Cape May Cafe Breakfast Review (Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast Buffet)

Walk through the main entrance of Disney’s Beach Club anytime during breakfast hours, and you’ll likely find the lobby buzzing with guests. Most of those guests are waiting to check in or be seated at Cape May Cafe for Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast.

When I say buzzing, I mean mostly families with small children. Usually, everyone is hungry and eager to get their seat. But, even more so, later in the morning, you’ll find the guests who sacrificed eating breakfast earlier in exchange for a reservation. For this review of breakfast at Cape May Cafe, we’ll preview what to expect and whether or not the restaurant is worth a visit.

As a starting point, know that this breakfast is popular. They offer a traditional breakfast buffet each morning and the opportunity to meet several classic characters in fun beach attire. So grab a shovel and pail. We’re off to Cape May Cafe to enjoy Minnie’s Beach Bash.

Earlier in the week, I had plans to set sail on the Disney Wish with a few of my friends from Firefly Travels. Anna Marie flew into town, and we rode to the port together. On our way to Cape Canaveral, we decided to have a late breakfast at Walt Disney World upon our return. So Anna checked the My Disney Experience app, and a character breakfast for two at Cape May Cafe came up after a few refreshes.

We decided it was a great option. She wanted to try the experience for her customers, and I had yet to review Cape May Cafe. When we arrived at the Beach Club, the lobby was bustling. The gingerbread carousel had been installed the day before, and a crowd had formed around it. We checked in for our reservation and spent a few minutes checking out the gingerbread display.

It’s also important to note that characters are only available at breakfast. The buffet transitions to a seafood dinner in the evening. Lunch is not served at this location. However, breakfast reservations are available between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. So you could consider this meal for brunch. We have a Cape May Cafe Dinner Review (Seafood Buffet) if you want to learn more.

Inside, you’ll find beach theming that includes umbrellas and sand castle displays. It’s a cheerful place to enjoy breakfast.

On our way to our seats, we noticed a few breakfast cocktails on a stand near the entrance. Several drinks were available to order at an additional cost, but coffee, tea, and soda were included in the meal’s price.

Cape May Cafe’s breakfast buffet sits toward the middle of the restaurant.

An omelet station is available in addition to the buffet.

Choices for omelets included:

• Ham and Cheese
• Western (Ham, Cheese, Onions, and Peppers)
• Vegetables (Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers, and Spinach)
• Custom (Your choice: Ham, Cheddar Cheese, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepper, and Spinach)

Like most buffets at Disney World, bread service is provided. Cape May Cafe is known for its Salted Caramel Beach Buns, which are soft and delicious. They are served with vanilla cream sauce on the side.

Regarding the buffet, I took photos of all the items so you could see what’s available. Like most character meals, the food is pretty generic. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s not great either. Most of these items you could order at one of the value resort food courts. But at least there are Mickey Waffles!

Speaking of Mickey, here are those Mickey-shaped waffles and chocolate chip pancakes.

Next, we see French Toast and biscuits.

Those biscuits come with a side of gravy. Per the menu, they were cheddar biscuits and gravy.

Then we have roasted potatoes and sausages. Most of these items are pretty standard at character dining breakfasts.

Here’s bacon with scrambled eggs.

Parker House Rolls were also on the buffet. These were likely from nearby Ale and Compass, which is one of our favorite restaurants. They have a delicious breakfast, minus the character interactions.

Related: Ale and Compass Breakfast Review

A carving station with ham was available.

Fruit selections included grapes, strawberries, and pineapple.

Then we have a marshmallow fruit salad and overnight oatmeal with fruit topping and granola.

If you prefer regular oatmeal, it’s available, along with brown sugar and dried cranberries.

On the back side of the buffet, we have shredded cheese and a sauce. You could combine these items with tortillas and eggs to make a breakfast wrap.

There was another section with bacon and sausage. But, unfortunately, there wasn’t any chicken or turkey sausage available.

Next, we have asparagus, more roasted potatoes, and a plant-based item. The asparagus reminds me of breakfast at Boma, Flavors of Africa. See our Boma Buffet Breakfast Review for more details.

