Mickey’s Autumn Adventures is Disney’s newest character dining experience, offering a fall harvest theme and running for the Halloween season and beyond, ending just before Thanksgiving. For this new breakfast and brunch, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Chip & Dale, and Pluto sport pumpkin-infused or plaid looks. This dining review shares food photos, and thoughts on the cuisine & character interactions.
Let’s begin with basics. Mickey’s Autumn Adventures is a character breakfast or brunch at Storytellers Cafe, a restaurant in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Disneyland invites guests to start their day with Mickey Mouse and some of his closest pals at this cozy Craftsman-style dining room, which serves as a warm and friendly backdrop to your buffet breakfast adventure.
At Mickey’s Autumn Adventures breakfast or brunch, you can choose from favorites such as croissants, muffins, danishes, seasonal sliced fruits, fresh berries, Mickey Waffles, Bananas Foster French Toast, pork carnitas chilaquiles, hand-carved meats, custom-made omelets and much more. You can also ask your server for delights like steel cut oatmeal and yogurt parfaits.
Let’s start with the good. The arrival and check-in process was smooth and shockingly fast. This is notable, as our past experiences with Storytellers Cafe have almost always been chaotic and crowded. This character meal is infamous for being booked to capacity, and having guests waiting in the walkway to be called for their reservation. We know this not just from firsthand experience, but because Storytellers is in a pathway at the Grand Californian that we use frequently to enter and exit Disney California Adventure, and there are always a lot of people waiting, causing congestion.
Not so this time. We checked in via the Disneyland app as we walked into the Grand Californian, and as we approached the restaurant (~3 minutes later), received a notification that our table was ready. Only a handful of people were sitting in the waiting area–no one was outside–and we were seated immediately.
We were also pleased to see that Storytellers was not filled to capacity. Tables are still fairly tightly packed, which can make navigating around guests and characters difficult. It can also make photos with clean backdrops a challenge, but I’ve learned my lesson from past meals here and opted for a lens with shallow depth of field.
It had been a while since our last meal at Storytellers Cafe (dinner or breakfast–both of which I forgot to review), so we were eager to return for Mickey’s Autumn Adventures character dining experience. Especially Sarah, who had been anxiously awaiting the opening of ADRs and even purchased an outfit for Megatron that matched Minnie Mouse–right down to the adorable pumpkin beret!
I’m a big fan of the themed design at Storytellers Cafe, which is criminally under-appreciated. It contains nods to literary legends and California stories and folklore from the Golden State, all with a heavy craftsman influence. It’s detailed, gorgeous, and whimsical…and I fear it’s only a matter of time before it gets modernized because someone finds it too dated. It’s not–it’s fantastic. Spaces like this are what make the Grand Californian special, and in a totally different league than the other two hotels at Disneyland.
Turning to food on the buffet, I’m just going to start by sharing photos of the spread:
The buffet was chaotic throughout our meal at Mickey’s Autumn Adventures, so I missed a couple of major things.
First, there’s an omelet station where chefs prepare made-to-order omelets with the following ingredients: Whole Eggs or Egg Whites, and Bacon Bits, Breakfast Sausage, Impossible Meat, Spinach, Kale, Mushrooms, Roasted Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Onions, Cheddar Cheese, Asiago Cheese.
Above is the vegetable-centric omelet that Sarah ordered. She was even able to request light oil and the chef was happy to oblige.
This omelet was excellent, per Sarah. Not as excellent as it could’ve been with a heavy helping of meats and cheese, but she disagrees.
Speaking of meats, there’s also a carving station that I couldn’t manage to photograph since it’s the most popular stop at the buffet.
The options here rotate; when we did Mickey’s Autumn Adventures breakfast/brunch, Top Sirloin and Roasted Turkey. The Mickey waffle is not part of the carving scene, although that would be pretty awesome if the chef carved Mickey Mouse out of normal waffles–sorta like mop art, but with food. I’ll be sure to submit this great suggestion.
Both the Top Sirloin and Roasted Turkey were fantastic.
The sirloin, in particular, was glorious. Perfectly prepared, tender, flavorful–just everything you could want. The creamy horseradish wasn’t necessary for flavor, but it did elevate the already-excellent meat to the next level. The turkey was likewise tasty–tender and not dry. Good enough that I got it repeatedly.
