Chef Mickey’s at Walt Disney World [Review for Families]

Character dining is a great way to see a number of your favorite characters at one time. There are a number of character dining options at Walt Disney World and each of them feature a different assortment of characters. These options can be a great way to see a number of characters at one time, while cooling off inside eating a delicious meal!

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Chef Mickey’s located inside the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World features the classic Fab Five Disney characters – you can typically see Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald there. Some of the characters come around to your table to greet you, while one character is available at a picture station at the exit of the restaurant. Most recently, Minnie was stationed at the character photo spot at the exit.

The atmosphere is upbeat and fun, and this is a great meal for all ages. Let’s dive into the details on this fun character dining experience!

Why You Should Book Disney Character Dining

Character dining is a fantastic way to see a number of characters at one time. It can be a fun way to start the day, a mid-day break to beat the heat, or fun way to cap off your day at Disney.

The characters that will be at a meal are not guaranteed and subject to availability, but Chef Mickey’s tends to consistently have the Fab Five characters. Previously guests took a photo with a Mickey statue at the entrance upon arrival, however that procedure has changed in recent years and you now take a photo with character Minnie with a PhotoPass photographer on your way out. This can be a great way to get a good family photo!

Prices of character meals tend to be on the spendy side, but there are many reasons to consider these meals as not only part of your meal plan but also for the entertainment value. Current pricing at Chef Mickey’s is $51 for breakfast, $62 for dinner (adults, ages 10 and up) and $33 for breakfast, $39 for dinner (children ages 3-9), and these are a set price for all attendees since it is a buffet style meal for both breakfast and dinner. Characters are also in attendance at both breakfast and dinner as well.

With character meals, you’re not just paying for the food but also for the overall experience. There is music and dancing, and of course the characters that come over to your table to greet your party. You’re able to get individual character photos with each one that comes around, and in our experiences at Chef Mickey’s the characters don’t tend to be rushed at this dining location.

This meal is a great one for all ages, and even now that our children are tween and teen age, this is still one of their favorite meals. It is a staple at our house and one that we have returned to time and again on trips to Walt Disney World. If your family is looking for a classic character dining experience, this would be the one to consider!

What Makes Chef Mickey’s Stand Out

• Vibrant Decor and Setting
• Fab Five Characters
• Solid Food Selection

The setting for Chef Mickey’s is in the open atrium area inside the Contemporary Resort, on the fourth four. The Contempo Cafe and shopping locations are also located on this level and you can use elevators or escalators to arrive from the main lobby area. You’ll also see immediately when you get to the atrium that this is the area where monorails go right through the hotel, one of the most unique features of the Contemporary Resort!

If you’re looking for a meal with Fab Five characters, this is the one meal on property that has them! You would also be able to see the classic characters at Hollywood & Vine in seasonal attire, Mickey and Pluto are at Garden Grill with Chip and Dale in farmer gear, Tusker House features Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy in their safari outfits – but if you’re looking to see all of the Fab Five classic characters in one place, Chef Mickey’s is the spot! They currently are wearing their Chef Outfits in classic colors.

The food at Chef Mickey’s is also pretty solid and should appeal to a wide range of palettes. For breakfast there are pancakes, pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon and traditional fare meal choices. At dinner there are a selection of meat, sides like roasted veggies and mac & cheese, and seasonal favorites. There should be a wide selection at this buffet meal for most participants.

How to Get a Chef Mickey’s Reservation

Getting an advanced dining reservation to Chef Mickey’s can be a bit tricky depending on the time of year, but here are some tips to grab this dining reservations if it is high on your priority list to experience!

• Search for the reservation early: Dining reservations can typical be made approximately 60 days ahead of your desired dining date. (60 days plus length of stay up to 10 days, for guests staying on property at a Disney resort.) When your dining booking date opens, check at 6am Eastern time to see if you can grab an available reservation.
• If a reservation is not available on the day that your dining booking date arrives, don’t fret! You need to keep an eye out on the reservations page for a cancellation to pop up. Which does happen. Use a service like Mouse Dining to track available reservations for a particular restaurant, the free service will send you an email or the paid service will send you a text!
• If it is a few days before you would like to dine, keep an eye out on My Disney Experience! Often people will drop their dining reservations in the last 24-48 hours before the reservation so that they don’t get charged the cancellation fee. You can often pick up these cancellations at the last minute, just by checking the app a few times a day.

Managing Allergies and Intolerances at Disney

Dining at Walt Disney World is a big part of the Disney experience, and Disney goes out of their way to accomodate diners that have either allergy or intolerance issues. While at Chef Mickey’s, we received an allergy menu to make sure we could steer clear of any ingredients we were trying to avoid. It was particularly helpful that it had the most common allergy items listed with menu items noting which ones you could eat and which ones you should stay away from.

Just ask your server if you need additional allergy information about your meal, and they will be happy to help. Chefs will even sometimes come out to your table to talk over any concerns, depending on the severity of the allergy.

Who Chef Mickey’s is a Good Fit For

• First Time Character Dining Participants
• Fab Five Character Fans
• Mickey Fans
• Young children
• Grade school aged children

Chef Mickey’s is one of our top rated character experience and we give it 5 Mouse Ears, as a meal that we definitely would repeat time and again on future visits to Walt Disney World.

Our Rating of Chef Mickey’s

Chef Mickey’s gets a top rating as a memorable dining experience that is a great way to see a number of characters at one time while enjoying a meal. This classic location is an excellent choice for most families and is likely to become a part of your regular meal rotation while at Walt Disney World!