Is This Popular Disney Character Dining Worth The Price?
Recently, I visited a very popular Disney Character dining meal. Find out if I think this dining experience is worth the hefty price tag.
Dining and Disney World
When visiting Disney World, part of the experience is the food! There are lots of dining options that you can choose from. Options range from lounges, quick service, table service, and even fancier options that are known as signature dining.
Table service meals are very popular and can be part of the Disney Dining Plan.
Table service options can include meals that are priced per plate, family style, and buffet. At some table service restaurants, Guests can dine with some of their favorite Disney characters. This can guarantee a character experience without a lengthy wait in line.
Chef Mickey's
Chef Mickey's is a buffet meal where guests can also meet some classic Disney characters. Chef Mickey's can be found at Disney's Contemporary Resort. The menu includes traditional favorites, appetizers, entrées, and salads along with delicious desserts.
Guest dining at Chef Mickey's are in the middle of the magic as the monorail goes right overhead.
The restaurant is on the main level, where there's also the Contempo Cafe (the Contemporary's quick service dining option), security for the monorail, and several gift shops.
Reservations
Chef Mickey's is well known at Disney World, and can often be a sought-after reservation to get. If this is a dining experience you know you want, or you want to dine at a particular time, reservations are a must!
Reservations can be made 60 days before your check-in day for Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Sometimes, even hard-to-get reservations can be available day of, so be sure to keep an eye out if you are still trying to secure one.
On our most recent visit, my kids were asking for a character meal. We started looking for options, and I was lucky enough to get a same-day reservation.
In the past, I had found the food to be only okay, and the character interactions to feel very rushed. I was reluctant to dine here again because of the hefty price tag. My family convinced me to give it another try.
Check-In
Like other Disney Table Service dining, you can check in with the hostess or through the My Disney Experience app. With a reservation, I have found that we usually don't wait too long. We are usually sitting at our table within a few minutes.
Buffet
We chose to dine at dinner time. Options included soups, salads, a carving station, breads, sides (vegetables and potatoes), and desserts!
The buffet is where I was dreading this meal, but I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. I expected to see a messy buffet with mediocre food. This was NOT the case.
The buffet was constantly filled with new items. The food was hot and fresh. New plates were always plentiful. Any spills were quickly wiped away.
There were options for everyone, as the variety of this meal was fabulous. There were classics like chicken tenders, French fries, pizza, and macaroni and cheese. Other options included a delicious and tasty carving station and shrimp scampi!
Characters
Chef Mickey's offers up some of the best Disney characters, the Fab Five! Guests can dine with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
The servers are great about letting diners know when the characters should be making their way around the room. When we were first seated, they let us know we had enough time to make our first trip to the buffet.
Important Tip: If someone in your party misses a character (in the bathroom or at the buffet), let your server know. When the characters come around again, they will be sure to spend time with the person who was not there the first time. If everyone had been there, the second interaction would be quicker than the first.
Disney PhotoPass
There is a Disney PhotoPass opportunity, but it is not during the meal. This is located off of the dining area, and is a picture with the backdrop of a large plate. On our visit, no characters were in this photo opportunity like there has been in years past.
Be sure to bring a camera as there are no Disney PhotoPass photographers during the meal, and all pictures during the meal must be taken with your own camera.
Price
This meal comes with a hefty price tag. Which is the biggest reason this meal won't be a repeat for us on every trip.
Chef Mickey's is an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet. Non-alcoholic drinks, such as soda, juice, milk, coffee, and tea, are included with the meal. Alcoholic beverages, milkshakes, and other specialty drinks are available for an additional charge.
For breakfast, this meal is $38 plus tax and gratuity for children (3-9 years of age) and $59 plus tax and gratuity for adults. Dinner time, this meal is $44 plus tax and gratuity for children (3-9 years of age) and $69 plus tax and gratuity for adults.
This restaurant does accept discounts such as Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation Club. Even with the discount, you are looking at over $250 for dinner for a family of four.
Final Thoughts
Even though this meal is VERY EXPENSIVE, it was a fun and delicious dining experience. Overall, the food was hot and fresh, and the character interactions were great.
Dining at Chef Mickey's guarantees character interactions with some of your favorite Disney characters including Mickey and Minnie Mouse!
My family had a great time; however, it is not one we would repeat every trip due to the price. I do recommend it for families looking to guarantee a Mickey meet and greet along with an all you care to eat meal!
Have you dined at Chef Mickey's? Is it on your must-do dining list? Do you think it is worth the price? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to share this post with your friends!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Heather loves all things Disney! She loves visiting her "home" as a Disney Vacation Club Member or participating in a runDisney event!
