Anyone that’s been to Disney World knows that a chance to meet your favorite Disney characters can really add a lot to the experience. Dining with a Disney character on your Disney World vacation is a great and of course very unique option. But is it for you? If you decide you want to dine with Mickey Mouse ( or a Disney Princess or even a chip monk) how do you decide which Disney World character dining restaurant to go to?
I have been to so many Walt Disney World character meals that my children started to think it was normal to see Winnie the Pooh at the breakfast table!
There are many locations throughout the Disney World theme parks and resorts where you can dine with a Disney character or two. As with anything Disney-food related, we want to help make sure that you know what you’re getting into ahead of time. So, we wanted to take a few minutes to go over some of our favorite (and some of our least favorite) of Disney World’s character meals.
Check out this all in one guide to why, how, and where you can have a Walt Disney World Character meal.
Disney World Character Meals – Do You Really Want One?
Is this Walt Disney World character dining experience for you?
Disney World character meals are an experience. A truly unique experience!
They give you lots of chances to interact with the characters. The Disney characters themselves are generally excellent – they never step out of character and to your child they can be magical.
The downsides? They are generally more expensive than other comparable Disney dining – you pay for the experience as well as the food. They can also be a little noisy. Do not go here expecting a quiet time!
Disney World Free Dining
Walt Disney World Free Dining Plan is Here for 2024
Once again the very popular Disney World free dining is available for most dates from August-October 2024. The free dining offer is one of the very best money-saving specials for Disney World resort guests – so if you are thinking of visiting at this time make sure you check out the savings that you can make.
You must book your Disney World resort hotel by 6/21/09. and you need to stay a minimum of 3 nights on a Disney Magic Your Way Package. Suites are excluded from this offer.
The Disney Free Dining Plan is one of the best offers available to resort guests as savings add up to $101.96 per day for a family of 2 adults and 2 children.
How do the discounts work? You get the Disney Magic Your Way Plus Dining for the price of Disney Magic Your Way. Still, confused? You need to book at least a 3 day stay at a Disney World resort hotel and in addition, you must also purchase at least a One Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket.
The Free Disney Dining Plan option includes 1 table service meal, 1 counter service, and 1 snack per person per day.
Disney World resort guests can also upgrade the Free Dining Plan to a Deluxe Dining Plan. The cost of this is $32 per adult and $10 per child aged 3-9. This Deluxe Dining Plan covers 3 table service meals,2 snacks, and a resort refillable mug. Guests can also purchase the Wine Package.
The Disney Free Dining Plan is always popular so as soon as you know that you want to book then go ahead as there are limited rooms available.
Disney World Character Meals – How Do I Choose Which One?
Which Walt Disney Magical Meal Should You Choose?
There is a great variety of choices for your Disney World character meal. From breakfast to brunch, dinner to lunch. Meals can be buffet, menu or family-style ( where all you can eat choices are brought to your table).
If your want to see a particular character always check before you go to see that they are appearing that particular time – a lot of the restaurants do have a fixed schedule of characters, but they do sometimes change.
The choices can be a little overwhelming so let us look where you can find all the restaurants with Disney character meals.
Here you can check out the location, dining style, and which characters are usually at that restaurant location.
How Do You Reserve a Disney World Character Meal?
Disney Advance Dining Reservations
If you want to dine with Mickey or share a buffet with a Disney Princess it is a good idea to book ahead. The character meals are very popular and tend to fill up quickly.
Disney has a system of Advance Dining Reservations – ADR.
You can call 1 407 WDW DINE to make your Advanced Dining Reservation – up to 90 days ahead. Disney World resort hotel guests can make ADR’s 100 days ahead.
Disney character dining is popular so if you do want to guarantee that you get a table you really should do this to avoid being disappointed.
Where Will You Find Disney World Character Dining?
Walt Disney World Character Dining Restaurants
You will find Disney character dining at each of the parks and some of the Disney hotels.
