Feasting with the Fabulous: Navigating Disney World’s Character Dining Scene in 2024
Dining with characters is one of the most charming experiences you’ll have during your vacation. Many of these meals provide the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime. I know because I have a few of my own.
When it comes to character dining, you’ll have numerous options. Unfortunately, with so many options, it can get confusing to determine which one will work best for your group. So, you’ll want to consider a few circumstances when planning a meal with characters.
For example, you probably wouldn’t want to reserve a character meal first thing in the morning on your day at Magic Kingdom. That time might be better spent experiencing a couple of popular attractions. But if you plan a late breakfast, you might be ready for a break after a couple of rides. By this time, wait times in the park will likely have begun to rise.
With so many things to consider, we’ve compiled this character dining guide to help you. It contains over a decade of experience with character dining. We’ll discuss everything you need to know for planning character meals, from price points to the best options.
Nearly all character dining experiences have returned to Walt Disney World with a few exceptions. Thankfully, you can now visit with characters at your table, hug characters, and collect autographs at each character meal.
List of Character Dining Locations
Here is a list of the character dining locations at Walt Disney World.
- The Crystal Palace
- Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
- Garden Grill Restaurant
- Hollywood and Vine
- Tusker House Restaurant
- Chef Mickey’s
- 1900 Park Fare
- ‘Ohana
- Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
- Cape May Café
- Topolino’s Terrace, Flavors of the Riviera
- Be Our Guest *
*Disney does not consider Be Our Guest a formal character dining location. However, the Beast is known to appear during dinner. Unfortunately, his appearance is not guaranteed.
As of this update, Trattoria al Forno has yet to re-instate the former Bon Voyage Breakfast that was offered each morning.
Below is a summary of every Disney character meal available by location. We’ll start with the theme parks before moving on to the resorts. Then, I’ll share a few things you need to know to plan these meals.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Our first stop for character dining is at Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom. This popular restaurant is located inside Cinderella Castle. Cinderella’s Royal Table serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Additionally, the restaurant doubles as signature dining.
Pricing: Cinderella’s Royal Table is the most expensive character meal at Walt Disney World. As of this update, pricing runs $84.00 per adult for lunch and dinner and $49.00 per child ages 3-9.
This restaurant has a few perks. For example, guests can have their picture made with Cinderella before being seated. In addition, a trinket like a magical star or plastic sword is usually delivered to each child at the end of the meal.
Tip: Breakfast is the least expensive meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table. If you’re on a budget but want to have the experience of dining in the castle, you might consider making breakfast reservations.
Entire Menu and Pricing: Cinderella’s Royal Table Menu and Current Pricing
Positives:Â For many, the most significant appeal is dining inside Cinderella Castle. From our experience, the food was excellent once and subpar on another visit. However, the character interaction is always terrific. Additionally, only one other location at Disney World offers the opportunity to dine with princesses.
Negatives:Â A character meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table is expensive and can take up a considerable amount of your touring time. You’ll want to consider what time you can get a reservation here. It would be a shame to secure an 8:30 p.m. reservation on a night when the fireworks were scheduled at 9:00 p.m. If you hadn’t planned another evening at Magic Kingdom, you would forfeit seeing the fireworks.
Characters: Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, and Rapunzel (Occasionally, other princesses may join the rotation, like Aurora or Tiana.)
Disney Dining Plan: 2 Credits (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)
Overall, Cinderella’s Royal Table is considered the creme de la creme of Walt Disney World character dining. If dining inside the castle appeals to you, I recommend making a reservation at least once.
The Crystal Palace
Next, we have The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. The Crystal Palace is located between Main Street, U.S.A., and Adventureland.
The Crystal Palace offers a wonderful breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet. While this is a popular location, reservations can usually easily be obtained, given the restaurant’s large capacity.
Pricing: Pricing varies for Crystal Palace between the meals. As of this update, breakfast runs $48.00 per adult and $30.00 per child ages 3-9 years old. Lunch and dinner cost $61.00 per adult and $40.00 per child.
Menu: The Crystal Palace Menu and Current Pricing
Positives: Crystal Palace is the only place at Walt Disney World where you can meet Piglet and Eeyore, except for the seasonal extra-ticketed parties at Halloween and Christmas.
Negatives: You have to eat at some point during the day. However, reserving a full-service meal at Magic Kingdom can take away valuable time in the park if you only have one day to spend there.
Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Related: The Crystal Palace Breakfast Review with Winnie the Pooh and Friends
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Moving on to Epcot, we’ll stop at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall for Princess Storybook Dining, located in the Norway Pavilion.
