Best Disney World Character Dining: Tips, Costs, and Top Choices

Walt Disney World contains plenty of table service dining and Disney characters. When guests book character dining, they can experience both simultaneously. What are the best Walt Disney World character dining restaurants?

Character dining is one of the most iconic experiences at Walt Disney World. Enjoying a meal alongside Disney characters offers countless opportunities to create magical memories and capture wonderful photos to cherish forever. In addition, Walt Disney World does character dining much better than Universal Orlando Resort.

Disney World Character Dining

Character dining allows families to enjoy meals while their favorite Disney friends visit each table for photos, hugs, and autographs. This avoids waiting in long queues to meet these characters in the theme parks.

Most character meals are served either buffet-style or family-style. Buffets offer stations with carved meats, made-to-order omelets, a few themed dishes, and standard buffet options even your picky eater will enjoy.  Family-style means platters of food are brought to your table for sharing. Both feature all-you-can-eat fare.

There are exceptions to these rules, with some character dining not involving characters spending much time at your table, or the meal is not entirely all you care to enjoy dining. We will cover these examples when those restaurants come up on our list.

As of 2024, prices for Disney character dining range from $30-$43 per child and $52-$88 per adult. You pay a premium for the character interactions and entertainment, not necessarily gourmet cuisine. Still, most guests feel that the lasting memories and one-on-one time with beloved characters are well worth the price.

Advanced Dining Reservations for Character Dining

Many of the Disney character dining restaurants accept advance dining reservations. We suggest that parties interested in character dining book the restaurant they choose as early as possible. Guests can book advance dining reservations up to 60 days in advance.

How Do You Decide Which Character Dining Option at Walt Disney World Works for Your Group?

This guide should help with many common questions about Walt Disney World character dining. Of course, several essential questions cannot be answered by this resource, such as:

• Which characters do you want to see?
• How long will you be at Walt Disney World? Do you have time for a character meal?
• Will the kids respond well to face characters or costumed characters?
• How easy will it be to get to these Disney character dining options?
• What time of day works for your group since some meals are only at certain times of day?

Each group will have different needs and opportunities regarding these questions. We cannot answer whether the kids in your group will be happy to see Mickey. Based on that, we suggest taking them to visit other costumed characters before you visit Walt Disney World Resort. Guests will need to access if making a trip to places like Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for an evening character meal works for your group.

Criteria for Best Disney World Character Dining

Each group looks for different features regarding Walt Disney World character dining. For our rankings, we emphasized these things:

• Quality of the meal
• Value of the meal
• Quality of character interaction
• Overall relaxing dining experience

These four criteria count as the main things we suggest looking for when booking Walt Disney World character dining experiences. The one factor often overlooked by guests is whether they can have a relaxing meal. Guests indicate they dislike paying for Walt Disney World character dining, taking a break from the busy theme parks to leave stressed from the experience. Having said all of that, the rest of this article will present a ranking of the best Walt Disney World character dining.

Best Disney World Character Dining: Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom?

We will start this list with a controversial take for some people. Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom allows guests to enter Beast’s castle and dine at one of Walt Disney World’s signature dining options. The opportunity to eat at a character meal within the Magic Kingdom checks the boxes for many groups.

However, we rank this as the “worst” Disney World character dining option for many reasons. These reasons have nothing to do with the cast members who work there. They do a fabulous job. The dining operation shows several weaknesses compared to other Disney World character meals.

Also, the setting inside Be Our Guest provides an excellent ambiance, with high ceilings, elegant chandeliers, and powerful visuals in the three rooms. Although this restaurant can become loud, the French-inspired cuisine deserves a look.

In fairness, calling this a character meal is unfair to other character meals. The Beast does meet with guests more now. However, diners get the least character interaction at this meal compared to any other character meal. Unless your group loves meeting The Beast (briefly), then the character portion of this meal lacks appeal.

The menu at Be Our Guest qualifies as expensive for most guests. Even for lunch, the prix fixe menu costs $72 for adults plus tax and tip. For children (ages 3-9), the meal costs $43 plus tax and tip. Depending on the dietary habits of your group, this may cause you to spend money on food you do not even enjoy or want. We suggest that if you want to dine here, you check the menu to make sure you and the kids in your group will want to pay for this style of meal.

Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This restaurant has gotten a bit more hate in recent years than it deserves. Still, this is where it fell in our rankings based on the previously stated criteria. Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios works as a standard character buffet. Guests should expect visions of an old Hollywood-style diner with amusing seasonal décor,

The breakfast features Disney Junior characters, which can be a negative unless you have kids in that age group that watch those shows.  The lunch and dinner features Minnie and pals. Minnie hosts a seasonal meal, which does change depending on when guests visit.