- Disney Magic Kingdom
- Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Crystal Palace
- Liberty Tree Tavern
- EPCOT
- Akershus Royal Banquet Princess Dining
- Garden Grill
- Disney Hollywood Studios
- Hollywood & Vine
- Disney Animal Kingdom
- Tusker House
- Disney Resort Hotels
- 1900 Park Fayre – The Grand Floridian
- Cape May – Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Chef Mickey’s – Contemporary Resort
- Ohana – Polynesian Resort
- Gullivers Grill – Swan Resort
- Garden Grove Cafe – Swan Resort
Walt Disney World Character Dining Restaurants
Guides to all your favorite Disney World restaurants
Use this guide to work out which character dining would be best for you and your family.
All prices are correct as for December 2024 ( sometimes Holiday pricing is in operation and this is not listed). All prices are subject to tax and gratuity.
Meals prices include soft beverages, coffee, and tea.
All characters are subject to change so if you have a particular favorite in mind call ahead to check!
Character Dining in Magic Kingdom
Would You Like To Dine In Cinderella’s Castle?
Cinderella’s Royal Table Restaurant
Yes, you really do get to dine inside Cinderella’s Castle at Cinderella’s Royal Table. This is by far the most sought after restaurant. Be warned it is almost impossible to get a reservation!
You HAVE TO BOOK 90 days ahead or 100 days if you are a Disney resort guest for this by calling 407 WDW DINE. It is a very small and very very popular restaurant – so call at 7 pm EST as soon as the lines open.
This is the only character restaurant where you have to book so far ahead and your chances of getting in are so minimal – so don’t be discouraged from the other option!
The usual characters are Cinderella, The Fairy Godmother, Belle, Snow White, and Aurora.
The breakfast option is a pre-plated family style all you care to eat.
- $36.99 adults
- $24.99 children
Lunch is appetizers brought to your table, a choice of entree from a list of 4 or 5 items, and a dessert.
- $35.99 adults
- $23.99 children
For dinner, there is a choice of appetizer entree and dessert ( more choices than at lunch).
- $39.99
- $24.99
Included with every meal is a photo package. You will be greeted in the lobby and taken to have your photograph taken. A package with four 4×6 prints and one 6×8 print of your photo,as well as one 6×8 print of Cinderella Castle, in a Cinderella photo holder.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom Crystal Palace
Character Dining in Disney’s Magic Kingdom
This is one of my personal favorites. Located at the end of Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom the usual characters are Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet.
This is a buffet restaurant with good quality options – all subject to change. A couple of the lunch and dinner entree options are so good I have the recipe ( just ask you server and they will let you have any recipe).
Breakfast buffet options include scrambled eggs, pancakes, breakfast potatoes – the usual excellent selection of breakfast buffet fare.
Some of my lunch and dinner favorites are the Ancho Chile Rubbed Atlantic Salmon and great fruit and vegetable tofu curry. The salad selection is always great too.
- Breakfast 8- 10.30 am
- Adult $18.99
- Child $10.99
- Lunch 11.30 – 3pm
- Adult $20.99
- Child $11.99
- Dinner 4 pm – depends on when the park closes
- Adult $27.99
- Child $12.99
Crystal Palace Character Dining
Every so often the characters Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore get up and dance around the restaurant encouraging the children to join them.
If you want a quiet meal then this is not the place to be!
Liberty Tree Tavern – Goofy’s Liberate Your Appetite
Liberty Square Magic Kingdom
Lunch and dinner are served here – but characters are present ONLY at dinner. Minnie, Pluto, Donald Duck, Meeko, Chip, and Dale are the characters usually in attendance at dinner.
The theming is excellent. Be transported in time to colonial America – with themed wall art, low exposed beams, and colonial-style furniture.
The dinner is served family-style – so brought to you are your table, but you can ask for as many servings as you would like. The menu is roasted turkey breast, carved beef, and smoked pork loin, with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, herb bread stuffing. Not forgetting the kids there is the ever-popular Macaroni and Cheese.
- Dinner 4pm to closing depending on park hours
- Adults $27.99
- Child $12.99
Character Dining in EPCOT
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – Dine With A Princess
Norway World Showcase EPCOT Princess Storybook Dining
This is another one of my personal favorites. I loved this restaurant long before the Princesses arrived!
