The Best Character Dining Experiences At Disney World

Once upon a time Disney World had tons of Character dining options to choose from and we came up with a list of the best character dining Disney World. There are fewer choices post 2019, but we are hopeful they will keep expanding again! So not only will I tell you the best character meals at disney world, I will just tell you about all the restaurants at Disney World where you can interact with characters in some. So get out your pen and paper, it’s time to take notes on the best disney character meals.

best character dining disney world

Looking for the best character dining Disney World? Look no further! From dining with princesses to hanging out with classic Disney characters, there’s something for everyone. We will tell you where you can find your favorite Disney characters at table service restaurants at Disney World in Florida! What you prioritize will depend on your unique family and your budget. All the restaurants are amazing and unique, with a great chance to conveniently see characters. Whether they are worth the hefty price-tag depends on the value your family places on it. If you think about it, at $84 for a meal with the princesses at Cinderella’s Royal Table you could almost buy another day in the park and wait in line to see the princesses. You get the idea.

My favorite time to go to Disney World is when they offer the free dining promo! Luckily, we snagged the Free Disney World Dining offer 2024 so we get to eat at yummy places without stressing about the pricetag. I still look at value, for example Beast our Guest is 2 table-service credits (or $70). Instead our family will do breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall to see all the princesses for my daugther ($55) AND dinner at Chef Mickey’s for a fabulous buffet and fun with Mickey and the gang ($66). Not only did I get 2 meals covered for the same table credits, but I got a value of $111 instead of $70 – does that make sense?

Besides all our Disney trip planning tips, our Plan the Best Vacation website offers tons of other helpful advice for planning family travel from Disney to best family cruises, beaches to family destinations worldwide!

best character meals at disney world

Okay, let’s get down to what you really want to know about – where are all the character meals at Disney World! I will list ALL the character meals with pros/cons for you to evaluate based on your families unique interests/budget/time constraints. The ones that are in GREEN are my families personal favorites, our Top 5 best character meals at Disney World.

Epcot character meals

There are so many yummy places to eat at Epcot; over 50 year-round places plus all the food stands that open up for the many festivals throughout the year. In addition, there are lots of chances to meet your favorite Disney characters at Epcot – over 18 at the time this was published in 2024. But booking character meals at epcot allows you to make better use of your time, and often see some characters / costumes that are not available without the special dining reservation. Here are some options for your ADR (advance dining reservations)!

askerhouse princess breakfast with all the princesses

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Calling all princess lovers! The royal princess meal is back at Epcot’s Norway Pavilion, and it’s fit for a queen Enjoy a magical breakfast where you can meet about 5 Disney princesses while indulging in delicious food served family style at your table. Instead of waiting in line to see all the different princesses come have a delicious meal in this stunning Norwegian Banquet Hall and see all your child’s favorites at one time!

Akershus princess breakfast is no longer a buffet, but you are served family style at your table. You can get refills on all the waffles, yummy breakfast casserole, meats, fruit, and more – until you are full! The rotating vising princesses will come around to your table. It will take about 1 hours to see all the princesses, typically Tiana, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, or Ariel. Belle doesn’t seem to frequent this gathering any more, but you can find her in her non-princess white and blue dress in the France area.

If you are paying out of pocket for this akershus character dining, it will run you $55/adult for breakfast and $67 an adult for lunch/dinner. Unfortunately the lunch/dinner is now 2 dining plan credits, making it a poor value. So stock to breakfast or plan to pay out of pocket. The lunch & dinner menu is a delcious Norweigan dinner with meatballs, chicken and biscuits, leftsa, yummy sides, salads, and dessert.

The Garden Grill

Joining us for a meal at The Garden Grill restaurant at Epcot is not just dining – it’s an experience! Enjoy all-you-care-to-eat delicious food delivered right to your table, with a selection that will surely satisfy your cravings. Breakfast is $47/adults and $30/children and includes selections like Mickey waffles, flank steak, eggs, watermelon, cheesy potatoes, breakfast meats, cinnamon breakfast loaf, and our favorite guava juice. Dinner is $62/adults and $40/children and may include cornbread with honey butter, salad, turkey, steak, mashed potatoes, green beans,and Farmer’s Seasonal Crumble with vanilla ice cream fro dessert. This is another great value if you are on the Disney Dining Plan as it only requires one credit for any meal!

But that’s not all! As you dine, the restaurant slowly rotates, giving you a unique view of a part of the Living with the Land ride. Watch the scenery change as you indulge in your meal – it’s like dinner and a show all in one!

And to make your meal even more memorable, Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale will stop by your table for photos and to sign autographs. So not only will you leave with a full belly, but also with cherished memories of interacting with some of your favorite Disney characters. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind dining experience!

