A list and description of the Best Disney World Character Meals. Including menus and Character Dining Prices. Plus, Tips and Tricks to help you ROCK Character Meals! A fun experience for everyone in the family!
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Disney World is full of delicious and exciting dining options. One of my favorite dining experiences at Disney World are character meals.
Character Dining at Disney World
Character meals can be fun for people of all ages. I love them because you get the chance to interact with the characters without long lines taking up precious park time. I am going to be eating anyway, why not multi-task?
The food is delicious and you get the chance to see many characters that you wouldn’t otherwise see out in the parks.
These are a few of the reasons that I always make character meals a part of my Disney World vacation.
Using the Disney Dining Plan also makes going to Character meals a lot easier. Make sure you also check out my Disney Dining Plan Review.
There are so many different character meals to choose from at Disney World, it’s hard to know which ones to dine at. Here is a list of what I think are The Best Disney World Character Meals!
Character Meals at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace is located inside Magic Kingdom right on Main Street USA. Inspired by Victorian greenhouses of the late 1800s, it is one of the most beautiful restaurants I have been to.
After checking in, you will be seated at a lovely table and greeted by your server. The Crystal Palace is a buffet that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
There are many options to choose from that should be able to please everyone in your party. One of the great things about this buffet is that there is a children’s section that serves macaroni and cheese, mini corndogs and tater tots. My boys (and I) LOVED it.
While you are dining, you will be visited by Winnie the Pooh and some of his friends. We met Winnie The Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore.
Reservations are highly recommended and can be made through the My Disney Experience App or through Disney World’s website. Check out the the menu and prices for The Crystal Palace here.
Be Our Guest
Be Our Guest is not a typical character meal. For breakfast and lunch, there are no characters. Dinner can be considered a “partial character meal.”
Is Be Our Guest a Character Meal?
Let me explain. For breakfast and lunch, Be Our Guest is a quick service location, but dinner is table service. There is a completely different menu and price for dinner and a completely different experience.
During your dinner, The Beast walks from room to room waving at guests. When you finish your meal, you can actually meet The Beast and have your picture taken with him!
At Be Our Guest Restaurant, there are three beautiful dining areas that are designed after different locations in The Beast’s Castle.
About Be Our Guest Restaurant
The Grand Ballroom is definitely grand. Very spacious and beautiful. I thought it was a little loud in there though.
The Castle Gallery is a beautiful rendition of Belle’s library and had a calmer atmosphere.
The West Wing was by far my favorite place to sit at Be Our Guest. It isn’t very large, but it is dark and beautiful. It is also where the rose can be found.
In The West Wing, about every 20-30 minutes, the room will grow dark and you will hear growling. Then The Beast appears at the door to greet his guests! He doesn’t stop at each table like a traditional character meal, but he sure does know how to make an entrance.
Reservations are strongly recommended for Be Our Guest and are available 180 days in advance.
They are not impossible to get, but they definitely go quickly. Make sure to check out my tips to get a reservation at Be Our Guest Restaurant!
If you’re lucky enough to snag a dinner reservation, make sure you check out the menu and prices at Be Our Guest. The Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake is amazing and don’t forget to try the “Grey Stuff, it’s delicious!
Best Disney World Character Meals at Epcot
The Garden Grill
The Garden Grill is a very fun and unique character meal located at Epcot’s The Land Pavilion on the second floor.
One of the unique things about this experience is that the restaurant rotates very slowly while you enjoy your meal. You will make a complete 360 degree rotation while you dine.
While enjoying your meal, you will be able to view parts of the Living with the Land attraction such as the rainforest, farmhouse, thunderstorm, sandstorm and prairie.
Menu at Garden Grill
The food at The Garden Grill is served family style and includes selections that the whole family will enjoy. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Characters at Garden Grill
The characters you will meet during your meal include: Chip & Dale, Mickey Mouse and Pluto. Make sure you make reservations up to 180 days in advance through the My Disney Experience or Disney World’s website.
Best Disney World Character Meals at Hollywood Studios
Hollywood & Vine
Hollywood & Vine is located inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios between Hollywood Boulevard and Echo Lake.
It is a buffet dining experience. One of the fun things about Hollywood & Vine is that you will get two totally different experiences depending on what time you dine.
For Breakfast and lunch you will get the chance to eat, play and laugh along with many of your Disney Junior friends like Vampirina.
The breakfast buffet serves Mickey waffles, omelets, pastries and fresh fruit. For lunch, you can enjoy a buffet with entrees like baked chicken, deli meats, pastas and salads.
