We've never been to CM and I doubt we'll try it after all the terrible reviews I've read. (I think H&V and Tony's are the only restaurants that rival it for worst reviews.) With so many restaurants at WDW, including many that get generally positive reviews, I can't see wasting my time and money on CM.
Also, we did three character meals on our most recent vacation. (We'd only done 1900 PF dinner before.) The food at each (TH brunch, Akershus dinner, CRT breakfast) was alright, but I don't think the character experience is worth it. The character dining pictures all have strangers and/or food/utensils in them, the lighting was frequently poor, it was too crowded to keep getting up to take pics, the characters all seemed rushed,... We were able to meet a lot of characters in the parks (many with little or no wait), and the pics turned out SO much better than the ones in the restaurants. The park M&Gs allowed for more interaction, the backgrounds are cute, etc.