Garden Grill Breakfast (2 part question)

[hosler427]

So the plan for my upcoming trip is to have breakfast in our room. We fly in very late and probably won't have much of an opportunity to eat dinner due to our travel times, etc. We will snack to get through obviously. The day after we arrive, we are planning to be in Epcot for a shorter day (mostly Future World) and then return to the resort for the grocery delivery, relaxation, etc. So I thought we could either grab a snack at Kidani Village before departing and eat a later breakfast after some rides OR get a 8am Garden Grill reservation...So here are the questions

1. What are people's general thoughts of this breakfast? It is only my wife and I so the character portion of this isn't the draw. Is the food quality decent? is it worth the $30+ price tag?

2. Part of the reason I am considering this is getting down to Soarin' first thing. Being able to ride that twice before the line builds too much makes our touring much more relaxing. I was hoping to do pretty much all of the future world rides and leave by 1pm. So if people have done an early GG adr and rode Soarin'...how was your experience with this?

 

[WendyMS]

It is our favorite park breakfast. From my 22 yo son to his grandpa---great food and yes, straight to Soarin afterwards.

 

[Janet McDonald]

Watching...I have an 8AM reservation in December for this reason.

 

[danielocha30]

if you don't care about the characters there is no value on this place for you, food is good but not extraordinary $30+ food, is basic breakfast food well done, delicious but you come here for the characters, I would recommend to look into The Wave breakfast is a better choice for adults, is about the same price and they do offer either buffet or a la carte items, their menu is more elaborated, Garden grill is great for the character interaction they usually spend more time with you and are more engaged and is a small quiet restaurant unlike all other characters places. You won't be disappointed and the characters will be big plus to your meal. Have a great trip!

 

[hosler427]

if you don't care about the characters there is no value on this place for you, food is good but not extraordinary $30+ food, is basic breakfast food well done, delicious but you come here for the characters, I would recommend to look into The Wave breakfast is a better choice for adults, is about the same price and they do offer either buffet or a la carte items, their menu is more elaborated, Garden grill is great for the character interaction they usually spend more time with you and are more engaged and is a small quiet restaurant unlike all other characters places. You won't be disappointed and the characters will be big plus to your meal. Have a great trip!

I appreciate the advice. The whole reason for doing Garden Grill would be proximity and ease to get to Soarin'. Since The Wave isn't in Epcot, it really doesn't fit what we would want to do that morning. We will either do Garden Grill at 8am or hit Starbucks or Sunshine Seasons at some point in the morning.

 

[danielocha30]

I appreciate the advice. The whole reason for doing Garden Grill would be proximity and ease to get to Soarin'. Since The Wave isn't in Epcot, it really doesn't fit what we would want to do that morning. We will either do Garden Grill at 8am or hit Starbucks or Sunshine Seasons at some point in the morning.

it is definitely a plus to be at PPO that will add value to the meal

 

[Roxyfire]

Two thoughts here:

1) The meal is pretty good and the characters are fun. Even if you aren't 100% there for the characters, they do a good job and nothing wrong with getting your picture taken with Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. Consider it a bonus.
2) You will get on Soarin at least once with no wait. My gut reaction is that you'd get a second ride if you went on right after with minimal wait. That'll vary based on the crowds that day. I'm assuming then that you're using your Tier 1 FP on Test Track. If so your plan should go well. I do something very similar and it works out every time.

 

[hosler427]

Two thoughts here:

1) The meal is pretty good and the characters are fun. Even if you aren't 100% there for the characters, they do a good job and nothing wrong with getting your picture taken with Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. Consider it a bonus.
2) You will get on Soarin at least once with no wait. My gut reaction is that you'd get a second ride if you went on right after with minimal wait. That'll vary based on the crowds that day. I'm assuming then that you're using your Tier 1 FP on Test Track. If so your plan should go well. I do something very similar and it works out every time.

1) I have no problem interacting with and enjoying the characters. Sure it is fun but they just aren't the reason we would be going.

2) That seems to be in line with what I have read. Most people have experienced one with no wait and then a second ride with 10 minutes or so. I would use my Tier 1 on Test track later that morning. I realize that paying $34 for breakfast is a lot but when you factor all of it in, it is appealing to have the touring go like that. Almost no wait for three rides on Tier 1 level rides, not stopping for breakfast but still enjoying a casual pace followed by a relaxing afternoon/evening at the hotel.

