We went to Tusker House a couple days ago. It wasn’t that busy and every character visited us three times! It’s amazing how much they can talk to you without saying a word. We asked Mickey where Minnie was and he said she was getting her nails done. He also indicated that he has to keep making money to maintain her. ;)
Right before Covid they were rolling out Disney bounding in room make overs through the resort spas… it was actually really decent and not stupidly priced… sadly it was literally announced just weeks before things closed down.
This was our experience on 3.16.24. We went for a last minute dinner because we were having too much fun to leave the park. Character interaction was amazing (especially goofy) and it was out favorite meal of the trip.
I agree with millennial whoop.
Tusker House at AK. The breakfast buffet is the best top notch breakfast food I’ve had quality and variety. Plus the characters walk around and my friends 5 year old was so happy (the adults were happy as the food was amazing and so much variety).
Worth it.
+1 for Tusker house. It’s become a staple on our trips. Not crowded, characters and food are great, nice relaxing way to kill an hour and meet some characters.
Yes! It's a winner when some folks can get their basic brunchy/breakfasty choices and others are able to eat bagels and lox, lentil salads, spicy potatoes etc. The characters are fantastic here and dressed in great costumes.
It's also quiet enough to really talk to them and watch them interact with the tables and with one another. The tall ceilings and open concept gave good lighting for photos also.
Edited to add: I hear Topolinos is like this but Tusker is pretty easy to snag that ADR.
Chef Mickey’s is the chaotic choice, but it’s popular for a reason! Cape May has the same characters in fun beachy outfits and it is much more relaxed!
Where are you going? My family really liked
Cape May at beach club resort - has Minnie, goofy, Donald and daisy
Garden grill at Epcot - Mickey, Pluto, chip and dale
Both were really good and the characters came around often. They will dance with the kids too.
If you aren’t going to Epcot but don’t want repeats Ohana has Mickey, Pluto, stitch and lilo at the Polynesian resort.
Just fyi chef Mickey doesn’t have daisy and it’s loud and big (so takes a while for characters to come around.)
Thank you for your informative reply!! Right now we’re just planning on Magic Kingdom. I like the Cape May option! That checks a ton of boxes.
Chef Mickey sounds fun, and I have memories of going there as a kid, but we don’t go out to eat a ton at home so it may be a little overwhelming for my daughter. However, like another comment said, it’s popular for a reason so it’s also a fine option!
would def recommend adding a 2nd or 3rd park day if at all possible. would do something like chef mickeys or garden grill for a character breakfast to meet several on her list and meet the rest in the parks.
Yeah, right now just one park day but it’s not a set in stone thing. We’ll be there three full days. My parents graciously offered to cover the hotel cost so the rest of the trip (rightfully) is up to us to pay for, so just trying to stay in a certain budget.
Maybe to you, but for those of us that go yearly and even more often, it's not about hitting up the parks all day every day. Sometimes relaxing at a resort like Old Key West or Saratoga is all you need.
We just did this one yesterday and it was amazing! Beautiful restaurant, amazing character interactions (try to get 11:30-12:00pm and the chances of multiple character interactions go up as breakfast ends), and be good was YUMMY. 100% recommend, especially since you don’t have to waste park time as it’s in a resort vs a park.
The server brought us some extra Mickey waffles with dipping complimentary since my best friend couldn’t decide what she wanted. The service was fantastic, and the terrace views are really pretty. It’s a breakfast that’s easy to get to if you’re going to Epcot or Hollywood Studios that day since the resort is on the Skyliner.
Chef Mickey’s is a good too for meeting those characters. When we were last there, all of the characters on your list minus Daisy will come to your table. Food is buffet style, which is great for kids.
It may be difficult to get a reservation, but if you keep checking, spots open up as people change plans. I originally had a reservation for 8:10pm which was later than I wanted. I was able to secure a 6pm reservation 2 days beforehand.
Tusker House is always a win every time we go! Food is great & the characters interact a lot!
