Ohana breakfast

"Character Dining" at Disneyworld is where there are Disney characters (people in costumes) from the movies and the characters visit the tables. This is a great way for kids to meet the characters and have pictures taken without needing to stand in long lines at the park. Unfortunately, character dining is very expensive, so, we decided to limit our character dining experience to only one restaurant. 

The challenge? Which one? There are so many great experiences to choose from - Chef Mickey at the Contemporary, Crystal Palace, Animal Kingdom, and more!

We decided we would keep our favorite: Ohana. This is set at the Polynesian Resort, a Hawaii themed resort. The breakfast is served family style with all your can eat. Large plates of food are brought to the table and replenished as they are finished. The meal includes bread, fruit, biscuits, waffles, eggs, sausage, and potatoes. 

It is very typical to have a long wait for a seat. We often don't get seated until 30-45 minutes after our reservation, and today was no different. There was a large tour group in the restaurant that had to be cleared out before more guests could be seated. I am very glad I wasn't a customer during the tour group's visit because a room full of young teenage girls can get very loud and out of control. 

Something we miss at Ohana are the pictures. Before getting seated, the family gets a picture and then photographers bring the pictures to your seat for review. In the past, the packages included key chains and magnets plus larger pictures. We would always buy the pictures and we have them all displayed in our living room - showing our children through the years as they have grown.

For the past two years (including this year), photographers follow Stitch (why not Mickey?) and take a picture that gets added to your photo pass. You can then buy the pictures later. However, the pictures don't come in a nice display anymore, they are printed sideways now, and they lack the various sizes that used to come in the package. The trade off benefit is that you can order the pictures anytime, have them delivered to your house, and they have different options such as coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments.

When we entered the restaurant, I told my family that I intended to eat eggs until they came out my ears. That nearly did happen as I ate more food than reasonable. It was a great meal, remains our favorite, and we had a great time.