Which Princesses may appear? Aurora, Snow White, Jasmine, Belle, Mulan or Mary Poppins. There is sometimes the rare treat of seeing Ariel in a ballgown so able to walk around! Cinderella appears only occasionally.
You cannot guarantee that your particular favorite Princess will appear – so warn your children of this!
I also love the theming in this Princess storybook buffet restaurant. It was designed to look like a 14th-century castle banquet hall. The low lighting welcomes you into a room with high ceilings, cast-iron chandeliers, and stained glass windows.
The servers, all from Norway on the Disney student exchange program are particularly welcoming and helpful.
This is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Breakfast is served family-style. It includes fruit, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potato casserole, cinnamon rolls, and biscuits.
Breakfast is also fun because the restaurant is open before the World Showcase section of EPCOT opens – if you finish breakfast around 11 are you get a head start on the attractions in that part of the park.
- Breakfast 8.30 to 10.10 am
- Adult $22.99
- Child $12.99
- Lunch 11.40 to 2.50pm
There is a cold buffet table of Norweigan specialties. Lots of salads, cheese, excellent flatbread, cold meats and all you can eat shrimp.
As well as helping yourself to the buffet you can order a hot entree from the menu. You can order as many times as you want from such choices as braised lamb, meatballs, trout and pasta. You have a choice of dessert. If you want the more familiar try the chocolate mousse. Or for those of you wanting something a little different then the Norweigan rice cream dessert is very good.
Thankfully there is a kids menu as some kids really aren’t going to want to try the more unusual items. I know this from experience – just ask me about the plate throwing incident, my son’s worst restaurant moment!
The kid’s menu has the usual selections of pizza, hot dogs, and meatballs. Also cheese ravioli ( my daughter’s favorite), grilled chicken breast or salmon, and the Viking turkey and cheese roll-up.
- Lunch 11.40 to 2.50pm
- Adults $24.99
- Child $13.99
For dinner, the system is the same as lunch and the cold buffet table choices are identical. But the entree choices are a little different. Just some of the choices are baked salmon with spicy mustard ( one of my favorites), poached cod and venison stew.
- Dinner 4.20 to 8.40 pm
- Adult $28.99
- Child $13.99
I think this buffet and menu system works well because your hot food is cooked to order, and therefore hasn’t been standing on a buffet table. No matter how well food is cooked it can obviously lose some quality in buffet style setups, so I think this is a big bonus of the Princess Storybook Dining.
I love Akershus but be aware that not everyone does because of the slightly unusual style of the food. There are some choices to satisfy picky kids but a lot do not like the unusual items on the cold buffet.
The Garden Grill Restaurant in EPCOT
Chip ‘N’ Dales Harvest Feast
This restaurant is located in The Land Pavilion in EPCOT’s Future World. It has a twist – well a revolution! It is a revolving restaurant. You will travel around through one of The Land’s attractions – Living With The Land.
The characters who usually appear are Mickey, Pluto and Chip and Dale.
Lunch and dinner are served here and the food is family style. The menu is the same for both lunch and dinner.
Buttermilk biscuits and rolls, flank steak, pork loin with chutney, turkey, catfish, and a selection of fresh vegetables.
For kids, the choice is chicken strips, mac, and cheese, potatoes or fries and vegetables.
I like the dessert here – the chocolate fondue with marshmallows, biscotti pound cake, and fresh fruit is excellent fun for everyone.
- Lunch 11 to 3 pm
- Adults $20.99
- Child $11.99
- Dinner 4.30 to varies with park closing time
- Adult $27.99
- Child $12.99
Character Dining in Hollywood Studios
Hollywood and Vine
Disney Hollywood Studios- Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine
The decor in this buffet restaurant is an art deco style cafeteria. It is a bustling and to be honest, very noisy place which makes me think of the diner in the Grease movie – lots of chrome, tile floors and bright colored red chairs!
Characters appear at breakfast and lunch only.
- Breakfast 8 to 11.20 am
For breakfast, you can join the Playhouse Disney characters Jo Jo and Goliath from Jo Jo’s Circus and June and Leo from the Little Einsteins. If you want lots of singing and dancing with your breakfast this is the right place!
