Conference koolit::disney

    Three weeks ago I was in WWD.  We stayed at the Contemporary, and
    had the character breakfast there once (no reservations accepted).
    It was good, but we also went to the one at the Polynesian which
    was much better (contrary to other notes, we did have reservations
    and got right in).  My daughter (5) also liked the one at the
    Polynesian better, but I think it had to do with the fact that Minnie
    was at this one.  Both my husband and I thought the atmosphere and
    food were better at the Poly.  I had reservations at the Empress
    Lily, but skipped them because I had heard the same complaint from
    too many people.  No matter what, it's worth going to "any" character
    breakfast.  You get individual attention from the characters.  When
    I saw characters in Epcot and the kingdom, they were swarmed by
    people.  Since my daughter had just seen them that morning (a lot
    of them anyway) she wasn't interested in fighting the mobs to say
    hi.  

I have gone to the Empress Lilly for character breakfasts TWICE.  Since we've
gone to all the others as well, I assumed that the first time (which was
terrible) was a mistake.  And we really like the Empress Lilly, so we decided to
give it a second chance.  Well... fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice,
shame on me.  I will never go again.  The Polynesian CB (I think it's called
Minnie's Menehune (sp?) breakfast) has much better food and more of it.

--Jay

rep to < Note 40.2 by AUGGIE::FEELEY "Surely you jest" >

>                           -< Another NO!!!!! vote >-
>I have gone to the Empress Lilly for character breakfasts TWICE.  Since we've
>gone to all the others as well, I assumed that the first time (which was
>terrible) was a mistake.  And we really like the Empress Lilly, so we decided 
>to give it a second chance.  Well... fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice,
>shame on me.  I will never go again.  

    Well I've been twice also in '82 and '84 and enjoyed it both times good
    food (when we went),  atmosphere  and  show  by  Goofy,  Donald and the
    others, maybe it was an  off  day  for you (twice).  Remember that this
    show  is done by reserved seating time only (two shows each morning) in
    a  variety  of the rooms on the Empress Lilly, so the character have to
    roam  all  over  the  ship  and  don't  have as much time to spend with
    everyone as  in  the  other  shows CB shows at the hotels which are run
    continues during the morning hours.    

>The Polynesian CB (I think it's called
>Minnie's Menehune (sp?) breakfast) has much better food and more of it.

    That's because  it  a  buffet,  versus  the served breakfast at Empress
    Lilly.
    
    Claude

    The best  Character Breakfast of all has to be 'Melvin the Moose' show,
    which is really  a  breakfast  version  of  a  Dinner  Show.    You are
    entertained by Chip and  Dale  and  of  course  the  stuffed and hanged
    melvin the Moose in good  old Pioneer Hall of Hoop-Dee-Doo fame in Fort
    Wilderness, the breakfast is served familly  style  and includes grits,
    biscuits,  scrambled  eggs,  sausages etc, back when I attended in '87.
    reservation are required.
    
    Another  good  one  is the buffet served  in  the  Polyneasean,  called
    Minnie's Menehue, it's used to be in the South  Seas  dining  room, but
    when I went in '87 it was done at the  papeete  Bay  Verandah  and  was
    buffet  style,  and no reservations were required.  Does anyone know if
    this is still the case? 
    
    Claude
    
    Claude

    Melvin has been replaced by the Chip and Dale Country Morning Jamboree.
    I've booked this for the first morning of our stay in November.
    
    Has anyone seen this show?  Any opinions?  Do the characters circulate
    as at the other breakfasts?

< Note 40.5 by INDMKT::GOLDBERG "Len Goldberg" >
                              -< Bye Bye Melvin >-


>    Melvin has been replaced by the Chip and Dale Country Morning Jamboree.
>    I've booked this for the first morning of our stay in November.
>    
>    Has anyone seen this show?  Any opinions?  Do the characters circulate
>    as at the other breakfasts?

    I just called today and made reservations for the Chip and Dale
    breakfast the end of June.  I'll let you know how it was.  Hopefully,
    someone else will try it out before I get there and post a note.
                       
    I also tried making reservations for Minnie's breakfast at the 
    Polynesian.  They can only be made 30 days in advance by calling
    the restaurant.

    The scoop on receiving confirmations isn't consistent.  If you have
    reservations at a Disney hotel, the address on confirmation may be
    the hotel's.  These are not sent to you.  If the confirmation has
    your address and there's enough time for mail delivery, then the
    confirmations are sent.  The person I talked to wasn't even sure 
    that these were all of the criteria for receiving confirmations.

    Also, they are taking advance (greater than 30 days) reservations
    only for Chip & Dale and the Empress Lily.  I asked if this had
    changed since last summer, and it has changed at least twice.

    When my wife and I visted in October '88, we stayed in The Grand Floridian
    Hotel, and we ate breakfast in the hotel restuarants on the first
    floor of the main building (lodge). They had character breakfasts
    in both restaurants on the first floor. The characters spent alot
    of time with the guests. In fact, they spent so much time with my
    wife and I, our food got cold, and we had to go back to the buffet
    and get some more. 
    
    	Also, one of the restaurants has an interesting theme...carousel
    horses, and a giant pipe organ/calliope mounted high above in the
    wall playing carnival music. It was very impressive. 
    
    	The food was very good and it was all you could eat!!!!
    
    	I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
    
    
    		JJF
    

    I just called the Magic Kingdom Club Travel Center to inquire about
    shows/activities that I may need to make prior to my arrival in
    April.
    
    I am traveling with my husband and my 14 mo old daughter.  I'd like
    to see one breakfast/show and the travel agent listed the following:
    
    o  Chip and Dale Jamboree
    o  Breakfast Ala Disney (is this the one on the Empress Lily?)
    o  Mickey's Tropical Review (dinner show)
    o  Hoop-tee-do (sp ?) Review
    
    I've also read in this file about Minnie's Breakfast at the Polynesion.
    
    OK folks, if you were to choose 1 of these to go to, with a 14
    "sociable" 14 month old who loves to "dance", which would it be??
    
    Your comments appreciated... Thanks!!
                                 
    Laurel
    

    Re: .8
    
       Laurel,
    
           Breakfast Ala Disney is aboard the Empress Lilly.
    
    George

    An additional note to 40.7:
    
    	The name of the restaurant in the Grand Floridian I mentioned
    in note 40.7 was 1900 PARK FARE.
    
    		John F...
    

    
    I would have to agree with 40.7 tha 1900 Park Fare is the place
    to do your character breakfast.  It is very festive and you can't
    help but get caught up in all the fantasy.
    
    The food is very good, also.  I went to the one on the Empress Lily
    and I was very disappointed by both the food and the fact that the
    characters didn't seem as though they were enjoying there work.
    
    The 1900 Park Fare also offers a dinner buffet with characters
    that is just as good.  The dinner usually offer to different meat
    selections and all kinds of other great food choices.
    
    Enjoy
    
    judy

reply to .7, .11

You got me all excited about the 1900 Park Fare Character Breakfast, so I called
for a reservation.  Unfortunately, they have discontinued it.  They stopped it
last November, so you were lucky to go in October. 

--Jay

    We were at the character breakfast at the Empress Lily.  You are
    right, the food wasn't that good and when you have a child that
    won't eat eggs at all it is a real problem.
    
    The best part of the breakfast was Pluto.  My father had a New England
    Patriots shirt on, and apparently Pluto was not a Patriots' fan.
    He took his paw to my father's shirt and hit his stomach stating
    his opinion of the Patriots.  He also tried (or prentended) to push
    my husband out the door of room that we were dining in.  
    
    Both my children enjoyed that breakfast as stated before, because
    they do get to spend some extra time with each character and they
    had their picture taken with all.  My daughter got all their autographs
    with the exception of Pluto.
    

    We went to the character breakfast at the Polynesian.  The food
    was good and our daughter (almost 2) really enjoyed seeing the
    characters.  We had reservations but they weren't required --
    we had to wait about 10 minutes, the wait without reservations
    was about 20 minutes.

    We just returned the week prior to Thanksgiving week. We went to the
    Melvin the Moose breakfast (Chip `n' Dale) at the Pioneer Hall which is
    part of Fort Wilderness. The kids loved it. Food was very good, and the
    characters spent sufficient time with the kiddies (big and small).
    
    We also did breakfast aboard the Empress Lilly. Had a great time there.
    Food was again very good, and the characters spent LOTS of time with
    the kids. My daughter turned 3 that day and my wife asked the head
    waiter if there was anything they did for kids on their birthday. He
    put on a whole show with the audience and dragged my daughter out of
    her seat. Had her stand with Mickey (who also claimed it was his
    birthday) and dragged a few other people out of the audience who had
    birthdays that day or a couple of days on either side.
    