Minnie’s Seasonal Dining
Minnie’s Seasonal Dining is offered for dinner and lunch at Hollywood & Vine. You will be have the chance to enjoy your meal with Minnie, Mickey, Daisy, Donald and Goofy.
The decor, music and menu items will change with the season to commemorate show biz winters, spring’s verdant bounty and sizzling summer fun!
Fantastic! Dining Package
Another great feature of dining at Hollywood & Vine for dinner is the ability to receive a fastpass to Fantasmic! by booking the Fantasmic! Dining Package.
This package gives you access to a reserved section of the Fantasmic! Theater. I’ve purchased this package many times and the seats are great!
If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, look for that option while booking your reservation.
No matter when you plan to dine at Hollywood & Vine, reservations are extremely encouraged. They can be booked up to 180 days in advance by calling(407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463, visiting Disney World’s Website or using the My Disney Experience App.
Best Disney World Character Meals at Animal Kingdom
Tusker House Restaurant
Tusker House is one of my favorite character meals in all of Disney World. It is located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Harambe Marketplace in Africa, near Kilimanjaro Safaris.
What makes this buffet-style character meal special, is that all of the characters dress in safari gear!
You’ll be dining with Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. Kids are then invited to join the characters in a dancing conga line around the restaurant. It’s so much fun!
The breakfast menu includes items such as Beef Bobotie, Spiced Corned Beef Hash with Cornbread topping as well as the usual Mickey waffles.
Tip: if you book a reservation for one of the latest breakfast times, around 10:45, you will get to enjoy breakfast as well as some of the lunch/dinner menu items that they begin to change over at that time! Its a great way to experience two meals in one!
As always, try to book a reservation up to 180 days in advance by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463, booking online, or using the My Disney Experience App to ensure that you don’t miss out on this great experience! Don’t forget to try the Jungle Juice!
Best Disney World Character Meals at Disney Resort Hotels
1900 Park Fare – The Grand Floridian
1900 Park Fare is one of the Best Disney World Character Meals and offers two different character meal experiences: Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner.
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast
The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast buffet is excellent and is one of my favorite buffets in all of Disney World. There are custom made omelette’s, fluffy pancakes, carved ham and more. Check out the menu for all of the wonderful breakfast selections.
Some of the characters you might see are Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh. So much fun!
While at the Grand Floridian, make sure to take a walk around the grounds. They are beautiful!
Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner
Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner is a totally different experience than breakfast. Here is what you can expect: “
The Princess’ storybook friends join in the festivities as you have a ball dining on delectable seafood, salad, pasta and beef specialties. The culinary selections are representative of several “kingdoms” from around the globe and include such kid-friendly fare as chicken, cheese pizza and macaroni and cheese.
DisneyWorld.com
Some of the characters you might see are Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Step Sisters but be aware that character experiences are subject to change.
The dinner menu is amazing and Includes the famous Floridian Strawberry Soup! Make sure to plan ahead and book a reservation for one, or both of these experiences.
‘Ohana – Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch at ‘Ohana is located at Disney’s Polynesian Resort and is a short Monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom.
Breakfast is served family style. Your server will bring you delicious pineapple bread to begin your meal. Then you’ll get a tray of scrambled eggs, Island-style fried potatoes, Hawaiian pork sausage, smoked bacon, fresh fruit and of course, Mickey waffles!
While enjoying your delicious breakfast, you will be greeted by Lilo & Stitch, Mickey and Pluto, dressed in Hawaiian shirts!
‘Ohana’s breakfast character meal is a wonderful experience. I recommend requesting a table by the large windows that face the Magic Kingdom. You can’t beat that view while eating breakfast!
Make sure you reserve your breakfast at ‘Ohana up to 180 days in advance.
Disney World Character Meals
These seven character meals are sure add to the magic of your Disney Vacation and are some of the Best Disney World Character Meals.
Like I said before, character meals are one of the main reasons my family purchases the Disney Dining Plan. Dining at Disney World is an experience all its own and makes the Dining Plan totally worth it to me.
Check out this awesome Amazon Hack that can save you money at Disney World.
Disney World Ticket & Hotel Savings
When booking your next Disney vacation, make sure you check out Get Away Today. Their customer service is THE BEST!
They offer deals like discounts on rooms, free dining and more! Visit getawaytoday.com or give them a call at 855-GET-AWAY for current deals at Walt Disney World!
Enjoy your trip! Make sure you Pin The Best Disney World Character Meals so you’ll have these tips when you need them!
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