Serves: Akershus offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Pricing: Dinner and lunch cost $67.00 for adults and $43.00 for children ages 3-9 years old. Breakfast costs $55.00 per adult and $35.00 for children ages 3-9 years old.
Menu: Akershus Menu and Current Pricing
Positives: Akershus is among the few places to dine with Disney Princesses. Additionally, a meal here provides the opportunity to try traditional Norwegian cuisine.
Negatives: Like the other theme park character meals, Akershus will take up a decent amount of touring time. However, there are not a lot of “princess-related” activities at Epcot. Therefore, this meal might be just the right thing to add to the mix on your Epcot day.
Characters at Akershus: Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel (From time to time other Disney princesses may join the rotation)
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit (Breakfast) 2 Credits (Lunch and Dinner)
Overall, Akershus is a good fit for anyone wanting to dine with princesses. We have a review of breakfast at Akershus if you want to learn more about the overall dining experience here.
Related: Akershus Princess Character Breakfast Review
Garden Grill Restaurant
Garden Grill is another character dining location at Epcot. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll find Garden Grill on the upper floor of the Land Pavilion in the World Nature section of the park.
What’s unique about this restaurant is that it slowly rotates while you dine. During the rotation, you’ll eventually get a behind-the-scenes look at the Living with the Land attraction.
Pricing: Chip and Dale’s Harvest Feast (lunch and dinner) at Garden Grill costs $62.00 per adult and $40.00 per child ages 3-9 years old. Breakfast runs $47.00 per adult and $30.00 per child.
Menu: Garden Grill Menu and Current Pricing
Positives: Not many restaurants rotate while you dine, so this is guaranteed to be somewhat of a unique experience. Additionally, you get to see Mickey Mouse dressed as a farmer.
Negatives: Meals here are brought out in family-style presentations, and the menu is limited. It’s kind of like eating at the lunchroom cafeteria. You are out of luck if you don’t like what’s served.
Characters at Garden Grill: Chip, Dale, Mickey (Farmer), and Pluto
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Overall, Garden Grill tends to get rave reviews.
Hollywood and Vine
Hollywood and Vine is the only character dining location at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This restaurant is directly behind Echo Lake, near the park’s entrance. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, character dining works differently here than in other restaurants.
For example, breakfast at Hollywood and Vine allows one to meet popular Disney Junior Characters. These special characters are exclusive to the Disney Junior Play n’ Dine Breakfast.
Hollywood and Vine is home to Minnie’s Seasonal Dine during lunch and dinner. This meal changes every few months to represent the season.
Pricing: Breakfast at Hollywood and Vine costs $47.00 per adult and $30.00 per child. Lunch and dinner cost $63.00 per adult and $38.00 per child.
Menu: Hollywood and Vine Menu and Pricing
Positives: Kids get to see some of their favorite television characters. Overall, the buffet at Hollywood and Vine offers a variety of items and consistently gets decent reviews.
Negatives: Unfortunately, the food is pretty generic. While some items might stand out, most will be basic food items you can order almost anywhere.
Characters at Breakfast: Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins, Goofy
Characters at Dinner: Minnie Mouse and Friends (Seasonally-themed)
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Here are the names of Minnie’s seasonal dining experiences at Hollywood and Vine:
- Minnie’s Holiday Dine
- Silver Screen Dine
- Springtime Dine
- Summertime Dine
- Halloween Dine
Overall, Hollywood and Vine offers a unique opportunity to meet several characters at breakfast. Additionally, it’s always fun to enjoy a meal with Minnie Mouse and her friends.
Tusker House Restaurant
Disney’s Animal Kingdom has one option for character dining at Walt Disney World. Tusker House Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is called Donald’s Safari Breakfast.
You’ll find Tusker House in the Africa section of the park near the Festival of the Lion King. Tusker House is known for its buffet featuring standard fare mixed with African cuisine.
Pricing: Breakfast is $47.00 per adult and $30.00 per child ages 3-9 years old. Lunch and dinner cost $62.00 per adult and $40.00 per child.
Menu: Tusker House Restaurant Menu and Pricing
Positives: Tusker House is a popular character dining experience where you can meet a few classic characters in unique outfits. Additionally, the buffet is a step above similar types of experiences.
Negatives: Like other character meals in the parks, you must have valid admission and a theme park reservation to dine here. Additionally, a meal here will take up some of your touring time.