    He told lots of jokes, thoroughly embarrased some of the older birthday
    celebrants (in good Disney-style fun, of course) and was truly
    entertaining. Mickey actually stuck around for a while and participated
    in the fun. It was GREAT! My daughter still talks about it.
    
    Unlike the previous notes on this subject, we thought the character
    Luau was unsatisfactory (to use my wife's words ... "it was a
    rip-off"). The food was nothing to brag about (especially for the price
    you paid) and the show was so-so in comparison to the character
    breakfasts. We thought they were worth every penny and would definitely
    do them all over again. We'd not be caught at another Disney Luau,
    however.
    
    (Amazing how people can have such varied opinions isn't it. I'll bet
    a lot has to do with the people who are there on any one day. For
    example, our head waiter at the Empress Lilly really MADE it. If he
    wasn't there it would've still been "nice" but it may not have been
    "GREAT!")
    
    /se
    

    Latest word is that the Grand Floridian has a character breakfast in
    the Grand Floridian Cafe from 7-10 a.m..  Anyone out there who has
    attended and their comments, please!
    
    Judy
    

    Contemporary        8-11 A.M.      Adults $9.25     Child $5.95
    
    Polynesian       7:30-10:30 A.M.     "    $9.95       "     " 
    
    
    Sunday Brunch
    at Polynesian      11:45-2:30        "    $16.95      "     $8.50
    
    Empress Lilly    8:30 and 10:00      "    $ 9.75      "     $6.50
    
    Fort Wilderness  8 and 9:45 A.M.     "    $12.00      "     $9.00
    
    Grand Floridian    7-10:00 A.M.      "    $12.00      "     $8.00
                    (on Sun. til 11:30)
    
    
    Prices do not include tax or gratuities. Children are 3-11.
    Fort Wilderness

    
    
    	I'm heading down in May for a honeymoon trip and want to know if
    anyone has gone to a character breakfast just for themselves.
    
    	Like having no kids, but being kids at heart, we could definitly
    enjoy a character breakfast!  From recommendations it sounds like we'll
    be off to the Poly, Contemp, or GF but wich would you recomend for a
    childless couple who wants a good breakfast and will enjoy every minute
    with the characters?
    
	thanks -- BERT

    Could someone please help me?  A friend of mine (not a DEC employee)
    is going to WDW in May.  I told her she should make reservations
    for the character breakfast before she goes.  Her travel agent is
    a space shot and rather than trust her with this important detail
    my friend wants to make the call herself.  Does anyone have a phone
    number I can give her to make the reservation?  Any help would be
    appreciated.
    
    I will be making a trip to Disney (last time I went ws 1976) in
    September but my travel agent arranged for the breakfact immediately.
    I will be using this notesfile to get important advise for the long
    awaited trip.
    
    Thanks
    
    Stephanie

    Rep to <<< Note 40.19 by BOSOX::CONNOR >>>

    Tel #'s  for  the  MKC are listed in 2.*, for general info you can call
    (407)W-DISNEY.
    
    Claude

    My husband and I went to the character breakfast at the Polynesian
    on our honeymoon.
    
    Had a  ball!  Had pictures with Minni, Pluto, Goofie, Chip and Dale.
    Food was great also but I was having more fun watching the characters
    than eating!
    
    Would do it again in a minute.
    
    Kris
    

    Bert,
    
    We have never gone to a character breakfast just for ourselves - we
    went to the Polynesian with our two year old.  However, there were
    a lot of people there without children who seemed to be having a grand
    old time.  Be sure to have your waitress or someone from a neighboring
    table take some pictures of the two of you with the characters!
    
    Although the Poly recommends reservations, it didn't seem to matter
    whether we had them or not.  Everyone had to wait 15 - 20 minutes
    for seating.  Note this was in October so your experience may differ.
    They offer an excellent buffet - hot foods, muffins (and such) and
    fresh fruit - and tons of it!!!
    
    Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale were present.  They circulate
    around the room throughout the meal and come to each table.  You
    have plenty of time to get autographs and take pictures and videos.
    
    We plan on going back to this and/or the one at the Contemporary for
    a change of characters - we saw the white rabbit from Alice in
    Wonderland while cruising through in the monorail.  Oh, don't plan
    on seeing Mickey at any of the breakfasts.
    
    Ruth

    
    Consider this a vote for the Poly character breakfast. We went once
    because of our son. We went back because of Mom and Dad. It's (IMHO) a
    good value and enjoyable. 'sides I had to get away from that stuffed
    French Toast for one breakfast just to prove I had will power.

    I just (minutes ago) talked with the MKC Travel Center to make
    reservations for the Chip & Dale Breakfast when we are at WDW in
    October.  I was told that this particular character breakfast will be
    discontinued in early September.  They claimed that they were not
    filling up the tables for the shows....
    
    I asked if they had plans to introduce a NEW character breakfast, and
    they said that they didn't know.  The only character breakfast that
    they could help me make reservations for was the one on the Empress
    Lily.  Given the comments in many of the previous notes, I am not too
    hot on this character breakfast.
    
    I will definitely make plans for Minnies Menhuni (sp??).  The question
    is......should I go to the Empress lily Character Bkfst not that it's
    the only other choice, or will I be dissapointed????

re: Chip & Dale Bksft Discont'd

    That's too bad.  I really liked that show.  I guess most people
    felt that Ft. Wilderness was too far to go first thing in the
    morning.  My guys will be dissappointed.

    At least I have a good portion of it on tape.

    I second Len's feelings.
    
    We liked the show too. I would think that they would hope that a large
    portion of those going to the Chip and Dale's would be FW guests. We
    went on a Monday morning (early show) and it was close to capacity.
    
    I thought the food was good (better than Hoop-Dee-Doo food) and the
    characters were very good also. The show is pretty good, a couple of
    songs, a couple of skits, a couple of cartoons, and Melvin the Moose.
    
    Mike

    
    	Since there isn't a Character Breakfast being held anymore,
    	I would like to find out some information on the following:
    
    	Breakfast A-La-Disney aboard Empress Lily at Lake Buena Vista
    
    	It's advertized in pamphlets (sp?) for $9.95 and I forget
    	what the childs price is.  My sister called down there and
        asked what was on the menu.  They said it changes all of
    	the time, we would have to wait till we get there to find
    	out.  PLUS, they want reservations a month in advance.
    
    	Has anyone ever been and what type of breakfast do they
    	serve (buffet) ???  Thanx in advance for any help...
    
    	Tom            

This is a "not to be missed" part of a trip to WDW.

We have been to the char bfast on the E lilly three times.
It has always been very good. The host/hostesses are very pleasant
and get into the act a bit. There were 5 characters that come in
your room (Mickey and Minnie included). The food is very good.
Scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage, toast, fruit, coffee, juice,
pastry...the works.

The kids love it! Plenty of photo opportunities.

This was much better IMHO than the Fort W. bfast w/ChipnDale.

The procedure for picking up your tickets seems to vary.
Last time we made reservations way about 2 months ahead of time
and we picked up the tickets in frot of the E lilly.

Doug

    RE: .27.  There may not be a character breakfast at Fort Wilderness,
    but there is still one at the Empress Lily (as you've discovered) and
    at the Polynesian.  Minnie's Menehune breakfast at the Polynesian was
    wonderful.  The food was the same as described in .28 and it was (but
    maybe not "is") less expensive than Empress Lily's.  I made
    reservations a month or two in advance and didn't need tickets.  I just
    showed up and they had my name on their list.  We got some wonderful
    photos, and Minnie was a peach!
    
    
    Susan

    Well, here I go again with more bad news!  I just called to make
    reservations for Minnie's Menehune Breakfast (today being 30 days in
    advance).  This character breakfast will no longer be offered after
    September 29.
    
    There will be only three character breakfasts:
    
    		The one on board the Empress Lily
    		(Reservations can be made 30 days in advance
    		by calling 407-828-3900)
    
    		The one at the Contemporary Resort
    		(Reservations can not be made in advance)
    
    		The one at the Grand Floridian
    		(Reservations can not be made in advance)
    
    I made the reservation for the Empress Lily.  Has anyone had any
    experience with the breakfast at the Contemporary?  I would think that
    it's pretty popular, since access to the MK is fairly easy from there
    once you've finished your meal.
    	
    		

I was just at the Contemporary's character breakfast last week -- twice.
(Yes, my trip report has been filed.)

Not to worry about the fact that you can't make reservations, there is
no wait at this time of year.  In fact, we were visited by some characters
two or three times.  They develop running gags with some guests.

Characters present when we were there:  Goofy, Pluto, Dale, White Rabbit
who's always late, King Lion (name?) from Robin Hood.

They put on a good show.  We really enjoyed it, and breakfast is only
$9.95 for adults, and it's an excellent buffet.

Bill

    Just came back from WDW.  Enjoyed the character breakfast at the
    Empress Lilly.  The food was OK.  The characters did not spend much
    time at all with the guests.
    