The other chef special of the day was salmon. Not the smoked salmon above (which was served with capers cream–very good stuff), but the one next to it. This was also fantastic.
I’m not sure what actual distinction exists between breakfast and brunch, but maybe it was this salmon? It didn’t appear until the halfway point in our meal, by which point I had already had about a dozen (no joke) cuts of top sirloin. Probably would’ve been better to balance between beef and salmon.
Here’s one of Sarah’s plates. She took a very different approach than me, which is why I was forced to eat meats for two. I had no other choice.
We subscribe to the Joey’s Philosophy on Buffets: “here’s where I win all my money back!” Easily our most quoted line from Friends. More accurately, I subscribe to the philosophy…Sarah likes the line. As expensive as fruit has gotten, it’s not enough for us to win anything back with the above type of plate.
In terms of other items we liked on the buffet, the French Toast and Bread Pudding were both fantastic in the dessert spread, as were the beignets. They were also loaded with sugar, and ended up being my knock-out punch. (I’m sure the pound of beef before that didn’t help, but I was feeling good until dessert. Like a prizefighting competitive eater in his prime.)
We also both love the chilaquiles, which had just the right kick, and were fresh, flavorful, and addictively delicious. They don’t photograph well, but they’re fantastic. Other than what you see above, I didn’t try anything else–just literally the same plates of delicious meats over and over again. Sorry, but I’m not trying chicken tenders or fries or whatever cheap foods are on a buffet to simply confirm what I already know.
One mild disappointment was that the flatbreads looked unambitious and underwhelming. I kinda hoped for something seasonal and a bit more envelope-pushing, but these were very basic. Speaking of seasonal, there wasn’t really anything that said autumn or fall harvest. A few pumpkin dishes (or even cream sauce for the french toast or bread pudding) would’ve been a nice touch.
Now let’s turn to characters, starting with photos:
The costumes probably speak for themselves, but I want to underscore just how fantastic they are. Aside from Pluto, who always seems to get shafted with a new collar or scarf, they’re fantastic. Great layer, details, and just generally adorable.
Minnie Mouse, in particular, is the star of the show. Her outfit has a strong pumpkin motif, from the beret to the buttons. Huge kudos to the Disneyland costuming team because, once again, they’ve crushed it. This shouldn’t be any surprise, as they’ve done fantastic work with the new Halloween and Christmas character costumes over the last few years–but it’s worth giving praise where it’s due. (Partially in the hopes that perhaps eventually, Walt Disney World will follow suit.) I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Christmas!
It is slightly amusing to me that Chip and Dale are dressed for an actual autumn adventure–maybe they’re going hiking in Yosemite? Whereas the mice appear dressed to head for an “adventure” in Haight-Ashbury at a swanky coffee shop. I still love them all, it’s just funny what adventure outfits mean to different characters.
Interactions with the characters were pretty good. Most of them took time with Megatron and did something to catch her attention and interest. Mickey gave her high fives and put his always-enticing nose within reach (purposefully, I might add). Pluto teased his whiskers in her reach and was happy to provide snuggles; he was also oddly okay with her desire to explore the inside of his mouth with her head. Chip and Dale were good, and one of the two–plus Pluto–actually paid us multiple visits. No complaints about those interactions–they were all meaty and memorable.
With that said, none of the characters really went above and beyond, for us or the tables in our general vicinity. I actually wouldn’t expect this with our family–we have a small baby and it’s difficult to deviate from the tried and true interactions. All she wanted was to grab noses and whiskers, anyway, so mission accomplished. (If anything, I’d say we got the best interactions of the tables around us.) But I still enjoy watching the characters with other guests, particularly those with small kids, and seeing the performers do fun and goofy (lower case “g”) things. There wasn’t much of that. In some cases, the characters seemed hurried.
And I know this because I was watching diligently, since it took the final two characters forever to get to us. Our first two interactions happened almost immediately upon being seated, which is how we like character meals. The other characters were all nearby, and it looked like they’d arrive shortly thereafter. But then they just vanished. One did appear out of nowhere not long after, but it was nearly an hour between the third and fourth characters coming to our table.
