Magical Monday #10: Choosing the Perfect Disney Character Meal for Your Family

When you vacation at Walt Disney World, meeting characters is a MUST DO! You have a couple options of how to go about getting those autographs and special snapshots. You can either stand in a long line for one rushed moment with that favorite character, OR you can book a character meal, then sit in a comfortable air conditioned restaurant enjoying a delicious meal while the characters come to you! I pick option #2 every time!

 This Magical Monday I'm excited to share about our experiences with many character meals, in hopes of helping you choose the perfect dining experience for your family's next trip to WDW!


MAGIC KINGDOM CHARACTER MEALS 

Cinderella's Royal Table
Character breakfast, lunch, and dinner offered

The biggest perk of booking fairytale dining at Cinderella's Royal Table is that you will be dining IN Cinderella's Castle! Walt Disney World. Where dreams come true!
 
A complimentary photo package and a few souvenirs are included in the cost of your meal.

This royal meal is the most expensive character meal on WDW property, yet it's also the hardest reservation to obtain. Since this restaurant is so popular you may feel more rushed here than at the other character meals. Some joke that cast members do everything short of pre-chewing your food for you, to get you in and out of there as quickly as possible. All that being said, we've dined there twice and are thankful to have those precious memories of eating in the midst of royalty in the landmark of Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's gorgeous castle.

*For guests using the Disney Dining Plan, this meal requires 2 dining credits. 


The Crystal Palace
Character breakfast, lunch, and dinner offered

If Winnie the Pooh holds a special place in your heart, you'll wanna nab a reservation at The Crystal Palace! While you can find Pooh and his bouncin' buddy, Tigger, elsewhere, this is the only meal where you'll see P-p-piglet, and Eeyore, if anyone cares to see him at all. ;) This entire restaurant is dripping in themed goodness like honey from the paw of a hungry Pooh Bear. Check out the adorable topiaries modeled after the 100 Acre Wood characters! So fun! The drawback of this restaurant is the noise level. It is extremely loud. It's such a bustling (aka: crowded) restaurant that you'll also likely find yourself in a long line simply to reach the podium to let them know you've arrived for your reservation. Bring both your patience and your appetite and you'll have a Tiggerific good time!


  EPCOT CHARACTER MEALS: 

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall located in Epcot, World Showcase, Norway Pavilion

Character breakfast, lunch, and dinner offered
This is the only character meal in the World Showcase, and the only table service breakfast in Epcot.

Akershus' Princess Storybook Dining is a fantastic money saving alternative to dining at Cinderella's Royal Table! You'll meet princesses and enjoy a lovely meal for a fraction of the price!

 Current cost for character breakfasts at these locations:
Akershus: Adults $34.99, Children Age 3-9 $20.99
Cinderella's Royal Table: Adult $49.87, Children Age 3-9 $32.44

 We've dined at Akershus twice (both for character breakfasts), and have really enjoyed the experience as a whole! In our experience, our girls have enjoyed more quality time with each Princess at this meal than at the Castle. Also, I love dining that is in keeping with the theme of the area of the park you're dining in. You'll find that to be the case with Akershus. You're in World Showcase and being served in the Norway Pavillion by Norwegian Cast Members. Ask them to teach you a phrase our two in their native tongue! Shh... don't tell the kids, but learning can be disguised as just plain fun while you're on vacation! ;)

*You are NOT supposed to be able to meet Cinderella at this restaurant. I needed to throw in that disclaimer, because as you can see in the photos, we did meet her there once! This is a great example of why you cannot go into a character meal EXPECTING to meet (or in this case, not to meet ;)) a certain character. Characters are always subject to change, with the exception of Cinderella at Cinderella's Royal Table, she'll ALWAYS be there, after all it's her home. :)


The Garden Grill located at Epcot, Future World
Character dinners offered from 3:00-8:00pm


We love Chip 'n' Dale's Harvest Feast Dinner offered at The Garden Grill! Unlike most character meals, this restaurant serves a fixed menu, family style. You just sit still and enjoy, but the restaurant doesn't! It actually rotates throughout your meal! You'll have a continually changing view from the "Living with the Land" attraction. I suggest dining here towards the end of your trip. After a week or more of "vacation food" this home-cooked style meal really hits the spot! Characters you'll likely meet here are Chip 'n' Dale, Farmer Mickey, and his pal, Pluto!


HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS CHARACTER DINING


Disney Junior Play 'n Dine at Hollywood & Vine
Character breakfast and lunch offered
This is the only table service breakfast served in Hollywood Studios.


You'll meet Disney Junior characters here!


You'll ONLY meet Disney Junior character here!