    I made a VERY important observation that should help you on future
    trips:
    
    	The characters did not spend time with the people.  They did,
    	however, stop to sign autograph books/hats/etc./etc.  People with
    	three kids had three autograph books to sign....so the characters
    	spent three times the time to visit with those tables.  CONCLUSION:
    	BRING AN AUTOGRAPH BOOK FOR EACH KID SO THAT THE CHARACTERS WILL
    	STAY AT YOUR TABLE LONGER.
    
    

    Rep to <<< Note 40.32 by ATREUS::ABELOW >>>

>    	CONCLUSION:
>    	BRING AN AUTOGRAPH BOOK FOR EACH KID SO THAT THE CHARACTERS WILL
>    	STAY AT YOUR TABLE LONGER.

    Arrgghh, Did you  have  to mention that, I though it was my secret ;^).
    Actually if you want  them  to  spend time, have everyone in your party
    have their own book.
    
    Claude

    RE last few...
    
    	Phew, I'm glad you didn't mention the other secret, you know, the
    	one about bringing a camcorder with you!
     

    We were at the Character Dinner at the Contemporary with neither a
    camcorder or an autograph book and the characters sat down with
    Samantha and played with her.  They also took time out to talk with
    both my husband and myself.
    
    It seemed that we were unable to eat much of the buffet because the
    characters were always at the table.
    
    Maybe there is a difference between the dinners and the breakfasts.
    
    We were so pleased with the food and the atmosphere we are planning to
    return in January.
    
    Cheryl

    re .35
    "They also took time out to talk with ..."
    
    I thought it was forbidden to the characters to talk?!  At least it was
    when I ws done there recently.

    
    
    I wasn't sure where this could go but thought this might be the closest
    note. I just received the new Disney merchandising catalog and on the
    back cover they announced an Earlybird Special. Which says if you book
    this special thru the Disney Travel Co. You can go to a special
    character breakfast(didn't say where) and also get into certain parts
    of parks an hour before the regular opening time. Has anyone heard of
    this special before.
    
    Steve

When we were staying at the CBR in June we got up real early to
get to the MK an hour before offical opening. When we got on the bus
the driver said that if we did not have the earlybird ticket we had to get 
off at the TTC abd wait until 9:00 am.

They apparently open the park early and have special breakfasts
with characters, etc. sounds like fun!

    We also had this happen to us and were told we had to wait at the TTC
    until the 9:00 opening.  Only people with the early bird bass were
    allowed on the monorail.
    
    We went to the local monorail and said we were going to the Contempory
    for breakfast, and then we got off at the MK.  We still couldn't get
    into the MK until 8:30 but we were at the front of the line and we were
    able to request great seats for the 12:30 Diamond Horseshoe Review.
    
    /Jim Pappas
            

    What are these "early bird" passes?  What are they for?  How do they
    work?  Are there more character breakfasts besides the one on the
    Empress Lily and the one at the Polynesian?
    
    Thanks

    One of the features of some of the packages offered through the MKC
    is the "Earlybird Special". At the time of booking the date of the 
    Special is assigned. I don't know if it can be purchased any other
    way, but you could probably find out through the MKC booking office. 
    
    Linda

    
    
    The earlybird package I read about was not thru MKC info but was
    referenced thru the Disney Travel Co. as available thru booking one of
    their packages. I know very little of what the DTC packages are like,
    but the blurb mentioned you could book these thru your local travel
    agent. The photo in the ad was a studio shot with planters for a
    backdrop, so it could be anywhere in the world. The only thing I
    noticed was the food was layed out in a travel pack ie. like Mcds'
    so it gave me the impression it could be a travelling type of
    affair(different areas on diiferent days, with no set location.
    
    Your guess is as good as mine.
    
    Steve

    On our trip last January we received the early bird special as part of
    the package that we booked through Disney Travel.  It allowed us to
    stay on the bus to get up to the train station at Main Street.  From
    there we boarded the train for an express route to Mickey's Birthday
    land, (now Starland).  We then had a character breakfast in the
    tomorrowland Terrace, at no additional cost.  After breakfast some of
    the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland attractions were open.  All this
    before the 9:00 regular opening, and with very little crowd.  I did not
    know about this until I got my package at check-in time.  It was a
    great surprise.
    
    Forrest...

    Does anyone have an updated listing of the Character Breakfasts and
    Dinners now available?  
    
    Thanks

    I guess I could check in Birnbaum but I'd like to get "udpdated" info
    from people recently down there.
    
    What is the "hottest" character breakfast now that Chip 'n' Dale a.k.a.
    Melvin the Mouse Character Breakfast is no more?
    
    Mike

I think (from overhearing other families on my trip last week) that the
character breakfast on the Empress Lilly (at Disney Shopping Village/
Pleasure Island) is the hottest, but I'm partial to the Contemporary's
because it's less crowded.  Mickey and Minnie do NOT go the the Contemporary,
but I think they probably DO go to the Empress Lilly.

Bill

    There are more character breakfasts than is apparent from this note. 
    My son is currently doing them at the Epcot-based hotels on a regular
    basis.  Different sites will have different sets of characters.
    
    Characters are "platooned" according to which of the parks they work
    in.  My son works only Epcot and the Epcot hotels.  The Magic Kingdom
    characters work the Contemporary (and probably the Polynesian and Grand
    Floridian).  So the difference in quality of the breakfasts may be a
    function of how many cast members there are to draw from.  Also, the
    breakfast characters tend to be relatively new hires, as the hours for
    the folks who work those are absolutely awful.  They have to be at work
    at 7:00 am, which means a 5:30 wake-up for my son.
    
    Alison

Just some comments on the character breakfast aboard the Empress Lily.  I don't
know whether it's because it had been built up by friends prior to our visit
or what, but we were very disappointed in the character breakfast there.  
Our visit was in mid-October on our last morning in town.  We made reservations
on our first day there (about a week in advance), and were told to arrive at
about 8:30 for the 10:00 AM sitting.  We generally don't mind waiting for
things in WDW, but in this case the experience was very unplasant.  We arrived
as suggested promptly at 8:30.  We had to wait in a long line where they
confirmed our reservation and gave us a reservation card.  We then had to move
to yet another long line to buy our tickets.  Once our tickets were purchased
we had to continue to wait outside (understandable, assuming that another
breakfast was going on at the time).  The thing that was so annoying about this
is the woman in charge (I shudder to call her a cast member) who was constantly
yelling and bellowing and shuffling everyone like cattle from one place to
another.  She was very abrasive!  We are not the types to push in line, or to
attempt to line up early, so we were not even waiting near the "boarding" area,
yet we (and the other 200 or so people waiting) seemed to be constantly in
the wrong place.  No matter where anyone went, she had a problem with it.
It seemed like everywhere the guests went, she followed and screamed.  We
were definitely not impressed.  Additionally, though we were signed up for
the 10:00 breakfast, it was close to 10:30 when we finally got the go-ahead
to board.  Again, we were shuffled like cattle to our "room" and seated.
At this point we again became optimistic that it would be worth the wait.
It was not to be.  The place was VERY crowded, the tables were almost atop
one another.  I felt very sorry for the wait staff as there were far
fewer than needed for the crowds in each room.  The food was also not very
good.  Everyone was served the same thing at the same time (scrambled eggs,
sausage, a pastry, a small wilted serving of fruit).  The breakfasts were
lukewarm at best.  We tried to get coffee, but never did see it. We also
expected to see more of the characters.  The characters come to the room and
barely wave at many of the guests.  The characters are brought in two
characters at a time, and swiftly swept through the room.  We saw
Daisy and Minnie, and then Donald and Goofy, and that was it.  They were
not allowed to visit any of the guests, they were just swept through and
to either quickly shake hands or wave as they ran by.  Additionally they kept
sharply warning everyone that the characters would not have much time so if
you wanted a picture you must be completely ready before they came by.  This
warning was issued over and over and over.  This is the only place in WDW
where I can honestly say we didn't feel special (we didn't even feel welcome).
Gatorland left a better impression, and it wasn't one of the highlights of my
trip (I'm not an alligator fan!).

Now for a breakfast I would recommend...

	I highly recommend the character breakfast at the Beach Club!  We
stopped here one morning on our way to Epcot and it was wonderful!  This
breakfast is a buffet with an endless array of fruits, breads, cereals, and
of course breakfast food!  There was a chef present making made-to-order
omelettes and Mickey waffles.  The wait staff was VERY friendly and attentive.
The water and juice was bottomless, they discreetly kept refilling your
glasses in such a way that it seemed to always be full.  I love fresh fruit
and the variety was wonderful (pinapple, kiwi, starfruit, every kind of
melon imaginable, oranges, apples, strawberries, rasberries, and more!).  My
son (who's 6) was rather disappointed because he didn't find any french toast
on the buffet.  He was telling me this when one of the busboys overheard.  He
stopped and came over and told my son the reason he didn't find it there was
because they make it fresh.  About 5 minutes or so later our waitress came by
with a full plate of steaming hot french toast just for him.  She also brought
him some Mickey shaped butter and a little pitcher of syrup.  He felt so
special.  This all happened despite the fact that the restaurant was packed
and very busy.  Additionally, the characters there were WONDERFUL.  They took
their time stopping at every table, clowning around with adults and children
alike.  My parents and mother-in-law had a blast!  I would highly recommend
the breakfast at the Beach Club!