Hollywood Studios Character Meals

You’d think that the park that is home to Star Wars: Galaxy Edge and Toy Story Land would have tons of unique character dining opportunities. Unfortunately, that is not true. I’m still hoping maybe they will in the future. There is only one restaurant for character meals at hollywood studios, although it offers two different options.

Disney Junior Play n’ Dine – Breakfast

Step into the magical world of Disney Junior at our breakfast buffet! Sing, dance, and play with characters like Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, and Doc McStuffins while indulging in a delicious spread of Disney-inspired dishes. From Mickey-shaped waffles to eggs benedict, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Don’t miss out on our signature specialties like salmon and bagel casserole or plant-based frittata – it’s a breakfast experience you won’t forget!

This restaurant costs $47/adult and $30/child for breakfast and if you are on the dining plan it will only use 1 table service credit per person!

hollywood and vine seasonal dining spring themed outfits

Minnie’s Seasonal Dine – Lunch and Dinner

Get ready for a dining experience like no other at Minnie’s Seasonal Dine! Throughout the year, a selection of Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Daisey, or Goofy switch up their outfits to match the theme of the season. From Santa Goofy in November to Hollywood glamour in January, there’s always something new and exciting to look forward to!

Costumes/Timing are subject to change, but historically this is what they have worn.

Minnie’s Halloween Dine – Part of August through part of November (Mickey vampire, Minnie witch, Goofy cowboy, space donald, pluto)
Minnie’s Holiday Dine – Part of November through part of January (Santa Goofy, minnie in red dress, Mickey red suit, donald green suit, Daisy green dress)
Minnie’s Silver Screen Dine – Part of January through February (minnie pink dress, mickey blue suit, donald blue suit with hat, goofy burgundy suit, pluto blue top hat)
Minnie’s Springtime Dine – March through part of May (Minnie and Daisy flowery dresses, Mickey pink blazor with blue pants, Goofy pink coat and blue pants, Donald purple coat and hat)
Minnie’s Summertime Dine – Part of May through part of August (Minnie yellow flowery dress, Mickey green shorts/yellow t-shirt/straw hat, Goofy jean shorts/t-shirt/green hat, Donald lifeguard, Daisy flowery dress and big hat)

holiday costumes for minnies seasonal character meal and hollywood and vine at disney world florida

And the best part? Our all-you-can-eat lunch buffet includes a delicious variety of starters, sides, entrees, desserts, and beverages (with alcoholic drinks available for an extra cost). From soups and salads to Roasted Beef Strip Loin and decadent desserts like Candy Magic Bars and pb&j tarts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Lunch and dinner cost $63/adult and $40/child or 1 table credit if you are on the DDP. This yummy, fun, all-you-can-eat buffet is a great value!

Animal kingdom character meals

There is currently only one character dining opportunity at AK, but lucky for us it is a really good one! The option for character breakfast animal kingdom is at Tusker House and I can’t wait to tell you all about! (plus here are the other best disney world restaurants)

Tusker House Restaurant

Enjoy delicious African-inspired cuisine in a vibrant and lively setting. This gem is tucked into Africa, close to Kilimanjaro Safari, in the Animal Kingdom at Disney World. Meet beloved Disney characters like Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy in their Safari costumes while you dine, making it a fun and memorable meal for the whole family!

You will love the beauitiful ambiance. The Tusker House is beautifully decorated with African artifacts, murals, and colorful tapestries, transporting you to the heart of Africa without ever leaving Florida. This is one of our favorite character meals and we eat here every visit!

Choose a buffet breakfast with favorites like Zebra Coffee cake, Blueberry Mini Muffins, Chocolate Twist Danish, Guava Cream Cheese Danish, Mickey Waffles, Simba Waffles, Fruit Salad, Breakfast Potatoes, and more for $47/per adult, $30/child. Or opt for lunch/dinner and Indulge in a buffet of African dishes like curry chicken, beef stew, plantains, and more. The flavors are bold, delicious, and unlike anything you’ll find in other Disney restaurants. Lunch/Dinner is $62/adult or $40/child. If you are on the Disney Dining Plan this is a great value for lunch and dinner especially!

Character dining disney world

While most people look for disney character dining in the parks, one of the bestp laces to fill up while hanging with your Disney friends is at the resorts! There are several Disney world hotels that offer character dining opportunities! And because these are at deluxe resorts, they are conveniently located on upgraded transportation like the monorail! (plus here are the other best disney world restaurants)

Chef Mickey’s

Looking for a fun and delicious dining experience for the whole family? Look no further than Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort! Take a quick and free ride on the Monorail to get there and be prepared for a WOW moment when you step into the huge open space of the hotel.