 

[jillt2ph]

If you have an Annual Pass it is 20% off, which makes it even more attractive!

 

[Roxyfire]

1) I have no problem interacting with and enjoying the characters. Sure it is fun but they just aren't the reason we would be going.

2) That seems to be in line with what I have read. Most people have experienced one with no wait and then a second ride with 10 minutes or so. I would use my Tier 1 on Test track later that morning. I realize that paying $34 for breakfast is a lot but when you factor all of it in, it is appealing to have the touring go like that. Almost no wait for three rides on Tier 1 level rides, not stopping for breakfast but still enjoying a casual pace followed by a relaxing afternoon/evening at the hotel.

Yeah and this is one set of character interactions where you won't feel awkward being without young children. They're quite fun. Also there's lots of food so you won't go hungry. The eggs/bacon/waffles are all standard fare but they also bring a big bowl of good quality fruit and a huge cinnamon roll sticky bun thing. The value isn't all in the food anyway as you know. I would prefer it to speedwalking with tons of other people any day.

 

[sqpcsqpc]

If your goal is to be close to Soarin' at park open this is a good pick. The food is good but not worth the money if you are not interested in either characters or getting in the park early. It is one of our favorite breakfasts on the property because we like both.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

We loved the food and character interaction in May. The characters spend more time interacting with the table than we usually experience at other restaurants.. we watched Chip attempt to feed Mickey some food off our table

We saw all of the characters and finished eating by 8:45 AM. We headed down to Soarin' and were told it would be a while before the ride was up and running (apparently they were having an issue with a fire wall and the ride didn't come back online until 11:00 AM). Pretty disappointing, but we power walked to TT and still beat the front gate crowds

But having a PPO reservation will definitely put you at the front of the line for Soarin' as long as you finish breakfast and pay by 8:45 AM or 8:50 at the latest.

 

[stardam]

We did GG yesterday at 8am. Chip & Dale are always fun & Pluto was the absolute best. He came around 3 times & played with all of us and we have no little ones. We told the waitress we were trying to get to soarin so she got our check while we were still eating. We were out by 8:40 & were let immediately into soarin & put into B1 with 1 other family & the rest of the theater was empty. When we got off the crowd was just arriving so we could've easily gotten in line & walked right back on but my mom was scared of it. We did good getting her on once. It's well worth it in my opinion

We did BOG PPO today and the amount of food we got for $24 each was laughable. It looked like a kids plate & the advantage is not much now that everyone is at the castle at rope drop. We rank GG as our new favorite.

 

[Shanti]

So the plan for my upcoming trip is to have breakfast in our room. We fly in very late and probably won't have much of an opportunity to eat dinner due to our travel times, etc. We will snack to get through obviously. The day after we arrive, we are planning to be in Epcot for a shorter day (mostly Future World) and then return to the resort for the grocery delivery, relaxation, etc. So I thought we could either grab a snack at Kidani Village before departing and eat a later breakfast after some rides OR get a 8am Garden Grill reservation...So here are the questions

1. What are people's general thoughts of this breakfast? It is only my wife and I so the character portion of this isn't the draw. Is the food quality decent? is it worth the $30+ price tag?

2. Part of the reason I am considering this is getting down to Soarin' first thing. Being able to ride that twice before the line builds too much makes our touring much more relaxing. I was hoping to do pretty much all of the future world rides and leave by 1pm. So if people have done an early GG adr and rode Soarin'...how was your experience with this?

I would not count on being able to ride Soarin' twice without a wait. Once is very likely if you time it right (we've done that). But since Soarin' is popular & it takes a while to get through the ride, there might be a substantial line by the time you're done.

The breakfast is all you can eat and very tasty. Would I pay $30 dollars per person for any breakast that wasn't character-focused or about getting early access to a ride? No. So a big part of the value for you is getting on Soarin'. Be sure to arrange that so it will work (get there early, request the check right after ordering, don't lose track of time...)