Most of the items on the buffet have a label that helps identify them.

For instance, I had no idea what this dish contained, but I could discern that it was tofu with vegetables.

These items that looked like yellow cupcakes with white icing were next to the plant-based items.

Surprisingly, they were poached eggs sitting on top of a potato hash.

On the back corner of the buffet was a kids’ section with Mickey-shaped waffles, pancakes, berry sauce, and whipped cream.

I guess it’s nice to have a few things at eye level for the kids.

Lastly, a selection of crepes with a drizzle of chocolate was available.

For my first trip to the buffet, I got the basics. I felt all of the items on this plate were satisfactory. Unfortunately, I can’t eat a lot of eggs. So, I would have done better by removing the poached egg. After I dove into it, the egg yolk ran everywhere, which kept me from continuing.

For round two, I tried a cheddar biscuit with gravy, a chocolate chip pancake, and some fruit. The cheddar biscuit with gravy was one of my favorite bites of the meal.

I grabbed overnight oats to sample, but found them mostly flavorless.

And while the crepes looked fun, they were a letdown. I don’t know if this day was the norm, but there wasn’t any filling inside them. Instead, they were strictly crepes with a dash of confectioner’s sugar and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. It would have been nice if they had a lemon butter filling with maybe a blueberry drizzle.

Overall, the breakfast items we received were exactly as we anticipated. Our meal was filling, but the food wasn’t exceptional. But Anna quickly reminded me that we were there for the characters!

Characters at Cape May Cafe

You’ll have the opportunity to meet several classic characters in fun attire at Minnie’s Beach Bash. This was the fun part of the meal, and they didn’t disappoint. First, Minnie Mouse came to the table wearing a beautiful striped summer dress with a matching hat. I love that bow on your dress, Minnie!

Not long after, Donald Duck made an appearance. He reminded us that he was the number one character at breakfast.

As the meal progressed, a song came on over the speaker system. During that time, the characters gathered the children in their immediate area and invited them to dance. This interaction reminded me of the Princess Processional at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and the Hawaiian Roller Coaster dance at the ‘Ohana Character Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Eventually, Daisy Duck made an appearance at our table. She was as fashionable as ever.

Goofy was the last character to come by our table. By the time Goofy had arrived, we were finishing up. Our meal lasted approximately one hour, and we met all the characters. If you reserve this meal, I would plan for it to take an hour and a half. We waited about fifteen minutes to be seated after we checked in. Additionally, meeting the characters could take a little longer if they are running behind. So pace yourself during breakfast.

A server will likely mention this, but if a character is nearby when you’re initially seated, you can wait or feel free to go on and prepare your food. That character will come back by the end of your meal.

To keep things flowing smoothly, the characters at Minnie’s Beach Bash do not sign autographs. An autograph card is presented. One side of the card shows Minnie and her friends at the beach.

On the opposite side, you’ll find the character’s autographs.

Ultimately, the characters at Cape May Cafe made our experience enjoyable. I couldn’t help but notice that others around us seemed to be having a good time.

Funny enough, the dad at the table next to us nearly croaked when he received the check. Anna couldn’t help but notice his “wow” expression when he opened the bill. So keep the price in mind when reserving a character meal. If you’re on a tight budget, you might opt to meet a few characters in the parks.

But if you want to experience a little bit of everything, plan a character breakfast on a morning when you don’t have a ton of other stuff planned. We like to do this kind of thing on a resort day, where we enjoy a late breakfast, spend the afternoon at the pool, and then have a casual dinner.

We have a complete guide that covers every character restaurant at Walt Disney World. Here are some of our recent character meals:

• Tusker House Character Breakfast Review
• Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast
• The Crystal Palace Breakfast Review
• 1900 Park Fare Breakfast Review

Or you might enjoy our entire Disney World Dining Guide.

For more information about Disney’s Beach Club Resort, you might enjoy:

• Disney’s Beach Club Review
• The Newly Updated Rooms at Disney’s Beach Club
• The Four Pools at Disney’s Beach Club
• Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club Restaurants Guide

What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts on Minnie’s Beach Bash at Cape May Cafe? Do you plan to reserve this character meal during your vacation?