A few weeks ago, Little A turned 5! FIVE! Birthdays are a BIG DEAL in our house! I mean, is there any day more special than the day my dearest loves were born?? I think no! So we celebrate BIG! Normally, we go to the Parks for Little A’s birthday, but with the Grandparents in town, that wasn’t going to be possible. We had never done a character dining experience so I thought this would be the perfect excuse! I was really excited to try the Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast Buffet at Storyteller’s Cafe because it’s the newest option at Disneyland AND I had heard the food was delicious! Let me tell you…it did not disappoint!
We made our reservations through the Disneyland app about 6 weeks before. Reservations for Disneyland Dining open 60 days in advance, so it’s always best to make a reservation as soon as the window opens so you can get your preferred time slot. We arrived at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa 30 minutes before our reservation. We wanted to have plenty of time to explore the beautiful lobby of the Grand Californian and grab Little A a birthday button from the front desk. If you’ve never been to the hotel, I highly recommend exploring a bit before breakfast. It’s a beautiful hotel and the subtle Disney details are perfection!
We were quickly seated upon arrival and the fun began! The wonderful thing about a character meal is that you don’t have to hunt down Mickey & Minnie for an autograph…they come right to your table! We had only been seated for about 3 minutes when Chip came around! He took pictures, signed Little A’s book and was just adorable. It was so nice to not feel rushed to get a picture.
After we order our drinks (Mimosa & Coffee for me!) we headed off to the buffet. Hooray for Mickey Waffles! I was unsure of what to expect, but the buffet exceeding all of our expectations. There were all the usual suspects – pastries & muffins, bagels & lox with all the goodies, yogurts and several kinds of meats and cheese. But the hot items is where the buffet really shined. A make your own omelette station was always busy. There were all the meats haha – Bacon, Sausage & ham; chilaquiles (which were surprisingly fantastic!), buttermilk biscuits & gravy and 3 kinds of breakfast potatoes! Yes, Three! Each one more delicious than the next. The Campfire potatoes were so good that all 5 of us went back for seconds!
There were a couple of really fun items too! We got my parents to try Horchata for the very first time, which was hilarious! They seriously had no idea what it was, but they both loved it! There is also something called cereal milk. It’s basically milk infused with cereal flavor like fruit loops & cinnamon toast. Kind of weird, and kind of amazing!
As we leisurely enjoyed our breakfast, each of the different characters came around to our table for pictures and fun. Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Pluto were all there and decked out in the cutest adventure outfits. Guys! Mickey had a compass! And Minnie had hiking boots! I was dying! It was the cutest thing ever!
But here is the BEST PART! Every 30 minutes, music starts to play and the whole crew of characters leads a musical march around the restaurant where all the kids get to join in! It is so cute and definitely Little A’s favorite part.
So, the details – Mickey’s Tales of Adventure breakfast is held every day from 7am to 11:25am. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, they extend the experience with Brunch from 11:30am to 2pm. Brunch is the same thing with a few more lunch items added to the buffet. The cost for adults is $39, Kids are $23 and Annual Passholder discounts do apply! I’ve heard that kids under 3 eat free, but I will have to verify that tomorrow. Also, this is the only Disneyland character meal where both Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse appear together.
All in all, this was such a great experience! While the cost is pricier than just grabbing a quick breakfast, it was definitely worth it! If you get the chance, make a reservation. You will not be disappointed.
