Disney’s Character Dining 4-1-1
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Disney Character Dining is *the* way to meet characters
If you’re heading to Walt Disney World with little kids, you may (or may not) have character dining on your radar. If you don’t, I highly suggest you put it at the top of your list. Nothing will ruin your day quicker than standing in a long-ass line with a grumpy toddler in the swealtery Florida sun, only to be told that despite waiting for 30 + minutes, Belle will be taking a break for the day. Good luck with managing that meltdown. No, no. Instead of signing yourself up for all the fun that would surely ensue if you decided down that path, go ahead and book yourself a few character dining experiences.
If you already have it on your radar, awesome! You already know that sitting in air conditioning and letting the characters come to you is what dreams are really made of. But you need to know this: not all character dining experiences are created equally. Today, we’re ranking some of the most coveted experiences and giving you all the details – including who and what to expect, whether it was worth it, and how it stacked up compared to others.
Let’s do this.
#5 Cinderella’s Royal Table
WHO
Cinderella and a rotating cast of princesses
WHAT
A la carte, 4-course meal.
WHEN
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
WHERE
Cinderella’s Royal Table is located inside Cinderella’s castle – when you walk directly through it toward the park, the entrance is at the back.
WHY
I’ve written about it before, but the general gist is this: on our visit, there was no princess dining room circulation, and the lunch was good, but nothing I couldn’t have made in my own kitchen with an hour of uninterrupted time. The “ballroom” felt dingy and smelled musty. I’m not sure if this was intentional on Disney’s part, but it certainly didn’t feel magnificent or elegant. I would not recommend wasting a second of touring time on this experience. Just remember: you don’t pay for things with money, you pay for them with hours of your life. The hours of your life it would require to pay for this meal is simply not worth it, unless you’re a Disney die-hard and dining inside Cinderella’s castle is on your bucket list.
HOW MUCH
$65-79/adult, $39-47/child
#4. Be Our Guest
WHO
The Beast greets guests in the “ballroom.” By greet, I mean he sashays around the place and waves to his fans like the Queen of England.
WHAT
Be Our Guest offers an a-la-carte 3-course dining experience, serving American and French cuisine. Guests pay one price and that includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. During our visit, we tried the pork chop, chicken, trout amandine, filet mignon, French onion soup, peach applesauce, and a dessert trio. Essentially the entire menu – one of the perks of traveling with seven people.
WHERE
Be Our Guest is located in Fantasyland, just before reaching Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid.
WHEN
Be Our Guests serves lunch and dinner.
WHY
Be Our Guest is best for Beauty & The Beast diehards or people who enjoy reveling in the vision and magic of the Disney Imagineers. This would also work for kids new to character dining and who might be intimidated by fur characters.
Be Our Guest’s main draw is the ambiance. The only character in this dining experience is The Beast – and he doesn’t greet guests. That may be a blessing or a curse, depending on your table’s preferences. The dining room is very pretty, albeit chilly. This was likely intentional, as it’s staged in a cave and there is a large window (screen) with snow falling behind it. I enjoyed my meal (trout amandine), but 50% of the adults in our party did not.
HOW MUCH
$67/adult, $39/child (3-9)
#3. Cape May Café
WHO
Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy
WHAT
The character breakfast at Cape May Café is an all-you-can-eat buffet serving American diner favorites – think waffles, biscuits and gravy, fruit, eggs, home fries, and pastries.
WHERE
Cape May Café is located at Beach Club Resort, off the side of the main lobby. The location feels a bit like a satellite island as the entire restaurant is open and there is a walkway for resort guests around the entire thing.
WHEN
Character dining occurs at breakfast only. Cape May Café serves dinner, but no characters are present.
WHY
Cape May Café is a great choice for people staying at Beach Club or the surrounding Epcot resorts. My kids tend to be… reserved. They loved Donald, Daisy, and Minnie, but Goofy was very tall and they were not fans. The characters host a little dance party, so if you have kiddos that dream of dancing with their favorite characters in a laid-back atmosphere, this place is for you.
