Chef Mickey's Buffet at Walt Disney World

On our recent trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, we decided to eat dinner at Chef Mickey's Buffet. Chef Mickey's is located in the Contemporary Resort, which is on Disney property. A description of the restaurant can be found at Walt Disney World's website. We had a rental car on our trip, so we drove, but Disney provides free transportation from any other Disney resort or from the 4 parks for any resort guest. In other words, even if you are not staying at the Contemporary, you can still enjoy Chef Mickey's!

Chef Mickey's serves both a breakfast buffet and a dinner buffet. The prices for breakfast are $ 22.99 for adults, and $ 12.99 for children 3-9. Dinner prices are $ 29.99 for adults and $ 14.99 for children 3-9. (Prices for Chef Mickey's are provided by The Dis, and could be subject to change.)All kids under 3 eat for free in Disney World. We chose to go for dinner, because we like to sleep in later while on vacation, and we are not big breakfast eaters normally in my family.

Possibly the most exciting detail about eating at Chef Mickey's is that the breakfast and dinner buffets are character dining experiences. This is where Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto, all dressed up in their chef uniforms, go from table to table visiting diners. I was afraid that we would feel rushed during our meal, but the characters stayed spaced out pretty evenly throughout our meal, and each one of them left ample time for photo opportunities, autograph signing, and sometimes some magical moments for the kids. Chef Mickey's also has a song that they play through the restaurant; it is a party led by Minnie, and kids (and adults!) are encouraged to take their cloth napkins and swing them overhead during this time. My son loved this, and even most of the adults take part in the fun.

Speaking of adults, we did see quite a few parties of adults eating with no kids in tow. While this is probably thought of a place to dine for families, anywhere in Disney can be just as magical for grown-ups too. Another thing we noticed was that there was all different levels of dress- everything from very casual (ie blue jeans and tee-shirts) to dressy (ie jacket and tie.) My family had jeans and tee-shirts on, and felt right at home.

I suppose I can't do a review of Chef Mickey's without mentioning the most important part- the FOOD! The buffet food was really delicious, and we were very impressed at how fast castmembers worked in replenishing the buffet, and keeping food hot. I was surprised at how small the buffet was, but there were identical items on either side of the bar, which kept traffic flowing pretty well. There is also a kids buffet, which features a slightly lower counter than the adult buffet, giving kids a little more independence to get their own food. The menus for the adult and kids buffets can be found on The Dis. Our family absolutely recommends the garlic mashed potatoes- they are fabulous! Also, make sure to save some room for dessert; the dessert table is set away from the main bars, and is filled with all sorts of goodies. My absolute favorite dessert was the Mickey Oreo- it had a dome of chocolate mousse on a cookie, with chocolate Mickey ears- a must for any chocolate lover!

Chef Mickey's is included in the Disney Dining Plan, so if you are on the plan, you will not pay out of pocket for anything except for alcoholic drinks and gratuities. I would suggest calling ahead for Disney's version of a reservation, called an Advanced Dining Reservation, or ADR. You can reserve a time up to 180 days in advance by calling Disney Dining at 1-407-WDW-DINE. There are more tips on making advanced dining reservations courtesy of The Dis website. We had a reservation time of 5:00 pm, and we were there to check in at 4:55 pm. We were seated at 5:05; not a bad wait by any means!

If you are not on the Disney Dining Plan, I would still suggest trying Chef Mickey's for breakfast or dinner; for a buffet, it is a pretty good value, and I can guarantee that you will not go hungry here! The food is well-stocked, hot, and delicious, but I do believe the food is not necessarily the biggest draw here. This meal is all about meeting the Disney characters, and anyone visiting Chef Mickey's will be sure to have a magical time. We will certainly have this restaurant down to visit again on our next trip.