If you're traveling with a toddler this may be their favorite meal. If not, there are probably more suitable meals for your party. ;)


ANIMAL KINGDOM CHARACTER MEALS:


Tusker House Restaurant
Character breakfast and lunch offered



Remember in my recent JUNGLE JUICE post how I mentioned this is my favorite character meal? I'll take this opportunity to explain why that's the case. ;) In my opinion, there is no better way to start a day at the Animal Kingdom than with
                                                             

... I mean, than in a restaurant that's themed as a Harambe marketplace eatery, filled with characters dressed in safari costumes. By the end of the meal you may even forget you're actually in Florida! As you enjoy a scrumptious meal from the buffet, not only will characters make their way around to meet you, one will even invite your kids to grab a maraca and dance around the tables with them! The sights, sounds, and flavors of Africa found here are a perfect way to kick off a day in Disney's "Wild"est Park!



CHARACTER MEALS LOCATED IN RESORTS: 


1900 Park Fare
Character breakfast and dinner offered

1900 Park Fare is located inside Walt Disney World's flagship resort, the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Their Supercalifragilistic Breakfast has the most varied characters of any of the character meals. We met Alice and the Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too, and one lonely Princess, Belle. If you'd enjoy meeting a variety of characters, this is an excellent option for you. As with all Disney character meals, the rule applies, characters are subject to change. This was extremely noticeable during our meal that was lacking in the characters associated with the whole "Supercalifraglistic"ness of it all, but I was quickly won over by the scrumptious Lobster Egg Benedict at the buffet, and the playful banter we enjoyed with the Mad Hatter. It was his unbirthday TOO, what were the odds?! ;)

They also host a Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner here, where you can meet Cindy and her Prince, as well as her disapproving stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and her mean (but hilarious) stepsisters.



Chef Mickey's Buffet located at Disney's Contemporary Resort 
Character breakfast and dinner offered

This is my oldest daughter's top pick! We've enjoyed both breakfast and dinner there. Dinner was our favorite of the two. In our experience, the characters were much more lively in the evening. Perhaps we caught them before they'd had their morning coffee the year we had breakfast with them. ;) In any case, there's always good food and great times to be had here! You'll normally be dining with Disney's "Fab Five"! Every 30 minutes they'll crank up some fun music and ask you to "celebrate with Mickey Mouse" by twirling your cloth napkins as they dance around the restaurant in their chef garb. This is a popular restaurant, so you'll wanna book your dining reservations here ASAP! :)



'Ohana 
Character breakfast offered

At 'Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast you'll meet Lilo, Mickey Mouse, and their best friends, Stitch and Pluto! We haven't dined at this character breakfast yet, but plan to enjoy it later this Fall. 'Ohana is our family's #1 Pick for dinner in all of WDW Property! We absolutely love the atmosphere and the abundance of amazing eats there in the evening. Stay tuned for a review later this year on what it's like to kick off your day with breakfast there. Meanwhile I'll just stick to the facts. ;) It's an all-you-care-to-enjoy, family style meal served from 7:30-11:30am at the gorgeous Polynesian Resort.


Garden Grove 
Character dinner offered daily. Saturday and Sunday mornings they host character breakfast as well.

You can enjoy themed buffets throughout the week here. One night they serve Italian, the next it may be Mexican. You can call 407-WDW-DINE for more details before booking if you have a certain cuisine you'd most enjoy. The pitfall of this restaurant would be location, Walt Disney World Swan Hotel. If you are relying on WDW transportation, this hotel is not as easily accessible to get to as most others. Characters you may meet here include Rafiki, Timon, Goofy, and Pluto.


Cape May Cafe 
Character breakfast offered

At Disney's Beach Club Villas you'll find a restaurant with tables covered in white paper table cloths. The kids (and young at heart) are welcome to doodle crayon masterpieces between bites of Mickey waffles, Cape May Cafe French Toast Bread Pudding, and anything else your tummy desires from the buffet. This is the easiest character meal to book last minute. If you let yourself get in a pinch, this may be the choice for you! You'll likely meet Goofy, Donald Duck, and Minnie Mouse, all dressed for a lovely day at the beach!


Some of our most magical memories have been made at Disney restaurants. There's nothing quite like super cute (and equally YUMMY!) Disney eats & love from your Disney pals! 


You may also be interested in:

Mickey Mouse Cookies & Cream Oreo Brownie
Disney's Jungle Juice (Copycat Recipe)
10 FREE Disney Ringtones!
Perry the Platypus Hand Puppet
Tigger Tails
A Trip to Neverland & the Perfect Treat for the Journey!
Popcorn & Pixie Dust {Peter Pan Movie Party}
Mickey Mouse Munch
Around the World at Epcot


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