HOW MUCH
$45/adult, $29/child
#2. Tusker House
WHO
Mickey, Donald, Daisy & Goofy dressed in their Safari best
WHAT
An all-you-can-eat buffet serving American and African cuisine. Dishes included American diner favorites (pastries, fruit, homefries) alongside authentic African flavors like curry, shakshuka, and a smoked meat station.
WHEN
Tusker House serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner; however, characters are only available during the breakfast buffet.
WHERE
Tusker House is located inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom right before the gorillas and Kilimanjaro safari.
WHY
While the dining room is a bit tight, the theming at Tusker House Restaurant is impeccable. The interior has open-air market vibes and looks authentic – down to rusty fans and dirt-washed walls. Tusker House is great for families that have diverse taste preferences and who love the theming that Disney brings to life. Ultimately, what elevated Tusker House above other character dining experiences was the friendly service. Our server, Luis, was on it – which says so much about him as a human being – since Disney is polite enough to charge a standard gratuity for parties of 7 or more (we qualify).
HOW MUCH
$45/adult, $29/child
#1. Akershus Banquet Hall
WHO
A rotating cast of princesses. We met Tiana, Aurora, Snow White, Mulan, and Belle. Don’t expect to see Anna and Elsa – they’re next door entertaining guests and can’t be in two places at once. This is Disney, not Hogwarts.
WHAT
An all-you-care-to-enjoy meal served family style. Think of it like a dinner charcuterie board. You can expect Norwegian favorites like meatballs, salmon, green beans, salad, rice pudding, and truffles. Mini corndogs and macaroni and cheese were served to the little people.
WHERE
Akershus is located in the Norway Pavilion next to Frozen Ever After and diagonal to Anna & Elsa’s meet and greet at Summerhaus. If you go during the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, you’ll know you’re in the correct location when you spot the Anna and Elsa topiaries.
WHEN
Akershus is now open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It appeared to me that there were set times for reservations – the place appeared to turn over relatively simultaneously. Booking dining in advance is pretty essential. We travel in the off-season and I noticed availability open up for our size party (7) while we were there, but I wouldn’t even dare try to pull that off for a peak-season vacation.
WHY
Akershus is great for the princess-crazy kiddo. Skip the lines (and tears) and let the princesses come to you while you enjoy your meal. You have to eat, anyway. You know what they say about birds and stones and all that.
Akershus is my all-around favorite character dining experience so far. We had an amazing waiter, Nikolai, who was from Norway. One thing I learned in conversation with him is that in Epcot, the people representing a country are natives of that country and come here on work Visas through Disney. Maybe this is part of why I l-o-v-e Epcot. Nikolai was on it with respect to getting us anything we needed and explaining each of the dishes we were unfamiliar with. Akershus was the only character dining experience during our stay where the “character manager/”handler” ensured we had face time without chasing them down or mitigating tears.
As for the princesses: I cannot say enough good things about them. They all handled their roles beautifully and were exceptional with each of my kiddos (there are 3). It was clear that Aurora adores children, and was very affectionate with my toddler. Each princess was very patient and stuck around long enough to make sure each of my children had an interaction and an opportunity for a picture. The experience didn’t feel rushed at all, and my kids’ hearts were full from their interactions.
HOW MUCH
$53-63/adult, $34-41/child
Your kids are going to have an amazing time no matter what.
All in all, your kids are going to have a phenomenal time having the magic of Disney come to life before their eyes as they nosh on their favorite munchies. Whether you can stomach the feeling of your wallet hemorrhaging for the service and food you’re getting remains to be seen. There are so many amazing resources out there, that you don’t just have to take my word for it (and I wouldn’t want you to). Check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids which utilizes professional and user reviews, as well as statistics to give you the best idea of what to expect to make your vacation magical for **you**. That’s really what’s important, anyway.
Happy adventuring!
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11/28/2023 12:24 am GMT