Breakfast for this character buffet meal costs $49 for adults and $33 for children. The lunch and dinner options cost $63 for adults and $42 for kids ages three to nine. This price does not include tax and gratuity.

The traditional American-style buffet rarely earns high marks from guests on its quality. That does not mean it is terrible. However, guests do not visit for the food. A trip to this Disney character meal should be made for the characters, not the food. Still, it is an all-you-care-to-enjoy meal at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Of course, Roundup Rodeo BBQ, also at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, offers a family-style all-you-care-to-enjoy meal. It costs $14 less and does not have Disney characters. Roundup Rodeo BBQ does have great theming, though.

For guests spending the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, dining at Hollywood & Vine offers a pleasant opportunity to relax and unwind. Some guests find this place too loud and busy for that. Your group will need to decide what works for you. Nevertheless, Walt Disney World has several more Disney character meal options.

1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

This is where the ranking process got tough. This beautiful Walt Disney World character dining experience allows guests to meet characters not commonly found. The Grand Floridian Resort provides an excellent background for this dining option.

1900 Park Fare allows guests to interact with Aladdin, Cinderella, Mirabel, and Princess Tiana. On some occasions, other characters are substituted at this meal. The dining atmosphere plays into early 20th-century style. It is open for breakfast and dinner.

In the past, 1900 Park Fare provided an aristocratic dining experience featuring Mary Poppins and friends. However, the restaurant remained closed for four years and did not reopen until April 2024. Now, the theme of dining here revolves around making wishes come true and being wish makers.

This “wish” theme does not work for many guests. However, fans of the four characters will enjoy them.

The breakfast buffet contains the expected breakfast items, such as eggs, Mickey Waffles, and bacon. It also includes bread pudding, guava and cream cheese danish options, croissant breakfast pizza, and the signature Strawberry Soup. The dinner buffet features dishes like shrimp, salmon, curry-roasted chicken, garlic sausage, and Strawberry Soup. Picky eaters will find many standard items to enjoy as well.

This place has a few concerns for guests. They are:

1. Price point—Adult breakfast costs $58, and dinner costs $69. This Disney World character dining option costs more than most options on the property.
2. Atmosphere—Due to the buffet, this place can get loud and chaotic, with people moving in many directions.
3. Food quality—Based on our visits to breakfast and dinner, the food quality is good but not better than that of most places on this list.
4. Service – We have noticed that the buffet tends to be serviced slowly, especially at breakfast.

These reasons and others explain why 1900 Park Fare is ranked low on our best Disney World character dining list. That does not mean it is a bad Disney World character dining experience; the issue is that other options scored higher based on our criteria.

Cape May Café at Disney’s Beach Club Resort

This one was tough for us to place this low on the list. We enjoy Cape May Café because of its location at Disney’s Beach Club Resort near Epcot and its buffet options. However, this place only offers a character breakfast, a trend among the best options, as will be seen later.

The characters appearing at this breakfast are Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy. They will be seen wearing their summer-style attire.

The breakfast buffet provides guests with made-to-order omelets, a carving station, and breakfast Disney World standards like Mickey waffles, fresh fruit, oatmeal, and cheddar biscuits with gravy. Several tasty pastries can also be found on the buffet. Be careful not to fill up too much on those.

This place’s strengths include lively character interactions and a wide variety of breakfast items. Café May Café costs $49 for adults and $34 for kids aged three to nine. The most significant weaknesses revolve around the noise factor, the lack of a relaxing meal, and some inconsistencies in terms of service.

The Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom

Fans of the A.A. Milne’s Hindered Acres Woods characters find The Crystal Palace a can’t-miss dining option when visiting the Magic Kingdom theme park. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet are the characters here.

The Crystal Palace serves a character buffet all day. The breakfast menu varies from the lunch and dinner menus. Breakfast costs $52.00 for adults and $33 for children. Lunch and dinner cost $62.00 and $42.00.

Its location near Main Street, U.S.A., makes it an ideal spot. Of course, this place can be chaotic, and the seating process draws negative reviews. The food is unremarkable but offers a wide variety for those picky eaters. Despite that, The Crystal Place deserves consideration as guests plan for Disney World character dining.

Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Chef Mickey’s is one of the most divisive table service restaurants at Walt Disney World. This very popular restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary Resort consists of the “Fab Five” Disney characters and a buffet meal. Guests can meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.

This place offers breakfast and dinner Disney World character meals. Like 1900 Park Fare, these meals are costly even by Walt Disney World standards. Breakfast costs adults $58. Kids’ breakfast costs $37. Dinner costs $69 and $44.