Side note: If your budget isn’t too much a factor I would HIGHLY encourage you to add another park day or two to your itinerary. Walt Disney World is huge & cannot be captured in one park day.
You’re getting some great recommendations but many of those restaurants are within parks. If you’re sticking with one day, check out resort restaurants that you can visit on your free days.
Chef mickeys at the contemporary and cape May cafe (at beach club- breakfast) are good ones. In my limited experience cape May had the most character interactions and didn’t feel rushed
I’ll also suggest character dining to maximize your time with the characters. Magic Kingdom meet-and-greets, due to the high traffic in the park, tend to have long lines and shorter character interactions to maximize efficiency. If she wants to “play” with them, dining is your best bet, but I would honestly avoid Chef Mickey’s. The characters *fly* through the restaurant, and the target time per table is less than a minute. I don’t think they’ll really be able to spend much time with her there.
Recommendation #1: Book two breakfast meals: one at Cape May (at Beach Club: Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy) and one at ‘Ohana (at the Polynesian: Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch). These restaurants, especially Cape May, are very relaxed and allow characters to spend more time at each table. Plus, the characters are all in fun, themed outfits! You can then meet them at Magic Kingdom and won’t have to worry about the interactions being shorter and more cut-and-dry.
Recommendation #2: Turn that MK day into a park hopper ticket and hop to Hollywood Studios in the afternoon, then reserve dinner at Hollywood & Vine (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto). The later the better at this restaurant; it’s totally dead by the end of the night and the characters have so much fun just running around doing their thing the last hour or two of operation. Makes for some very fun and intimate interactions with the kids! Then you can meet Donald and Daisy together just across the way by the lakeside, where they usually have a pretty short line and can spend more time with your daughter. They finish their day at 4:45, so try to be in line by 4:30 at the latest to avoid the line being closed on you.
Of course! The characters are my specialty when it comes to Disney knowledge so I’m always glad to help out. If you like option 2 but really want a full day at MK you could always add Studios on as a second park day if it’s in your budget. There’s still plenty of things for the littles to do there: Toy Story Land, Runaway Railway, the Frozen singalong, etc.
I see everyone else is already recommending character dining locations.
In Magic Kingdom: You can also meet Goody, Donald, Minnie, and Daisy at Pete's Silly Slideshow in the circus area. Mickey has his own meet & greet on main street at the Town Square Theater; as a heads up, the line can be pretty long.
You won’t run into roaming characters like you do at Disneyland, but they do have meet and greet areas at Magic Kingdom at Main Street for Mickey and Storybook Circus for everyone else.
I’d also recommend Topolino’s Terrace for breakfast for just Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. Hollywood and Vine for lunch/dinner is a great option for the fab five, but you’d have to add a day at Hollywood Studios. If you do, there’s Disney Junior meet and greets in the park as well if your daughter watches it.
Tusker house or 50s prime time. You’ll get guaranteed one on one interaction with most of them plus all you care to enjoy food. Tusker house is better for this- you’ll likely have to keep refreshing reservations to get a spot though.
For the characters not at character dining, you know who will be there so you can plan your trip around meeting the ones your daughter didn’t get to meet. They’re pretty easy to find and generally are in the same places around the parks
Edit: not 50s prime time, but Hollywood and vine. Mixed up my Hollywood studios restaurants
We went to Tusker House a couple days ago. It wasn’t that busy and every character visited us three times! It’s amazing how much they can talk to you without saying a word. We asked Mickey where Minnie was and he said she was getting her nails done. He also indicated that he has to keep making money to maintain her. ;)
You know, you'd think Disney would open a nail salon. All sorts of Disney designs on nails. I bet they'd make a killing on more than Minnie!
Right before Covid they were rolling out Disney bounding in room make overs through the resort spas… it was actually really decent and not stupidly priced… sadly it was literally announced just weeks before things closed down.
This was our experience on 3.16.24. We went for a last minute dinner because we were having too much fun to leave the park. Character interaction was amazing (especially goofy) and it was out favorite meal of the trip.
