme Brulee (which looked & smelled amazing), but I was already full.

CM Sue, by the way, was awesome. While hubby was getting food, my DD drank out of a straw for the first time. I proudly mentioned this to Sue (since she was standing right beside me & I had to tell SOMEONE before hubby got back). She applauded my daughter & then brought Dale over to tell him that it was a special day because this little girl had just learned how to drink from a straw. DD was so proud of herself & was thrilled with the positive reinforcement -- especially when Dale clapped his paws for her. CM Sue also went out of her way to get DD a balloon after some of the bigger kids had taken more than their share of balloons. She asked DD what color she wanted & then brought out a great big blue shimmery balloon. I should really contact the restaurant and praise Sue -- don't know why I didn't think of that before!

ChristyS
02-26-2007, 10:51 AM
I haven't done Goofy's Kitchen for years, but I did lunch at Ariel's Grotto last November and absolutely loved it. The food was fine; not the best I've ever had, but the experience was certainly worth my money.

Then again, I am a Disney Princess girl through and through. :)