Chef Mickey’s qualifies as one of the most active dining locations around. The menu consists of comfort-style food. The breakfast options include pancakes, fresh tropical fruits, and sweet Mickey waffles. Guests will enjoy juicy carved meats, buttery mashed potatoes, and mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner. Guests should not expect the best cuisine. Still, many guests declare this a must-do for every Walt Disney World Resort trip. Guests should also expect it to be loud and not very relaxing.

Best Disney World Character Dining: The Top Tier

At this point, we could argue any of the following seven Walt Disney World character dining options are the best. Each one has its weaknesses, while they offer significant strengths. Do you want the best character interactions? How about a variety of food? Are you looking for a unique dining experience? Do you like the most relaxing option or a more exciting classic option? These questions determine the ranking of the final seven. Our final assessment focuses on what most groups desire. Your group may want something slightly different. However, we have an honorable mention that is technically not a Disney World character dining meal, but it still demands a spot.

Ravello at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando (Honorable Mention)

Ravello is located within the Four Seasons Resort Orlando. This hotel is on Walt Disney World property but is not officially a Disney hotel. It offers a character breakfast on select mornings, usually Thursdays and Saturdays. The Disney characters featured include Goofy and friends. Breakfast features a variety of excellent food options. Those staying at the resort or visiting will enjoy a delicious meal here.

Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom

Speaking of costly Disney World character meals, Cinderella’s Royal Table counts as the most expensive character meal at Walt Disney World. For fans of the princesses, this dining option serves meals all day. All meals are prix fixe menus. The biggest positive involves dining inside the Magic Kingdom castle, where you meet five Disney princesses.

The usual Disney princesses at Cinderella’s Royal Table are Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, and Aurora. However, these characters are subject to change, so guests should plan for that possibility.

The meals are fabulous, but guests should budget for this expense. Breakfast costs $74 for adults and $52 for children. Lunch and dinner cost $88 for adults and $52 for kids. The menu features signature menu items like filet mignon. Still, guests must decide if they are willing to dedicate the time and money for this experience. Though we love the dining experience, the meal itself does not measure up to the price point, even with characters.

Cinderella’s Royal Table is one of the hardest advanced dining reservations to acquire at Walt Disney World. The characters make this meal worth considering.

Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Another fabulous character experience happens at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Story Book Dining at Artist Point transports guests into an enchanted forest setting from “Snow White.” This place only serves dinner meals.

The most prominent reasons to avoid this place involve the prix-fixe character meal and the challenge of getting to this dining experience.  Since it is a signature dining prix-fixe menu, the price point exceeds many Walt Disney World options. This comes with a significant budget commitment of $67 for adults and $41 for kids aged three to nine. Also, the prix-fixe menu does not appeal to many guests.

To dine at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, guests must travel and budget extra time to reach this location. Depending on where you are staying, this might take some time.

Each evening, Artist Point transforms into a Snow White fairytale. Guests meet Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, and the Evil Queen lurks nearby.

Guests at Story Book Dining receive a prix fixe dinner that starts with an appetizer. This is followed by a main entrée such as Brother’s Grimm Herbed Chicken and the Royal Prime Rib Roast. Desserts feature “Poison” Apple mousse, Gooseberry tarts, and a Cookies and Cream Panna Cotta. Story Book Dining offers brilliant cuisine, rare character sightings, and just enough Disney storybook charm to make this meal worthwhile.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, located in the Norway pavilion at Epcot’s World Showcase, offers a fairytale ambiance where Belle welcomes you into the exquisite dining area. Along with Belle, guests will see other Disney princesses like Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, Mulan, and others.

Akershus offers character meals for breakfast for $59, lunch and dinner for $69. Breakfast features mostly standard items, while lunch and dinner include more unique dishes like grilled Norwegian salmon, kjøttkake meatballs, and chocolate mousse cake with blackberry cream.

The characters visit diners at the tables in their sparkling gowns for photos and hugs. Akershus offers time with Disney princesses for a significantly lower cost than Cinderella’s Royal Table. For many groups, Akershus makes an excellent, slightly more affordable alternative for meeting royalty.

The largest negative for many guests involves the food. Though dining is buffet style, the menu contains some unique Norwegian cuisine. Some guests express a dislike for those items. Still, the meal overall creates more fans than dissenters.

‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort

Another challenging advanced dining reservation to acquire is ‘Ohana. This very popular Disney World character dining selection serves breakfast. ‘Ohana also offers a dinner meal, but no characters are present at that mealtime.

