Character meals are magical on their own- after all, you get to eat while the characters come to you! However, there is one little trick we’ve found that blows my daughter’s mind every time and ramps the magic up even more.
When we went to Bon Voyage Breakfast, the waitress suggested Pascal was wandering around and he loves blueberries. Miss Bongo dutifully left a few on the table for him and when she wasn’t looking, they disappeared. (Thanks for grabbing those, Tim!)
BOOM. Mind Blown. Pascal came and ate her blueberries. Best trip ever. We’re still talking about that meal to anyone that crosses our path. Ask her about a favorite memory and she’s sure to talk about that silly Pascal, who she could never catch a glimpse of, but who loved her blueberries.
When we visited 1900 Park Fare, Miss Bongo decided to leave some cheese out for Gus Gus, one of Cinderella’s mouse friends. Apparently she only cares about feeding Gus. One stuffed with cheese Mama later, the kiddo is losing her mind that Gus Gus keeps getting the cheese- I may have let it slip that I thought I “saw his tail” once too. She cornered one of the poor CMs and yammered on excitedly about how Gus was eating her cheese.
Her face lights up in a way that I can only describe as how she looks at Mickey when these special little “interactions” happen.
You can tailor them to any meal. Crystal Palace? Clearly heffalumps and woosels are about! Are you eating at Tusker House? I bet one of the sneaky safari animals is using camouflage.
I know she won’t believe this is real forever. I do love seeing her face when she realizes her little food gifts are gone. I pretend it’s a game for her, but really, it’s a memory for me. One that matters a lot more than the price of the meal.