We're taking our 5 year old there and have heard about these. What happens at one of these? Do you have to reserve tickets in advance? Can you pay for tickets upon arrival at the park?

My husband and 6 yr old ate breakfast everyday with the characters at the Pavilion at the corner of Main street and Tomorrowland. They both had a great time. Said the food was good. No tickets, just walked right in. This was in October. Naturally was pricey as all Disney is. Well worth the investment when the eating child was not interested in the rides. The characters come by your table and visit with each child during the breakfast. You can get pictures with the characters and get their autographs in your little disney autograph book, without the hordes of people who will swarm a charater loose in Disneyland. They have seatings so make sure you know those times. Seems like it was every 15 minutes or so. This prevented the restaurant from getting overcrowded. They ate between 10 & 11. Have fun.

the contemporary hotel ontthe disney property had one-
walk in-
check the times tho-
characters walk around& do fun things& allow photos - the kids loved it!food was good too..
the mono rail runs thru & you can get there easily..

I don't know how it works at Disneyland, but at WDW, you make priority seating arrangements. This is different than a reservation because you are not guaranteed a table at a certain time. You are guaranteed to be seated before a person who just walks in at that approximate time. I think character breakfasts are wonderful since the characters come to every table. Some of your most memorable pictures can be taken at them.

Ok we just returned back in May. There are several places that offer this character breakfast. Each one has dif chose of characters. Our was held in the Magic Kingdom . You have to call ahead of time. There is still a long wait when u arrive. You sit outside and they call your name when your table is ready. Our breakfast included Tigger, Eor, Piglet of which come around individualy to each table. They pose for pitures and hug the little ones. Sometimes even the big ones. Winnie the Poo is the most popular, he hangs in the front and you have to go see him. They also serve breakfast all you can eat. It's very pricey but its worth the look on the kids face. I mean the characters are great. It's well worth it. Try and book your tickets ahead of time. When you arrive they will have you already listed. It's really busy and I wouldn't relie on tickets at the door. Childrens ages ranged from 2 - 4 and even the 2 yr old got a kick out of it

Are there other meals available (e.g., lunch or dinner)? How much does a Character meal cost per person?

I believe the Liberty Tavern has a character dinner, but it's very pricey. Also, if your daughter has a favorite Disney movie, check to see if one of the breakfasts is featuring that theme. A few years ago, they had a Pocohantas breakfast that my 6-year-old loved since he was a huge fan of the movie. We haven't been in a few years, but the Empress Lilly in Disney Village had a very nice breakfast that you have two seating choice times.

I see that some responses are from experiences at WDW. If the original posters is going to Disneyland in Anaheim the experience there might be very different. The two parks are not run just alike. In addition to the breakfast inside the park we went to dinner at Goofy's kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. Same thing, the characters come around, it's very relaxed but it's buffet. This one requires reservations or standing in line. I'd call ahead, plus with all the changes going in with CA Adventure and Downtown disney I'm not sure what they have to offer there anymore. There's also breakfast with Chip n Dale at the Grand Californian Hotel and breakfast with Minnie and Friends at the Paradise Pier Hotel (formerly Pan Pacific or briefly Disny Pacific). You can also have a tea with Mary Poppins there. Lots of choices.

We had a character lunch at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom when we were at Disney World last month. It was one of the highlights of our visit. It was wonderful to sit down and have a relaxing meal after running around in the sun all morning. They have Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet at the Crystal Palace, and they all visited our table at intervals. I think it took about an hour for all of them to get to us. It was pretty good food for a buffet, and they had a kids buffet too, with pizza, chicken fingers, etc. Our kids had a great time seeing the characters, and we got to take lots of pictures. They have different groups of characters at different locations, like Cinderella is at the restaurant in Cinderella's Castle, Mickey Mouse and a few others are at Chef Mickey's, Mary Poppins is at one of the hotels (forget which one). You should be able to find out who will be where if you go to www.disney.com. I agree with Suzie, it was much better than waiting on line somewhere in the park. Kids under 3 are free, and I think it's $17 or $18 for adults, about the same for breakfast and a little more for dinner. I called to arrange priority seating about a month in advance, and were told to arrive about 5 minutes early, and we were seated almost immediately. And yes, you pay after you eat.

Best bet is the Goofy's kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. Take the monorail to the hotel. It's like a another ride for the 5 year old. You should DEFINATELY make reservations if going in the summer. You reserve in advance and pay when you eat. It's buffet style and the food is probably the best (and healthy) you will find at Disneyland (which is not saying much). They have a salad bar and a fruit bar. You can call (714) 956-6755. It's bit pricey but worth the sit down entertainment for the 5 year old in the middle of the day. For the younger kids it's like an extenstion of the park. Have fun.