Chef Mickey's in Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort

By: Nick

I've eaten at Chef Mickey's twice in the last several years. Once with our Godson, Flynn, back in 2009, and just a couple of months ago with our friends Kandi and John and their kids Jazzlyn and Grayson.

 Me, Jazzlyn, Barbie, Kandi, Grayson, and John

I'm going to just come out and say it. It's my least favorite buffet in Walt Disney World.

It's not bad, but I have some issues.

Let's look at the good first. The Fab Five, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy, are here, and that is truly awesome!

 None of our Minnie Pics came out well!

They come around often and spend quality time with each table. Periodically, there is even an opportunity for kids and adults to cut loose with the characters!

The not so great?
The layout of the restaurant, which is located in the Contemporary Resort, is just odd.

Somehow, both times we've eaten here, we have been put up in an upper corner. This past time, it was a very dark corner.

There really shouldn't be any dark corners in a character buffet, in my opinion.

Then, there is the food. It's not bad, I just don't feel it's on par with other Disney buffets, with the exception of the desserts.

There are a variety of salads and a soup du jour, as well as sushi and pick and peel shrimp.

There is Mac and Cheese, Chicken nuggets, pasta and meatballs.

Some of the better items were the small individual dishes, such as the Braised Beef. The Lemon Pepper Chicken was pretty good also.

There are a few other seafood selections as well as BBQ ribs.

The carving station included turkey and beef.

The desserts include a variety of cakes, cream puffs, and cookies, as well as ice cream.

I can see why this would be a top priority for kids with the Fab Five, but I don't recommend this buffet when there are so many other better character dining options, such as Crystal Palace and Chip 'n' Dale's Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill.

A Few Tips For Meeting Disney Characters

By Lisa Green

Almost five-year-old Megan gets autographs from her favorite characters

When you have a Disney vacation planned, one of the things you immediately imagine is how your children (or you) will be when you see those famous Disney characters for the first time! If you have very small children, you may worry about whether or not your little sweeties will be scared or how to properly make that initial introduction.  I have a little experience with this and here’s my best advice:

Babies and Toddlers:  They won’t remember it, so it’s YOU who will be most disappointed if the character meeting doesn’t go well.

Not crying (yet) a cautious Joseph meets Genie for the first time.

Everyone wants pictures, so my best advice is easy does it.  Small doses work best.  Let your toddler look at the characters from far away first before getting them up close and personal.  It helps if there’s an older sibling to lead the way, but if that’s not the case – let them see other children having fun with the characters so they know it’s a good thing. 

• Worse case – take pictures of your little one with the character in the background if face-to-face is a no-go. 
• Unless there are older siblings to consider, don’t waste your money on a character meal just yet.  It’s worth every penny, though, when the time is right. 

Which brings me to…. Children between four and ten: 

• Now’s the time to dish out some dough.  Character meals, character meet-and-greets, autograph books, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  I promise – you’ll spend less money when they’re tweens and teens at Disney World than you will during this stage.  Why spend the money (and the time waiting in line)?  They’re only this age for a very little while – the age where they still believe in magic, still get a kick out of playing dress-up, and still think those characters are royal-celebrity-rock-stars!
• Character Dining – you have several choices at all four theme parks and many different resorts.  Our favorite has always been Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort because of the classic characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy).  There is character dining available with a wide variety of characters in every park and many resorts.  For more details and information on selecting the right dining experience for you (or your child), check out this article at The Disney Food Blog. 
• Character Meet and Greets + Autograph Collecting:  ALL character interaction opportunities are covered here by a great source of Disney World info, Intercot.com.  Sudden opportunities do present themselves and should be taken advantage of whenever possible (saves time).  Bring along an autograph book, a tee shirt, a wide picture mat, or pillowcase for the characters to sign – these make great souvenirs!  Bring large markers in different colors that are easy for the characters to grip and hand them open and ready to write to each character when the time comes.
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – Warning:  You may experience sticker shock!  This magical salon turns your little princess into her favorite Disney princess (or character).  Why you should do it:  After their transformation is complete, just take them to see an afternoon parade in the Magic Kingdom.  The parade characters salute, bow, blow kisses, bestow royal waves – you name it- especially for the Disney princesses among the parades’ spectators.  I must confess – I purposely find a place near one of these princesses in the crowd so I can watch her reaction (and her parents’) as the parade goes by and all those very priceless interactions take place – makes me misty-eyed every time.
•  If your child is shy:  Our own Megan was very timid as a little girl and didn’t want to speak to strangers – even Disney characters.  We found that the silent, happy (no villains), non-speaking characters were her favorites since there was no chance they would ask her a question or require her to speak to them at any time.

Mickey autographs a tee shirt

Donald!

Tweens, Teens, and Adults:

• Best to look for those sudden moments that pop up when the characters are available and the line is short or non-existent.  These are some of my most favorite vacation pictures EVER!  Mostly because running into the characters was a surprise (in an out-of-the way place) and the characters are more inclined to be playful or tease in unexpected ways.  Villains are perfect for older children and adults.  
• Character meals can still be fun.  Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s is still one of our favorite things to do.  Also, 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian offers a character dinner that features Cinderella and Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters, Drizella and Anastasia…they are perfect for character interaction with teens and adults as they are extremely funny (and the sisters may be a bit much for little ones). 

