Goofy's Kitchen

Last time we went to Disneyland we ate lunch at Ariel's Grotto. Big Mistake. It took time out of our Disney day, it was really crowded, the service was poor, the food was mediocre. The visits from the wide variety of Princesses was the only redeeming quality. This time we listened to Matt & Shan's recommendation and ate at Goofy's Kitchen the night before going into the park. This worked out really well.

First of all it is a buffet so you don't have to worry about slow service. The food was not too bad either. Not stellar, but decent. Best of all, it added to, not subtracted from, our Disney experience. We weren't going to be in the park that day anyway so we could really enjoy it.

Now. Best. Recommendation. Ever. Go Early. We showed up a few minutes before they opened and were some of the first people in there. This gave us a lot of time with the first few characters there. We had them all to ourselves for a good half hour. Here are some of our favorites from the night:

Bert from Mary Poppins was excellent. He spent a great deal of time with Ella, drawing pictures, singing "It's a Jolly 'Oliday", etc. They talked about what a good job Dick Van Dyke did portraying him in the movie.

Jane was also excellent. You can't see it in the picture but her bussle was about the size of a Volkswagen.

And of course Snow White was everywhere on this trip, since it was her anniversary in 2007.