Going to DisneyLand takes planning. You have to map out your day, decide which rides you’re going to go on, make reservations for character dining, and at least a million other things. Unless you’re my family. If you’re part our crew, you go with the flow and have a great day without scheduling every moment of our visit. There was one exception,though. We KNEW that we were going to Goofy’s Kitchen. Terrence’s colleague recommended it to us as a place to see some of the best Disney characters, and he was absolutely right!
Goofy’s Kitchen, located in Downtown Disney has some of the best food I’ve tasted at a buffet. For about $55/adult and $15/child, there was plenty of tasty food to fill us out. At the buffet, there was a made to order omelette station, nice sized fruit and salad bars, pizza (including the infamous Macaroni & Cheese pizza), decadent desserts, and, most importantly, princesses! As soon as we walked in, the man himself, Goofy, was standing in the lobby taking pictures. Ayva isn’t typically a fan of large characters, so we picked her up to ease her into the character experience. Goofy was incredibly understanding when I told him that she would need a little bit of time to warm up to him.
We headed to our table, and right after we placed our drink order, Cinderella came to our table to chat with Ayva. My little princess was totally awestruck, and Cinderella was just as sweet as you’d expect her to be. She talked to Ayva for a few minutes, and then posed for (a lot of) pictures with her. After we piled up our plates at the buffet (for Ayva and Terrence? Chicken tenders and Micky Mouse waffles), we sat back down at our table and were visited by Chip, Dale, Sleeping Beauty and Pluto.
It was wonderful for Ayva to be able to meet some of her favorite characters, especially the princesses, without having to wait in long lines. All of the Disney cast members were obviously very well trained in how to interact with young guests who were nervous, and they were all incredibly kind. Chip took a picture with Terrence and helped ease Ayva into engaging with him. Pluto was extremely gentle and spent time helping Ayva to warm up to him, and by the time they left, she was giving hugs, high fives, and calling out “Bye! See you later!” I’d absolutely recommend Goofy’s Kitchen for parents with young children for a personal character experience.
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