Characters at Tusker House: Donald Duck and Friends in Safari Suits (Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse)
Overall, Tusker House is a popular character dining location with rave reviews. Some of their popular breakfast items include zebra coffee cake, Mickey waffles, Simba waffles, and rotisserie meats.
Lunch and dinner offerings include Tandoori chicken, Berber marinated pork, Cape Malay green curry shrimp, and Moroccan-spiced beef.
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)
Related: Tusker House Breakfast Review
1900 Park Fare
New: This character dining restaurant at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa reopened in 2024. However, significant changes were announced for this meal:
Per Disney: “In this refreshed character dining experience, guests will be joined by Aladdin in his Prince Ali look, Cinderella, Mirabel, and Tiana in her new look for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as they celebrate the power of a wish. An enchanting buffet will be served for breakfast and dinner, featuring some guest favorites — yes, that includes the strawberry soup!”
We now have pricing for both meals in 2024:
Breakfast Pricing: $54.00 per adult, plus tax and gratuity, and $34.00 per child plus tax and gratuity
Dinner Pricing: $66.00 per adult, plus tax and gratuity, and $41.00 per child plus tax and gratuity
Menu and Current Pricing: 1900 Park Fare Menu
Positives: 1900 Park Fare was an excellent location for meeting a few harder-to-find characters. Plus, it’s always lovely to visit the Grand Floridian.
Negatives: Make sure you plan for transportation for any resort dining experience. Sometimes, resort dining reservations can be challenging to get to if you aren’t staying nearby.
Former Breakfast and Dinner Characters: Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drizella
New Characters in 2024: Aladdin (as Prince Ali), Cinderella, Mirabel, and Tiana
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit (Breakfast and Dinner)
Chef Mickey’s
Next, we’ll take the monorail to Disney’s Contemporary Resort to check out their character dining option. Chef Mickey’s is a buffet-style restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner.
Pricing: Breakfast is $54.00 per adult and $34.00 per child ages 3-9 years old. Dinner costs $66.00 per adult and $41.00 per child.
Chef Mickey’s Menu and Pricing
Positives: When dining at Chef Mickey’s, you see the monorail going by overhead, which is fun. Additionally, the characters dress as chefs!
Negatives: This meal is overpriced for what most will consider mediocre food. You are paying for location and characters when you eat here. It’s also fairly loud.
Characters at Chef Mickey’s: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit at Breakfast and Dinner
Overall, Chef Mickey’s can be fun. But the food has never been anything to write home about.
‘Ohana
Our next stop for character dining is ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. This location only offers character dining during breakfast. Breakfast hours are daily between 7:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
‘Ohana is on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House at Disney’s Polynesian. Outside the restaurant, there’s a lobby with a podium where you’ll check in for the Best Friends Breakfast.
Pricing: Breakfast at ‘Ohana costs $49.00 per adult and $30.00 for children ages 3-9.
‘Ohana Breakfast Menu with Pricing
Positives: ‘Ohana is an excellent location to meet several rare characters. Additionally, the location and atmosphere are delightful.
Negatives: On our last visit, we waited over an hour past our reservation time to be seated. The food is okay, but it’s pretty average. We received excellent service on our last visit.
Characters at ‘Ohana: Mickey Mouse (Hawaiian), Lilo, Stitch, and Pluto
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit
Related: ‘Ohana Character Breakfast Review
Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White is another popular character dining meal at Walt Disney World. It is located off the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
Dinner is the only meal offered at this location. This meal has a prix fixe menu where you select an entree, appetizer, and dessert.
Pricing: Dinner at Artist Point costs $65.00 per adult and $39.00 per child, ages 3-9 years old.
Positives: Some of the characters present at this meal are exceptionally rare. You will also be able to meet the Evil Queen from Snow White.
Negatives: For our last meal, the food wasn’t necessarily up to par, considering the cost of the meal. Read the full review below to learn more.
Characters: Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, and the Evil Queen
Disney Dining Plan: 2 Credits (Dinner Only)
Related: Storybook Dining at Artist Point Review
Cape May Cafe
Moving on to Disney’s Beach Club Resort, we’ll look at their popular character breakfast location at Cape May Cafe. This restaurant only offers characters at breakfast. The character dining experience is called Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast. They serve a buffet-style breakfast.
Pricing: At the time of this update, breakfast at Cape May Cafe is $45.00 per adult and $30.00 per child ages 3-9 years old.
Cape May Cafe Menu and Pricing
Positives: Cape May Cafe provides the opportunity to meet classic characters in their beach attire!
Negatives: While we love this character dining location, the food is pretty average.
