Who did YOU see at Goofy's Kitchen?

[paape04]

We were there for dinner (5pm reservation) on Monday, March 28th. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Aladdin & Jasmine. We were one of the first families seated so all the characters made it to our table pretty quickly and we were done and out of there by 6:15-6:30. Plenty of time to hit the park for the evening!

 

[alivingxerox]

When we went it was October 09. We saw Goofy, Chip and Dale. That was it, Minnie was there too but she never came to our table. It was kind of ehh for us so we haven't been back but this was my one and only experience with Goofy's kitchen. Oh and Pluto at the check in photo area.

 

[Armadillo4]

This past February, we saw Pluto, Goofy, Snow White, Geppetto and Dale. Cinderella and Chip were also there but never made it to our table.

 

[erikamj]

We were just at GK at the end of March. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Alice, Baloo and Mulan. It was great.

 

[atheneze]

We went there for dinner about a month ago and saw a LOT of characters. Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Chip and Dale, Cinderella and Suzy.

Earlier, we had Sunday brunch and we saw Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Baloo, Snow White and Mulan.

 

[babyruth]

Sunday 4/17 at noon we saw Belle, Snow White, Baloo, Chip, Dale, Pluto and of course Goofy!

 

[jpow5]

Wed, April 20, 5:30 Dinner, we saw Goofy, Aladdin, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Snow White, and Captain Hook.

 

[mrsmoore]

Gosh, I feel lucky. We saw Donald at GK last June. Otherwise, saw some of the same ones already listed. Jasmine was just leaving, so did not see her.

 

[curiouslittleoyster]

We were there for an early brekkie in February and we saw Alice, Snow White, Chip and Dale, Pluto, Goofy, and I think the White Rabbit.

 

[jimsocks]

Minnie, Snow White, Aladdin, Dale (only), Pluto, Goofy....you know, as I'm reading this - I'm wondering if you could make the case that, if possible, when making ressies to attend - shoot for the earliest seating time possible....that way, lighter crowds - all the characters are there - better interactions.....just means breakfast at 7:00am and/or dinner at 5:00pm....

 

[Linda Farrell]

Had dinner there on 4/16 and we saw Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Snow White. We usually go to WDW, so we were surprised at the variety--you would only get Snow White at a Princess meal in WDW, and you wouldn't get Pinocchio and Geppetto anywhere.

 

[glokozar]

First visit in December....is Goofy's the only character meal that has characters at dinner besides the princess one at Ariel's?

 

[Vala]

GK is the only character dinner left.

Ariel's Grotto is doing the WOC dinner package, no princesses around anymore for dinner.

 

[OrcaPotter]

So my friends and I are planning to make reservations for Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast for our trip in July. I keep reading how the food is really good but the characters aren't as dynamic as they are at other meals. As a WDW resident, seeing a ton of characters while eating isn't high on our priority list at all. But if we're paying the bucks, we'd like it to be "magical." Opinions are all subjective, though. However, on a whole, if you only had ONE character meal to experience at DL and it was your very first trip and maybe even your last for quite some time, is Goofy's THE ONE or would one of the others be a better choice? Personally, I like the idea of a really good meal and some quality experience with characters, rather than quantity of characters. Goofy's a good choice?

 

[Vala]

However, on a whole, if you only had ONE character meal to experience at DL and it was your very first trip and maybe even your last for quite some time, is Goofy's THE ONE or would one of the others be a better choice? Personally, I like the idea of a really good meal and some quality experience with characters, rather than quantity of characters. Goofy's a good choice?

In that case it's Goofy's for me, hands down.

If the meal quality and the quality experience with characters are both factored in my ranking is

Goofy's Kitchen
Surf's Up with Mickey
Critter Breakfast GCH

If you can live with smaller selection of food and even better quality time with characters Surf's Up is actually first. I put Goofy's a little higher than Surf's Up foodwise, but the last two visits we did Surf's Up was a little better in the interaction.

 

[OrcaPotter]

In that case it's Goofy's for me, hands down.

If the meal quality and the quality experience with characters are both factored in my ranking is

Goofy's Kitchen
Surf's Up with Mickey
Critter Breakfast GCH

If you can live with smaller selection of food and even better quality time with characters Surf's Up is actually first. I put Goofy's a little higher than Surf's Up foodwise, but the last two visits we did Surf's Up was a little better in the interaction.

