Pancakes With Pluto

It’s just after 4 p.m. We’ve been at Disney World, or to be exact, “Mickey’s House,” for 90 seconds. And Claire and Teresa want to see The Mouse.

Now.

So begins the real trip. Two parents and two 4-year-olds, not so fresh from their ear-popping flight, quickly checking in at the hotel, dropping off luggage, barely changing clothes and charging to the Magic Kingdom before closing time.

But on this October day the daily parade of characters is over. Even the second-stringers aren’t around. And the only mouse ears are on the heads of toddlers.

After questioning every guide in sight, we head for the Magic Kingdom area called Mickey’s Starland, the only place, we’re told, where any of The Mouse’s extended family will be. Our twins, Claire and Teresa, are more excited than ever.

For Disney World’s younger visitors, the characters they’ve met on video, in a multiplex or in books are the vacation incarnate.

We finally arrive, then wait an hour to see a show half as long. The beat of the music is rap. The presence of Mickey is minimal. Minnie is missing. The reaction is tears. Teresa couldn’t embrace Mickey. Claire wanted more time. It’s a pure state of Mouse Deprivation, an affliction that has gripped arrivals of all ages.

We were already terrified by tales from friends that entire vacations had passed without live sightings of The Mouse, or any other of their kids’ beloved big-screen and little-screen idols. This day, Mom, Dad and daughters spent four hours in pursuit, and never saw a character we could touch. We returned to the hotel, miserably Mouseless.

That’s when we found out where Mickey and his buddies were: hosting a meal in one of our hotel’s dining rooms. And the kids can get their fill of Disney characters at daily breakfasts and occasional dinners throughout the park and the resorts’ hotels. Since an experimental breakfast with Mickey two years ago, Disney says these intimate encounters with characters have become one of the most popular attractions for the under-10 crowd.

At these morning banquets, many of which need to be booked two months in advance, the costumed performers patiently and cheerfully go from table to table. The banquets provide fuel for the day and a leisurely, crowd-free time to encounter what children see as the real stars of the show. For a child, there is nothing remotely comparable to walking up to Mickey, Goofy or Winnie the Pooh, touching him and getting that hug.

There are seven daily breakfast get-togethers--one at each of the three Disney World parks and four at the resort’s hotels. The grandest of them is a table-service production in Cinderella’s Castle, where at parapet level is King Stefan’s Banquet Hall.

The whole affair is irresistible, from the Fairy Godmother who greets you downstairs, to ascending the winding staircase that leads to the banquet hall dominated by huge stained-glass windows overlooking a white-horsed carousel. Eventually, you’ll be seated upstairs and all the major characters of the day will visit your table.

The Mad Hatter is around for tea, and a sweetness-and-light Snow White may visit while you’re having fruit. (No, not an apple.) Cinderella herself waltzes by, all smiles, gowned for a princely dance. Alice chats for more than 15 minutes, with an accent and cadence so precise you think it’s the movie soundtrack. They amiably sign autographs, pose for pictures and make sure all is good in the world.

Not all the memorable characters make it to these repasts. For example, the stars of Disney’s biggest hit, “The Lion King,” are absent, not so much because carnivores don’t go with croissants but because only a couple of figures in the film walk on two feet. Only wise guy Timon and sage Rafiki may be spotted in the wild. Ariel, the Little Mermaid herself, isn’t around either--a comment less on seafood than on an unwieldy fin and a vulnerable bikini top.

Scary characters are banished from breakfast and from walking tours in the park. The closest you’ll get to the campy, over-the-top Disney villainesses is on parade floats, usually at the nighttime extravaganzas during the busy seasons.

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While the affair at King Stefan’s offers more, the six other breakfasts do provide a contained setting for children to see three or four characters. What unifies the events and the children, too, are autograph books: $4.95 volumes that are rivaling Mickey ears in their omnipresence.

Claire clutched her autograph book closely, from the moment of purchase to its reverent placement each night next to her pillow. Teresa loved hers so much she decided to annotate it. They’d wait in line, crayons in hand, with the sort of patience that parents assume must come from the local air.

With expressions showing how big their eyes can get, each kid offered a crayon to Mary Poppins and to Alice, to Timon and to Goofy, as if they were John, Paul, George and Ringo together again. The joy of the autograph starts early.

Characters sign with aplomb and individual style, whether it’s Aladdin’s swirling letters or Minnie’s hearts. Pluto adds a paw. Dopey makes his “e” backward. Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” will sign, but because of his unwieldy claws, Beast himself can’t.

Belle herself will apprise you of that. She’s one of the characters who talks. Beast doesn’t. Most of those under heavy-duty costuming don’t. But Mary Poppins converses with what seems a receiving line of children at the Grand Floridian resort.

Pocahontas and John Smith do likewise at the Soundstage Restaurant in Disney-MGM Studios, another locale where you may find characters in abundance. Along Mickey Avenue, right behind a model of Mann’s Theatre, they just seem to pop out.

