What Exactly is Disney Character Dining?
When people begin to plan their Disney vacation — either at Disneyland® or Walt Disney World® — we’re often asked about Disney character dining. What exactly does it mean?
Disney Character Dining is simply a table-service (sit-down) meal where Disney characters come directly to your table while you’re eating. You can take pictures. You can get their autograph. You can even ask them those heart-burning questions you’ve long wondered about — like asking Snow White what’s in Gooseberry Pie.
But wait, there’s more… There’s no waiting in line! There’s no need for Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. And you get to see more than one Disney character — usually there’s at least four!
How Does it Work?
As we mentioned above, it’s rather simple. You have a normal meal like you would at any other table-service restaurant and the Disney characters come to your table. Most of these character-dining meals are served either family-style (with shareable portions delivered directly to your table) or buffet style.
And don’t worry about characters swarming to your child at once. The characters come over one at a time, to make sure the little ones aren’t overwhelmed. And if you miss a character while you’re at the buffet, they’ll come back around again!
Why do we love it?
First, you’re not standing out in the hot sun waiting to see a character for thirty minutes only for their handler to say, “Sorry, everyone. Pluto has to go back inside for a treat. He’ll be back out in twenty minutes.” You’re inside, in air conditioning, where the characters come to you.
Second, it saves time. You’re killing two birds with one stone. You’re eating and interacting with your favorite Disney characters. This means more time experiencing other attractions!
And most importantly, you get to see not just one, but anywhere from 3 to sometimes even 7 characters in one sitting. That, in our opinion, is totally worth it!
What Restaurants Offer Disney Character Dining?
Disney Character Dining is located at restaurants both within the theme parks and inside the resort hotels at both the Disneyland® Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort®. There’s even a character breakfast onboard select Disney Cruise Line® sailings! The newest innovation in character dining is onboard the Disney Wish with an interactive Frozen dinner show!
(Don’t worry, at the end of this post, we have a complete list.)
What Characters Appear at Character Dining Meals?
While not all Disney characters make appearances at Character dining meals the most popular ones certainly do. And for the most part, the characters are grouped together according to either their “story” or their “friends.” For example, at Chef Mickey’s inside the Contemporary you can meet the Fab Five — Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. At Akershus Royal Banquet Hall you can meet a variety of princesses, usually Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White, and Jasmine. (Read our review here.)
Most of the time, Disney advertises what characters will be appearing at each character dining experience to help families decide which meal they’d like to attend. However, like any form of entertainment with live performers, appearances are subject to change.
(To see the complete list of what characters appear at what restaurants, scroll down to the bottom of this list.)
How Expensive are the Character Dining Meals?
The price ranges from almost $60 to $120 per adult to around $35 to $70 per child, depending upon the time of day and what character dining experience you’re booking.
If you have the Disney Dining Plan, most character dining experiences are worth one table-service meal credit. The exception to this would be Cinderella’s Royal Table, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White due to both their locations (inside Cinderella’s castle at the Magic Kingdom, Norway in Epcot and a highly themed restaurant in Wilderness Lodge) and their popularity (so many princesses at once!).
However, the most expensive (and quite luxurious) of all character dining experiences is The Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures which we recently experienced ourselves. (You can read about our favorite Disneyland character dining here.)
*Note: The Disney Dining Plan is only available for Walt Disney World® vacations.*
How Do You Make Reservations for Character Dining Meals?
For both Walt Disney World® and Disneyland Resort®, you can make reservations up to 60 days in advance through the My Disney Experience app or Disneyland app. For Disney Cruise Line®, while some character-dining experiences are included, others are tickets and available 30 days prior to sailing.
However, because reservations — especially for the most popular restaurants, can be extremely difficult to get, we recommend using the services of an expert Travel Planning Genie. That’s the easiest way!
List of Character Dining Experiences
Walt Disney World® Resort
Note: While we do our absolute best to keep this list updated with correct character information, characters are subject to change without notice at these restaurants.
Breakfast
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Princess Storybook Dining
Location: Epcot
Characters (may vary): Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Princess Aurora, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Jasmine
Cape May Cafe Beach Club Breakfast Buffet
Location: Disney’s Beach Club Resort (Epcot Area Resort)
Characters (may vary): Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck
Chef Mickey’s Fun Time Buffet
Location: Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Magic Kingdom Area Resort)
Characters (may vary): The Fab Five! Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Location: Magic Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Ariel, Belle, Princess Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White. Regardless of character rotation during the meal, Cinderella will greet guests in the Grand Hall prior to seating.