Joey Hanlon.
(who hopes to one day finish and enter her trip report)

    
    Do you remember the price of that breakfast?  I am thinking of
    cancelling the Empress Lilly one.
    
    Angela

    For my own curiosity, what was the date of your Y&BC breakfast?  If it
    was post-Feb 1, 1992, the Goofy at that breakfast was most likely my
    son.  (He's been doing 5-6 breakfasts a week at that location.)  There
    are *very* different casts at the two locations, and the Y&BC cast
    draws from a smaller pool than the Empress Lily.
    
    Alison

Sorry it took awhile to get back to you... I usually only get the chance to
get into this notes file every two or three weeks!

re .50 When we were there in October, I believe the Y&BC breakfast was $11.95
       for adults (can't remember the child prices, but I can check) and
       the Empress Lily was $9.95.  I thought the Y&BC was worth the extra
       money.  I don't know if we just hit the Empress Lily on a bad day
       or what!  I know everyone had a wonderful time at the Y&BC!

re .51 Alison, we had breakfast at the Y&BC on October 20, 1991, so I guess
       we missed your son.  I guess we'll have to go back so we we can see
       him in action :-). (sounds like a good excuse for a visit to me!)

    I'm going to Disney World in Aug.  Can anyone tell me if its as hot
    and humid as I've heard???
    
    Also while I'm there I would like to do breakfast with the Disney 
    characters, how do I go about getting tickets.  We will be staying
    outside of the park.
    
    
    Pam

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    (Mods: isn't there a Char Breakfast note? to be moved?)
    
    
    Florida is funny, weather wise. It can be brutally hot there in the
    summer. My parents just sold there house and are considering moving
    North. One reason is my mother can't handle the heat in the summer. 
    
    But you will hear stories about folks from up North coming to WDW and
    then returning and finding it is hotter! home than it was at WDW. I
    personally think that that is most often not the case. Sure it gets up
    to 95 in CT some times, but it routinely gets into the mid to upper
    90's in the late summer in FL. You take your chances. I once lived in
    FL and the one summer I lived there was unusally cool. You take your
    chances.
    
    You order your char breakfasts through central reservations which is at
    407-934-7639 or as we all know and love, 407-WDISNEY...
    
    We have been to most of them. We liked the ones at the Empress Lily
    and Fort Wilderness campground (longer to get to unless you stay there
    we found). But the kids are gonna love 'em all.
             
    
    Jim
     

    So you'd like to schedule a character breakfast but then again that
    would mean you would be late going to the park?
    
    Well why not kill two birds with one stone by having breakfast with the
    characters at the Stargate Restaurant in EPCOT daily from 9-10. Not too
    many people realize that characters appear daily at this time.
    
    You'll also catch Mickey and the gang at the Odyssey Restaurant at 11
    A.M.,3, 4:30, and 5:45.
    
    Mike

    Re:-1
    
    Mike,
    
    Is the breakfast at the Stargate buffet or sit down?
    
    Either way you make a good point.
    
    Thanks,
    
    John

    John,
    
    I have never gone to it because it's such a short time (9-10). I prefer
    the Character Breakfast at the Contemporary because it's less crowded
    than most others.
    
    Mike

    Mike,
    
    I agree with you about the Contemporary, we usually hit that or
    Minnie's at the Poly.
    
    John

    I think Minnie's runs a bit higher. I believe the food is pretty much
    the same throughout the resort.
    
    I like the Tangaroa Terrace for a nice quiet breakfast...and let's not
    forget the Crystal Palace in TMK.
    
    Mike

I'll add a mention for breakfast with Admiral Goofy at the Beach Club.
You can be inside EPCOT 10 minutes after eating.  No Mickey, though.
Chip & Dale, and a few others.

Bill

    Latest Character Breakfast Information
    
    Name:   Breakfast a la Disney
    Place:  Empress Lilly  
    Times:  8:30 & 10:00
    Style:  Banquet
    Prices: A - $10.95  C - 7.95
    Reservations Required?:  Yes
    
    Name:   Breakfast with the Disney Characters  
    Place:  Contemporary Cafe
    Times:  8-11
    Style:  Buffet
    Prices: A - $10.95  C - $7.95
    Reservations Required?: No
                              
    Name:   Minnie's Minehune Breakfast     *******************************
    Place:  Papeete Bay Verandah (Poly)     * Also offerring Sunday Brunch*
    Times:  7:30 - 10:15                    * 11-2  A - $14.95  C - 7.95  *
    Style:  ??                              *******************************
    Prices: A - $10.95  C - $7.95
    Reservations Required?: No
    
    Name:   Breakfast with Mary Poppins and Friends
    Place:  1900 Park Fare (GF)
    Times:  7:30 - Noon
    Style:  Buffet
    Prices: A - $14.75   C - $9.75
    Reservations Required?: No
    
    Name:   Breakfast with Admiral Goofy and Crew
    Place:  Cape May Cafe (Beach Club)
    Times:  7:30 - 11:00
    Style:  Buffet
    Prices: A - $12.95 C - $7.95
    Reservations Required?: No
    
    Name:   Dinner with Chip 'n' Dale as TV's "Rescue Rangers"
    Place:  1900 Park Fare (GF)
    Times:  5-9 P.M.
    Style:  ??
    Prices: A - $17.75  C - $8.75 
    Reservations Required?: No
                                    
    
    Please note that you can make reservations by calling (407) W-DISNEY
    (934-7639) (providing you have your on-site confirmation). Also, prices
    do not include taxes or gratuities.

This isn't exactly a character breakfast, but I thought it would be appropriate
in this note.

The newsletter included with my latest American Express bill states that 
"American Express cardmembers who charge a stay of two nights or more at any
selected Walt Disney World Resort hotels are invited to an exclusive ice cream
social with the Disney Characters.  Offer valid through March 31, 1994."

Here is a testimonial from one of their cardmembers:

"We recently took a family vacation to Walt Disney World.  When we checked in,
we charged our trip to the American Express Card.  To our surprise, we were
invited to have dessert with the Disney characters and other cardmember
families.  In a private room with all of us, Goofy, Pinocchio, and some of
the other characters spent time signing autographs and posing for photographs.
You could see the excitement on all the children's faces--and that really
topped off our vacation."

    I know of someone who took a trip in June and mentioned to me that this
    was the only part of the trip that he didn't think was handled well by
    American Express.
    
    Apparently when he took his family he too opted for this ice cream 
    social and when he arrived at the social it was packed. Some families
    ended up sitting on the floor eating ice cream. Many of the kids didn't
    care once they saw the characters. The parents were a bit miffed.
    
    Maybe the lesson here is to go early.
    
    Mike

Hi,

as yet another noter who has benefited MUCH from this file over the years,
here is something I CAN give feedback on. 

 Our last stay was in October, only two weeks this time.

 We had the tickets given from DL (only after we asked!).

 We went along (notice you need a car if not staying on the monorail - the MK   
 bus stops before the evening ends).

 I really think this is one for Mike - talk about Brazilian ZOOS!!!.

 Badly organised, the ice cream bars were melted, the "minders" were useless,
 with the characters being "hogged" by the bigger families (no ethnic slurs here
 but guess which nationalities??).

 My wife summed it up nicely -
 "It was free, we needed to do it (we do EVERYTHING - ONCE!), Is AMEX the only  
  card in Brazil?."

 Invest the 1 hour instead, in going for the "Early Doors" in the parks, lots of
          characters around, with less pushing and shoving.

 As an aside, we have taken the unusal step of writing a "feedback" letter to
Disney, the amount of closed attractions during our stay was INCREDIBLE, and way
beyond our past experiences out of season.


 Jim Gay
 U.K.

    Jim,
    
    Too bad you didn't know about this beforehand.
    
    Mike

    
    I didn't get to do the WDW breakfast but I did get to do the Universal
    breakfast. Excellent value for the money , all the photo's with the
    characters of your choice and you also get into the park before it
    opens....
    
    Andy..B

I didn't know whether to put this in 1st timers or here.

I would like to take a character breakfast with three children 4,5 & 33 (:-))
We have never been to Disney before.

I've looked back at the notes and most of the ones describing breakfasts are 
comparitively old so would like an update.

