There are lots of character meal options at Disney World so when you are thinking about which reservations to make it can sometimes be difficult to decide. Character dining at Disney World is a great way to meet a lot of different characters. Because you are meeting the characters whilst dining it can save you a lot of time in the parks as you don’t have to stand in various lines to meet them, so it can free up time to do other things. We thought we would share with you our Best Disney World Character Meals from our own Disney Vacations.
If you have the Disney Dining Plan for your holiday, then do remember to start booking these restaurants as soon as you hit your 180-day window. Booking as early as you can will give you the best chance of securing the character dining experiences you want. Believe me some of these character meals at Disney World can be very popular so book as early as you can.
My family and I have experienced lots of character dining at Disney World, so I thought I would share our top 5 best Disney World character meals with you. These are the table service character meals in the parks and resorts that we have really enjoyed. Most of these are table service reservations that we pretty much do on every Disney World Holiday, so in no particular order let’s get started.
The Garden Grill
Located in The Land at Epcot this restaurant very slowly rotates so that you will get to see various parts of the Living with the Land ride which is located below. During your meal you will be visited by Chip ‘n’ Dale, Pluto and Mickey and if it’s not too busy you will more than likely see them more than once.
The character interactions here have always been great here for our family with Chip ‘n’ Dale always being very entertaining. They have often sat with us, rubbed their tummies to say they are hungry whilst eyeing up our meals and generally have been great with the kids. Mickey and Pluto have been good too, but Chip ‘n’ Dale always seem to be the highlight.
We always have an early breakfast reservation here as you can get into the park early which has been great for getting on Soarin’ early without needing a Fast Pass. On our last visit we finished breakfast and was the first in line for Soarin’ as the park had only just opened. The Garden Grill breakfast is consistently good, and it is family style too, so the waiting staff will keep bringing food to you rather than having to keep getting up. Overall, I would recommend the Garden Grill for an early morning breakfast with the characters before you hit Epcot.
Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s located in the Contemporary is a buffet style meal serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. We always book Chef Mickey’s for all our holiday’s at Disney World as we always enjoy the buffet and the characters are fun and there’s quite a few to meet. We have had a lot of breakfasts here along with some lunches too.
The location of the restaurant in the Contemporary too is great as it is a short walk from the Magic Kingdom, so it can be a great place to have a break from the park especially on a hot busy day. As I said there are lots of characters to meet: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck will all make there way to your table and there is always fun to be had with the characters making everyone wave their napkins above their heads.
There is a good amount of space in all the areas of the restaurant for photos with the characters and if you book this for the beginning of your holiday it’s a great start for the kids autograph books. The setting of the restaurant is nice with the monorail passing though the building as you eat and it’s nice and light in the Contemporary which makes it easy to get a good photo. Also, you get a nice photo of your party taken before you sit down for your meal too. Chef Mickey’s has become a real family favourite for us so I have to include it in this list and if you have younger kids definitely book it.
Ohana
Ohana located in the Polynesian Resort has wonderful views of Seven Seas Lagoon with the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella’s Castle in the distance. It is on the monorail loop, so it is easy to get to and from Magic Kingdom. But this post is all about the Characters so for my family this experience is all about one little blue guy and that’s Stitch! We love Stitch so to get to meet him and Lilo was a must and we have had breakfast here on numerous occasions now.
Like the Garden Grill it’s family style so you don’t need to leave your table. The characters take the kids on a march around the restaurant which is always fun to watch. You also get Mickey in his Hawaiian shirt and Pluto too so it’s not all about Lilo and Stitch. I have always enjoyed the food here for breakfast and have always enjoyed the tropical juice you get here rather than the usual orange juice at breakfast time. Breakfast starts at 7.30am too so you can always plan to eat early before catching the monorail to Magic Kingdom. This make the lists due to the big love of Stitch in our family so if you’re a Stitch fan too definitely think about booking Ohana.
Tusker House
Tusker House is in Africa at Animal Kingdom and again is a buffet style meal. We have always had a lunch/afternoon reservation for Tusker House as they offer a Rivers of Light package, so you will be given tickets for the reserved seating area for later in the evening. There is a great variety of food with this buffet and I have always enjoyed the curry style dishes (there not hot BTW) but I always end up eating a lot at Tusker House simply because there is a lot to choose from.
You get to meet Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy all decked out in their safari clothes which is a lot fun and makes for some great photo’s. Tusker House is a great character experience and a great way to take a break from Animal Kingdom whilst still entertaining the kids with some classic Disney characters plus the food is good too! What with the bonus of being able to book the Rivers of Light package this is definitely one to consider when planning your Disney World Holiday.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
One of the most sought-after reservations is Cinderella’s Royal Table. This reservation is a two-table service credit one, but I have so many lovely memories of eating here with my family it can be worth the use of two credits per person.
The setting inside the castle is fantastic and we have celebrated my daughter’s birthday here on more than one occasion. On our last visit we were seated by one of the windows and the Happily Ever After fireworks were going off outside and it was a special experience as we celebrated my daughter’s 10th birthday.
The waiting staff are always lovely and will sing happy birthday to the birthday boy or girl and are always there to help. Gratuity is included as well so your tip is covered in the cost which helps. But again, the characters are what this post is about, and this reservation is all about the Disney Princesses and what better place to meet them than inside Cinderella’s Castle. You get to meet Cinderella and have a photo before you are called upstairs to your table where you will be led up a winding staircase to the main restaurant and shown to your table. During your meal each Princess will be announced, and you will get to meet Princess Aurora, Snow White, Aerial and Princess Jasmine.
The Food at Cinderella’s Royal Table
The food has always been very good but as this is signature dining don’t expect large portions but, I have always found this to be one of most enjoyable meals for the quality of the food. If like me, you have a daughter you want to spoil a little bit and create some special memories then consider Cinderella’s Royal Table. We have always managed to make the dining credits work to fit this reservation into our Disney World holiday.
So, there you go our best character dining experiences at Disney World. There are others to pick from but the five I have picked have consistently been the most enjoyable for my family and have also created some lovely memories. Of course, if you have some other characters that are more special to you or you family then you might need to consider booking the ones that feature those characters.
You can find our full guide to dining at Magic Kingdom here
Below is a list of all the Character Dining Experiences currently at Disney World:
Magic Kingdom
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Characters: Princesses’ that may include Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, and/or Jasmine.
Be Our Guest
Characters: The Beast (dinner only)
The Crystal Palace
Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.
Epcot
The Garden Grill
Characters: Chip ‘n’ Dale, Farmer Mickey and Pluto.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Characters: Princesses’ that may include Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel, Aurora and Mary Poppins.
Hollywood Studios
Hollywood and Vine
Characters: Various Disney Junior Characters including Jake (Jake and the Neverland Pirates), Handy Manny, Doc McStuffins, and Sofia the First.
Animal Kingdom
Tusker House
Characters: Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey in their Safari gear.
The Grand Floridian
1900 Park Fare
Characters: Breakfast: Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and friends; Dinner: Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, and Anastasia and Drisella.
The Polynesian Resort
Ohana
Characters: Lilo, Stitch, Mickey Mouse and Pluto.
The Contemporary Resort
Chef Mickey’s
Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck
Wilderness Lodge
Story Book Dining at Artist Point
Characters: Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy and the Evil Queen.
Beach Club Resort
Cape May Café
Characters: Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse and Goofy.
Boardwalk
Trattoria Al Forno
Breakfast: Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (breakfast only).
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Take a look at the Snacks I think you should try at Disney World here
Thanks for reading this article on the Best Disney World Character Meals, why not check out my previous article right here.
Darren
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