While the restaurant might get a bit noisy, the extensive buffet at Chef Mickey’s is sure to please everyone. Breakfast is $54/adult and $34/child or 1 credit if on the dining plan. The impressive buffet is filled with carved pit ham, charcuterie and cheese boards with accoutrements, waffles, french toast, seasonal pancakes, croissant beignets, fruits, eggs, buttermilk biscuits/ sausage gravy, and more.

Dinner will impress you as well. Expect salads, fruit, charcuterie boards, pot roas, salmon, hand-carved meats, New York Strip Loin, Herb-roasted Turkey, baked mac and cheese, vegetables, and more – there’s something for everyone. But let’s talk about the desserts – they have a huge assortment of sweet treats along with an ice cream machine with tons of fun candy toppings. Dinner is only 1 dining credit making it a great value. You can always pay out of pocket, $66/adult and $41/child.

And of course, the real stars of the show are the characters themselves. Donald, Minnie, Goofy, Mickey, and Pluto will be there in their adorable chef costumes, ready to greet you and make your meal extra special. Keep an eye out for the character parade that happens around the restaurant every hour – your kids will love it!

Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends

This has become our absolute favorite character meal! If you can snag dining reservations for topolino’s terrace breakfast, you MUST! You will find Topolino’s Terrace, in the Disney Riviera Resort. This resort is conveniently located walking distance from the Caribbean Beach Resort, connected to Pop Century and other resorts on the skyliner, a short uber ride ($), or Disney transportation buses (not so convenient, but doable if you go to a park first). This is not a buffet, but has absolute scrumptious entrees and a chance to see Mickey and friends with some uniqe costumes in an absolutely stunning resort!

The Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast is the only option to dine with pals at this Riviera restaurant, for dinner Topolinos becomes a 2 credit fine dining experience. The topolino’s character breakfast will cost you 1 credit if you are on the DDP or if paying the regular way it is $49/adult and $30/child. While this is not a buffet, we left very satisfied and the food quality and presentation is so much better than at a buffet. Start with POG (Passion, Orange, & Guava) juice, then an artists platefull of pastries, then your choice of entree such as avocado toast, quiche gruyère, bread pudding brûlée, smoke salmon, wood-fired steak and eggs, or their famous sour cream waffles.

HINT: You can go to the Riviera store to snag a stuffed Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, and Donald with their adorable renaissance costume!

1900 Park Fare (returning soon!)

This meal is no longer a Cinderella meal. I will update this as soon as they dive into the food offered, characters to see, and experience.

Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast

Rise and shine, Disney fans! Have you experienced the deliciousness that is the Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast Cape May Beach Club Resort? You can take the skyliner to Epcot and walk over if you are staying at a different resort for this fun character meal. Start your day off right with a mouth-watering array of breakfast classics, from fluffy pancakes to made-to-order omelets. And did we mention the Mickey-shaped waffles?

The characters have updated their costumes so I will get new picture sposted soon.

Because this meal is outside of the park, the characters seem more relaxed and willing to take time to interact. Plus this sit down, all-you-can-eat meal is only 1 credit if you are on the Disney World dining plan. A gem for sure!

Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch

Dive into a tropical adventure with a character breakfast at the Polynessian Resort! Join Lilo, Stitch, Mickey in his Hawaiian outfit, and Pluto for a fun-filled meal in a beautiful island setting just a quick monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom. Indulge in delicious treats like Freshly Made Pineapple-Coconut Breakfast Bread, ‘Ohana Breakfast Skillet, Mickey-shaped Waffles, and more!

This fun breakfast with Stitch costs $49/adult or $30/children or 1 credit table-service meal.

HINT: Dinner is very popular here as well, but it is not a character meal.

Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Step into a fairytale at Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White! Indulge in a delicious feast while meeting Snow White, the Evil Queen, Dopey, and Grumpy in an enchanted forest setting that will leave you spellbound.

special surprise in the The Hunter’s Gift to the Queen, under the fog

This isn’t just a meal – it’s a storytelling adventure! From the magical ambiance to the 3 course feast fit for royalty, every moment is filled with wonder and whimsy. Start your journey with shared appetizers like Wild Mushroom Bisque and Wicked Shrimp Cocktail, then choose from savory entrées like Royal Prime Rib Roast and Magic Mirror’s Slow-braised Pork Shank. Finish on a sweet note with shared desserts that include Poison Apple, Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart, and a special surprise in the The Hunter’s Gift to the Queen, under the fog! Truly a magical and delightful experience!

evil queen and girl at snow white character dinner at the wilderness lodge

Join us for a magical and delightful experience that will make you feel like you’ve stepped right into the pages of a storybook.

This dinner character meal is a quick boat ride from Magic Kingdom, in the WIlderness Lodge. You will pay $65/adult and $45/children at this one-of-a-kind character meal. If you are on the dining plan you may want to pay in cash, if not it will cost you 2 table credits.