The breakfast buffet menu has a selection of the usual favorites, bacon, sausages, biscuits, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, Mickey waffles, pastries, and fruit.
- Adults $22.99
- Child $12.99
- Lunch 11.40 to 2.25pm
The characters are usually the same as breakfast Jo-Jo and Leo.
Lunch is also buffet-style with selections such as salads, cheeses, pot roast, baked chicken, salmon, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.
There is a children’s buffet table with the standard favorites – hot dogs, mac and cheese.
The dessert station has traditional American desserts including a serve-yourself ice cream with lots of different toppings to choose from!
- Adult $24.99
- Child $13.99
Dinner is also buffet-style with similar selections to lunch but is NOT a character meal (it can be part of the Fantasmic dining package though).
Character Dining in Animal Kingdom
Donald and Friends Breakfastasaurus
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Breakfast at the Tusker House Restaurant
The only character dining location in the Animal Kingdom – this is a buffet-style breakfast only.
Characters appearing include Donald Duck, Mickey, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Pluto.
Breakfast is served from 8 to 10.30 am every day – so if you get the earliest seating you can be starting on the rides by opening time at 9am. Just don’t overindulge on the buffet and then ride Everest!
The restaurant does have an African theme – but don’t let this put you off as this is one of the best character meal experiences available. Try the potato leek frittata or my favorite the coconut sweet potato casserole.
Buffet selections include croissants, breakfast pizza, muffins, fruit, cereals, cinnamon apple slices, scrambled eggs, western-style eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, oatmeal.
- Adult $18.99
- Child $10.99
This is one of the least expensive buffet character meals and well worth a try.
Character Dining in Disney Resorts
1900 Park Fare – The Grand Floridian
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast
There are 2 meals served at the 1900 Park Far Restaurant in the luxurious Grand Florida hotel.
Both meals are amongst my favorite character meals and dining experiences at Disney World. The quality of the food is high – and you also get to enjoy the atmosphere of the lobby of The Grand Floridian which is one of my favorite people-watching spots in Disney World!
1900 Park Fare serves the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast
Breakfast 8 to 11.30 pm
The characters are usually Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins and Bert, and The Mad Hatter ( my all-time least favorite character)! I have often seen Aladdin and Tigger there too.
There is a large selection of food here including a separate kids station ( I like the hash browns from the kid’s selection). There will be something for everyone on the 40-item buffet.
Cereals, scrambled eggs, strawberry soup ( you have to try it), bacon, sausage, Mickey pancakes, fruit, pastries, bread pudding (just try and resist that even if it is morning), oatmeal, corned beef hash, lobster benedict. This is just a selection of items.
- Adult $18.99
- Child $10.99
- Dinner 4.30 to 8.30 pm
Again it is buffet style. The characters could include Cinderella and Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella.
Large selection of salads, peel-and-eat shrimp, soup selection, prime rib, turkey, salmon with caper butter sauce, mushroom ravioli, and mussels. cheese lasagna, pork loin, selection of vegetables.
On the kid’s buffet table, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, pasta, cheese pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, mac and cheese, corn, and vegetables.
If you still have room for dessert (and amazingly you will when you see them) bread pudding, apple cobbler, key lime tarts, chocolate chip cookies, and Rice Krispie treats and ice cream.
- Adult $28.99
- Child $13.99
Disney World Cinderella’s Gala Feast
At 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Hotel
A fabulous chance to meet Cinderella in Disney World.
Dinner is served from 4.30 to 8.30 pm
Again it is buffet style. The characters could include Cinderella and Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella.
Large selection of salads, peel-and-eat shrimp, soup selection, prime rib, turkey, salmon with caper butter sauce, mushroom ravioli, and mussels. cheese lasagna, pork loin, selection of vegetables.
On the kid’s buffet table, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, pasta, cheese pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, mac and cheese, corn, and vegetables.
If you still have room for dessert (and amazingly you will when you see them) bread pudding, apple cobbler, key lime tarts, chocolate chip cookies, and Rice Krispie treats and ice cream.
- Adult $28.99
- Child $13.99
Disney World 1900 Park Fare – Character Visit!