Be careful not to go in assuming that you'll very quickly get on it twice. You might, but might not. We did this last year, & probably made it onto the very first Soarin' ride with a 0 second wait, and as we walked out we saw a massive queue of people stream in from rope drop. That was only a few months since they had changed the film, so that might have been part of the reason, but it otherwise was not a high crowd time at WDW.

 

[asheleycs]

In my opinion, the sticky bun alone is worth the price tag!

 

[hosler427]

We did GG yesterday at 8am. Chip & Dale are always fun & Pluto was the absolute best. He came around 3 times & played with all of us and we have no little ones. We told the waitress we were trying to get to soarin so she got our check while we were still eating. We were out by 8:40 & were let immediately into soarin & put into B1 with 1 other family & the rest of the theater was empty. When we got off the crowd was just arriving so we could've easily gotten in line & walked right back on but my mom was scared of it. We did good getting her on once. It's well worth it in my opinion

We did BOG PPO today and the amount of food we got for $24 each was laughable. It looked like a kids plate & the advantage is not much now that everyone is at the castle at rope drop. We rank GG as our new favorite.

That is great. I am hoping for a similar experience. Even if I get to ride it once with little or no wait and then return to a 15 minute minute wait, it just makes the morning so much better. I have heard the same thing about BOG breakfast. I have seen the pictures and they are a joke.

I would not count on being able to ride Soarin' twice without a wait. Once is very likely if you time it right (we've done that). But since Soarin' is popular & it takes a while to get through the ride, there might be a substantial line by the time you're done.

The breakfast is all you can eat and very tasty. Would I pay $30 dollars per person for any breakast that wasn't character-focused or about getting early access to a ride? No. So a big part of the value for you is getting on Soarin'. Be sure to arrange that so it will work (get there early, request the check right after ordering, don't lose track of time...)

Be careful not to go in assuming that you'll very quickly get on it twice. You might, but might not. We did this last year, & probably made it onto the very first Soarin' ride with a 0 second wait, and as we walked out we saw a massive queue of people stream in from rope drop. That was only a few months since they had changed the film, so that might have been part of the reason, but it otherwise was not a high crowd time at WDW.

I don't make assumptions at Disney World. I just try to put myself in the best position to do what I want to do. By all the reports I have read and the feedback received here, I am sure we can get on the first time with no wait. If I have to wait for a second ride, that isn't an issue. The date in question is January 17th so it is definitely down season and on a Wednesday. Either way...after the responses about the food and the Soarin' experience afer, I feel comfortable doing this. We needed a solution for our breakfast on this day and this will work.

 

[Thing 1]

It's an excellent plan that a lot of people know about.Last trip, 180+7 we could not get a time before 8;20, so we passed. Make it the first ARD you make and maybe you will get lucky. We like GG! Good food and excellent characters. Ask for your check as soon as you order to cut down on the time you spend waiting. Good luck!!

 

[hosler427]

It's an excellent plan that a lot of people know about.Last trip, 180+7 we could not get a time before 8;20, so we passed. Make it the first ARD you make and maybe you will get lucky. We like GG! Good food and excellent characters. Ask for your check as soon as you order to cut down on the time you spend waiting. Good luck!!

Unfortunately I have a California Grill brunch that will be the first ADR I make that will be the second one a few minutes later...If I don't get it, I will probably just keep trying and hope for a cancellation. And if that doesn't work, we will just grab a snack and a breakfast sandwich after a few rides. Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated!

 

[twentyco]

I did this yesterday morning with a party of 8 adults and a baby. We finished eating by about 8:45/8:50, and 7 of the adults went down to Soarin and rode with no wait. Baby and mom rode Living with the Land at the same time. We got off about 9:10 or 9:15 and immediately headed to Frozen and rode that with about a 20 minute wait (arrived at about 9:30 given the stroller, etc and were off before 10). Yesterday at least we could have ridden Soarin a second time with little wait.

 

[nursejackie]

We do this exact thing every year. Book 8am ADR for 9am park opening day. Eat and pay by 8.55am and head to Soarin' then we, personally, use our tier A fastpass for Test Track. There isn't too much choice food wise but we enjoy everything that's brought out, we really love the changing view as we eat, and the characters usually get round twice in that time as well. It's a win-win situation.