Magic Kingdom character meals

There are several choices to eat with Disney characters while dining at the MK! Here are your options: (plus here are the other best disney world restaurants)

tigger with kids at crystal palace character dining in magic kingdom

The Crystal Palace

Looking for a magical dining experience at Disney World? Look no further than the Crystal Palace restaurant at Magic Kingdom! It’s one of our favorites we come to year after year. Not only is it a fun character meal where you can meet Winnie the Pooh and friends, but the food is absolutely delicious! When you dine at The Crystal Palace, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger, will take turns, stopping by your table to interact with you, take photos, and to sign autographs.

From all you can eat traditional breakfast favorites to a mouthwatering dinner menu, there’s something for everyone. For breakfast, indulge in eggs, hashbrown casserole, fruit, pastries, breakfast meats, pancakes/waffles, and more for just $48 for adults and $30 for children. And for dinner enjoy a wide variety of salads, homeamde crackers, pretzel rolls, Walt’s favorite Country Fried Chicken with Black Pepper Gravy, scrumptious carved meats, shrimp, tender salmon, and lots of favorite side dishes for $61 for adults and $40 for children. Save room for dessert which includes all you care to eat self-serve ice cream and treats themed after each of the characters from the hundred acres wood. The selections will look inspired by characters, and change from time-to-time. Plus your drink is included!

This buffet is a great value if you are using a table-service credit from the Disney Dining plan! It is only 1 credit for lunch or dinner. So next time you’re in Disney World, make sure to stop by the Crystal Palace restaurant for a truly magical dining experience. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!

Be Our Guest

Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom offers a chance to step in the Beast’s castle, hear the whispering armor, and dine in one of three unique dining rooms – elegant ballroom, green music room, and forbidden West Wing. While the ambiance is undeniably amazing, this restaurant has gone from one we dined at multiple times a vacation to one we only select every several years. Why? Well they have made it an expensive, fixed 3 course meal. In addition, you use to get a chance to meet the Beast after your meal, but now he just waves in the room every 45 minutes or so. He does not stop at tables or take pictures.

We miss the option of quick service meals for breakfast and lunch which were fantastic! Great food, lots of choices, and our favorite meals at the Magic Kingdom even if it weren’t in the castle! But I digress, that is in the past. Now-a-days you can pay $70/adult adn $41/child. You will be served bread and a soft drink, followed by your choice of appetizer (salad, French Onion Soup, Excargot), an entree (such as filet mignon, pork chop, chicken, or salmon), and a dessert trio. Kids will get a cute white chocolate tea cup to decorate with edible plaint for dessert. While it is nice to be served, the quality of the food and variety of choices is just not what it use to be.

This meal requires 2 table service credits making it a poor use of your dining plan. It is a nice splurge every once-in-a-long-while. Especially if you didn’t dine here before and don’t know how amazing it use to be…. I still dream of their grilled cheese sandwiches, steak sandwiches, and strawberry cupcakes!

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World? With free dining, we splurged on a once-in-a-lifetime meal at the Castle. From the stunning stained glass windows to the elegant place settings and delicious food, every detail will amaze you. And who wouldn’t want to have dinner surrounded by kingdom flags and princesses like Cinderella, Ariel, Princess Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, and Snow White?

This character meal is 2 credits, making it a poor value if you are on Disney Dining plan. If you are paying out of pocket, breakfast is $69/adult and $42/child and offeres you a seletion of pastries as well as individual choice of entrees from quiche to avocado toast to caramel apple-stuffed french toast. Lunch/Dinner is $84/adult and $49/children and you get a choice of an appetizer, etnree, dessert, and drink. Choices include salads, soup, or shrimp followed by an entree such as filet mignon or chicken with truffle oil, and one of three dessert choices. So what do you get for the higher price tag? You get the honor of eating in the low capacity castle, elevated food presented more artistically, and conveniences of seeing so many princesses at once at Magic Kingdom.

For me, I know this is Disney pricing and a unique setting, but I have trouble forking over that much money per person for a meal. So although we enjoyed doing it once, and maybe would do it again years from now, it is not a priority to repeat. Then again, we are a family of 8.

(plus here are the other best disney world restaurants)

Best disney character meals

Planning a trip to Disney soon? Make sure to schedule some delicious character meals to enhance your magical experience! Dining with your favorite Disney characters is a fun way to enjoy a fantastic meal while meeting iconic figures along the way. It’s the perfect opportunity to snap photos, get autographs, and create unforgettable memories with your loved ones. Don’t miss out on this special experience – book your reservations now!

Plus don’t miss the rest of our helpful tips and tricks for visiting Disney World here: