Character Dining
Updated: Aug 12
If you or your family is looking for a fun Disney experience, character dining is a great option. At character dining locations, you and your family will get to enjoy your sit down meal while being visited by some of the most beloved Disney characters, from Mickey and Minnie popping by to say hiya pal, to Disney princesses coming to greet you like royalty.
(Updated 8-1-24)
Character dining is a great way to get some character interactions in without having to wait in a long line to do it. These experiences are going to primarily be with either Disney princesses, or some combination of Mickey’s pals - but not always with Mickey, so if you are looking for the main mouse double check who you can expect to see. You can find a few that have other characters such as Mary Poppins, Stitch, or even Grumpy and Dopey of the Seven Dwarfs. In addition, all the of current character meals are prix fixe meals, which means you will be paying one price per person regardless of how much that person eats. On the other hand, most of these meals are either buffets or served family style all you can eat, so if you make the most of the food offerings and want to get some one on one character interactions we think Character Dining can be an excellent addition to a Disney vacation. Below we go over each of the currently available Character Dining experiences being offered at WDW right now, including what characters are likely to be at each location, the current pricing, what meals you can reserve, and our recommendation for where to eat.
Click here to skip to a Character dining cheat sheet. If you are using the Disney Dining Plan, and want more information click here to read more.
*Pricing is based on time of publication and subject to change. Always double check the official Disney website for up to date pricing here.
1900 Park Fare
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Cape May Cafe
Chef Mickey's
Cinderella's Royal Table
1900 Park Fare (reopening April 10, 2024)
Where: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Characters: Aladdin in his Prince Ali attire, Cinderella, Mirabel and Tiana
Pricing: Breakfast - $54 per adult, $34 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Dinner - $66 per adult, $41 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity (previous cost) ***Disney has not released exact pricing for the reopen dining experience. We will update this as soon as they are released.
Dining style: Buffet
Our thoughts: We are excited for this experience to reopen. Check back for more updates
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Where: Epcot’s Norway Pavilion
Meals: Princess Storybook Dining with Disney’s princesses for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Characters: You will often see Ariel, Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, and Snow White. Sometimes other princesses will also join the fun.
Pricing: Breakfast - $55 per adult, $35 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Lunch/Dinner - $67 per adult, $43 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Buffet
Our thoughts: If you are looking for a princess palooza this is the spot to hit up. Pro tip: if your kid (or you, no judgment) is a picky eater book breakfast, the lunch and dinner options can lean a bit adventurous.
Be Our Guest
Where: Magic Kingdom
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Characters: This is not a traditional character meal, however the Beast walks through the dining room, and recently it has been reported that guests have been able to once again meet him in his study.
Pricing: Lunch/Dinner - $70 per adult, $41 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Buffet
Our thoughts: If you are looking for a princess palooza this is the spot to hit up. Pro tip: if your kid (or you, no judgment) is a picky eater book breakfast, the lunch and dinner options can lean a bit adventurous.
Cape May Cafe
Where: Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Meals: Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast
Characters: Minnie, Goofy, Daisy, and Donald
Pricing: Breakfast - $47 per adult, $30 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Buffet
Our Thoughts: While you won’t see Mickey, this is a great alternative to Chef Mickey’s or Topolinos if you could not snag a reservation at one of those two. Pro tip: If you can get an early reservation you can then go to Epcot through the International Gateway Entrance and hop into the line for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure first thing.
Chef Mickey's
Where: Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Meals: Chef Mickey’s Buffet for breakfast and dinner
Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto
Pricing: Breakfast - $54 per adult, $34 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Dinner - $66 per adult, $41 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity)
Dining style: Buffet
Our Thoughts: We’ve eaten here a number of times and have been generally underwhelmed by the food. It’s fun to see Mickey and the gang, but we would recommend Topolinos over Chef Mickeys. It is a quick hop on the monorail from the Magic Kingdom, so it's a good character option if you will be spending the day there. Note: more recently they have set it up so you will get a family photo with Minnie at the end of your meal, she does not go from table to table.
Cinderella's Royal Table
Where: Magic Kingdom in Cinderella Castle
Meals: Fairytale Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Characters: You will always see Cinderella and then a number of other princesses. These may include Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, and Snow White.
Pricing: Breakfast - $69 per adult, $42 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Lunch/Dinner - $89 per adult, $49 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Prix-fixe menu
Our Thoughts: This is a Signature Dining experience, and costs accordingly, because you are dining with princesses in the castle. The actual food is largely not brilliant, in our opinion, so be forewarned.
