In my last blog I wrote about my children and me flying some 65 feet high in the air over alligators . This time I wanted to write about another experience in Orlando, Florida, at none other than Disney World. We love the rides, we love the shows, we love the amenities; however, one of our favorite experiences are Character Dining Experiences. This time we shared two different meals with characters.

The first one was at The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. This was inspired by the Victorian greenhouses from the late 1800s. It has views of Cinderella’s Castle and Main Street USA. There, we were seated by the windows along the outer edge of the dining room. We ate breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his friends Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. As we were eating, one by one the characters would come by our table to say hello, take as many pictures as we wanted and sign our son’s autograph book.

The breakfast consisted of eggs, pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse, cheesy potatoes, breakfast meats and fruit, and ice cream and cookies for dessert. One thing I will say, Disney does it right. If anyone in your party has any food allergies, Disney is amazing. They come to your table and make up a special plate just for that person.

The second meal we had with characters was Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. You can have breakfast or dinner there. We chose to have dinner this time around. It was great, with a very similar set-up as The Crystal Palace, where the characters one by one come to the table. This time, each character is dressed up in a chef outfit.

My favorite character is Donald Duck, and he didn’t disappoint, as he snuck up on my daughter and me. He cracks me up, that silly duck! Although we bring our children to Disney World for them to experience “the magic,” I think my wife and I have just as much fun, if not more. During the character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and gang and during dinner with Mickey Mouse and his gang, my wife, Stacey, had each character give her a hug. They all did. That Goofy character, I have to keep my eye on him!

The food was excellent, as well. They had macaroni and cheese, grilled and roasted vegetables, stir fry and other Chinese food, a carving station, Italian pasta dishes and different salads. Of course, they had some really great desserts, including warm apple crisp and ice cream. Everything was served buffet-style.

All in all, we had some great experiences where we were able to have some one-on-one time with each of the characters and, of course, take pictures, etc. I have to hand it to my wife, she makes all of these reservations way ahead of time (otherwise they would not have been available) and makes sure each child, including me, gets to see their favorite character.

We had a great trip, made some memories and enjoyed the journey!

— Eli R. Shapiro, director of sales