Characters: Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit at Breakfast
Related: Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast Review
Trattoria al Forno
Unfortunately, there are no updates on the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn. Formerly, Trattoria al Forno offered a unique breakfast with characters each morning.
Characters: Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn Rider
Topolino’s Terrace
Finally, we’ve arrived at our top choice for best character dining at Walt Disney World, Topolino’s Terrace. This restaurant is located at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Topolino’s Terrace serves breakfast only with characters. This Breakfast a la Art with Mickey and Friends remains the newest character dining experience at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Pricing: As of this update, a character meal at Topolino’s Terrace costs $45.00 per adult and $29.00 per child ages 3-9 years old.
Topolino’s Terrace Menu and Pricing
Positives: This is the best food we’ve had at any character meal at Disney World. Additionally, the classic characters are endearing.
Negatives: Riviera Resort might be challenging to get to in the morning unless you stay there or next door at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
Characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald, and Daisy Duck
Disney Dining Plan: 1 Credit at Breakfast
Related: Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review
Other Character Dining at Walt Disney World
When planning character meals, you might want to be aware of a few other things. For starters, Disney Springs does not have character dining. If you’re looking for a kid-friendly meal at Disney Springs, try T-Rex or Rainforest Cafe.
As mentioned earlier, Be Our Guest is commonly called character dining. However, Disney does not consider this meal character dining, and the Beast’s appearance is not guaranteed. With that said, we did see the Beast on our last visit, and we were given an autograph card.
Related: Be Our Guest Review
Ravello offers a character breakfast at the Four Seasons Resort in Orlando. It’s called the Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals. The Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy takes place on Thursdays, Saturdays, and select Tuesdays from 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Sadly, Mickey’s Backyard BBQ permanently closed a few years back. However, guests can visit Fort Wilderness to see Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-Along.
Unfortunately, Garden Grove, the character meal at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel, is no longer offered. There is no mention of its return.
As of this update, we have no information on the return of Grand Floridian’s Wonderland Tea Party or the Perfectly Princess Tea Party. While these were not formal character dining experiences, they included food and characters.
How Character Dining Works
When it comes to character dining at Disney World, it can be tough to select the right experience. Often, others mention they booked a meal with characters based on what they heard others recommend.
While it’s great to take recommendations from friends and family, it’s essential to know that a meal like this is an investment. An average family of four typically spends $200.00 or more on one character dining experience. That money could easily go toward other extras like adding another day to your park tickets or upgrading to the park hopper option.
So it’s wise to research and find the meal that best works for your family. That might be a meal based on what characters are available. Or, you could choose a restaurant based on the food quality, where the characters are a bonus.
Another important factor is making your reservations as soon as possible. Many character dining locations fill up within minutes of the reservation window opening.
Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort can begin making reservations 60 days out, plus the length of their stay. Off-property guests can begin making reservations at 60 days out.
Therefore, you will need to plan your dining reservations early. I highly recommend using an authorized Disney travel agent who will reserve your accommodations and help secure your dining reservations. You do not want to miss any sought-after meals or experiences.
After arriving at the restaurant, you’ll check in at the hostess stand or using the My Disney Experience app. When your table is ready, you’ll receive a text notification.
Once seated, your server will provide everyone with an overview of how the meal works. You’ll probably see characters visiting with other families around you. If not, they will return shortly.
A cast member accompanies the characters. Often, this person stays in the background, so you might not notice them. They watch the characters meeting at tables and ensure they visit an entire section before moving on to the next one. If a character is at a table next to you and they appear to skip you, don’t worry. They have a specific order to follow.
However, with the characters in full costume, they can easily get turned around. Ideally, if they skip you, the character handler will send them back your way before the next break. Or the cast member might walk over and make you aware that you’ll be next when the characters return. By the end of the meal, your server will confirm that you have met all the characters. They usually come by and say something like you’re just waiting to meet Jasmine, right?
Over the last ten years, we’ve eaten at numerous character dining locations. I can attest that cast members do an excellent job ensuring every table is visited.
Disney Character Dining Photos
Unfortunately, character dining experiences (with a few exceptions) do not have PhotoPass photographers present to take photos. So you’ll want to make sure to have your phone or camera out and ready when the characters come by the table.
Those exceptions are meals like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Akershus Princess Dining. These two usually have a princess greeting guests at the restaurant’s entrance before you are seated.
Another exception is Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. At this character meal, the Evil Queen occasionally stands in the center of the Enchanted Forest. She doesn’t come to the table, but guests can stand in line to meet her and have their pictures taken with her.
