If you have been planning a trip to Disney, then you know just how many food options there are just on Disney properties! Many resorts have dining options as well as the dozens located inside the parks. If you are planning a Disney World character dining experience, you may be paying a premium price tag for that photo with Mickey or Goofy. Here are the best (and worst) character dining meals at Disney World so you can make sure your money is well spent!
The Best Character Meals at Disney
Garden Grill @ Epcot
Garden Grill is located in the Land Pavillion over in Epcot. This Diney character dining experience makes the list for three different reasons. First, the atmosphere is unique, and the restaurant even allows you to see the Living with the Land ride while you’re dining! The second reason is the food. This is a buffet meal and has all you can eat American style dining. The last reason is that the characters actually spend a decent amount of time at your table! We’ve seen characters such as Pluto, Chip, Dale, and even Mickey at Garden Grill.
The Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom
This Victorian-style restaurant is another buffet, but the dining experience is so worth it! You can have your chance to meet Pooh, Tigger, and all your friends from Winnie the Pooh. The breakfast is probably the best meal of the day, but be aware of the timing. This restaurant will be extremely crowded near the parade and firework show times.
Be our Guest @ Magic Kingdom
This dining experience is not the best place to go if you want to meet a variety of characters, but it makes the top 3 for one reason. This is the only place you can go to meet The Beast from Beauty and the Beast. While you’ll see him in parades, you won’t be able to find him anywhere else! The French food options available are delicious and can be a nice change of pace from the typical burger and pizza offerings in the park.
Chef Mickey’s @ The Contemporary Resort
Chef Mickey’s is the all time classic when it comes to character dining. We love this restaurant for so many reasons! Firstly, its very easy to get to from Magic Kingdom, which makes it a convenient stop during a day at the park. Chef Mickey’s has all your classic Disney favourites including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto. We prefer breakfast here as I find there is much more for everyone during the breakfast Buffet. Book in advance! Chef Mickey’s is one of the hardest Disney Dining reservations to secure.
The Worst Character Dining Meals at Disney
Cinderella’s Royal Table @ Magic Kingdom
Regardless of what meal you are attending, this is going to be a very expensive meal. Breakfast can run you around $60 per adult and $36 for kids! While the view is spectacular from the castle, is it really worth the cost? If your children are wanting the chance to meet the different characters this is a rare opportunity to see many Disney princesses that would have long wait lines inside the parks. However, the wait to even get a reservation if you can get one are extremely long. The food is pretty mediocre, and the overall experience might not be worth the price.
1900 Park Fare @ Grand Floridian
1900 Park Fare has a unique combo of characters to meet ranging from Alice all the way to Mary Poppins. While the variety of characters is nice, this is a pretty expensive dining experience. With this dining experience, you are going to be underwhelmed by the food. Since you need to go to a resort for this dining experience, you will need to probably take the monorail or a Minnie Van to get to this location.
Character dining meals are an amazing experience! While they may be on the pricey side, I think you should do it at least once.
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