Chef Mickey's

It is no big secret that our family loves all things Disney. We have spent a lot of time at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida over the years. As annual passholders and only living a few hours drive away from the most magical place on earth, we frequented Disney almost monthly. Its a shame we did not start recording our trips sooner, the DSquad Family definitely had an overload of Disney information to share with you all. Well, that is all in the past anyway, there is a whole new concept of Disney since the Covid19 pandemic began back in 2020.

This past week the DSquad Family had our first experience back to Disney World since the whole Covid19 pandemic. We did it all, from staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, to going to the parks, and also enjoying a few of our favorite character dining experiences. One of our favorites has always been Chef Mickey's which is located at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World Resort. We were so excited to be able to experience character dining again, especially since they had been closed for so long, but there have definitely been some changes made to the character dining experience you may want to know about before you go check it out.

First of all, the food is no longer served buffet style, as it always has been. Instead, it is now served what they call "family style", which means that the wait staff brings the food to the table for you to enjoy. You can still enjoy the concept of eating as much food as you would like, you just have to ask your server for more when you are ready. We were there during the dinner service which was broken down into a three-course meal. The first course they brought out included bread and salads. During this course, they also brought out a separate plate of food for the kids consisting of favorites like corn dogs, macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. The kid's plate actually looked so yummy that I ended up asking our server to bring me one! The second course was the main dishes and sides for the adults. The third and final course was the plate of desserts. Honestly, I like this change to the experience for the simple fact that it does help to reduce the number of germs that would normally be lurking on the buffet line.

The next big change that has been made to the iconic Chef Mickey's is the way the characters come to visit you at the table for your photo opt. You can no longer get out of your chair to stand up and take a photo with the characters, instead, you have to remain in your seat. The characters will walk by your table and stand about 6 feet from your table and pose while you try to catch that epic photo shot with them. To be honest, I do not care for this change at all! Being so distanced from the characters did not have the same enjoyment and magic we used to experience when we could stand up and hug our favorite characters. Or catch a selfie with them in a close-up shot. However, I do understand the reasoning behind this policy. Just keep in mind that gone are the days of catching the image of your toddler kissing mickey on the cheek or nose. Also, prepare to take a good camera so you can angle your shot to your liking and cut out the other families in the background.

For the most part, we really enjoyed the experience, and we were happy Walt Disney World is even offering character dining experiences at all. But we will always miss those magical moments we were able to capture in the past with Mickey and our kids.