Crystal Palace
Location: Magic Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore
Garden Grill Chip ’n Dale’s Harvest Feast
Location: Epcot
Characters (may vary): Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse, Pluto
Hollywood and Vine Disney Junior Play ’n Dine
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Characters (may vary): Jake of the Neverland Pirates, Roadster Racer Goofy, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins
‘Ohana Best Friends Breakfast
Location: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (Magic Kingdom Area Resort)
Characters (may vary): Lilo, Stitch, Mickey Mouse, Pluto
Tusker House Donald’s Dining Safari
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse
Garden Grove Good Morning Character Breakfast (NOTE: Saturdays and Sundays only)
Location: Disney’s Swan Hotel (Epcot Area Resort)
Characters (may vary): Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale
Ravello Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals (NOTE: Thursdays, Saturdays, and select Tuesdays during peak seasons)
Location: Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World
Characters (may vary): Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse
Brunch
Chef Mickey’s Fun Time Buffet
Location: Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Magic Kingdom Area Resort)
Characters (may vary): The Fab Five! Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck
Lunch
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Princess Storybook Dining
Location: Epcot
Characters (may vary): Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Princess Aurora, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Jasmine
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Location: Magic Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Ariel, Belle, Princess Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White. Regardless of character rotation during the meal, Cinderella will greet guests in the Grand Hall prior to seating.
Crystal Palace
Location: Magic Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore
Garden Grill Chip ’n Dale’s Harvest Feast
Location: Epcot
Characters (may vary): Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse, Pluto
Hollywood and Vine Minnie’s Seasonal Dine
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Characters (may vary): Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck
Tusker House Donald’s Dining Safari
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse
DINNER
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Princess Storybook Dining
Location: Epcot
Characters (may vary): Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Princess Aurora, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Jasmine
Chef Mickey’s Fun Time Buffet
Location: Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Magic Kingdom Area Resort)
Characters (may vary): The Fab Five! Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Location: Magic Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Ariel, Belle, Princess Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White. Regardless of character rotation during the meal, Cinderella will greet guests in the Grand Hall prior to seating.
Crystal Palace
Location: Magic Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore
Garden Grill Chip ’n Dale’s Harvest Feast
Location: Epcot
Characters (may vary): Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse, Pluto
Hollywood and Vine Minnie’s Seasonal Dine
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Characters (may vary): Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck
Tusker House Donald’s Dining Safari
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Characters (may vary): Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse
Disneyland® Resort
Note: Links open to official Disneyland® Resort restaurant information.
Breakfast
Plaza Inn Minnie & Friends — Breakfast in the Park
Location: Disneyland® Park
Characters (may vary): Minnie Mouse, Fairy Godmother, Captain Hook, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Chip, Dale, Rafiki
Goofy’s Kitchen Character Dining
Location: Disneyland Hotel
Characters (may vary): Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Chip & Dale
Storytellers Café Mickey’s Tales of Adventure
Location: Storyteller’s Cafe – Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa
Characters (may vary): Mickey and Friends
Disney Princess Adventures Breakfast
Location: Napa Rose – Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa
Characters (may vary): Mulan, Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Aurora, Pocohauntus,
Dinner
Goofy’s Kitchen Character Dining
Location: Disneyland Hotel
Characters (may vary): Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip & Dale
Disney Cruise Line®
Disney Wish
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
Characters (may vary): Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf
Olaf’s Royal Picnic
Characters (may vary): Olaf
*This experience is specifically designed for passengers 3-12*
Worlds of Marvel
Characters (may vary): Ant-Man, The Wasp, Captain America and Captain Marvel
Other Disney Cruise Ships
Royal Court Tea
Location: Varies by Ship
Characters (may vary): Rotational Princesses
Drawn to Magic
Location: Disney Magic and Disney Wonder
Characters (may vary): Sorcerer Mickey
Animation Magic (Available on sailings 7 nights+)
Location: Disney Magic and Disney Wonder
Characters (may vary): Rotational Classic Characters
Undersea Magic
Location: Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy
Characters (may vary): Crush (via video screen)
Want to make snagging these reservations a breeze?
If you don’t want to miss out on experiencing these amazing and memorable moments with your family, why leave it to chance? Summon one of our travel planning experts to get up at 5:30 a.m. to book the hard-to-get reservations for you, so you can focus your time and energy on more important things — like getting ready for work or getting the kiddos ready for school
Learn all about or planning packages here.