I’m not sure if we were accidentally skipped or what, but no big deal, that happens. It’s occurred plenty of times at Walt Disney World, and usually what happens is a character attendant or manager comes by at a certain point and asks who we have or haven’t seen. Then, those characters materialize fairly quickly. I never saw a manager and attendants only appeared while racing around to give 5-minute warnings to the characters.
I don’t feel like it’s fair to penalize Mickey’s Autumn Adventures for this because, again, this type of thing does happen. And for every experience like ours, there’s probably a dozen-plus different parties who saw all of the characters within the span of 30 minutes. That’s great for them!
But this is our review and I can only speak to our experience. That was a 2-hour long marathon meal, which is a lot of time to be in a restaurant with a restless infant. I don’t know what you know about babies, but they’re not generally known for the patience and tolerance for sitting still for lengthy durations. Thankfully, her favorite hobby is “cup” and she loves watching characters and people…but we nevertheless would’ve preferred the meal last around an hour–maybe a bit more.
Our bigger criticism is the cost. When we first booked Mickey’s Autumn Adventures, the price was $55 per adult (ages 10 and older) and $33 per child (ages 3 to 9). That increased soon after to $65 per adult and $36 per child.
Even if we paid the ‘before’ price, it would’ve been the most expensive character breakfast we’ve ever done (albeit by a dollar as compared to the fancy Walt Disney World ones). But that whopping $10 price increase made it the most expensive by $11 per person. We knew the price had gone up, so it’s not like this caught us by surprise–we still voluntarily chose to do the meal.
Regardless, readers of our reviews will know that I routinely complain about the cost of Disney breakfast (such a section is a staple of our character breakfast reviews), and that’s for meals that are at least $11 cheaper per person. Out the door, we ended up paying over $140 for this meal after AP discount, tax and gratuity.
Now you know why I felt compelled to eat a pound of top sirloin to win our money back (mission not accomplished). Honestly, I would’ve done it regardless since it was delicious, but I felt “pressure” to somehow justify the exorbitant cost of this breakfast/bunch to myself. As much as we love Storytellers, we could’ve done a baby-less date night at Napa Rose and just met the characters on Main Street for Megatron’s sake.
I guess I shouldn’t be super shocked by the $65 price tag. As noted, Storytellers Cafe usually has a huge crowd outside in the morning and is often cramped and chaotic on the inside. Clearly this breakfast is in high demand. It’s also located in Disneyland’s flagship Grand Californian Hotel, which is a pricey resort that likely has a steady stream of well-heeled tourists who won’t bat an eye at paying $65 a pop. Disneyland charges what the market bears, and it appears to bear a $65 breakfast.
With that said, I also think it’s important for Disney to deliver an experience that’s commensurate with cost in order to meet or exceed the expectations of first-timers who come in cold with certain expectations of a $65 breakfast. With its cramped quarters and chaotic environment, Storytellers simply is not a setting that’s fitting for a $65 meal. The spread is also (at least) a couple of higher quality dishes away from justifying it.
Ultimately, Mickey’s Autumn Adventure Breakfast and Brunch is still one of the better character dining experiences anywhere. In the interest of balance, the meat carving station, made-to-order omelets, salmon, and a handful of other high-quality dishes do demonstrate attention to detail–and that this meal is more like an early lunch (or just a regular lunch…our 10:30 am ADR lasted until 12:30 pm!) with items you’d normally find on a dinner buffet rather than breakfast.
Perhaps the most pertinent portion of this review–or at least our conclusion–is that we are keeping our ADR for Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates Halloween, which also just increased in price to $65 per adult. Partially because that’s for Megatron’s first birthday (how has it been a year?!) but also because we did enjoy our experience at Mickey’s Autumn Adventure on balance. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun–and as we’ve already learned, time is fleeting and there’s only so long to capture these moments and memories.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you done Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe? What about the special ‘Autumn Adventures’ breakfast and brunch for Halloween/Thanksgiving? What did you think of the meal? Any standout foods from the buffet spread? What about the character interactions? Do you agree or disagree with our review of the restaurant? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