Where would you go for "best" characters and best food

Which is easiest to find if you don't know where you are going

Can I pre-book with a credit card from the UK

Are they discountable with an MKC card.

Can you do a character breakfast without staying in Disney property

Can you do a character breakfast without going in MK (so we could do it 
without wasting valuable visiting time) 

Finally not related but saves another note.

Can you leave and re-enter the parks on the same day on the same ticket  ?

Thanks

Mike

    Mike,
    
    It's a matter of choice but most people seem to like the GF and Poly
    CBs. I like the Contemporary CB.
    
    The Monorail hotels are the easiest to find.
    
    You can pay for your CB at the breakfast itself. I don't know if you
    can charge it to your plastic beforehand.
    
    No discounts that I know of.
    
    You don't have to be a resort guest to attend a CB.
    
    You don't have to enter TMK to attend a CB but you'll be charged the
    parking fee ($5).
    
    You can leave and reenter the same park the same day with no problem.
    
    Mike

Part of it depends on which characters you want to see.  The Cape May Cafe
in the Beach Club has a character breakfast every morning with Admiral Goofy,
Pluto, and Chip and Dale.  It's set up as a *huge* buffet with lots of hot
food (pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hot cereal), great fruit, pastries,
muffins, etc.  We usually showed up there at about 7:30 or so and had no
problem getting a table.  This might work out if you're going to EPCOT or
MGM that day.  You can walk over to EPCOT and catch a boat to MGM very easily
from the Beach Club.

This is the only Character Breakfast that I'm really familiar with, but I
know that the one at 1900 Parke Fair in the Grand Floridian features Mary
Poppins.  The others I'm not sure about.

                                                Tracy

    We just came back from last week and had done the following:
    
    CHARACTER BREAKFAST at the Contemporary (on the monorail, outside
    MK)...got there at 10:00 on a Saturday AM...no reservations...
    5 minute wait...huge breakfast buffet...saw Chip and Dale, Goofy,
    Tigger. Came to US$41.00 for 2 adults, 1 child...a char breakfast 
    was included in our package so we opted to use this one.
    
    CHARACTER DINNER at the Grand Floridian (on the monorail, outside
    MK)...the 1900 Park Restaurant...saw Minnie and Mickey. No
    reservations...about 20 minute wait. Again,  a huge buffet...came out 
    to about US$60.00 for the three of us, including specialty drinks.
    
    If your kids are into the characters and autographs, it is fun. 
    However, the week of 16-March to 22-March is not an especially busy
    time...so we didn't bother with reservations.

    .70 that character dinner -- is that the one called Chip n Dale Rescue 
    Rangers?
    
    Thanks,
    Julie
    

    no...the dinner at the Grand Floridian was only Mickey and Minnie.
    
    At the breakfast, we only saw Dale. We saw both Chip and Dale (not
    as rescue rangers) in the Magic Kingdom one morning. Although
    one other time I did see one at a distance dressed up as a rescue
    ranger.  chip and dale are my favorites.
    
    we hardly saw Donald Duck as a character or Disney theme...
    we did see him as a character briefly during Splashtacular at 
    Epcot but he really does not have as high a profile
    as you would expect.

    On June 5th (Sunday), the Coral Reef Restaurant will begin a character
    breakfast entitled "Breakfast Under the sea." It will be offerred on
    Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30
    A.M.
    
    On Tuesday and Friday the breakfast will begin at 7:30 in conjunction
    with early admission for Resort guests.
    
    That's all I know for now. I hope to get more details this week.
    
    Mike

    As mentioned elsewhere in this conference, there is a new Character
    Breakfast at The Coral Reef Restaurant. I haven't heard which
    characters appear but I can report the price is $14.95 for adults and
    $7.95 for kids.
    
    Also, there is now a CB at King Stefan's Banquet Hall in TMK.
    
    The Empress Lilly has also added a third seating to their CB. They now
    offer seatings for 7:30, 9, and 10:30.
    
    Of course this last seating wipes out the lunch meal period at
    Fisherman's Deck...they are suggesting people go to lunch at Chef
    Mickey's.

My brother is heading down this week-end. Part of their package includes a character
breakfast. One of the people in his party is a Donald fan and he was asking me if I
knew if Donald showed up at any of the character breakfasts. I told him that I would
check the collective wisdom of this conference.

So if anyone knows where Donald might show up for breakfast let me know.

Thanks,
Steve

    Steve,
    
    There is some literature/brochures that mention the characters at the
    breakfasts. 
    
    One thing for sure, you won't find Donald at any breakfast visited by
    Chip & Dale. That eliminates the Contemporary.
    
    You might find Donald at the GF breakfast.
    
    Mike

    When I went a couple of years ago, Donald (along with Mickey and
    Minnie) was at the character breakfast on the Empress Lily. This is
    a sit-down, served breakfast, not the buffet that are typically at
    the character breakfasts. 

    Last year Donald - same characters at Empress Lily.  Donald was
    the friendliest and most entertaining (at least at our table).

    Vote #3 for Empress Lilly ... he was at the breakfast we attended there
    along with Mickie and Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy.
    

The empress Lilly had Donald when we were there a few years ago.

The best bit was after Breakfast most people left.

We hung out with Mickey for while taking pictures. I guess everyone else was 
dashing to the parks.

I don't remember Donald being at the Poly when we did the Character 
breakfast there.

Also, at the Empress Lily there was some sort of chant off between Mickey 
and Donald fans.

I just called down for reservations at Chef Mickey's for breakfast in the
middle of May.  I was told that the character breakfast from the Empress Lily 
has been moved to Chef Mickey's now.  The seatings are still at 7:30, 9:00, 
and 10:30, and it is considered a show so you have to give a credit card 
number to make the reservations.  

This is a set-menu breakfast, isn't it?  I can't decide whether to keep
the reservations I made, or go somewhere else.  I was looking forward to
breakfast at Chef Mickey's but I'd like to be able to order from the menu.

I didn't think to ask whether this is a temporary or permanent change.  
Now that I think of it, the cast member made it sound as if the Empress Lily 
Riverboat has been moved.  Any news about this?

						Tracy

    Tracy,
    
    I saw an article in the rec.arts.disney newsgroup with a press release
    type announcement that the Empress Lily was closed for remodeleing
    and would open back up under new management (eventually).  
    
    This is the reason they've moved the Character Breakfast to Chef
    Mickey's because the closure will be long.
    
    --bert

    Just returned from WDW, and the Empress is still parked in her normal
    spot, but is definitely closed for renovations. 
    
    Most character breakfasts are 'set menu'. We went to one at the Grand
    Floridian while we were there. My whole family thought the food,
    service, and selection were excellent. The buffet included a variety of
    fresh fruit, cereals, french toast, scrambled eggs (real eggs) with and
    without cheese, bacon, sausage, and assorted rolls, muffins ...
    
    If you have special dietary considerations or a special request, you
    may find the Disney people very accomodating. I'd call them directly
    and see what they could do for you.
    
    

    We did the "Under the Sea" Character Breakfast at Coral Reef @ Epcot. 
    We loved this!  It is not a buffet, but a standard breakfast which
    included fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, breakfast pizza - kinda like
    scrambled eggs with small chunks of tomato with cheese on top, sausage,
    bacon, giant sticky bun, coffee and juice.  The waiter brings your
    plate to the table and you just tell him/her what you want more of. 
    This restaurant is beautiful, with bubbles going all the time, colored
    helium baloons all over, characters: Chip & Dale at the lobby greeting
    everyone, Pluto, Minnie, Goofy and then Micky swimming in the fish
    tank.   Now that was really something to see.
    
    We enjoyed this breakfast more than the Alladin one at MGM.  I figured
    since we did this one @ 10:30 that the characters were ready to go home
    so did not spend much time at the table.
    
    Julie
    

    Julie,
    
    What is the going price (Adults, Juniors, Children) for the "Breakfast
    Under The Sea" character breakfast at Coral Reef?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Mike

    Mike, the bill (including tip and the 10% MKC discount) for
    2 adults, 1 jr, 2 cld, came to $69.  You must make reservations
    in advance as its hard to get into this breakfast.  We would
    have liked to do this one again if there had been availability.
    
    Julie
    

    Julie,
    
    That's pretty much on par with most character breakfasts. Can you 
    compare it with others as far as food quality, atmosphere, etc?
    
    I ask this because there may be a noter or two out there who may
    be thinking of taking in ONE character breakfast and needs to make a
    decision.
    
    Mike

    We just did the character breakfast at Chef Mickeys.
    Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto were there.  Each stopped
    at our table for about one minute, for autograph and picture.
    We were very disappointed.
    
    Also, the food was good, but not much of it.  I left hungry.
    
    Last year we did the breakfast at Polynesian and I thought it
    was much better.
    
