One of the most efficient ways to meet some characters at Disney World is to combine them with a meal. In this post, I’ll talk through the options for character dining at Disney World. I’ll rank them, comparing characters, food, setting, and location along the way. Read on to see how I rank all the character dining options at Disney World!
About This Post and Related Posts
I’m doing this post as a “ranking” mostly because there’s just not a better way to organize the information. It’s obviously wholly subjective which character meal is best. Tastes vary greatly when it comes to food, and even the character priorities are going to be debatable. Mickey is, well, a legend, but you can also meet him in every park. Some of the best food and character combos might be in the hotels, but those will score low on convenience if you aren’t staying at those specific hotels.
That said, this list still captures the rough order I’d recommend character meals to someone without knowing anything more about their trip. I do try to mix it up and avoid similar settings/characters back-to-back. For example, one could argue Akershus and Cinderella’s Royal Table belong right next to each other on this list, but I put a few spots without princesses in between them.
As always, I’ll talk about the pros and cons of each to help you figure out which meals are best for your trip. I don’t (currently) review specific restaurants, so I’ll link to reviews for each of these.
If you want to eat any of these meals, we strongly recommend you get an Advance Dining Reservation. We also have a Guide to Disney Dining Plans if you’re planning on using a dining plan. I’ll note throughout whether the meals are included in the dining plan and, if so, how many table service credits they require.
Last thing—some disclaimers. Character lineups can change. Typically, you’d see one princess swapped for another, or one Mickey & Co. character swapped for another. Don’t worry about Clarabelle Cow showing up at Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. Second, menus dining plan requirements can change.
Disney Character Dining Rankings
No need to bury the lede in this post. Let’s start with number one…
1. Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
Location: Wilderness Lodge
Character Meals: Dinner
Typical Characters: Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, Evil Queen
Dining Plan: 2 Table Service Credits
Menu
Review of Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White by Disney Tourist Blog
The straightforward way to review Story Book Dining is to say it’s everything a character meal should be. It’s got a princess. It’s got rare characters (Dopey, Grumpy, and the Evil Queen), and it’s got a themed space and menu, including a “poison” apple (yes, they literally put “poison” in quotes).
There are two big downsides to Story Book Dining. First, it’s hard to get a reservation because it’s so popular. Second, it’s located at Wilderness Lodge, one of the least accessible deluxe resorts (i.e. one of two deluxe resorts that isn’t walkable from a park). That said, the meal is worth the diversion you’ll have to take to get there.
2. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Location: Epcot (Norway)
Character Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Typical Characters: Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, and Tiana
Dining Plan: 2 Table Service Credits
Menu
To some degree, Akershus is just an Epcot alternative for Cinderella’s Royal Table (at Magic Kingdom). Each fo them are set in castle-themed spaces, and each typically includes five princesses. I give the advantage to Akershus for being slightly less expensive and having a slightly better menu, including “local” foods like Norwegian Meatballs.
The typical lineup is Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, and Tiana, all dressed in their princess dresses. There’s an obvious awkwardness here—you’re in the Norway pavilion and (maybe) eating Norwegian food but won’t find Anna or Elsa here. They have a separate greeting in the pavilion, so this isn’t a shocker.
The downside the Akershus is that, well, Epcot is bangin’ when it comes to food. Akershus won’t be the best table service food you’ll find in the park, and if there’s a festival going on you might just prefer to eat from booths all day long.
3. Tusker House Restaurant
Location: Animal Kingdom (Africa)
Character Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Typical Characters: Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Goofy
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Truth be told, Tusker House is probably my personal favorite character meal. It’s got a solid lineup of classic characters—Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy—in fun safari costumes. It’s got great food (African-inspired). And its location in the heart of Animal Kingdom is super convenient. That park is great for a table service meal (you won’t feel like you’re wasting time with a long meal, specifically), and Tusker House is often easy to snag a table at.
4. Hollywood & Vine
Location: Hollywood Studios (Echo Lake)
Character Meals: Breakfast (Disney Junior), Lunch & Dinner (Minnie Seasonal)
Typical Breakfast Characters: Doc McStuffins, Goofy, Vampirina
Typical Lunch / Dinner Characters: Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
The Hollywood & Vine seasonal offerings (Halloween not shown)
Hollywood & Vine is a hodgepodge of character meals, and I think that’s swell. For starters, breakfast is Disney Junior themed, with characters like Doc McStuffins, Goofy, and Vampirina. Lunch and dinner, however, feature Minnie Mouse and Co. (Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto) in themed outfits—Silver Screen, Springtime, Summertime, Halloween, and Holiday.
The menu is typical American fare, but Hollywood Studios isn’t exactly a foodie paradise, and you’re here for the fun themes, not the food.
5. Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera
Location: Riviera Resort
Character Meals: Breakfast, NOT Dinner
Typical Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Important Note: Characters only appear for breakfast here. The restaurant serves dinner without characters.
“Topolino” is Mickey’s Italian name, so it makes sense he’d host a meal here—Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends. This meal gets high marks for good food, a nice setting, and some really stylish costumes from Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy.
Besides being a new resort, Riviera also has a good location for breakfast. If you can come here for breakfast, you can conveniently take the Skyliner right over to Epcot for the rest of your day.