If you’re 4, no stars are brighter. And the signatures in the book are the truest souvenir. Claire remembers the signing experiences more than any stuffed toy; Teresa more than any magic wand. This is the part of the trip they bring home: Goofy hugged me, Cinderella signed my book.

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Keep in mind that arranging to dine with a princess in her castle can be tough in London, Monte Carlo--or Orlando.

At Cinderella’s Castle, it’s because of the enduring popularity of Cinderella, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. And also because of the relatively small size of the dining area located on the second story of the castle--the Magic Kingdom icon--and setting for the most elaborate character breakfast.

The unwritten rule at the other Disney character meals is that you usually get to see at least four costumed creatures. Either Mickey or Minnie is the headliner, appearing with a supporting cast of Goofy and Pluto and most likely one of the twin chipmunks, Chip and Dale.

These being Disney events, there are established protocols. You will be told to stay seated at your table. Each character makes the rounds of the room and all of them will stop by your table. You could wait as long as 90 minutes for the full circuit. The performers are usually very patient and will let you take still and video pictures.

The food at the breakfasts is pretty good and certainly plentiful--muffins, rolls, fresh-cut fruit and whole bananas. Baskets and bins hold a variety of cereals and granolas, and the hot trays consist of eggs done several ways, Mickey waffles, pancakes, biscuits and sausages or bacon. Disney World might be the only place where you can find blintzes side by side with grits.

The Disney magic can even make your kids disappear. Desperate for an adult experience, my husband and I checked out the baby-sitting service at our hotel. It’s called the Mouseketeer Club, and if your kid doesn’t tie up the sitter, he or she gets an official certificate of membership. Having left our daughters with only two baby-sitters in four years, we were leery.

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First, we checked out the site, which looked liked a posh preschool. Wooden chairs and tables, dollhouses, all the Disney stuffed animals and enough games and videotapes to satisfy the most demanding toddler. We stopped back again to meet the head Mouseketeer. She was Gloria, and perfectly cast as the grandmother. After five minutes of conversation, we made our reservations for the next night.

Victoria and Albert’s, in the Grand Floridian, offers cardamom-seared lamb carpaccio, truffle-dusted swordfish, Stilton cheese, a Burgundy-poached pear, a blackberry-mascarpone souffle, baroque music. It’s considered the finest dining in that World.

Claire and Teresa will enjoy it, too.

But that’s for Tomorrowland.

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GUIDEBOOK: Orlando for Characters

Getting there: From LAX, Delta and United fly nonstop to Orlando; American, Continental, Northwest, TWA, USAir and America West offer service involving a change of planes. Lowest advance-purchase, round-trip fares start at about $325.

Where to stay: We stayed at the top-of-the-line Grand Floridian resort; room prices range from $290 to $500 per night (many rooms can accommodate a family of five). But Disney World has 14 other Disney-owned and operated hotels and motels in various price ranges, starting with the $69-$79 per night All-Star resorts. For information and reservations, telephone (407) W-DISNEY. In addition, there are more than 300 non-Disney lodgings in the Orlando area, with room rates between $20-$300 per night. There are many package deals available; consult your travel agent or call Disney World.

Where to eat: The Magic Kingdom breakfast at Cinderella’s Castle is the best place to see Cinderella, Snow White, Alice. Table service. Adults, $14.95 per person; children 3-11, $7.95. For dinner, the Liberty Tree Tavern features Mickey and Friends. Family style. Adults, $19.50; children 3-11, $9.95.

At the Disney-MGM Studios, breakfast at the Soundstage Restaurant features “Aladdin” and “Pocahontas” characters, such as Genie and Meeko, plus a photo opportunity with Pocahontas and John Smith as you leave. Buffet. Adults, $12.95; children 3-11, $7.95.

At EPCOT, the Garden Grill has the only restaurant where Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale are available at three meals a day. Table service for breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Disney resort hotels featuring meals with characters in attendance:

Breakfast: Beach Club Resort (Goofy), Contemporary (Winnie the Pooh), Disney Vacation Club (Winnie), Grand Floridian (Mary Poppins), Polynesian (Minnie).

Dinner: Contemporary (Goofy), Grand Floridian (Mickey and Minnie), Polynesian (Mickey’s Tropical Luau).

For meal reservations at all sites, tel. (407) WDW-Dine up to 60 days in advance. The phone line is open 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Friday eastern standard time. On weekends, call 7 a.m.-8 p.m. EST. During the busy season (particularly during the holiday season and during summer months), be prepared to call the minute your 60-day window opens. Even off season, most character meals, especially breakfasts, will be booked before you arrive in Orlando. Some walk-ins are possible at the hotels.

Breakfast times vary with the day and the site. They can start as early as 7:30 a.m. on Sundays, with the last reservations usually between 10 and 11 a.m. (In addition to reservations, diners must also have an admission ticket or pass to the park to be allowed entry.) Meal coupons offered in many of the Disney package deals are accepted at the character breakfasts.

For more information: Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 8445 International Drive, Orlando; tel. (407) 363-5871.

--P.G. and R.C.