The Crystal Palace
Where: Magic Kingdom to the left of the hub outside Adventureland
Meals: Pooh’s Friendship Day Celebration for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Characters: Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore
Pricing: Breakfast - $48 per adult, $30 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Lunch/Dinner - $61 per adult, $40 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Buffet
Our Thoughts: We love Winnie the Pooh and friends so this is one of the character dining locations we have visited most over the years. The food is good, which isn’t always a given at a Disney buffet, and the character interactions are always sweet and fun.
Garden Grill Restaurant
Where: Epcot in the Land Pavilion in World Nature
Meals: Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Characters: Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Pluto
Pricing: Breakfast - $47 per adult, $30 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Lunch/Dinner - $62 per adult, $40 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Family style
Our Thoughts: We like to grab breakfast here before park opening when Soarin’ is a priority. You get a nice character breakfast with decent food, nice character interactions, and then you can hop into line for Soarin’ as soon as the park opens and ride it with little to no wait. It’s also fun to walk through the park over to the Land Pavilion before park opening and see the park so empty. Also the restaurant rotates, slowing changing the view diners have of different scenes in The Land ride below.
Hollywood & Vine
Where: Hollywood Studios by Echo Lake
Meals: Disney Junior Play n’ Dine Breakfast and Minnie’s Seasonal Dining Lunch and Dinner
Characters at breakfast: Your favorite Playhouse Disney Characters, these currently include Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and Roadster Goofy
Characters at lunch and dinner: Minnie, Mickey, and Goofy are often joined by Pluot or Donald and Daisy all decked out in their seasonal attire.
Pricing: Breakfast - $427per adult, $30 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Lunch/Dinner - $63 per adult, $40 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity)
Dining style: Buffet
Our Thoughts: We have mostly been underwhelmed by the food at the Hollywood & Vine (especially with 50s Prime Time Cafe next door) but if you have a little one it's a great place for them to interface with the characters they know best. Also, if you are looking for a Fantasmic dining package, you can get one for Hollywood & Vine and tag team getting easy good seats for Fantasmic with character dining.
‘Ohana
Where: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Meals: Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch
Characters: Lilo, Stitch, and Mickey
Pricing: Breakfast - $49 per adult, $30 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Family Style
Our Thoughts: If you love Lilo & Stitch then this breakfast is a must as this is one of the few places you can interact with Stitch not at a special event. The food is pretty standard disney breakfast fare (eggs, mickey waffles, bacon/sausage, and so forth). Mostly we only work to grab breakfast here when we are already staying at the Polynesian and don’t need to make the extra trip.
Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
Where: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort
Meals: Signature dining dinner
Characters: Snow White, Grumpy, Dopey, and the Evil Queen
Pricing: Dinner - $65 per adult, $39 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Prix-fixe menu
Our Thoughts: One of the newer character dining locations, Story Book Dining is a Signature meal with food that lives up to that standard. The character interactions are a lot of fun, especially with Grumpy and Dopey, but the Evil Queen steals the show. Story Book Dining is located a little out of the way (unless you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge) so if you choose to go here make sure to plan enough time for travel and the meal.
Topolino’s Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera
Where: Disney’s Riviera Resort
Meals: Breakfast al la Art with Mickey & Friends
Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy all done up in their own artistic attire
Pricing: Breakfast - $49 per adult, $30 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Prix-fixe menu
Our Thoughts: This is our favorite character dining at WDW right now, the food is on point and the character interactions are even better. Plus you can take the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios or Epcot afterwards, what’s not to love. Pro Tip: This is a very popular reservation right now, but if you can’t get a reservation at 60 days out keep checking. We often can find reservations for these hard to get restaurants if we check regularly. I’ve even snagged a reservation for here the day before, which may not work with your plans but shows it’s worth it to keep checking.
Tusker House Restaurant
Where: Animal Kingdom in Africa
Meals: Safari dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Characters: Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy
Pricing: Breakfast - $45 per adult, $29 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity; Lunch/Dinner - $59 per adult, $38 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity
Dining style: Buffet
Our Thoughts: Donald Duck's Safari breakfast is run-of-the-mill Disney breakfast offerings, this meal is great for picky eaters and we definitely recommend doing breakfast instead of lunch or dinner if you are a family without a lot of flexibility when it comes to food. Lunch and dinner are cut meats, stews, veggies, and salads with an African flare. There are kids sections with a more typical child friendly food. The character interactions here have been great, so it’s worth the visit.
Character Dining Cheat Sheet
We've put together a reference to quickly locate which Disney characters are found at the different character dining locations.
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