• Disney Cruise Line – Characters abound on the high seas!  With older children especially, watch for those unexpected opportunities.  In port, there are usually characters waiting on the pier to welcome you back to the ship – depending on the time of day, the line for pictures is usually very short (or nonexistent).

Jason and Joseph returning from Castaway Cay

Goofy has some smooth moves at sea

Hopefully, some of these tips will come in handy on your next (or first) Disney vacation.  If you have character pictures you’d like to share, I’d love to see them.

Surprise meeting with Lilo and Stitch

 
This article was originally posted by Lisa on her Living a Disney Life-Empty Nesting with Pixie Dust Blog.

Breakfast With Aladdin Button

by Nick

Back in the 90s, in what was once Disney-MGM Studios, was The Soundstage Restaurant located where Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! is currently located in Disney Hollywood Studios. It was a full-service restaurant that was designed to look like a “live set” from whichever Disney animated film was released at that time.
When I visited, it was themed around Aladdin.
As this is 20 some years ago, my memory is fuzzy on details, but I have this button to remind me that I ate there at least!



Did you experience this meal, and what did you think of it?

1900 Park Fare

Editors Note: I posted a very similar article to this yesterday, but my friend Gaylin sent this the day before I published mine, and she did not have prior knowledge of that article.
Despite having never met, and living thousands of miles apart, we share a love of Disney, and are very much on the same wavelength. As they say, great minds think alike.-Nick

by Gaylin

I do love Walt Disney World dining and do try to go someplace different at least once a vacation. I also am a fan of buffets as I have found Disney makes it easy to get safe allergy friendly food! When you arrive at the front podium to check in, let them know you have allergies and once you are seated a chef comes out and does a walk through of the buffet and shows you what is safe.

That being said, really I love the buffets where I get to interact with characters! 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian is one such restaurant. We had dinner reservations for the first seating and got to the resort early to walk around, enjoy the ambience and take some photos.

Then it was time to check in, shortly after we had our first plates from the buffet, a grand announcement goes up and Prince Charming and Cinderella come out! Very exciting. As they start to circulate and take photos, out comes Lady Tremaine with her daughters, Drizella and Anastasia.

Me and the Prince, and yes he was very charming!

I always feel like a scruffy step-daughter beside Cinderella in all her finery. She was so sweet!

 

I did try but I just can't do the Lady Tremaine face, must be the make-up . . . and that hair!

Anastasia was quite happy that we were in matching pink, see her beautiful smile . . .

Drizella was not so impressed that I matched her sister, sorry. I did try complementing her on her lovely make-up but she informed me that she wasn't wearing make-up, this was her natural beautiful state. Oops, my bad.

We did have a great meal, I got a special dessert made just for me, we left full and happy.

Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian

By: Nick Maglio

This is going to be a different type of dinner review as I'm not really going to go into detail about the food at Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.
The food is good, and includes a salad bar, several soups and stews, Smoked Beef Strip Loin, Pork Roast, salmon filet, paella, vegetable alfredo pasta, chicken marsala, mashed potatoes, green beans, jasmine rice and several desserts.
The kid's station includes Roasted Chicken, Cheese Pizza, Whole Grain Elbow Pasta, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Broccoli and Carrots.
The real reason to eat here are the characters.
Cinderella and Prince Charming are very nice.

 Barbie, Cinderella, and our friend Kandi.

Barbie, Prince Charming, and Kandi.

But the highlight is Cinderella's evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella. They are truly hilarious, and really made our evening. Make sure to pose for a photo with them!

Kandi, Lady Tremaine, and me.

Lady Tremaine making a snide remark about Kandi's Disney Marathon medal.

Barbie, Anastasia, and me.

Anastasia asks if the pink ring on Barbie's hand was an engagement ring, 

and says she'd love one just like it, as it matches her dress prefectly.

Drizella, and her prettiest smile!

There may be better buffets, but this interaction alone may be worth the trip to 1900 Park Fare!

Brunch at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel

Goofy's Kitchen is located in the Fantasy Tower of the Disneyland Hotel.

A very popular brunch, with plenty of food choices, including many breakfast item, such as "Mickey Mouse" Waffles & Pancakes, French Toast, Sausage & Bacon, a Create-Your-Own Omelet Station, Eggs Benedict, Fresh Fruit, Goofy's Famous Peanut Butter Pizza, Soft-Serve Yogurt with Toppings.

 

There are several lunch type items as well, since this is "brunch", such as an extensive salad selection, Chicken Breast Nuggets, pizza, and many other items.

But to me, there seems to be more desserts than anything else, including an ice cream bar.

 
To be honest, the food here, in my humble opinion, is mediocre.
I think the food at the Storyteller's Cafe buffet at the Grand Californian is superior, while their characters are not as varied.
At Goofy's, the characters are the draw, including Baloo, who joined us for breakfast:

 

 The new super team, Chip 'n' Mulan?

 Dale:

A character I've not previously gotten a picture with, Br'er Fox!

Pluto:

Rafiki:

And our host, Goofy:

As of January 2013 Brunch is 7am-12pm Mon-Fri and 7am-2pm Sat & Sun, prices for Adults: $32.99 and Children 3-9: $16.99 not including gratuity or sales tax.

Final analysis: The food, while not the best, is plentiful, and you won't go away hungry. Go for the fun.