Disney Character Meals
Aaron Sharp | February 24, 2021
This column originally appeared in the Odessa American newspaper February 11, 2018. It appears here by permission of the newspaper. The text of this column appears laregel as it originally did 3 years ago, but I have taken the liberty of adding some clarifications, and adjusting numbers as necessary.
This particular column was the first of a four-part series on traveling to Disney, something that the Wonder Woman tells me we will be doing again, even after she read these columns.
When you are at Disney World there are certain things that have to be done before you can officially say that you’ve been to the happiest place on earth. You have to ride the It’s a Small World ride because it is an iconic ride, and also thinking about being a Disney employee assigned to this ride will make you appreciate your job. You have to buy your own pair of mouse ears. You have to visit Cinderella’s Castle. And you have to have a character meal, or in our case, around four dozen character meals.
The premise behind a character meal is simple enough. You eat a meal, and while you are enjoying your meal Disney characters come around and greet you. It sounds delightful, doesn’t it? And it was delightful the first few times, but there comes a point at which, and I know this is crazy, you may want to eat.
Character meals are fun, but especially when you have small children they tend to turn meal time into Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest combined with a fire drill. You eat, and try to get the kids to eat between character appearances. So, let’s say Mickey Mouse comes to your table. The kids scream with excitement, the adults hurriedly rush to hand Mickey anything that you want him to sign, such as an autograph book, then you get the kids to squeeze into a picture with Mickey. Mickey goes to the next table, and you have a little bit of time before Minnie, Pluto, Donald, or whatever other character makes it to your table.
The most nerve-wracking part of all of this is actually getting your food if the restaurant happens to be a buffet. The last thing you want is to bring your kids to this meal to meet Cinderella, only for her to come by your table while you are gone. Once she has visited your table she doesn’t come back until she has made her way through the entire restaurant and back again. Even the fairy godmother can’t do anything for you if you miss your chance. As a general rule I think kids (and a few adults) need to learn how to handle disappointment. I think it is good for kids to learn how to react when things don’t go according to plan. A trip to Disney World, however, is not the time for teaching life lessons. Life lessons are for Saturdays – at home, not for the happiest place on earth, which coincidentally, is also the most expensive place on earth this side of golden toilets.
I freely admit that by the end of our time at Disney I was ready to go back to eating meals where my biggest concerns are spilled milk and a small human impaling a fellow diner with a fork.
There’s just so much less pressure.
No autographs, no pictures, and yes, the actual eating of food.