    Janice

    At the Grand Floridian Character Breakfast, the characters kept coming
    around about ever 10-15 mintes for about an hour or so. Minnie, Pluto,
    Goofy and Chip 'n' Dale each came to our table at least twice. And the
    food was not only good, but unlimited (all you can eat buffet style).
    
    I wouldn't hesitate to do the GF breakfast again based on what we
    experienced. I rated it an A+.
    

    My son will be celebrating his ninth birthday while we are in Orlando.
    
    Would the Character Breakfasts be suitable for his age and how can I book 
    them when I am staying off property?  
    
    
    
    

    A 9 year old might enjoy it, or might feel like he is 'getting too big'
    for that stuff. My 10 year old enjoyed the breakfast, but was  less
    impressed by all the characters stopping at the table than my 5 year
    old was. The characters are usually entertaining enough so that almost
    anybody enjoys themselves.
    
    IN RE: Making reservations ... call WDW and do it in advance. Don't
    wait. 
    
    

    We had my sons ninth birthday dinner at Chef Mickey's. Mickey comes at
    the end with a birthday cake and balloons and makes a big fuss and has
    everybody sing. It was great fun. My son was very embarressed, but
    enjoyed it.
    
    John

Hi,

My family and I will be visiting WDW this October and I've made reservations
for the CB at Olivia's with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.  My kids love
Winnie the Pooh, thus the choice.  Has anyone been there or heard of any 
reports on this?

Thanks,
Carla

    Carla,
    
    We were at Olivia's in November for the Winnie the Pooh breakfast.
    We went to 3 difference character breakfasts while we were there, 
    and Olivia's was definitely the best in terms of getting to see the
    characters.  Olivia's is small, and we were there near the end of
    the seating, so there were not too many people.  Winnie and Tigger
    were at our table many many times, and our kids were dancing around
    the restaurant with them.  It was great fun.
    
    The only drawback is that Olivia's has a limited menu, and it is not
    a big buffet like some other breakfasts (altho they have a fruit and
    cereal buffet).  Luckily my kids were too busy having fun to notice
    that they didn't like anything on the menu.
    
    -Lynne
    

    A WDW CM who works at Olivia's mentioned recently that Olivia's will 
    be having a character dinner sometime this year. No date was mentioned.
    
    Mike

You did the right thing by reserving the breakfast at Olivia's.  It's held
only Wednesdays and Sundays if I remember correctly, and is always booked
ahead so you can't walk in.  

Bill A.

I went to three character breakfasts over the last week.  Here's the scoop
on them:

   Minnie's Menehune Breakfast at Papette Bay Verandah at the Polynesian
     characters: Minnie, Chip, Dale, Goofy
     breakfast : sweet bread, fruit, scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, Mickey 
		 waffles, corn fritters (I think), served to your table, 
		 family style.

   Character Breakfast at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge
     characters: Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto
     breakfast : fresh fruit plate for the table including watermelon, honeydew
                 melon, strawberries, grapes.  Choice of any or all of 
		 scrambled eggs, blueberry filled french toast, pancakes,
		 potatoes, sausage, bacon, served individually for each person,
		 "all you care to eat".

   Character Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian
     characters: Mary Poppins, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Goofy
     breakfast : serve yourself buffet with pecan rolls, muffins, croissants,
		 cold cereal, fresh fruit, pancakes, french toast, scrambled
		 eggs, sausage, bacon, and other stuff I can't remember.

I think that overall, I like the breakfast at Artist Point the best.  It was
nice to be served rather than getting up and down for a buffet, but each 
person got what they wanted.  I had the blueberry stuffed french toast and
some scrambled eggs, potatoes, and sausage.  We went late in the morning
(around 11:00 I think) so the place was emptying out and was pretty peaceful.
The view out over the lake toward Discovery Island was nice.  And I got licked
by Pluto.  What more could a person want for breakfast?

Breakfast with Mary Poppins came in a close second.  The buffet was great
and the characters came around often.  Two problems there though: It seemed
to be very noisy, especially the clanging around of dishes by the bus-people,
and there wasn't much restraint put on kids (by cast members or parents) about
running up to the characters rather than waiting for them to visit the table.

I was a little disappointed by the breakfast with Minnie.  I didn't think the
food was that great and there wasn't much choice.  It took the characters a
long time to get around to our table (although they did all eventually make it)
which was hard for the kids.  On a positive note, they did activities with
the kids like hula dancing and hula hooping, and gave them certificates for
free cookies for participating.

    
    We did two character breakfasts last week:
    
    	Cape May Buffet at the Beach Club (Admiral Goofy, Chip, Dale, and
    	Pluto were the characters).  Food is unlimited Buffet and was very
    	very good.  The characters make the rounds and spend a minute or
    	two at each table for autographs and pictures.
    
    	King Stefan's at Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom.  I tried
    	but couldn't get reservations on this (they only take reservations
    	one week in advance), but the night before I'd wanted to go I
    	called to see if they had any cancellations and found out that they
    	had one opening at 8:05.  This breakfast is a served breakfast with
    	a set menu (cinamon rolls, eggs, sausage, Mickey waffle, fruit,
    	etc.) and the food was slightly better than average.  However,
    	there were considerably more characters (Goofy, Dopey, Snow White,
    	Cinderella, Alice (in Wonderland), White Rabbit, Peter Pan, and 
    	Wendy), and they all came by each table - taking their time for
    	autographs, pictures, and talking with each child.  Peter Pan
    	even let out a large rooster crow sound at one point.  It was
    	fun to see the kids interact with the characters particularly
    	characters that are not normally seen that often around the parks.
    
    	Seating is very limited and getting there before park opening can
    	be interesting (for us, the buses weren't running from the Beach
    	Club at that hour, so we had to drive).                           

    DOes anyone have any information on the Pocahontas Character Breakfast
    at Disney/MGM Studios?
    
    I am assuming that it's held at the Soundstage Restaurant.
    
    Mike

    There is a combined Pocahontas and Alladin Breakfast at the soundstage
    restaurant.  Half the Restaurant is set up like Pocahontas, the other
    half like Alladin. I don' t know any other details.
    
    gail   Z

    hi all...
    
    i just found this notesfile (yesterday) and glad i did!  we are going
    to wdw this november, and in our room/car package, a character
    breakfast is included.  just wanted to get some opinions back as to
    what is the best one to go to, keeping in mind that it'll be
    entertaining 2 adults (well, chronological adults... :> :>)
    
    thanks for any info!
    
    -raquel
    

    Raquel,
    
    Character breakfasts can differ in several ways, price, characters
    appearing at the breakfasts, seatings (reservations) or non-seatings,
    etc.
    
    I've always enjoyed the Contemporary Character breakfast because I
    never feel rushed, the food is good, and we like the characters that
    show up (Goofy, Pluto, Tigger, White Rabbit, plus Chip and Dale), and
    the price is reasonable.
    
    Mike 

    
    thanks, mike.  i have had others recommend the comptemporary breakfast
    as well.
    
    i just can't wait to get there!
    
    
    -raquel
    
    

    See my note .84.  Both my husband and I really enjoyed this breakfast.
    My kids (14-10-4) picky eaters, don't like eggs did not like the food
    here.  Characters that are there are: Chip & Dale as greeters, Minie,
    Pluto, Goofy and one more, can't remember who.
    
    We've also done the Alladin, was not that impressed last time and the
    Cape May @ the Beach Club which has great food but only three
    characters.
    
    Make resesrvations early!
    Julie

If I had to choose one character breakfast, I'd go to Artist Pointe at the
Wilderness Lodge.  It's "all you care to eat" but it is served to your table
rather than as a buffet.  I think that Goofy, Pluto, Chip, and Dale are the
characters.  The view over the lake is spectacular and it's a very relaxing
atmosphere.  Plus it gives you a chance to check out the Wilderness Lodge.

						Tracy

    Tracy,
    
    When was this? We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge for a few days last 
    year and I never heard of a CB there.
    
    Mike

    Does anyone know of a character "meal" with the Pooh characters.  We
    are planning on going to DW in April and my 4 year old would love to
    eat breakfast with  Tigger.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Kathi
    

    RE:<<< Note 40.106 by WREATH::SCOPA >>>
    
    Mike, 
     Tracy is on vacation. I was with her at WDW in May and can confirm the
    Artist Point CB. I really enjoyed it!
    
    Marcie

    Tigger is one of the characters featured at the Contempary's Buffet
    Breakfast.

    I'll add my 2 cents worth.  We've been to the Empress Lilly which was
    a served meal (waffle, eggs, bacon type breakfast).  Food wasn't
    anything to rave about.  Characters were Mickey, Minney, Donald Duck
    and Pluto.  We enjoyed it in 1993, but chose 2 others in 1994.  They
    had specific seating times for entire groups and were good about
    shuffling 1 character per room.  Everyone stayed at their tables and
    there was plenty of time for photos.
    
