This character dining experience is located inside the Paradise Pier Hotel and features Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Stitch. We went during brunch so were able to do both breakfast and lunch options throughout our meal. Following is a review of our experience.
Characters
This was one of the most involved character breakfasts I have ever been to. Most character meals only guarantee that you will meet the characters one time throughout your meal period (which I think is technically the case for this one as well). But during our meal, we hung out with each of the characters several times.
When you first arrive, you have the opportunity to meet Donald in his Hawaiian or “Seaside” apparel before you are seated. There is a PhotoPass photographer present and during the meal you will be presented with a printed version of your photo, available for purchase (for a whopping $39.99!) You can also bring your own camera and have the PhotoPass photographer take your photos using yours, which is something I would definitely recommend.
One thing I’ve come to learn over time, is that the more you give the characters to “work with”, the more you’ll get in return. So ENGAGE with them! Ask them questions, be silly, find your inner child, it’ll be way more fun if you do so.
Food
Truth be told, I was pretty underwhelmed by the food at this buffet. The options felt a little odd (not sure how it all went with the theme) but there were a few highlights worth mentioning. First, there is a made-to-order egg/omelet station. The other option for eggs was a chilaquillas dish with queso, chips, onions, and eggs. There was also prime rib, which was the highlight for me, and garlic mashed potatoes. These were the best things on the buffet in my opinion.
For breakfast options, there were also your standard mini Mickey waffles with syrup, butter, or whipped cream (these were actually pretty good as well), a cereal station, and smoked salmon with mini bagels.
For lunch options, there were fried chicken wings and pizza for kids, rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, and rosemary potatoes. There was also a small salad station.
For dessert, there was a make-your-own ice cream cone/sundae station, with vanilla, chocolate, or swirl soft serve.
That was pretty much it. I guess for the price, I expected a little more. Or maybe I expected more from the items they did have. Either way the food was just mediocre in my opinion.
Cost for Brunch
Bruch is technically from 11:30am – 1:00pm and the cost is $42/adult (ages 10+) and $23/child (ages 3-9).
Did I think it was worth this price tag? Hmmm, that’s a hard one. We had a BLAST with the characters but the food was very lackluster for $42/person. In comparison to some of the other options available throughout Disneyland, this would probably be at the bottom of the list for me. BUT it was still very fun and if you are looking for the most economical character meal available, then this is definitely going to be your best bet.
Special Events
One more thing I wanted to mention, is that this seemed like THE spot to celebrate a birthday. During our 2-hour meal, we witnessed no less than 12 birthday songs. It got to be so many, that we finally asked our server about it and he was like, “oh yeah, every single day about 8-10 tables are birthday tables”. So if you’re looking for a place that does a good job at this, this character breakfast is certainly very seasoned.
Have you been to Donald Duck’s Seaside Breakfast or Brunch yet? What was your experience?