In these instances, a photographer typically takes photos with the character. If applicable, the PhotoPass photographer will scan your band or ticket, and the images will appear in your My Disney Experience account.
*A Memory Maker package might be required to access these photos.
Unfortunately, photographers are not available at any restaurant to take pictures when the characters visit your table. Therefore, make sure to have something readily available for photos.
Autographs at Disney Character Dining
Another essential thing to remember is that many of the characters sign autographs. So, if your children want to collect autographs, be prepared with an autograph book.
I recommend purchasing a good, quality one on shopDisney before your Disney vacation. If you wait, you’ll have to buy one at the parks, which will take extra time and money. An autograph book is something simple to have packed in your park bag before you leave.
Word to the wise, you might not think your child will be interested in collecting autographs. But it only takes one instance of them seeing someone else getting a character’s signature. After that, most children will automatically want the same experience.
Character autograph books are a minimal investment. They also have plenty of pages, so you can reuse them again on a future trip. Store them with your “Disney stuff” when you get home.
If characters don’t sign autographs at a particular location, the restaurant will provide an autograph card instead. For instance, we received the character autograph card below at the Best Friends Breakfast at ‘Ohana.
Disney Character Dining Tips
Here’s an overview of our tips for character dining at Disney World.
- Don’t forget to reserve your Walt Disney World character dining experiences as soon as you become eligible. (60 Days Out)
- If you don’t get the desired reservation, check back often. The best time to get a new reservation is when someone cancels. This usually happens within 30 days to a week before the start of your vacation.
- Know where you are going and how you will get there before your meal. Also, make sure to consider weather factors when traveling to your meal.
- If using free Disney transportation, allow a good hour to an hour-and-a-half for travel time. If you arrive late, explain your situation to the cast member, and they should fit you back into the schedule.
- Don’t forget to bring your camera and autograph books!
- If you are visiting a resort for a character meal, allow yourself a little time to explore before or after your dinner.
How to Get to Character Dining at Disney World
Traveling around Walt Disney World can be challenging if you aren’t familiar with the area. Here are a few tips to help you get to any character dining experience at the resorts.
Magic Kingdom Resorts Area Character Dining
These resorts include Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, and Wilderness Lodge for character dining meals.
- Anyone who wants to visit a resort on the monorail can simply take a bus to Magic Kingdom and then board the resort monorail to that resort.
- If you are traveling to Grand Floridian or the Polynesian, you can also take a boat at the resort’s boat launch from Magic Kingdom.
- If visiting the Contemporary, simply walk over from Magic Kingdom. You will have to go through security at Magic Kingdom to access these forms of transportation. However, you won’t have to walk through the ticket entry area.
Related: Disney World Monorail Guide
Heading to the Wilderness Lodge for a character meal?
Take a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then a boat or bus over to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. You will have to go through security at Magic Kingdom to access the resort boat launch, but it’s a beautiful ride.
This review of the Magic Kingdom resort’s boat service will help you plan further in detail if needed.
Epcot Resorts Area Character Dining
For those headed to the Beach Club from another resort, you’ll want to try these tips.
- Take a bus to Hollywood Studios from any resort and then do the following:
- Use the Friendship Boat Service to get to either resort.
- Walk the long pathway from Hollywood Studios to the Beach Club.
- Take the Skyliner from Hollywood Studios to the International Gateway and then walk to either character dining location.
Lastly, for anyone headed to Topolino’s at Disney’s Riviera Resort–take a bus to Hollywood Studios and then take the Skyliner to Disney’s Riviera.
Related: Disney Skyliner with Travel Times
If you’re visiting one of these resorts for breakfasts, in some instances, it might be better to use a car service or a Minnie Van.
Final Thoughts on Character Dining
Character meals often provide a bit of unexpected Disney magic during your vacation. While this guide is long, it is filled with many considerations.
So often, I have found it’s the things you don’t know that leave you feeling aggravated during and after your trip. That said, Disney World is a massive place, and it’s going to be impossible to know everything. In those cases, I recommend rolling with the punches and chalking your experience up to memory for next time.
If you want to know more about planning a Disney vacation, check out our Disney World Resort Reviews. Deciding where to stay is one of the most critical planning factors. It sets the precedence for your trip and leaves a basis for where you will go and how you will get there.
Additionally, we have a list of every Disney restaurant we’ve reviewed. Or you might also like these other Disney dining guides:
In the meantime, good luck planning your Disney World character dining! I hope it will be a meal truly worthwhile with many fond memories.