Hi Guys! 

It has been a while since I’ve done any new character dining experiences to be able to review for you guys so while we were in DLP for Run Disney we decided to treat ourselves to a royal breakfast and I thought I’d let you know what the experience was like.

Breakfast with the Disney Princesses is a fairly recent addition to Disneyland Paris, it launched in February 2019 for a short time, before returning in July 2019 due to its success. Set in the heart of Fantasyland, Auberge de Cendrillon was already home to Lunch and in peak times dinner with the princesses, so the addition of breakfast came as little surprise.

The restaurant can be found tucked behind Sleeping Beauty’s castle, it has a small courtyard where you can see Cinderella’s magical carriage, and inside the walls are covered in murals depicting some of the film’s most well-known moments.

As with the Plaza Gardens character breakfast, there are two sittings each day, 8:15 am is the first sitting and 9:45 am is the second. It is worth noting that the first sitting is during extra magic time, so guests will need to be staying in a Disney hotel, or have the relevant level of annual pass to enter the parks during this time. Reservations can be made either 3 days in advance by phone, through your hotel concierge or through city hall if you wish to pay on the day or use vouchers, if you wish to pay in advance this can be added to your booking through your travel provider.

We opted for the 9:45 sitting which gave us the option of either a later start or a chance to do some of EMT before going for our breakfast. This worked really well for us, and we arrived around 9:40 and joined a short queue at the entrance to the restaurant. The queue moved quickly and once we got to the front and confirmed our reservation and party size we were taken straight through to the restaurant and seated.

When we arrived there were already several pastries on the table for us and within moments a server came over to provide us with both a hot drink and a choice of orange or apple juice which was topped up later in the sitting. The breakfast is a set menu and after a short wait this was brought to our table, this consisted of scrambled egg, 3 small sausages, some roasted potatoes with mushrooms and asparagus and a Mickey waffle. On the side several small glasses with side dishes were provided, this included salmon, a crunchy vegetable mix, a fruit salad and yoghurt.

During the breakfast, three princesses in attendance visit guests at their tables for autographs and photos, we saw Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora. Compared to the character breakfast at plaza gardens I found the interaction with the princesses to be much better, despite having less characters. I felt that the quality of each meet was much higher and it personally felt a lot more relaxed which allowed me to enjoy it more without constantly worrying about trying to fit everything in.

The breakfast is priced at €49 per adult and €39 for children, as we did not have any children in our party I could not comment on the food they were served or if there were any menu changes. We used an Infinity Annual Pass which reduced the bill by 15% and felt that this was a fair price for the experience as a whole.

I really enjoyed the princess breakfast, I enjoyed the food and found even as a more picky eater there was enough for me to enjoy that I came away feeling full. I was impressed with the level of service from all of the waiting staff and especially with the interaction from the princesses. This isn’t a meal I would personally do every trip as I have already met the princesses on multiple occasions and would not normally spend this amount on breakfast. However, as an occasional trip in the future, or with my niece, it is definitely something I would do again.

If I had to suggest improvements to the offering it would be to include some of the princes and perhaps even Suzy and Perla just to provide a more varied character rotation. The addition of Prince Mickey and Princess Minnie would almost certainly encourage me to return on my next trip.

So that covers my experience and thoughts on the Princess Breakfast, have you been before? Did you agree with my thoughts and which princesses did you get? Drop me a comment!

Hoodsie xx

Hey guys!

If you know me well, or are a regular visitor to this blog, you'll know I'm a huge character fan! I mean I love everything about Disneyland Paris, but for me the characters, and more recently the entertainment, is what really sets Disney apart from other theme parks.

So for me when I'm in the parks I am constantly looking for ways to maximise how many characters I can meet, and one of these ways has become an integral part of my trips that I'd like to share with you all, and that is character dining.

This is something I have written about before, previously I gave my thoughts on the character breakfast currently available at Plaza Gardens. That was just after my trip in April 2017, and yet this is still one of my most read posts, and hopefully something that is proving useful to people trying to decide what experiences to spend their money on! So today I have decided to cover another character dining option, Inventions.

Inventions is a buffet restaurant located on the second floor of the iconic Disneyland Hotel. At the time of writing this review it is open for both Lunch and Dinner and does not require you to be a hotel guest or have a current park ticket. Lunch is served from 12:30 - 3 and the Dinner service is from 6 - 10:30 pm, it is priced at €35.00 for children aged 3-11, €65.00 for adults age 12 and up, and finally children under 3 eat for free!



The buffet on offer is, in my opinion, really good. There is plenty there, the range is good and in my experience dishes are replenished quickly throughout the service hours. In the times I have visited Inventions I can honestly say I've never gone hungry, and personally I think of myself as not having the most adventurous pallet, Nuggets and Pizza are just fine for me thank you. There is a good selection of cold meats, cheeses, a large selection of sea food which is always popular, and plenty of vegetarian choices, my personal favourites include the pasta and meatballs and the cod and chicken nuggets.

