Chef Mickey's Review

On a scale of 1 - 5
Character Interaction - 3
Food - 2.5
Location - 4

After our recent visit to Chef Mickey's I will make it a point to never review a restaurant until after at least 2 visits. My husband and I first snagged a reservation for this popular Character Breakfast 12/25/09. This is one of the most sought after Disney Dining experiences and I felt quite accomplished getting a reservation for Christmas Day! Our first experience was really pretty bad. I couldn't figure out what all the hoopla was about. This isn't the only place Mickey puts in an appearance. The food was boring and offered only a few interesting desserts. The characters were all over the place and seemed to have no visit plan to the tables. I felt like we were here forever. Because there was no clear track the characters were taking, children were running after them and preventing them from getting to the next table.
Our second visit on 11/14/10 was a bit better.
Character Interaction - 3 -  I think they could run it better. We could barely make it back and forth to the buffet for seeing a character coming our way. They first told us we would have time to eat before the characters came to visit but this wasn't the case. Other venues (Tusker House, Cape May) time this better. I like character interactions but I like eating too! The characters here are clearly in a hurry and there isn't much time for multiple photographs. They do have a fun little party time where the characters get kids to twirl their napkins in the air and dance to the music.
Food - 2.5 - I think I am being generous adding my half here. This breakfast is the standard fair - cereal bar, cheap bacon, eggs, mini Mickey waffles, mini pancakes, and such. There was some pretty delicious bacon & cheese hashbrown casserole. There was one omelet option and a breakfast pizza for kids. There are also some dessert offerings like rice crispy treats, ice cream, and such. For the price I'd like some real bacon and not that thin cheap stuff.
Location - 4 - This restaurant is located in the Contemporary hotel. It is conveniently located on the monorail line. This is great if you are trying to get to the Magic Kingdom or even Epcot. Parking here is easy as well if you know where you are going! One must enter the Magic Kingdom parking gate through the farthest right gate possible and then get all the way over to head to the Contemporary.

Due to the popularity of this breakfast, expect to wait! It can take 15 or 20 minutes just to get through the check in line. If you are in a hurry then get here early. Be aware that there are no characters here for lunch, only breakfast & dinner.
In summary, this is not my favorite Disney Character Dining experience. If it's the only reservation you can snag then go for it. I'm always up to see my favorite pal!