One of my favorite parts about any trip to Disney World is character dining. These meals are a perfect example of how Disney can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Character dining is a chance to enjoy a meal with your favorite Disney characters. Characters will approach your table one by one and allow you to take a picture, or even ask for an autograph!
Character dining will cost you more than other table service restaurants. You’re paying for the experience, on top of food and beverages. Prices are fixed, so you will pay before you order.
It is also important to note that these meals are popular. Be sure to book your reservation as soon as possible. You don’t miss out on breakfast or dinner with your favorite character.
Character dining is a perfect way to get up and close to your favorite characters. You’ll also see them in unique outfits that you won’t often see in the parks. Here’s our list of the Top 5 Character Dining Experiences.
Garden Grill Restaurant
The Garden Grill Restaurant is a great option for Living with the Land enthusiasts. Guests can spend their meal here as Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Pluto join them for photos and autographs.
What makes this meal stand out from others is that while you’re eating, the entire restaurant turns so that your view is changing. That’s right – Garden Grill is a rotating restaurant, making it a fan favorite among Disney fans. Diners can appreciate the views of different sections of the Living with the Land ride. Including the desert, farmhouse, and rainforest. The fresh vegetables that you’re eating from Garden Grill come from the greenhouse located at the end of Living with the Land!
If you’re worried about motion sickness, it may ease your mind to know that this restaurant rotates at a very slow pace. Only about one rotation per hour. Most guests say that they barely register the motion while eating other than the changing views.
Characters: Chip, Dale, Mickey, Pluto
Adult $55.00
Child ages 3-9 $36.00
Location: EPCOT – The Land Pavilion
Story Book Dining at Artist Point
This character dinner is perfect for fans of Snow White. The real reason it makes the top five best dining experiences is the ambiance. While this is an indoor dining experience, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into an enchanted forest. You’ll walk through trees and fairy lights on the way to your table.
This is also the only character dining experience where you can meet the Evil Queen. Many character dining experiences can get you face-to-face with your favorite Disney princesses. Very few feature the villains.
If the Evil Queen is a little too intense for the little ones. They can take comfort in spending their time with Snow White and two of her good friends, Grumpy and Dopey. Despite the popularity of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom. The dwarfs are not easy to find in the parks for meet and greets. So this character dinner is a perfect way to grab a photo or autograph.
Story Book also features fun alcohol-free mocktails to match the theme, like the Transformation Potion and the Wishing Apple Punch. Don’t worry about not being able to pick which delicious dessert to order. You’ll get a small selection of all three of their themed sweet treats at the end of your meal!
Characters: Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy
Adult $65.00
Child ages 3-9 $39.00
Location: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Ohana
This is the perfect breakfast for fans of Lilo & Stitch. For a character as popular as Stitch, he’s not easy to find in the parks. Though he can sometimes be found in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. A reservation at Ohana for breakfast is a guaranteed way to meet both Stitch and Lilo. You’ll even get to see Mickey in his Hawaiian-style shirt and Pluto in his lei.
Guests can take the monorail over to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for character breakfast. Guests can enjoy delicious pineapple-coconut bread and fresh fruit as they wait for their breakfast of scrambled eggs, pork breakfast sausage links, Hawaiian-style ham topped with pineapple compote, fried island-style potatoes. And don’t forget about the Mickey-shaped waffles.
As you eat, Stitch, Lilo, and friends will stop by your table to say hello. At some point in your meal, you can take part in the Ohana Aloha Parade. Kids will love jumping into a conga line with Stitch and the gang as they parade around the restaurant. These experiences make this one of the most memorable dining experiences.
Characters: Lilo & Stitch
Adult $45.00
Child ages 3-9 $29.00
Location: Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy & his Pals
This character buffet may not be on most people’s radar, as you won’t find it on the Disney World website. Since Four Seasons isn’t a Walt Disney World resort, this character brunch is not as well-advertised. But it’s still worth a car ride over. You’ll have to call the Four Seasons directly to make a reservation. Unlike other Disney dining, the Good Morning Breakfast is only offered select days.
Considering this is a golf resort, it is only appropriate that you’ll be able to meet Goofy and his friends in their golf attire. You can make your selection of pastries, sausage, fruit and more, or head over to the omelet station before going back to your seat to get photos with some of your favorite classic characters.
While this character dining experience is a little out of the way compared to the others, the unique outfits make it worth the trip!
Characters: Goofy & Pals
Adult $52.00
Child ages 3-9 $32.00
Location: Four Seasons Resort Orlando At WDW
Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera
On the top floor of the Riviera, you can enjoy a delicious Breakfast à la Art with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. Rather than the classic theme park outfits these characters usually wear. They come out representing various artists inspired by the French riviera. Mickey as a painter, Minnie as a writer, Donald as a sculptor, and Daisy as a ballerina.
Topolino’s also has one of the best menus of all the character dining experiences. The light and fluffy sour cream waffle is one of my favorite meals in all Disney World. Guests can also choose from more savory options such as smoked salmon or quiche gruyère. Kids can order Mickey Waffle Dippers served on a fun artist’s pallet for them to make a work of art out of dipping. For children looking for something less sweet, scrambled eggs and yogurt meal are also available.
Another added perk is that this resort is easy to get to from the parks. If you’re in Epcot or Hollywood Studios, you can hop on the Disney Skyliner for a quick trip over, so be sure to not miss out on breakfast at Topolino’s.
Characters:
Adult $45.00
Child ages 3-9 $29.00
Location: Disney’s Riviera Resort
Character Meal Conclusions
No matter which character dining experience you choose, you’re sure to have a fantastic time. Disney characters make everything more magical, and no trip to Disney is complete without at least one or two photos with your favorite character.
These dining experiences can be the perfect add on to your trip. Its a great way to have some 1 on 1 time with your favorite character without spending a lot of time in line.
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