I have been lucky enough to have had dinner in inventions a few times now since 2016 and it's always been a really enjoyable experience. Part of what keeps me coming back again is that you never know exactly which characters you are going to see on any given night, this really helps to keep the experience fresh as there are so many that could make an appearance. So far I think I have seen; Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Pinocchio, Tigger, Eeyore and Rafiki over the various times I've been. Also I've known other people to have met Captain Hook, Smee, Marie and the Genie to name just a few.

     

Now if all this isn't sounding like an amazing experience already, if you have a trip that includes a Sunday, you're in for an extra special treat! Instead of the normal Lunch service, Sundays have a special Sunday Brunch which is an even more character filled opportunity. Brunches run each Sunday from 1 - 3pm and are €35 for children 3-11 and €79 for adults, so slightly more than a standard Lunch or Dinner sitting, a free fruit juice or champagne is also provided when you are seated.

What makes the Sunday brunch stand out from a normal meal at inventions is the range of characters that might show up. Character brunches are themed, each week has a different theme and different characters show up to represent it, where the "fab 5" characters, Mickey & Minnie etc, are present they will often have a special themed outfit. This is a great way of meeting rare and unusual characters, and if you're an avid character fan like myself, it's a great way of seeing some really unusual outfits!

Again I've been lucky enough to visit a few brunches, the themes are not announced in advance as they are subject to change at short notice so they try to avoid disappointment, but some themes are fairly easy to predict if they fall in line with public holidays such as Christmas, New year, Halloween, Easter etc. So far I have experienced 4 different brunch themes, Neverland, Champagne, Halloween and Orient Express, each has been a unique experience and I've had some really special meets.

For the Neverland brunch we saw Peter Pan, Wendy, Smee and Captain hook, as well as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip and Dale who all had special Pirate outfits! Peter and Wendy were my favourite and it was my first time meeting them together, but Donald's pirate outfit was really special, and I probably wouldn't have been able to meet him in this any other way!

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The Champagne brunch had a lot of the fab 5 type characters but also Clarice, Duffy bear and Shellie May! So for me this was an incredibly special brunch, and possibly one of my all time favourites. I loved the characters gold outfits and got to spend some quality time with them and got some amazing photographs that I'll hold on to for some time to come.



Finally the Orient express brunch was again the fab 5 characters with some additional friends from the 100 Acre woods, again the costumes were absolutely fantastic and so special to be able to meet Mickey and his pals in costumes you never see around the park, my fondest memory of this brunch was Minnie, she was feeling extremely playful and really made the experience memorable.

  

Other themes I've seen but haven't been to include a Snow White brunch with all 7 Dwarves, Under the sea with Ariel and Eric, a Parisian style brunch with the Aristocats, a London Brunch with Mary and Bert, far too many to list all in one place. As you can see this is a fantastic way to meet some really unsual characters or get to see yur favourites in some incredible alternative outfits.

The most important thing to note at character meals is that the characters will come to you, so please don't interrupt them when they are with someone else, on the whole I think Inventions is the best restaurant for this, as well as table staff there are a number of cast members purely to support the characters throughout the restaurant, they ensure that the characters get around all the tables, and are more than happy to help if someone has missed you, they also help to ensure your character meets aren't interrupted by other guests!

Characters will generally sign autographs during meals, however it's worth noting that at peak times, and special brunches (Christmas and Halloween in particular) there isn't always time for autographs, please be prepared for this and as a cast member if you're unsure, either way you can still have a great experience.

My only issue with the buffet style character meals is knowing when to get up to get food, usually the characters will rotate in 2 groups with a small change over between groups, this is the best time to go! The buffet is in the long room in the middle of the restaurant and is easily accessible, there are plenty of plates so you can start pretty much anywhere, especially if you're only after one or two of the available dishes. My preference is usually to sit in one of the end rooms as it doesn't feel as busy, however if you're in a rush and want to see the characters quickly I would advise asking to sit in the buffet room.

Inventions is bookable 60 days prior to your stay and can be done via the restaurant reservation line +33 1 60 30 40 50 no deposit is required upfront but larger groups may need to book by E-mail. The brunches can fill up quickly so it is always worth phoning as early as possible to have the best choice of dates and sitting times.

So that's my experience with Inventions, have you been before? Who have you met? Who would you like to see? Drop me a comment below!

Hoodsie xx

Hi guys!

Many of you may know that recently Disneyland Paris changed their character breakfast offering from Cafe Mickey to Plaza Gardens, I was lucky enough to be offered a friends spot on their reservation during my recent trip for the 25th so I thought it was a good time to right up my thoughts on the experience.

Please do bear in mind these are only my opinions based on the experience I had on this one visit!

Our booking was for Thursday March 13th and was for the first sitting which starts at 8:15, there is a second sitting at 9:45 and you can book in advance up to 2 days before using the normal reservations line. Or you can pay in full to add it to your booking when you book your trip through Disney or a travel agent. Breakfast was €35 per person and this makes it the cheapest of the character dining experiences on offer at Disneyland Paris.

