 | Cafe Mickey at Disneyland Paris, A Review |
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| DisneyDan
Sunday, March 2, 2014 7:27:39 AM |
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This week's dining review is of Disneyland Paris' character dining venue, Cafe Mickey.
Cafe Mickey is situated at the Lake Disney end of Disney Village, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We used to dine fairly regularly at Cafe Mickey when we were in Disneyland Paris, but since we discovered the wonders of the Inventions Sunday Brunch (click for my detailed review), we stopped going to Cafe Mickey. However, this past trip (February 2014), we decided that we should visit once again and see if anything had changed, improved or even gone down hill. With that, we made reservations for dinner at 9pm, once the park had closed one evening.
We did not have to wait long, and requested to sit upstairs, which they had no problem accommodating.
Having recently decided that we were going to be vegetarian, Jon and I found it a little difficult to chose from their menu, as there was unclear guidance on which dishes were suitable. We used our common sense though when choosing, and asked our server for confirmation of ingredients/vegetarian suitability before we ordered, and we ended up being ok with what we got. Our friends ordered meat dishes, and were equally satisfied with the regular menu for non-vegetarians, and soon we had ordered our staters and mains.
For our starters we were tempted to get one item each, but decided that we would share the garlic bread. When it came up we were very glad we did decide to share, as it was virtually a full sized pizza base with garlic butter on! The other members of our party ordered various different items, of which they had no complaints. I should also mention that you get fresh bread rolls on the table, and a decanter of water. Every item we tried or saw tasted and looked good. We had no complaints.
After our huge starters the main meals came up, and once again, I was pleasantly surprised. The meals were hot and fresh, and of a good size. Again, no member of our party had any problem. I ordered the four cheese pizza, and Jon had a tofu and pasta dish. Admittedly I enjoyed the pizza more, as I am not a tofu person, but it was good nonetheless.
Finally it was time for dessert, which by this point seemed like a real challenge! We each ordered something different, and I have to say they all were completely amazing. I had the tiramisu, and Jon had the Mickey cupcake. Our friends ordered different items, and all of us were happy with our choices.
Of course this would not be a character dining venue without the Disney Characters! During our meal we were greeted at our table by Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Eeyore and Tigger. I understand that Minnie also makes appearances too, but she did not make around on this evening. I also know from our friends who have dined here more regularly, that the line-up on this evening is now standard, and rarely waivers from the ones we saw (plus Minnie).
I have to say that although the character variety has severely dropped since we used to come often (back in the day we would regularly see the likes of Frollo, Smee, Hook, Robin Hood and more), the character interactions were fantastic, and they did not at all seem tired from already having greeted guests all day in the park! Mickey and his friends sure had some stamina this evening! They all made it around more than once, and they were super friendly and gave lots of hugs. The interactions and experience we had more than made up for the drop in variety, and I am more than happy to have paid what we did to have those kinds of experiences.
We came away from Cafe Mickey positively buzzing, having had excellent food and great character interactions. We now have no problem in dining here again if the Brunch theme is not one we wish to do, or if we find ourselves wanting an extra character meal per trip. I think what helped was going later, after park closing, because a lot of people with younger children would have dined earlier. Going in at 9pm probably allowed us to have more quality time with the characters and food that was prepared with more care. By the time 10pm came around we were virtually the only ones still there, and we had the characters more or less to ourselves! I of course cannot guarantee that fact for everyone's visits, but I imagine that had we been downstairs in the main part right at 6pm when everyone wanted to dine, service would have been longer and the characters would have been more pressed for time. If you're a party of adults like we were, and you don't mind dining a bit later, I would highly recommend doing it the way we did.
Cafe Mickey does also offer lunch, and is the same menu as dinner. Breakfast is also served in two sittings, but is only available to Disney Hotel guests and Disneyland Paris partner hotel guests. Breakfast is advertised as being "American style" and consists of the standard DLP Hotel offerings such as croissants, plus hot food such as eggs, sausages, bacon and potatoes. It should also be noted that during breakfast you are likely to also get Chip and Dale greeting you. For some reason they only show up at breakfast at Cafe Mickey these days, and not at dinner.
Prices for lunch dinner can vary depending on what you order, but are upwards of around €20 per person for lunch and dinner main dishes. The drinks available for purchase are varied, and include wine, fruit juices and soft drinks. Birthday cakes can be arranged, and come at a significant extra cost (at least €25 for a cake that serves up to 8 people).
Breakfast is one set price for on site Disney Hotels guests, which I believe is around €14. The Davy Crockett Ranch and partner hotel guests pay a little more that that. You would have to check with Disney for confirmation.
Reservations are highly recommended at Cafe Mickey as it can be very popular. You can make reservations with any Disney Hotel concierge, any guest relations location at the theme parks, directly at the restaurant itself, or 60 days in advance over the telephone by calling +33 1 60 30 40 50. There is a stand and wait line, and in the past we haven't had a problem getting a table without a reservation by waiting, but just be aware you might have to wait a long time.
Annual Passholders get a maximum of 10% discount (as it's table service), and Shareholder Club members get 15% with a valid Club Card and ID.
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Dan. |