    Last year we went to one at the Polynesean.  We arrived early and were
    seated almost immediately.  This was a huge buffet style and the 1
    thing I remember and loved was fresh slices of coconut.  At least 4
    characters...don't remember which ones.  This was the most relaxed.
    
    We also went to one at Universal Studios which was all you can eat
    cafeteria style.  Loads of characters.  Plan to go again this year. 
    The only drawback here was that crowd control was lousy.  We were in 3rd and
    out last...characters arrived at our table last and few children stayed in
    their seats.  In spite of that, we were at the park early and got right
    on the popular rides before the general crowd entered.
    
    This year we will go to the Pooh and Mary Poppins breakfasts and
    probably Universal.
    
    Great way to start the day!
    
    Robin

    When I was at the Polynesian, the characters were Minnie, Pluto, Chip 
    and Dale.  I still have the photos!!  ;-)
    
    Raquel, your sign-in note indicated that it's just you and your
    boyfriend going (unless there are two Raquels noting!), so you might
    want to take some of the comments about kids and use them to your best
    advantage!
    
    
    Susan

    
    We had a Character Dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern.  There were seven
    characters, including Tigger.
    
    - Gary

    Many noters have stated "make reservations early" for character
    breakfasts.   We're going 10/4 - 10/11 and thought we'd just make
    our reservation when we get there.  Is that too late?  We're thinking
    of either the Cape May or 1900 Park Faire CB.
    
    Carol

I'd definitely make reservations for 1900 Park Fare.  I've had pretty good luck
walking into the breakfast at Cape May though.  In fact, I don't think they
started taking reservations until recently.

If you really can't decide which to do yet, you could make reservations at both
and then cancel the one you don't plan to use.  Better safe than sorry.

						Tracy

    I have been to Walt Disney World 9 times in the last 11 years, and 
    planning on returning in January 1996.  I was looking through the notes
    file to see if I could get any current information for my trip.  Well,
    if I can't recieve any current information the least I can do is to
    provide some.
    
    First of all, the Empress Lily Breakfast has moved to "Chef Mickey's".
    Chef Mickey's is also located within the Disney Village Market Place,
    as was the Empress Lilly.  Having gone to the Empress Lily Character
    Breakfast 4 times (the last time was 02/94) I can say that in regards
    to the main characters this is the best.  The characters have
    consistently spent enough time with all four people (2 children, and 
    2 adults) to allow still pictures and video.  I believe it was Pluto,
    Goofy, Donald, Minnie, and Mickey.  The food was simply o.k., but since
    we can get a good breakfast anywhere we were at the character breakfast
    to see the characters.  The food just serves to keep the kids occupied
    until the characters come around.  We went to the Minnie Menehune at
    the Polynesian resort also in 02/94.  This was our first time. 
    Although the food was good, there weren't that many characters.  I
    believe it was Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Pluto.  Again, the characters
    all spent plenty of time with each person at the table.  We also went
    to the Character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian
    resort in 02/94.  The food here was also good.  I believe the
    characters were Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, I'm having trouble
    remembering if Mickey or Minnie were there but I am sure that only one
    of them was there.  And also (the one my daughter liked the best!) Mary
    Poppins met us at the entrance and spent quite a bit of time with my
    daughter.  While three of us all like the characters at the Empress
    Lily the best, my daughter (who turned 4 while we were at Disney World)
    liked Mary Poppins at the Grand Floridian the best.
    
    This next trip (01/96) we are planning on having character breakfasts
    at MGM with Pocahontas, Captain John Smith, and Aladdin, and at the
    Disney Vacation Club at Olivia's restaurant with Winnie the Pooh and
    Friends.  I'll update you in February!
    
    Jodie
    

    Jodie,
    
    >This next trip (01/96) we are planning on having character breakfasts
    >at MGM with Pocahontas, Captain John Smith, and Aladdin, and at the
    >Disney Vacation Club at Olivia's restaurant with Winnie the Pooh and
    >Friends.  I'll update you in February!
    
    Just to set your expectations...  In July/August, the MGM breakfast
    didn't have Aladdin or Jasmine.  The characters in the eating area
    were Meeko, Governor whoever from Pocahontas, the Genie and Jafar.
    Pocahontas and John Smith were upstairs.  We thought the food was
    better than average.
    
    We had breakfast with Farmer Mickey, Farmer Minnie, Chip and Dale
    at the rotating restaurant in The Land at Epcot.  The food was so awful
    it wasn't worth it even to see the characters.  On the other hand we
    had quite an adventure as WDW had a property-wide power outage while
    we were eating.  That sort of made up for the crappy food.
    
    We also had breakfast in the castle.  The food there was a little worse
    than average (probably like the old Empress Lilly).  The characters
    were well worth it though - Alice, Snow White, Dopey, Cinderella,
    one of the mice from Cinderella, Peter Pan and Smee.
    
    Ruth

    Another thumbs down for the Land Grille restaurant.
    
    Ruth...didn't you read my trip report?
    
    Hmmm...come to think of it I haven't read yours either...;^)

    during my recent trip (11/3-11/14) we had one character breakfast at
    the contemporary cafe.  goofy, pluto, chip and dale were the attendees
    (didn't care about seeing mickey, as goofy and the 'munks are a couple
    of my favs, but now i kind of wish we had picked a mickey one because
    we never saw him while we were there).  it was a buffet, and it had
    your typical selection: breads, cereal, scrambled eggs (which were ok),
    sausage and bacon, french toast (which was probably the best i have
    ever had, along with the f.t. i got in the food court in the all-star
    resort), waffles (which the guy next to me said "sucked"...his words,
    not mine) and fruit.  each of the characters came around and had time
    to pose for pics.  i am sure if we had children with us, they would
    have stuck around longer.  i guess we basically paid just to see the
    characters, for the food was average, as was the service.  next time, i
    think i'm going to go with the pooh one...
    
    -raquel

On my October WDW trip (for which I still haven't written a report, 
I know!), we went to the character breakfast at the Wilderness Lodge
(Artist Point dining room).  The characters were Pluto, Goofy, Chip,
and Dale.  The food was good - at least, the stuffed French toast was
(which all three of us had, so I can't comment on any other dishes).
Cost was (if I remember correctly) $13.95 for adults (I forget the kids'
price).

The characters all came by, but actually the best part for us was our
waiter, Lee, who was a hoot!  For example, when I asked him what the
French toast was stuffed with (since it wasn't mentioned on the menu),
he said, with a straight face, "Anchovies, and it's really good!" :-)
(It's stuffed with blueberries.)  He also did cute napkin tricks for
kids at his other tables.

A fun time, and a nice setting - the Wilderness Lodge is pretty awesome!

-- Nina

    We just got back from Fla/Disney yesterday 8^(  had an awesome time.
    
    We did the Mary Poppins Character breakfast at the Grand Floridian and
    it was great.  I thought the food was very good.  We saw Minnie Mouse,
    Goofey, Pluto, Dale and Mary Poppins.
    
    We had plenty of time with all the characters, except for Mary Poppins,
    she was only there for about 15 minutes (outside of the restaurant) but
    we were lucky enough to get out there before she left and my 3.5 yr old
    had a great conversation with her.
    
    The cast member who played Goofey was wonderful.  S/he went around to
    everyone (even us BIG kids) and "goofed."  We've got footage of Goofey
    feeding me breakfast.
    
    BTW, we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and I loved it.
    
    /Susan

    Pochahontos Breakfast Disney-MGM Studios Sound Stage Restaurant
      8:30 -10:30 am  $12.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)*
    
    Coral Reef Breakfast @ The Living Seas at Epcot
      8:30 - 10:30am  $14.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)*
    
    One Upon a Time @ King Stefans' Banquet Hall in TMK
      8:00 - 10:00am  $14.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)*
    
    Character Breakfast Buffet @ Cape May @ Disney Beach Club
      7:30 - 11:00am  $12.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)
    
    Character Breakfast Buffet @ Contemporary Cafe @ Contemporary hotel
      7:30 - 11:00am  $12.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)
    
    Minnie's Menehune Breakfast @ Ohana a the Polynesions hotel
      7:30 - 11:00am  $12.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)
    
    Breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Sundays and Wednesdays
    at Olivia's Cafe @ the Vacation Club
      7:30 - 10:15am  $11.50 Adult  $7.50 Child (3-9)
    
    Breakfast with Mary Poppins and Friends @ 1900 Park Fare @ Grand
    Floridian
      7:30 - 11:30am  $14.95 Adult  $9.95 Child (3-9)
    
    Character Breakfast Stampede @ Artist Point @ Wilderness Lodge
      7:30 - 11:30am  $14.95 Adult  $12.95 Adult  $7.95 Child (3-9)
    
    *Park admission ticket is required.

    FYI - there is no Coral Reef Breakfast @ the Living Seas :(
    
    @ the Garden Grill it's Farmer Mickey/Minnie Breakfast $14.95 and
    $7.95 Child
    
    Has anyone tried this one yet?
    