This gives you some idea of what you are going to experience with character dining. The characters come to your table usually one by one. Most times you will get to see each character. If one has missed your table just ask your server and they will arrange for them to stop by.
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Goofy’s Beach Club Disney Resort Breakfast
Disney’s Beach Club Resort Hotel
One of my favorite Disney hotels and I love this restaurant!
Breakfast is served 7.30 to 11 am
The characters are usually chosen from Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale.
The decor in the restaurant is a nautical theme. Children are given crayons to draw on the paper table cloths – adults can join in too!
The menu is buffet style and has the usual favorites. Hot and cold cereal, fruit, oatmeal, pastries, eggs, an omelet made to order, breakfast potatoes, biscuits and gravy, muffins, bagels, and the delightful bread pudding!
- Adult $18.99
- Child $10.99
Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Dine with Mickey Mouse and Friends
A popular restaurant and deservedly so. Located just off of the lobby in the Contemporary Resort it is fun to ride the monorail and step off into the hotel and then go for breakfast. After you have finished it is one shortstop to the Magic Kingdom on the monorail.
Breakfast and dinner are served buffet style.
Breakfast 7 to 11.30 am
Mickey, Goofy, Chip, and Dale usually appear.
There is a good selection of cereal, fruit, oatmeal, corned beef hash, omelet, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, bacon and cheese potatoes, Minnie’s breakfast pizza, challah french toast (this is fabulous), bagels, chocolate croissants, cheese blintzes, peach cobbler, pastries, and brownies.
- Adult $18.99
- Child $10.99
- Dinner 5 to 9.30 pm
Because this is so close to the Magic Kingdom it can be good to go for dinner here and then go and watch the fireworks at the end of the day.
Characters appearing include Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald ( one of the few places you can find him).
The buffet includes soup and salad bar, prime rib, oven-roasted ham, teriyaki chicken, glazed salmon, penne pasta with chicken and Italian sausage florentine, mashed potato, cheese ravioli, rice with peas, assorted vegetables.
For the kid’s selection maco and cheese, chicken tenders, cheese pizza, and vegetables.
- Adult $27.99
- Child $12.99
Ohana – Polynesian Resort
Tropical Fun with Lilo and Stich at Breakfast
Ohana serves breakfast and dinner, but only breakfast has character appearances. In keeping with the tropical theme, the characters are Lilo and Stich.
The restaurant design is spectacular with a fire pit as the central focus of the room.
Breakfast is served from 7 to 10 am and is family style. The menu is a little more limited than most at scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, pork sausage, and smoked bacon, breakfast breads and fruit.
The restaurant is lively! Your children will be invited to join in such activities as hula hoop contests and coconut races. It is a lot of fun!
- Adult $18.99
- Child $10.99
Dinner is served but there are no characters. A usual concept as you are served family-style food including appetizers with dips, and entrees which are served on skewers. A great restaurant that is worth a try if you want something a little different ( and don’t mind not dining with the characters).
Garden Grove Cafe
Disney Swan Resort
This is a character buffet on Saturday and Sundays ONLY.
Pluto and Goofy are the usual characters in attendance.
Breakfast buffet items include fruit, cereals, pastries, eggs any style, breakfast meats, bagels, croissants, Virginia baked ham, and waffles.
- Breakfast is served from 7.30 to 11.30 am
- Adults $16.95
- Children $8.50
This is an often forgotten location for a character breakfast. The Swan Hotel is located a 15-minute walk or short boat ride from the World Showcase entrance to EPCOT. So it can be good to combine breakfast here with a visit to World Showcase when it opens at 11 am.
Gullivers Grill at the Swan Resort
Another often forgotten venue is Gulliver’s Grill at The Swan Resort.
Dinner is served buffet style. Timon and Rafiki from The Lion King appear on Monday and Friday nights. All other nights are Goofy and Pluto.
- Adults $27.95
- Children $10.95
- Adults on Friday $29.95
A resort restaurant is a good choice if you still want that Disney experience but no longer have any ticket days left – or perhaps for the first night of your stay.
Have You Ever Had a Meal With a Character at Walt Disney World?