Disney World Dining... Character Dining Restaurants
Being a former Disney World dining agent, most of the incoming calls I received were guests wanting to book for a character meal. So what's the big fuss about them? Well, Disney World has made it to where guests can dine with and be entertained by the Disney characters. The characters are offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner at certain restaurants. The only bad part is the amount of effort it takes to get a reservation. Because of the popularity of the character restaurants, they tend to book up quite fast. At the time of this writing you can book your dining reservations up to 90 days out.
Located in the Castle in Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's Royal Table is one of the most popular dining locations in Disney World. For breakfast and lunch, Cinderella and friends will meet and greet with you at your table. You get to dine while each character comes by your table and talks to you. They are available for pictures and autographs as well, so be sure to have an autograph book handy. Photo packages are also available. Some kids love to dress up when they dine with Cinderella. I mean what little girl doesn't love Cinderella? For dinner, only the Fairy Godmother is available, so it's a bit less of a character dining experience. The Fairy Godmother doesn't meet and greet with you, she just kind of floats around. However, Cinderella is available in the lobby. Anyway you choose, this location is a great dining experience for the whole entire family.
Another great restaurant in Magic Kingdom is the Crystal Palace. Armed with Winnie the Pooh & Friends, this dining location is a great experience for the little ones. These adorable characters are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So, you get around the clock fun from the 100 Acre Wood friends. Pooh, Tigger, Piglett, and Eeyore walk around, meeting and greeting with the guests. Give hugs, take pictures and have a magical day!
Lilo and Stitch invite you for a character breakfast at 'Ohana, located in the Polynesian Resort. Did you know that ohana means "family" in the Hawaiian culture? Lilo and Experiment 626, better known as Stitch, extend their hospitality to you and your entire family. The decor is inspired by the South Seas - wood carvings, stone tikis, and Polynesian motifs. The autographs, pictures, food and hospitality, makes you feel like you're part of their intergalactic 'ohana.
Join Mickey, Pluto and Chip & Dale at the Contemporary Resort for a fantastic breakfast or dinner at Chef Mickey's! Minnie and Pluto may even make a surprise visit. You never know who might show up. This dining experience is certainly one you don't want to miss, especially if you have little ones. The characters walk around, meeting and greeting each table in the restaurant. Chef Mickey's even cooked up the 2004 Disney Magazine Reader's Choice Award for best overall Walt Disney World Resort restaurant for kids! Join Mickey and his pals for an experience that you'll remember for a lifetime.
At the Tusker House, located in Animal Kingdom, Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy invite you to Donald's Safari Breakfast. Only breakfast has the characters at this location. This is an African themed restaurant in the Harambe village. Kick back, have fun and don't leave without a picture and autograph from one of the famous characters.
Goofy and friends, which may include a special guest appearance by Minnie Mouse, can all be seen at the Cape May Cafe. Located in the Beach Club Resort, this restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat breakfast and dinner buffet in a lively beach-themed environment. The characters are only offered during breakfast hours. Catch the characters in their nifty beach attire while they walk around to each table greeting guests.
Hollywood & Vine, located in Disney's Hollywood Studios, is the restaurant to visit if you have little tikes. The character breakfast and lunch buffet includes: JoJo & Goliath from JoJo's Circus and June and Leo from Disney's Little Einsteins. Enjoy sing alongs from familiar Playhouse Disney tunes, dancing and playing. There's no doubt that your little ones will have fun at this lively restaurant!
The character restaurant which is looked over most of the times is the Garden Grove, which is located in the Swan resort. Because most guests want to dine with the main Disney characters like Mickey and Cinderella, this dining location is sometimes forgotten. If you're not able to dine at the more popular restaurants, you may want to look into the Garden Grove. On selected days, this restaurant gives you Rafiki & Timon and Mickey & Pluto. Not a bad combination right? Two Disney characters appear nightly and on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The Garden Grove has an unbelievable decor. So, if you find yourself out of choices for character dining, let the Garden Grove be an extra choice.
Gather for an enchanting dinner with Cinderella herself at 1900 Park Fare. Located at the Grand Floridian Resort, this dining location offers breakfast which features Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, and WInnie the Pooh & friends. Dinner offers Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella from Cinderella III A Twist In Time. This a dining location that the whole family can enjoy!
Located in The Land in Epcot, the Garden Grill is a rotating restaurant which allows you to look out the windows and enjoy scenes fron the Living with the Land attraction. The characters at this dining location include Mickey, Chip & Dale, and Pluto. Don't worry, the spinning restaurant won't make you dizzy. You'll be too distracted by the fun you'll be having while dining with your family and the characters. Bring your camera and autograph book if you want physical memories that you'll treasure for a lifetime.
The character dining locations in Disney world aren't to be missed. There's simply too much fun and excitement to go around. Make sure to grab your reservations in advance if you want to dine with Disney World's most memorable characters.
Scarlet Murdock is the author of Key 2 Disney Dining. She is a Disney dining expert who provides information on Disney's restaurants. She is a former Disney dining agent who listened to her guests problems and provided solutions. She has helped hundreds of guests obtain their dining reservations. For more information on how she can help you in your Disney dining process, visit www.key2disneydining.com.
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