This Walt Disney World character dining meal takes guests into a tropical setting. This family-style meal costs $53 for adults and $33 for kids. This Polynesian-themed restaurant offers a family-style breakfast with all-you-can-eat pineapple coconut bread, fresh fruit, and loaded breakfast skillets. Guests can enjoy scrambled eggs, spicy sausage links, Hawaiian-style ham with pineapple, crispy potatoes, and Mickey waffles. Of course, the meal opens with sweet pineapple coconut bread. ‘Ohana also provides guests with many vegan and gluten-free menu items.

The character experience is superb at ‘Ohana. Mickey and Pluto appear in tropical outfits. ‘Ohana also allows guests to meet Lilo and Stitch, popular Disney characters not commonly found in the theme parks for a meet-and-greet. ‘Ohana earns many positive reviews for family-friendly food and immense character fun near Magic Kingdom.

Nevertheless, ‘Ohana sometimes struggles with reservations being seated later than scheduled. This should be considered if you plan to visit the Walt Disney World theme parks after your meal. In addition, the character experience often gets loud with a parade of sorts going through the restaurant. Those looking for a relaxing meal might want to choose a different Walt Disney World character meal.

Garden Grill at Epcot

Garden Grill used to be our most recommended Walt Disney World character dining choice. However, the menu has changed in recent years. That has lowered our opinion and that of many guests. Despite that, this Walt Disney World character meal option provides value and excellent character interactions.

Garden Grill resides on the second floor of the Land area at Epcot. Guests can meet Mickey, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale in their country farming outfits. Garden Grill serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast costs $49 for adults and $33 for kids. Lunch and dinner will run guests $62 and $42 plus tax and tip, of course.

Guests booking Garden Grill enjoy the Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast. This unique dining experience occurs in a spacious restaurant near the Living with the Land attraction. While dining, guests’ tables slowly move, giving them a full view of the restaurant and some views that include some scenes from the ride.

Garden Grill provides traditional American fare for breakfast and earns praise for flavorful family-style plates. Guests receive breakfast staples like Mickey waffles, grilled steak, and eggs. Lunch and dinner features turkey and grilled steak.

While feasting at Garden Grill, Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale, dressed as farmers, visit tables. They spend plenty of time getting guests and posing for pictures.

Tusker House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Our number two selection might cause some controversy among Walt Disney World’s experienced visitors. However, based on our stated criteria, Tusker House ranks high among Walt Disney World character dining restaurants.

Tusker House serves a buffet meal with Disney characters for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast costs $49 for adults and $33 for children aged three to nine. Lunch and dinner cost $64 and $42.

Donald’s Dining Safari at Tusker House Restaurant offers great African-inspired food, fun characters, and lively entertainment. For breakfast, there are Simba Waffles, Durban Chicken, and egg curry with jasmine rice. For lunch and dinner, guests can choose from things like Moroccan-spiced beef, Berber-marinated pork, herb chicken, or green curry shrimp.

Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy arrive, wearing safari gear, ready to entertain. Guests will have plenty of time to take photos here. However, this character’s meal can be loud when the characters enter to special music for dancing.

The most prominent positives of this Walt Disney World character meal relate to the high quality of the food on the buffet and the pricing compared to other character meal options. However, some guests expressed concern over the fact that the African cuisine did not match their palates and the brief noisy times in the restaurant.

Best Disney World Character Dining: Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort

Topolino’s Terrace should be on the list for guests looking for Disney character dining with phenomenal breakfast options, Mickey Mouse and friends, and a relaxing dining environment.  It sits atop a rooftop designed in the Riviera style. This Disney World character dining option provides the delightful Breakfast à la Art event.

Topolino’s Terrace only offers characters at breakfast. The evening menu stands out as one of the best signature restaurants at Walt Disney World. Guests can enjoy a delightful meal at Topolino’s Terrace while interacting with Walt Disney characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy, who dress as painters, ballerinas, and musicians. Their outfits match the theme of art. The pleasing views from the rooftop terrace enhance the Disney World character meal experience.

The prix-fixe menu ($52 for adults and $32 for kids) includes pastries and a main course. The pastries are delicious. Your server will bring you more on request. Each guest receives one entrée. Ask your server what sides you can add to that entrée. If you do, we promise you will not leave hungry. We suggest ordering the Wood-fired Steak and Eggs and a Sour Cream Waffle on the side.

 Topolino’s Terrace presents upscale cuisine, signature Disney characters, and stylish theming. Every trip we make to this character meal convinces us to return more and more. This character breakfast is enjoyed by adults and kids alike.

Best Disney World Character Dining: Ready to Dine at Walt Disney World Resort?

Which Walt Disney World character dining option appeals to you the most? The “Pixies” at Pixie Vacations can help you plan your next Walt Disney World vacation. Their services are provided at no cost to you. Feel free to request a free quote today. Happy Disney vacation planning!