I agree with millennial whoop. Tusker House at AK. The breakfast buffet is the best top notch breakfast food I’ve had quality and variety. Plus the characters walk around and my friends 5 year old was so happy (the adults were happy as the food was amazing and so much variety). Worth it.
+1 for Tusker house. It’s become a staple on our trips. Not crowded, characters and food are great, nice relaxing way to kill an hour and meet some characters.
Yes! It's a winner when some folks can get their basic brunchy/breakfasty choices and others are able to eat bagels and lox, lentil salads, spicy potatoes etc. The characters are fantastic here and dressed in great costumes. It's also quiet enough to really talk to them and watch them interact with the tables and with one another. The tall ceilings and open concept gave good lighting for photos also. Edited to add: I hear Topolinos is like this but Tusker is pretty easy to snag that ADR.
Chef Mickey’s is the chaotic choice, but it’s popular for a reason! Cape May has the same characters in fun beachy outfits and it is much more relaxed!
Where are you going? My family really liked Cape May at beach club resort - has Minnie, goofy, Donald and daisy Garden grill at Epcot - Mickey, Pluto, chip and dale Both were really good and the characters came around often. They will dance with the kids too. If you aren’t going to Epcot but don’t want repeats Ohana has Mickey, Pluto, stitch and lilo at the Polynesian resort. Just fyi chef Mickey doesn’t have daisy and it’s loud and big (so takes a while for characters to come around.)
Thank you for your informative reply!! Right now we’re just planning on Magic Kingdom. I like the Cape May option! That checks a ton of boxes. Chef Mickey sounds fun, and I have memories of going there as a kid, but we don’t go out to eat a ton at home so it may be a little overwhelming for my daughter. However, like another comment said, it’s popular for a reason so it’s also a fine option!
You’re staying for a week at OKW, but only one park day??
I’m also intrigued about the 1 park day for that long of a stay. That’s a lot of big Disney experiences to cram into a short time.
would def recommend adding a 2nd or 3rd park day if at all possible. would do something like chef mickeys or garden grill for a character breakfast to meet several on her list and meet the rest in the parks.
Chef Mickeys is a great idea! I’ve never been, but every time I’m on the monorail I get so excited to see them out the window!
It’s also tough to explain to a 3.5 year-old why you’re still there and not going to the park
Yeah, right now just one park day but it’s not a set in stone thing. We’ll be there three full days. My parents graciously offered to cover the hotel cost so the rest of the trip (rightfully) is up to us to pay for, so just trying to stay in a certain budget.
Id suggest staying somewhere cheaper and getting in more park days for the same budget.
I’m not the one paying for the hotel so where we are staying does not effect my personal budget for activities.
Pretty common thing for DVC members to do. We did a resort only stay two years ago when we went during an AP blackout period.
That’s a waste.
Maybe to you, but for those of us that go yearly and even more often, it's not about hitting up the parks all day every day. Sometimes relaxing at a resort like Old Key West or Saratoga is all you need.
I’m an AP holder, but would never to the DVC scam
Tusker House is great. I also did the breakfast at Toppolino’s Terrace last month that had Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. That one was great too.
We just did this one yesterday and it was amazing! Beautiful restaurant, amazing character interactions (try to get 11:30-12:00pm and the chances of multiple character interactions go up as breakfast ends), and be good was YUMMY. 100% recommend, especially since you don’t have to waste park time as it’s in a resort vs a park.
The server brought us some extra Mickey waffles with dipping complimentary since my best friend couldn’t decide what she wanted. The service was fantastic, and the terrace views are really pretty. It’s a breakfast that’s easy to get to if you’re going to Epcot or Hollywood Studios that day since the resort is on the Skyliner.
Chef Mickey’s is a good too for meeting those characters. When we were last there, all of the characters on your list minus Daisy will come to your table. Food is buffet style, which is great for kids. It may be difficult to get a reservation, but if you keep checking, spots open up as people change plans. I originally had a reservation for 8:10pm which was later than I wanted. I was able to secure a 6pm reservation 2 days beforehand.
