'Ohana Stitch Character Breakfast Review

Written by AllEarsNet.com team member Linda Mac!

This article appeared in the
October 25, 2005, Issue of ALL EARS (ISSN: 1533-0753)

*****

Aloha Cousins! I was thrilled to read that Lilo and Stitch would be joining Mickey and Pluto for the 'Ohana Character Breakfast at the Polynesian Resort. I have recently found myself wearing Stitch T-shirts, collecting Stitch plushes and looking forward to watching Lilo and Stitch on Saturday mornings. I guess I am hooked on Stitch.

With only a few days' notice, I was disappointed to hear 'Ohana was booked solid for the days I would be at WDW. But where there's a will there's a way, right? I was advised by a Disney Dining CM that showing up for the first seating (7:30 a.m.) would be my best chance of being accommodated. Perfect, I can do that. So with a 5:30 a.m. wake up call from Mickey and Stitch (another great Disney touch), I was out the door of the All Star Music hotel by 6:30 a.m. Driving in the dark and being one of the only cars on the road was different, but I had a goal and this sacrifice would be well worth it, if it paid off. Pay off it did, I was the first to arrive and the hostess checked me in and took my request for a window table. With a little extra time to spare, I enjoyed a coffee from Kona Island Café Bar and spent some time wandering around the pool and beach area. The top of the pool volcano has a glow that can only been seen before sunrise. I had the place to myself and loved it!

Upon check-in at the podium, you will be offered a photo opportunity for your family to have its picture taken with a bamboo background, tiki statues and the 'Ohana sign in the foreground. There is no obligation to purchase the photos, which are brought to your table during breakfast. If you chose to purchase any of the photos, the prices start at $13.

As 7:30 rolled around, I gave up the serenity of the beach and headed upstairs. I was quickly seated by my server Nati, who turned out to be attentive and friendly throughout my stay. That is always a huge plus when going solo.

My window table over looked the marina, from what I could tell. Our lovely Florida humidity had steamed up the windows and eliminated any possible view. Nati quickly returned with coffee and orange juice. A few minutes later, I had so much food on my table, it was overwhelming. All my favorites, Mickey waffles, bacon, sausage (the best I've had), fried potatoes (crispy on the outside and meaty on the inside) and basic scrambled eggs. All this food was served family style in a large skillet and everything was hot.

A beautiful plate of fresh fruit was served that included watermelon, pineapple, red grapes and honeydew. And finally, like I needed more food, a bread basket with pineapple bread, biscuits and gooey, delicious cinnamon raisin buns arrived. And you can request more food anytime you would like. If you enjoy a hearty breakfast, you should move this character meal to the top of your list. And the best part, it was relaxing because you are served at your table instead of having to running up and down to a buffet while trying not to miss any of the characters.

First came Pluto, what a riot he was. Sniffing my food and just acting like the doggy he is. Next, Stitch stopped by for his first visit and spent a good amount of time posing for me and hugs were freely offered. I did tell him that he was the reason for my visit and he became very humble... for Stitch. Nati was always there to take pictures of me with the characters. I asked Stitch if he was planning to cause any trouble and he replied by making the sign of a halo over his head. Too bad, I was hoping for some of Stitch's hijinks.

As Mickey and Minnie worked their way around the dining room, my coffee started kicking in. Wait a minute, what is Minnie Mouse doing here? Where's Lilo? Sadly, Lilo was not able to make it to breakfast on the day I visited, but Minnie jumped in to take her place. What a sport! I guess Lilo was busy with Nani? Minnie and Mickey stopped by for a quick visit and Stitch and Pluto came back for a second time. On Stitch's second visit, he motioned to the empty chairs at my table so I asked him to join me. Without a second thought, Stitch jumped right into the empty chair across from me and pulled up my plate of fruit and pretended to eat it. Now that alone was worth the price of admission.

My last surprise was the character parade. Children are invited to join the characters and dance around the room with maracas. Some adults may find the music a little over the top at breakfast time but not me! There was so much energy in the room it was infectious. I was dancing at my table, as were other "big kids."

This character breakfast gets an A+ for the entire experience. Making an early reservation is your best bet as the restaurant was half empty, which allowed for more character visits. I must admit that I am not a big breakfast person; I normally eat a child's breakfast platter at my hotel, but would not hesitate to spend the extra money to enjoy this over-sized portion of Disney Magic. By the way, Lilo who?