    Thanks,
    Julie

Does anyone have an opinion on which are the best seats/tables at the 
King Stefan's character breakfast?

Thanks,

Doug

    
    I don't know that you can request a particular table or not, but where
    we sat was near the back window looking directly over the entryway into
    Fantasyland - toward Dumbo and Lion King Theatre, etc.
    
    As far as mingling with the characters, I don't think it matters too
    much where you sit in that the characters seem to go sequentially
    from table to table.  The only thing you might want to specify/not
    specify is booth vs. table.  We sat at a table, but I believe that
    there were booths along the side walls which might make access to
    the characters more difficult.  But I can't really recall - maybe
    they were all tables.
    
    In any case, King Stefan's was the best character breakfast in terms
    of # of characters - though the breakfast itself was somewhat average
    to above average.  Cape May Cafe on the other hand had an excellent
    buffet breakfast but only so-so in the way of characters (Goofy,
    Pluto, Chip N Dale).  From my reading of other character breakfasts,
    I don't think any have more characters than King Stefan's and this
    is the only place I've ever seen Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan
    and Wendy appear - so get the autograph books handy.
    
    Gary

    We tried the Garden Grill Farmer Mickey/Minnie Breakfast ($14.95 Adult/
    7.95 Child).  We hated it!  The food consisted of OJ, fresh strawberries
    with yogurt, glazed cinnamon buns, biscuits with a sausage gravy, wet
    scrambled eggs, ham, sausage patties, some kind of potatoes sort of
    like scalloped potatoes, cheese grits, and warm coffee (@7:40am).
     
    We were told this was a Character Buffet, it's just an all you can eat,
    and there was nothing here that my kids liked except for the OJ and
    cinnamon buns.  Neither my husband nor I were crazy about it.  Also,
    there is no room to take pictures of the characters - very cramped
    table setup.  Kids receive a straw hat upon entering which they get to
    keep.
    
    Regards,
    Julie
         
    
    My recommendation:  No way
    
    

    
    I second .-1.  We went last month, the kids and I liked the food 
    but my husband disliked it VERY much.    I did feel crowded and rushed. 
    When we went to Aladins breakfast (now Pocahontas??) it was wonderful
    that some of the characters could talk to you.   I wish we had done 
    Pocahontas instead.   Dragging those hats back on the plane was not
    fun either.  
    
    Teri  
    
    

	I'll even triple the comments made here. We went to this character 
breakfast last Tuesday. We sat through the whole meal and never saw a 
character. Well, okay, I saw the top of their heads as they were on the
other side of the wall.

	After finishing our meal (kids barely touched it), the waitress came
by and asked if I wanted anything else. I said "how about having a couple 
characters stop by?". She seemed surprised that we weren't visited in the 45 
minutes we were there. About 15 minutes later Chip came by - alone. Then Dale 
came by - alone. Then about 10 minutes later Mickey stopped by for a 
nanosecond. Then Minnie came by and spent a few minutes kissing my cheek and 
playing with me and mostly ignored my kids. Not a very memorable event for the 
kids. We didn't even bother taking a picture.

	I'll never go to this brekfast again.
    
Carl

    Crystal Palace @ TMK will be re-opening April 1st with a Winner-the-
    Pooh and Tigger Too Character Buffet Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
    
    Bkfst     Adult  12.95     Child 7.95 (Ages 3-11)
    Lunch     Adult  14.95     Child 7.95 
    Dinner    Adult  19.50     Child 9.95

    
    My son would like to see Pocahantas and John Smith at a character meal.
    I believe that there are two choices - the character B/L/D at the 
    Soundstage at Disney-MGM or a character breakfast at Artist Point
    at the Wilderness Lodge.   I guess the Aladdin folks would also be
    at the Soundstage which is a plus; but I have a feeling that the food
    there is not as good and higher-priced.   Please tell me which you
    would choose and why.
    
    Thanks!
    Carol

    
    Oops, and I have the same decision to make for son #2 who we would
    like to see have breakfast with Winnie & Tigger.   The choices, as
    near as I can tell, are Olivias at Old Key West and The Crystal 
    Palace at the Magic Kindgom.
    
    Opinions, please (and thank you!)
    
    Carol

    When we were at the Soundstage, the only characters there were
    "minor"--Meeko, Ratcliffe, Genie, and Jafar.  We saw Pocahantas outside
    MGM (before opening) and at the very expensive/horrid food/but best
    characters--King Stefan's.  John Smith was no where to be seen. 
    Pocahantas told the kids that he was "fishing".
    

Re: *.129

Pocahantas and John Smith were not at the character breakfast at Artist Point
at the Wilderness Lodge when we went there in Nov, but any excuse to go to the
breakfast at Artist Point should be capitalized on.  The food, atmosphere,
and service there is great.  We went to seven character breakfasts and this
was our favorite.

    
    I think that Pocahantas is a recent change to Artist Point's 
    character breakfast.   Seems kinda fitting to the character
    of the resort...   For what it's worth, this is my first
    choice because I would like to take a peek at the different
    resorts.
    
    Carol

    
    If you planning on going to the character breakfast at Olivia's
    (Old Key West resort), keep in mind the breakfast is on Wednesday
    and Sunday mornings only. I procrastinated on reservations and tried
    to reserve two weeks before we arrived. No seatings were available.
    Based on this, I made other arrangements and did not attempt to
    "walkin". Olivia's was a Winnie/Tigger character breakfast.
    
    Phil
    

    We had breakfast at both Artist's Point at Wilderness Lodge and
    the Sound Stage at MGM (this was during the last two weeks).
    
    I haven't finished my trip report yet (ok, I haven't started it yet!)
    and my notes are at home so this from memory:  At Artist's Point we
    saw Pocahantas, John Smith, Gov. Radcliffe, and Meeko - servers
    bring everyone a plate of food initially and you can ask for seconds;
    at the Sound Stage we saw Quasimodo, Genie, Jafar, and Meeko(?) - it
    was buffet style.
    
    I would do either one again.
    
    Karen 

    
    re: .135
    
    Looking forward to your trip report, Karen!
    
    Thanks for the info,
    Carol

Does anyone know if Mickey Waffles are served at the 1900 Park Fare
character breakfast at the GF?  We've chosen to go to that character
breakfast on our trip in April, and it's important to the kids to have
Mickey Waffles.  

If not, where are some of the places that have them for breakfast?

Thanks,

- Lori

Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary does not have them on the buffet, but if
you as your waiter/waitress they can get them from the kitchen.  What they
brought for us was 3 mini Mickey waffles.

Irene

    Don't know if the Mickey waffles are at 1900 Park Fare, but they
    had them at the Crystal Palace breakfast in Magic Kingdom. This was
    Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger.  They are mini sized and set up at a special
    children's buffet section (the table is lower so kids can serve
    themselves).
    
    Also they did not have them at Soundstage or Artist Point character 
    breakfasts.
    
    Tracey
    

    They will make them for you at Tangaroa Terrace at The Poly.
    
    Mike

They have them at the Trails End buffet in Fort Wilderness - no characters
though.

George

    They had them at Cape May Cafe (Admiral Goofy's breakfast) in August. 
    Again, these were the mini waffles on the kids' buffet.  And it was a
    great character breakfast!
    
    We went to 1900 Park Faire for the dinner buffet, so I don't know about
    that one.
    
    
    Susan

    Boy if I were to bet on any place for Mickey Waffles I'd bet on Chef
    Mickey's.
    
    Mike

And they were still at Admiral Goofy's 3 weeks ago.

George

    They had them at the Grand Floridian Cafe the last time we had
    breakfast there.
    
    Ron

    Along the line of waffles....does anyone know a receipe for "tonga
    toast"?  My husband and daughter are craving them....We are not going
    to DW till next year....long to wait.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Kathi
    

    Kathi - look at note 42.1

Just to answer my own question (.138), the Character Breakfast at the
1900 Park Fare DOES have Mickey Waffles.  I asked when I called this 
morning for "preferred seating".  They have:

	scrambled eggs, omelets, French toast, pancakes, Mickey waffles,
	yogurt, oatmeal, cold cereal, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy,
	and fried potatoes

There might be more, but that's all I remember.

- Lori

We just came back from disney last week and we found Mickey waffles 
at Old Port Royal  at the Carribbean beach hotel they sell them in 
all the food outlets there.

		Dan

    
    We just came back from Disney, The highlight of the weekend was 
    our Easter Sunday Breakfast at the Yatch and Beach Club. We had
    Goofy serve my husband his fifth birthday cake, It was a large cookie
    with candles, everyone was great all the characters came over to sing
    and the servers were excellent and keep it a great surprise.

> We had Goofy serve my husband his fifth birthday cake

You cradle-robber, you!  :-)

- Nina