Excellent, thank you If budget allows, I'd love to squeeze in Surf's Up, too!

 

[mrsmoore]

So my friends and I are planning to make reservations for Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast for our trip in July. I keep reading how the food is really good but the characters aren't as dynamic as they are at other meals. As a WDW resident, seeing a ton of characters while eating isn't high on our priority list at all. But if we're paying the bucks, we'd like it to be "magical." Opinions are all subjective, though. However, on a whole, if you only had ONE character meal to experience at DL and it was your very first trip and maybe even your last for quite some time, is Goofy's THE ONE or would one of the others be a better choice? Personally, I like the idea of a really good meal and some quality experience with characters, rather than quantity of characters. Goofy's a good choice?

I just have to say, we did not have a very good experience with the quality of the food at GK. A lot of it was luke warm at best, and some cold. We did Minnie and Friends one year, and that was better food, and I felt better interaction with characters. My favorite food wise has been Ariel's Grotto.

 

[princessaw]

We went to GK in 2009 and saw Chip, Dale, Pluto, Goofy, and the Mad Hatter. It was a good experience, but I don't know if we will do it again. We much prefer the Minnie and Friends breakfast! I agree with the PP in that it has better food, and MUCH better character interaction. And what beats starting off your trip with a breakfast in the park with your favorite characters??

 

[Sherry E]

Excellent, thank you If budget allows, I'd love to squeeze in Surf's Up, too!

As you indicated earlier, opinions are very subjective - and that applies to all restaurants in DLR and not only the character meals. Some people are going to like certain places - others will not. That's going to happen with every restaurant. Things change over time, too - the chefs that were there 3 years ago may not be the came chefs who are there now, or the same ones who worked during the holiday season may be gone now. Same thing with some of the servers - they change over time. You just never know. I have read both great and terrible reviews for all of the character meals, both in food & service.

So how do you choose? No one is right or wrong on the issue - all we can do is share our own experiences and opinions.

But based on what your criteria is, I think Goofy's is a good choice because the buffet has a huge variety and there are not sooo many characters coming by that you can't get a bite of food. I am one of those who prefers fewer characters (Goofy's has a nice selection of usually 5 - 8 onsite, including the one at the entrance) and to eat a nice meal, rather than stop eating every few seconds for an onslaught of characters while my food gets cold. Other folks mainly just want the most characters.

That's actually how Goofy's used to be in the old, old, old days - characters coming at you left and right, and no time to eat! Once some other character meals opened in DLR, fewer characters began showing up at Goofy's. But remembering how Goofy's used to be back in the '90s (my first Goofy's meal was in 1992), I am not racing to get to Minnie & Friends because I can envision that same onslaught again.

So, I think if you were all about lots and lots of characters (anywhere from 8 - 14), then Minnie & Friends would be for you.

If you want a nice balance between familiar, classic Disney characters (5-8, including furry characters and a couple of Princesses) and a wide variety of food, Goofy's is a great choice. This is THE ONE I would always choose. It's a character meal experience that has worked for me for a long time, so I am an established fan unless they do something to scare me off.

If you want a smaller buffet and 5-ish characters in a fun, surf-y setting and you want to meet Mickey, Surf's Up is the place for you.

If you want a small buffet or the option to order off the menu and all woodsy/jungly characters in a quiet, relaxed setting, Storytellers Critter Breakfast is for you.

And if you want all Princesses, then Ariel's Grotto is the place to be.



All of the character meals average about 5 characters except for Minnie & Friends, which has many more on a regular basis. Often times Goofy's has 7 or 8, but many times they also have 5.

 

[jasonk5]

We've been several times to both Goofy's Kitchen in DL and Chef Mickey's in DW. Overall the food I think is better at Chef Mickey's. However the character interaction is way better at Goofy's Kitchen. Castmembers--you rock at Goofy's Kitchen. Everyone of them has been an actor or actress. Very engaging and do a great job being in character.
We've seen: Mulan, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Minnie
Snow White, Max, Jasmine, Baloo, Minnie, Goofy
Mulan, Jasmine, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie