Five Things To Consider Before Booking a Disney Character Meal

Some think character dining is a must-do at Disney. However, there are some things you need to consider before you book this character dining reservation.

Character Dining

When you think of Disney dining you most likely think of character dining. Character meals are a great way to get out of the heat and meet some fun characters.

Character meals are a great opportunity to have guaranteed character meets and enjoy a meal!

Enjoying a character meal will let you have a meal and not have to wait in line to meet characters. Character lines in the park can get long. There are currently no Lightning Lanes for character meets. Planning a character meal during your vacation can guarantee you see some of those favorite characters.

Time of Day

A character meal is considered a table service meal. This also means you can expect it to take up some time. Usually, a character meal can last around 90 minutes. This is something you are going to want to take your time and enjoy the fun character interactions along with making sure you have seen each character offered at the dining experience.

There are several ways to plan this into your day. You can enjoy a character meal to start or end your day. You could even use it for downtime from the parks in the middle of your day. Using it for a mid-day break during hot summer months is one of my favorite options.

Depending on what meal or characters you are looking to partake in can also determine what time of day, but we will have more on that later.

Meal Type

You will find character dining offerings at all meal types: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, only certain locations offer certain meals or only offer characters at certain meal times.

For example, you will not be able to enjoy a character meal for breakfast at Artist Point (not offered at all) or dinner at Cape May (no characters offered at dinner time).

Be sure to see what characters are available at each venue as certain characters are only available at specific locations and meal times.

It is important to factor in what type of meal your family will enjoy. If your family loves Mickey waffles then breakfast might be the best option. But if your family prefers a bigger meal later in the day then dinner might be the better choice.

Characters 

If the characters are your primary focus for your dining experience then it is a must to know which characters are what table service restaurant. You will find that several characters can be found at different locations.

Some characters only meet at one table service location. For example, Mirabel only meets at 1900 Park Fare for a character dining experience.

You can also find the characters in fun costumes at different locations. For example, Mickey and friends are in safari attire at Tusker House, and Guests can find Mickey in his farmer outfit at Garden Grill.

Looking to meet the fab five? Then Chef Mickey’s is going to be your best option. Want the characters in fun costumes? Maybe Garden Grill or Tusker House is for you! 

Big on princesses? Cinderella’s Royal Table or Akershus Royal Banquet Hall will be the best options for your family. 

The bottom line is to be sure that the characters and even the outfits they are in are at the dining location you choose.

Price

There is no denying that dining at Disney is expensive. Dining at a character meal is even more expensive. 

When you enjoy a character meal you are also paying for the character experience. Some locations can be less expensive than others. You will also find that breakfast can be less expensive than lunch or dinner.

This will be a pricey experience for your family to enjoy, so with this big expense make sure it checks all your boxes.

Food Options 

The last thing to consider is what food is offered or even how it is offered. You will find typical American-style buffet food, family-style meals, plated meals, and even African-inspired inspired.

Even though you are most likely not going for the meal and more so for the character, it is still imperative that you enjoy the meal. At the very least it should be something you would like to try.

Some people love buffets as they can try a little of everything, while others prefer to stay clear of them. I (Heather) personally love family-style meals as you still have an all-you-care-to-eat style without the juggling of plates in the buffet line. You also don’t have to worry about where the characters are as you remain on at your table and do not have to venture to a buffet line.

Each table service menu offerings vary but all have some specialty dishes like the strawberry soup at 1900 Park Fare, but not to worry as you will still find a “kid-friendly” option as well. “Kid-friendly” options may include options like chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese.

Location (extra item to consider)

An extra item to consider is location. Location can play a big role in where you dine as it may have to be in a certain park or hotel depending on the rest of your plans for the day.

One character meal that has a prime location is inside Cinderella Castle! Cinderella’s Royal Table has you dining inside of Cinderella castle. This is such a unique experience that it could negate any negatives with the other five things to consider.

You may also consider the location if you are in a particular park. This could be a way to break up the day or a pre-park opening breakfast to beat the crowds. Another option would be to dine at your own Disney resort hotel or a hotel you have always wanted to visit.

Where to go

Now you may be wondering where to go. Here is a list of all the character meals and the meal type offering (breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner)

• Chef Mickey –Breakfast, Dinner
• Tusker House – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• 1900 park fare – Breakfast, Dinner
• Crystal Palace – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Be Our Guest – Lunch, Dinner
• Cape May – Breakfast
• Garden Grill – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Cinderellas Royal Table – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Hollywood and Vine – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• ‘Ohana – Breakfast
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point – Dinner
• Ravello – Breakfast
• Topolinos Terrace – Breakfast

Final Thoughts

There are lots of options for you and your family when it comes to character dining. When you consider these five things (sometimes six) you are sure to determine if character dining is right for you and your family.

What do you consider to determine if or which character dining experience is right for you? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to share this post with your friends!