Chef Mickey’s Character Breakfast: Is It Worth the Big Buck$?!?

Welcome to Chef Mickey's.

Every photo has a story.

Disney vacationers have stories galore of character meals, yet I was an ancient forty-two before I ever dined with a character. Why did it take so long? Probably the cost. My pre-teen sons paid for my first character meal breakfast last Christmas Eve as my Christmas present. Was it worth the wait? Most definitely.

Chef Mickey’s is a restaurant in Disney‘s Contemporary Resort which serves a buffet-style breakfast and dinner, all the while Disney characters make their way around the room and to your table for photos. Chef Mickey, Minnie, all sorts of their Disney pals, a monorail zipping through the building, and some amazing seasonal dishes provide the makings of quite a memorable meal.

Picture this…The all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet serves up drinks, fruit, cereal, pancakes with toppings, Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles, eggs, omelettes and delectable pastries.

I think I mentioned price was a factor in my later-in-life character meal experience. I am not the biggest breakfast eater on vacation, and characters are cute, but you know, I’m old, and I’m mainly behind the camera, not waiting to pose with Goofy. Plus I’m really just pretty cheap. When I asked my sons if they felt like they had gotten their money’s worth, because not only did they pay for my meal, but they also bought half of their own breakfast as well, neither hesitated to say yes. They said they had a great time, and they wanted to make this an annual experience. Even when I told them we could have eaten a similar meal downstairs at the Contemporary Resort’s The Wave restaurant for almost half the amount, they both replied they liked the characters and the upstairs location. I told them I should start rolling change so I can afford my own meal next time.

Just what is the price? The cost is $15 to $35.99 for the Chef Mickey’s character breakfast, not including the tip, which is a recommended 18% to 20%.

How do you make reservations? You can book online or call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 up to 180 days before your visit. You must use your credit card to hold your reservation, and if you cancel within 24 hours of your reservation, or heavens-to-Mickey, you don’t make it to the meal, a cancellation fee per person of $10 will be charged to your credit card. If this is a really special occasion, celebration cakes are available for an additional charge. You can order your cake a mere 48 hours in advance by calling (407) 827-2253.

Whew, $40 for one adult breakfast. I could feed my family of five for less than this at McDonald’s, but this is a Disney vacation, and Chef Mickey doesn’t dance and pose for photos at McDonald’s. I say give it a whirl, and make sure you double up on the pastries before you monorail yourself over to the Magic Kingdom.

Thanks for coming along for a photographical ride!

Amanda

Do you have any fabulous Disney vacation pictures you’d like to share? Drop by and share your photos with Mouze Kateerz on Facebook. Take a virtual Disney vacation each day in photographs. You can see even more great pictures by visiting Mouze Kateerz on Pinterest. Shoot me an email of your favorite Disney location or architectural wonder at mouzekateerz@chipandco.com.

See ya at the buffet soon!

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Comments

mariellen says:

May 18, 2012 at 1:29 pm

Was Mickey dressed as Santa for Christmas Eve breakfast?!

- Mouze Kateerz says:
  
  May 18, 2012 at 4:24 pm
  
  No, just dressed as a chef. There was a tree and a wreath though. I don’t know what they do every year, but that was last year. Thanks for stopping by!
  Amanda
  
Jeff says:

May 12, 2013 at 8:16 pm

Hi, I just wanted to ask a question: my family ate at chef mickey’s, and we enjoyed it. The food was ok, and the characters were great. My issue was that the waiter came after me after I left a 40$ tip and said it wasn’t 20%. We had four adults, and two infants who ate baby food and a few mashed potatoes from the buffet. His response was that we were a party of six, and a 20% tip is automatically built in. The waiter brought four sodas and the kids waters, he also cleared the table at the end of the meal. I thought 40$ was appropriate for what our waiter did, so even though he didn’t serve our meals, he complained about only getting a 40$ tip, that comes to $10 per adult for a tip with a buffet! And that isn’t enough? I was pretty insulted as the waiter followed me out of the restaurant. I don’t consider myself cheap, but is this an absolute ? Or is the tip based on service and what I think is appropriate?

Thanks,
Jeff