Review of Cape May Now That the Characters are Back

Disney has brought characters to breakfast at Cape May Cafe. Here is a review now that things are back as they should be.

Cape May Cafe

Tucked inside Disney’s Beach Club Resort is Cape May Cafe, an adorable, New England beach-inspired restaurant that is as charming as it is delicious. And, best of all, breakfast at Cape May Cafe has recently transformed back into a character meal.

On February 15, 2023, the restaurant also shifted back to a buffet. It was previously an all-you-care-to-enjoy family-style meal, which you can read about here. However, now the breakfast buffet is available with reservation times from 7:30 am to 11:30 am.

It just so happens that on my (Katie’s) recent trip to Walt Disney World to enjoy a TRON preview with my family, my little boy had one major request: an all-you-can-eat Disney breakfast. It also happens that my little girl wanted to enjoy a meal with beloved Disney characters. Cape May fit the bill perfectly to satisfy both requests!

Getting to Cape May Cafe

Cape May Cafe is easily accessible from multiple locations across Walt Disney World. If you are staying at any of the EPCOT Area Resorts, Disney’s Swan and Dolphin, or the Swan Reserve, you can easily walk or take a Friendship Boat to Disney’s Beach Club Resort, which houses Cape May Cafe.

It is also easy to take the Skyliner from Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, or Disney’s Riviera Resort. After that, it is a quick walk from Skyliner Station to Beach Club.

You can also get there easily from both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. From EPCOT, all you will need to do is exit the park at International Gateway. If you are rope-dropping Epcot, this could work out for you if you reserve one of the later seatings. It will make a nice mid-day break for you and your family.

You will need to take the Skyliner to arrive at Cape May from Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Again, it could work out well for you to treat the meal as a brunch if you rope drop Hollywood Studios and would like to take a break to enjoy a meal.

The Characters

Guests who visit Cape May Cafe during breakfast have the opportunity to interact with four characters during Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, and Goofy visit each table bedecked in their beachwear!

Characters are available at breakfast only. Dinner is just a traditional buffet with no characters.

Everyone signs autographs. And of course, they all pose for photos. There are no PhotoPass photographers at Cape May, so be ready to snap your own photos. Your server will help you if you would like a shot with the whole travel party.

Additionally, the characters invite diners to participate in a beach dance party periodically throughout the meal. The characters will dance and play before they resume their rounds of visiting parties at tables.

The characters here were very sweet, and we enjoyed seeing them. The restaurant is huge, so it can take a little longer to see everyone than it takes at ‘Ohana or Topolino’s; however, they will come with patience. We especially loved Donald, who was thrilled to show off all his poses for the camera. He is the #1 Duck, after all.

If you miss a character, simply let your server know. They will help to make sure you get to see everyone.

Pricing

Character meals are never inexpensive. However, breakfast does tend to be more affordable than other meal periods.

As of March 2024, Cape May Cafe Breakfast is $47 per adult. It is $30 per child. And, for me, it was absolutely worth the cost all things considered.

Bread Service

First of all, the meal begins with a bread service of Salted Caramel “Beach Buns.” This pull-apart bread is coated in salted caramel and comes with an accompaniment of vanilla cream sauce.

Our Salted Caramel “Beach Buns” arrived at the table after we had visited the buffet and were well into our meal. Unfortunately, we were already stuffed with other items to really enjoy it like it deserved to be enjoyed. It is a truly delicious and special bread service. I wish it had arrived sooner so we could have all enjoyed more of it.

The Buffet Options

Cape May Cafe is not short on delicious Disney breakfast options. It has every carb-heavy delight imaginable.

The buffet also includes classics like French toast, chocolate chip pancakes, and Mickey and Minnie Waffles. My kids liked the pancakes the best, and we all adore classic waffles.

However, I thought the French Toast was delicious. It reminded me of the French Toast over at Grand Floridian Cafe. I saved a little of the Vanilla Cream from the Beach Buns to go on mine, which I highly recommend.

If that isn’t enough, you can indulge in chocolate-drizzled crepes. These were light and nice; although, I prefer the crepes inside EPCOT.

If you need more bread, there are cheddar biscuits and gravy. We thought these were fine, but not great.

Adults have potato hash to enjoy. The children’s section has potato barrels.

If you want to have something plant-based, you will find fresh-cut fruit available. There is also asparagus, which is a nice touch.

Additionally, you will find an oatmeal station with plenty of toppings. If you prefer overnight oats, you will find vessels of them prepared with fresh berries.

Traditional bacon, sausage, and eggs are all available. You can turn the eggs into a wrap with a tortilla, cheese, and salsa station.

However, you can also visit the omelet station for a custom-made creation! Or, you might prefer to visit the carving station.

Finally, you will be able to enjoy an eggs benedict creation. While it is not the best benedict, it is enjoyable.

Beverages

All of this can be washed down with an array of included beverages. You might enjoy a warm drink such as hot tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. There are several juices including the ever-popular POG juice. And of course, you can elect to have water or soft drinks if you prefer.

There are alcoholic and specialty beverages available at an upcharge. However, I typically stick to what is included when I enjoy a character meal.

Overall

Overall, the food is good. It is not phenomenal, but it is good. Then again, it is tough to mess up Disney breakfast.

In all honestly, the service was a bit off and ill-timed on the day of our visit. The bread and drinks took a very long time to come; we were well into our meal before either appeared. Our server was distracted and scarce. However, it probably was not her fault, and I do not wish to complain or deter you from visiting.

This was likely a one-off situation. It was obvious that the restaurant was very busy. Perhaps they were short-staffed or had some other unseen and forgivable circumstance happening.

Plus, the front-of-the-house staff were fantastic. We accidentally left my child’s to-go drink, and they happily fetched us another.

I will say that I prefer several other character breakfasts to Cape May. The very best of course is Topolino’s Terrace.

Non-buffet character meals like Topolinos and ‘Ohana are infinitely easier than buffets because there is no need to figure out which adult is accompanying the children to the buffet. There is no juggling of plates. There is no worry over timing visits to the buffet with character interactions.

Even so, Cape May is charming in its own right. It was great fun for my little travel party.

Do you know someone who needs to visit Cape May Cafe? Be sure to share this review. Do you love Cape May or hope to visit yourself someday? Let us know in the comments!