Dining in Disney World is a fun and delicious experience. Whether you are having a quick service meal, table service, or their all-you-care-to-enjoy buffets there is a type of dining experience for everyone. A favorite dining experience for adults and children are the character dining experiences.
Disney has a fair amount of restaurants that offer character dining. So guests will be visited by different Disney characters as they dine. You can find the princesses, Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Mickey and Pals, Disney Junior characters, and more at different dining locations on property.
I’ll give you a rundown of all the character dining locations at the end of this post, but I want to give a tip about character dining first. While the experience is fun, it’s also a very helpful way to see how your child will react to the characters.
When my daughter was two, we made reservations for Cape May Cafe (Beach Club) to test out her reaction. Luckily she loved seeing Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, so we knew we were safe for the parks. If your child is scared of the characters, at least you didn’t waste time waiting in line only to make a quick exit, because they are scared.
Plus, you get to enjoy a good meal. We loved the breakfast at Cape May. The atmosphere and the food were great. We loved the beach theme and were seated by one of the sandcastles; the kids loved looking at that.
The characters will stop by your table for, at least, a few minutes. They take pictures and sign autographs, but if your child is afraid of the characters they will skip your table. So you can still enjoy your meal without your child getting scared every time a character stops by the table.
So, if you are not sure how your child will react to the characters then I definitely recommend booking a character dining experience before you hit the parks. If anything, at least you get to enjoy a nice meal.
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
Here is a list of the character dining experiences and which characters are usually there:
- 1900 Park Fare – Grand Floridian
- Breakfast:
- Mary Poppins
- Alice in Wonderland
- The Mad Hatter
- Tigger
- Winnie the Pooh
- Dinner:
- Cinderella
- Prince Charming
- Lady Tremaine
- Step Sisters
- Breakfast:
- Arkershus Royal Banquet Hall – Norway Pavilion, Epcot
- Snow White
- Cinderella
- Belle
- Princess Aurora
- Ariel
- Mary Poppins
- Cape May Cafe – Beach Club Resort
- Breakfast Only (characters in beach attire):
- Minnie
- Donald
- Goofy
- Breakfast Only (characters in beach attire):
- Chef Mickey’s – Contemporary Resort
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Pluto
- Donald
- Goofy
- Cinderella’s Royal Table – Inside Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom
- Cinderella
- Various Princesses
- The Crystal Palace – Main Street U.S.A., Magic Kingdom
- Winnie the Pooh
- Various Winnie the Pooh characters
- The Garden Grill – Future World, Epcot
- Dinner (Breakfast and lunch will be available beginning November 8, 2015)
- Chip
- Dale
- Various Disney Characters
- Dinner (Breakfast and lunch will be available beginning November 8, 2015)
- Garden Grove – Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Good Morning Character Breakfast (Saturdays and Sundays)
- “A duo of Disney Characters will pop in”
- Dinner (daily):
- “A duo of Disney Characters will pop in”
- Good Morning Character Breakfast (Saturdays and Sundays)
- Garden View Tea Room (My Disney Girl’s Perfectly Princess Tea Party) – Grand Floridian Resort
- “Rose Petal”
- Princes Aurora
- Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals – Ravello at The Four Seasons
- Breakfast (Thursdays and Saturdays)
- Goofy
- Various Disney Characters
- Breakfast (Thursdays and Saturdays)
- Hollywood & Vine – Echo Lake, Hollywood Studios
- Breakfast and Lunch:
- Doc McStuffins
- Sofia the First
- Jake and the Never Land Pirates
- Handy Manny
- Breakfast and Lunch:
- Mickey’s Backyard BBQ – The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Dinner:
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Goofy
- Chip
- Dale
- Dinner:
- Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine – Echo Lake, Hollywood Studios
- Dinner (seasonal 11/7/2015 – 1/3/2016):
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Dinner (seasonal 11/7/2015 – 1/3/2016):
- ‘Ohana – Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Breakfast:
- Lilo
- Stitch
- Various Other Disney Characters
- Breakfast:
- Tusker House Restaurant – Africa, Animal Kingdom
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (characters are dressed in safari attire):
- Donald
- Various Disney Characters
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (characters are dressed in safari attire):