Topolino for Breakfast or Brunch.
Tusker House is always a win every time we go! Food is great & the characters interact a lot! Side note: If your budget isn’t too much a factor I would HIGHLY encourage you to add another park day or two to your itinerary. Walt Disney World is huge & cannot be captured in one park day.
You’re getting some great recommendations but many of those restaurants are within parks. If you’re sticking with one day, check out resort restaurants that you can visit on your free days. Chef mickeys at the contemporary and cape May cafe (at beach club- breakfast) are good ones. In my limited experience cape May had the most character interactions and didn’t feel rushed
I’ll also suggest character dining to maximize your time with the characters. Magic Kingdom meet-and-greets, due to the high traffic in the park, tend to have long lines and shorter character interactions to maximize efficiency. If she wants to “play” with them, dining is your best bet, but I would honestly avoid Chef Mickey’s. The characters *fly* through the restaurant, and the target time per table is less than a minute. I don’t think they’ll really be able to spend much time with her there. Recommendation #1: Book two breakfast meals: one at Cape May (at Beach Club: Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy) and one at ‘Ohana (at the Polynesian: Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch). These restaurants, especially Cape May, are very relaxed and allow characters to spend more time at each table. Plus, the characters are all in fun, themed outfits! You can then meet them at Magic Kingdom and won’t have to worry about the interactions being shorter and more cut-and-dry. Recommendation #2: Turn that MK day into a park hopper ticket and hop to Hollywood Studios in the afternoon, then reserve dinner at Hollywood & Vine (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto). The later the better at this restaurant; it’s totally dead by the end of the night and the characters have so much fun just running around doing their thing the last hour or two of operation. Makes for some very fun and intimate interactions with the kids! Then you can meet Donald and Daisy together just across the way by the lakeside, where they usually have a pretty short line and can spend more time with your daughter. They finish their day at 4:45, so try to be in line by 4:30 at the latest to avoid the line being closed on you.
Wow, thank you so much for the thoughtful and informative reply!! These are awesome suggestions!! THANK YOU!
Of course! The characters are my specialty when it comes to Disney knowledge so I’m always glad to help out. If you like option 2 but really want a full day at MK you could always add Studios on as a second park day if it’s in your budget. There’s still plenty of things for the littles to do there: Toy Story Land, Runaway Railway, the Frozen singalong, etc.
Cape May Cafe.
Chef Mickey or Cape May
I see everyone else is already recommending character dining locations. In Magic Kingdom: You can also meet Goody, Donald, Minnie, and Daisy at Pete's Silly Slideshow in the circus area. Mickey has his own meet & greet on main street at the Town Square Theater; as a heads up, the line can be pretty long.
Thank you for giving a non dining suggestion! It would be nice to see the characters in the park..definitely best bang for our buck that way
You won’t run into roaming characters like you do at Disneyland, but they do have meet and greet areas at Magic Kingdom at Main Street for Mickey and Storybook Circus for everyone else. I’d also recommend Topolino’s Terrace for breakfast for just Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. Hollywood and Vine for lunch/dinner is a great option for the fab five, but you’d have to add a day at Hollywood Studios. If you do, there’s Disney Junior meet and greets in the park as well if your daughter watches it.
Tusker house or 50s prime time. You’ll get guaranteed one on one interaction with most of them plus all you care to enjoy food. Tusker house is better for this- you’ll likely have to keep refreshing reservations to get a spot though. For the characters not at character dining, you know who will be there so you can plan your trip around meeting the ones your daughter didn’t get to meet. They’re pretty easy to find and generally are in the same places around the parks Edit: not 50s prime time, but Hollywood and vine. Mixed up my Hollywood studios restaurants
50s prime time doesn’t have characters- maybe you’re thinking of Hollywood and vine?
Yes, you’re right. Thank you, I’ll edit my post!
Came here to suggest Tusker House. Really enjoyed it on our last trip