I made it to the park for just after 8 am on the Thursday and managed to spot Kelly and Clare just outside the entrance so we walked over to Plaza Gardens together, there was already a small queue forming for this mornings breakfast so we decided to get straight in the queue to get the table and our friends could join us as they arrived. With the breakfast you have to pay on entry before you are seated, which isn't so easy when you're in a large group, especially if the majority of the group isn't there yet.

In the end we decided that I would pay for the full table and then we would sort it out between us individually afterwards. Before long we were seated in the conservatory area nearest the Discovery arcade and before long our friends had joined us.

The breakfast is a buffet and has a mix of both hot and cold options, which was a nice change from the continental offering at my hotel. I felt like there was more choice available than the old Cafe Mickey offering and was able to pick up things like Pancakes and crepes as well as the standard Bacon, Sausages, cereals and toast. There was also a selection of Hot drinks and fruit juices available.

For me the only issue with Character meals being a buffet is knowing when to leave your table! Of course this is no different than its predecessor but there definitely is a trick to knowing when to leave and when to stay sat. In an ideal scenario I would recommend aiming to get to fantasia gardens a few mins before 8 so that you're one of the first to enter the parks if you're on the 8:15 sitting, head straight to the restaurant to ensure you are one of the first to be seated and this should give you a good chance to get up to the buffet before the characters have arrived.

Once the characters come in they seem to split into 2 groups of 3 and take half the restaurant each, as we were sat in one of the further corners from the main entrance this did give us a bit of extra time to get over to the buffet and back before the characters began to reach us.

The first set of characters to meet us were Mickey, Uncle Scrooge and Daisy Duck, they were all great and spent a fair amount of time with our group and were happy to do pictures and autographs, in particular Daisy was a stand out meet for me she spent what felt like a lot of time with us and the interaction was really good especially with my Duffy and Shellie.


After the characters have been round the first half of the restaurant they pop out for a quick comfort break and then swap sides to meet the other half of the restaurant, this unfortunately is where things went a bit wrong for us.

The second set of three characters was Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger, I was particularly excited to meet Piglet and for me this was one of the main factors in deciding to try the new breakfast as he was the only Winnie the Pooh character that does meets in DLP I hadn't managed to meet yet.

Eeyore came over first and was brilliant, he took pictures and did autographs, and I was getting really excited for Piglet to reach our table. Tigger was next to visit us, but I can only describe this meet as the most puzzling and uncharacteristic thing I have ever experienced at Disneyland Paris. To me, when I think of Tigger I think of him as being happy, bouncy, full of energy. Unfortunately the Tigger that came to visit us was pretty much the exact opposite, he wasn't bouncy or fun, he wasn't interested in signing autographs or even really posing for photos, we even had to grab him to come back after he tried to leave before meeting half of our table.


This was so disappointing, and really left us feeling quite puzzled, the restaurant was as far as we could tell fully booked, but all the characters up till now had given 100%, we were a big group but we tried to be pretty organised and get up for photos etc quickly, I can appreciate there's a time restraint to get round all the tables, but it really felt like Tigger couldn't be bothered with us.

Of course this just left Piglet to visit us, and although it wasn't quite as bad as the Tigger situation, Piglet was clearly in a rush too, encouraging us to take one group photo rather than individual/smaller group pics, and making watch gestures at us to move a little quicker. This was a bit disappointing overall but didn't entirely ruin getting to meet him, even if it wasn't how i pictured my first meet to be.


I'm since told by cast members and friends of cast members that Piglet isn't supposed to sign at breakfast, and this may explain why he was trying to rush us, however there was nothing to say we shouldn't be asking and he could have refused. As you are seated there is a small card on the table with instructions for character dining, basic things like explaining that the characters come to you etc, I would suggest if characters aren't to sign at breakfast this should be added in as I wouldn't have asked if I'd known he wasn't supposed to sign.

Overall I enjoyed my first experience of Plaza Gardens, the food was nice and there was a good selection, the bigger buffet counters in Plaza gardens made it easier to get up and get food without waiting too long, and the location meant there wasn't a constant stream of people walking past and staring in at you while you were eating, which was definitely a plus over Cafe Mickey.

My only issue would be that either the sittings need to be longer to allow the characters to comfortably get round all the tables, or that they need to not book out the whole of the restaurant as the characters clearly weren't able to get round all of the tables and give a consistent high level of interaction which you would expect for the cost, I'm sure the characters are no happier leaving people disappointed than we are being disappointed. In my opinion a 3rd sitting and not to fill the restaurant for each sitting would be an ideal resolution.


Would I try Plaza Gardens breakfast again? It might surprise you to hear that I do intend to go back and try again, it's still a fairly new offering and hopefully if people continue to provide feedback changes can be made to improve, I do however think that character dining experiences are better for smaller groups so if I booked again I would ask for 2 bookings of 4/5 and ask to be seated near each other.

Have you done breakfast since it moved, what did you think?

Hoodsie xx