6. 1900 Park Fare
Location: Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
Character Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Typical Characters: Cinderella, Mirabel, Aladdin, Princess Tiana
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menus
Newly reopened 1900 Park Fare gets high marks for its all-you-can-eat breakfast and dinner buffets, both of which include the famed strawberry soup. On the character front, you get a nice mix. Cinderella is a staple; Mirabel is a tough character to meet (she does have the dedicated spot at Magic Kingdom now, but lines can be long); Aladdin is Aladdin; Tiana meets in her new Bayou Adventure outfit (as of the restaurant reopening, at least).
7. ‘Ohana
Location: Polynesian Village Resort
Character Meals: Breakfast, NOT Dinner
Typical Characters: Lilo, Stitch, Pluto, Mickey
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Important Note: Characters only appear for breakfast here. The restaurant serves dinner without characters.
‘Ohana takes a slightly above average spot on this list for being slightly above average in all respects. The characters—Mickey, Pluto, Stitch, and Lilo (who usually can’t be found anywhere else at Disney World)—are a good lineup. The food, while typical breakfast food also includes delights like Hawaiian-style Ham. The location isn’t in a park, but is at a hotel connected to a park by monorail, boat, and walking path.
8. Cinderella’s Royal Table
Location: Magic Kingdom (Cinderella Castle)
Character Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Typical Characters: Cinderella (posed pre-meal greeting), Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White
Dining Plan: 2 Table Service Credits
Menu
Cinderella’s Royal Table is probably the most famous character meal at Walt Disney World, simply because you get to eat a meal inside Cinderella Castle. The character lineups include a posed meeting with Cinderella before you’re seated, with other princesses roaming during the meal (Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White are the most recent lineup I’ve seen).
The food is above average for Walt Disney World and has some fun desserts, but I’m not sure it justifies the high price. This meal comes at about a $17 premium over Akershus (the other big princess meal) and that’s basically the price you’re paying for the treat of eating a meal inside the Disney icon.
9. The Crystal Palace
Location: Magic Kingdom (hub)
Character Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Typical Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore, Tigger, and Piglet
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Characters outside Crystal Palace during Not So Scary (not usual outfits)
Crystal Palace is a bit of an odd duck. The food is typical American fare. The setting is…a Victorian greenhouse. And the characters are from the Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore, Tigger, and Piglet). It’s a really strange mix of elements. But the characters are cool, and the location is unbeatable (in the hub at Magic Kingdom).
10. Garden Grill Restaurant
Location: Epcot (The Land)
Character Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Typical Characters: Mickey, Pluto, Chip, Dale
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Garden Grill has some cool things going for it. You get “farmer” Mickey, plus Pluto, Chip, and Dale. The restaurant also rotates about once an hour, and includes views of the Living With The Land ride. The menu is more typical American fare. While the rotation and view are cool, I’m just not sure the characters and food make it the best use of your stomach space in Epcot.
11. Cape May Cafe
Location: Beach Club Resort
Character Meals: Breakfast, NOT Dinner
Typical Characters: Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Important Note: Characters only appear for breakfast here. The restaurant serves dinner without characters.
Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast gets the nod over Chef Mickey’s here basically because the “beach” themed outfits are a little more vacation fun than the Chef Mickey’s outifts, in my opinion. The restaurant is located just off Epcot and the Skyliner, making it a pretty convenient option, though we still prefer Topolino’s at Riviera.
12. Chef Mickey’s
Location: Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Character Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Typical Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto
Dining Plan: 1 Table Service Credit
Menu
Quit your yelling and let me explain how Chef Mickey’s wound up last on this list. Yes, it’s maybe the quintessential character dining experience at Walt Disney World. But that’s why it’s last on this list. This isn’t to say it’s bad—I’ve eaten there before and will eat there again. Chef Mickey’s is, in every positive and negative sense, and assembly line for combining breakfast and character greetings.
You’ll meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto—the “fab five.” You’ll eat food like waffles and eggs for breakfast and mac & cheese and pork for dinner. That’s fine food. It’s also just a ten-minute walk from the Magic Kingdom, which most every family interested in meeting those five characters is going to dedicate an entire day to.
Bonus: Ravello (Four Seasons)
Location: Four Seasons Orlando
Character Meals: Only Saturday Breakfast
Typical Characters: Goofy & Pals
Dining Plan: Not accepted
Menu
I’m not “ranking” this one because I don’t know much about it. Disney lists this as a character meal on their website, though its a bit of an outlier. While there are other hotel restaurants on this list, the Four Seasons is not operated by Disney. Moreover, the character meal is only on Saturdays for breakfast.
I believe Goofy & Pals is usually Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey. This definitely could be a good option if it fits into your schedule, but keep in mind you’d have to get there and it is only on Saturday mornings.
Bonus 2: Be Our Guest
Location: Magic Kingdom
Dining Plan: TWO Table Service Credits
Menu
Another one that doesn’t quite fit the requirements for this ranking, Be Our Guest is a table service restaurant inside Magic Kingdom. The overall experience—dining in Belle’s / Beast’s castle—is a great one, but the character element is lacking. Approximately once an hour, Beast will come out and thank you for dining there. He doesn’t do individual greetings or visit individual tables. This detail isn’t even noted on the restaurant’s website, so I wouldn’t even be surprised to see it cut at some point.
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