You’ve booked your dream Disney vacation and now it is time to start making decisions to shape your trip. I believe having a few character dining experiences at Disney World can be beneficial for many reasons. Throughout the parks, hotels and other locations on Disney property, there are a lot of dining options to choose from. I have compiled this list of the Top 5 Character Dining Experiences at Disney World for your planning pleasure.
What is Character Dining?
Character dining is a paid extra dining experience where you can dine with various Disney Characters. At these experiences, you get one on one time with characters at your dining table. You can take photos, get signed autographs and even a hug from them!
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. When it comes to princesses, I think this is the best value especially if you are on the dining plan (one credit). This character experience gets you quality time with the main princesses (Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Aurora and Cinderella). There are character dining options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is a more intimate space than Cinderella’s Castle. I recommend this location for breakfast because you can get a time before the park opens so you can get great park pictures and be first in line for Frozen Ever After (aka you can use your Tier 1 Fast Pass for another ride). The food here is a combination of buffet and family style for breakfast while lunch and dinner are a la carte. I recommend an early breakfast time and booking a Minnie Van from your resort to get to EPCOT on time. Here are the menus.
- Cinderella’s Royal Table. Is there anything more magical than dining in Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom? If you are on the dining plan this will be a two credit experience. All meals are a la carte. As for characters, they vary by meal. At breakfast you will meet Ariel, Cinderella, Aurora and Snow White. At Lunch/Dinner you will meet Cinderella, Jasmine and Snow White. Here are the menus.
- 1900 Park Fare. This beautiful venue is located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. There are two character dining experiences at this facility; breakfast and dinner. At breakfast you will meet Mary Poppins, Winne the Pooh, Tigger, Alice and the Mad Hatter. Sometimes the Fairy Godmother pops in as well. At dinner you will be dining with the entire Cinderella crew from the step sisters, Lady Tremaine, Prince Charming and of course Cinderella. The meals are served buffet style in this venue and it has a separate kids buffet section. I have enjoyed both dining experiences and can vouch for both. It is nice because you don’t always get to see some of these characters in the parks. This resort is located on a monorail so it is easy to pop over to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT from here. The dining plan is accepted here and it is one sit down credit. Here are the menus.
- Ohana. This venue at Disney’s Polynesian Resort only has one character experience and it is at breakfast. Breakfast is served buffet style with some of your favorite characters. At Ohana you can expect to see Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and Mickey Mouse. Just like 1900 Park Fare, this resort is located on a monorail so it is easy to pop over to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT from here. The breakfast is very good at this location, especially the potatoes The dining plan is accepted here and it is one sit down credit. Check out the menu.
- Chef Mickey’s. If you are an original Mickey Mouse crew fan, this is the experience for you. Chef Mickey’s is located in Disney’s Contemporary resort (yes the one that the monorail goes through)! This venue features breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner with characters at all meals. The characters you will meet include Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, Minnie and Mickey Mouse. There is a vast selection for all meals as well as a separate kids buffet section for those picky eaters. This resort is located on a monorail so it is easy to pop over to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT from here. The dining plan is accepted here and it is one sit down credit. Here are all the menus.
How can I make reservations?
You can check out each restaurant online and check your date and party size. Make sure you log into My Disney Experience to store all your reservations. You will need a credit card to hold in case of a no show.
Are there any discounts?
There are discounts for Disney Annual Pass Holders and Disney Vacation Club Members typically.
A Disney character experience is a great addition to any Disney Vacation. My personal favorite is Akershus because I absolutely love EPCOT and it is part of my key to success plan for this park. Not to mention the cheesy potatoe breakfast casserole is amazing! I hope you enjoyed this list of the Top 5 Best Character Dining Experiences at Disney World.
For more information on the dining plans available click here.
Which experience sounds the best to you?
Curious about other dining experiences? Check out my Crystal Palace Review from Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
We have done a few over the years, including breakfast in Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and lunch in the Land at Epcot. Always fun to get some time with the characters!
It totally beats standing in the heat in line to get time with the characters! I think it is totally worth the cost.