Character Meals: A Disney Do or Don’t?

With hundreds of restaurants all around Disney World property, how do you choose what’s right for you? Dining with characters is one of the most unique experiences you can have in Disney. Is there anything better than breakfast with Mickey? Well, the answer to that can be quite controversial!

Are you thinking of making an advanced dining reservation with characters? Before you do, consider these pros and cons.

The Pros

• At character meals, you are pretty much guaranteed to see each of the characters that are at the restaurant without waiting in line! As you enjoy the food, the characters will make their rounds around the restaurant, stopping for pictures and autographs. There’s no need to stand in those daunting lines on Main Street or Fantasyland to see Pooh and Friends when you can see them at your Crystal Palace meal.
• All of the character meals are buffet. Disney buffets include such a variety of food that even the pickiest eaters will find something they enjoy. From appetizers to entrees to desserts, there is so much to choose from. You can definitely get your money’s worth!
• Whether you’re dining in a park or at a resort, there are plenty of options to fit your busy schedule. Not all restaurants that host character meals have them at every meal time, but no matter what time of the day you’re looking for, you’ll have several restaurants to pick from. Also, it’s not just your standard Mickey and Minnie at the meals — you can dine with Princesses, Lilo and Stitch, Winnie the Pooh, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, and more! There really is something for everyone.

The Cons

• Like other special experiences in Disney, character meals can come with a high price tag, and some might even require a down payment. My best money-saving tip? Plan a character meal during lunchtime. The same food is often served during both lunch and dinner, but the lunchtime price can be significantly lower.
• Character meals are often packed with kids, which can make for a hectic setting. If you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing meal, dining with characters are probably not be the best thing for you. Character meals can also be insanely popular and hard to reserve (think Cinderella’s Royal Table), so be sure to book as far in advance as possible (180 days is recommended).
• While there might be a wide variety of foods available at the buffets, it’s not the best food available on property. Some people have noted that the food isn’t as fresh as it could be, that it sits under the heat lamps at the buffets for too long. Also, the options for children are often limited to pizza, french fries and macaroni and cheese. If you’re looking for looking for the best cut of steak on property, you’re not going to find it at a character meal.

Overall, I’d say that character meals in Disney World are a DO! I highly recommend that everyone try one at one point to see if it’s right for you. While the food might not be signature restaurant quality, it is always delicious and has a lot of character!

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Who is your Travel Agent?(Required)

Let us pick for youEric HilesStacy ReedAbbey JohnsonAlisa SullivanAlli WillisAmanda FolsomAmanda VannAmber BrillhartAmber FisherAmy SieburnAndrea SmithAngela AndersonAngie BaycuraAnna PetrilliAnnabelle DuboseApril StefanskiAshley RamseyBeth ParsonsBetsy SantoroBrandie McQueenBrian BuckleyBridget HatchBryan SchwartzCandice SneedCarrie ButlerCarson DockumCasey BoltCharleen HortonChelsea RoyChelsea WuebkerChris BoyerChristie GrubeChristina FratturaChristina SmithCourtney WhiteCraig YoderDan MercedDanielle NorcrossDarby MouritsenDavid ForrestDeborah AlvaradoEmilee BiegelEmily MorrisFaith HakesGail HatchGreg MatzkerHelen HummerHolly CurryJackie CavistonJaclyn PepitoneJamie SwansonJeanine JordanJeff CallahanJenni MaierJennifer BrownJennifer StephensonJennifer StoessnerJessica HatfieldJessica HuffJessica WunderJoe GuertinJon CarpentierJoseph SliwaJulie McCombJustin BrownKat AttridgeKathryn EberhartKathy AndersonKatie HarrellKatie PrevotKayla CookKelsey SullensKim HelmsKimberly HutchinsonKristi GallagherKyle RamsdenLauren DewlenLeanne MonterLinda DurhamLindsay AckermannLindsey VromanLissette BritoLori HardyMallory MorrisonMandi QuinnMaranda PerkinsMarisa AlvaradoMegan TeismannMeghan BlairMelissa ReedMichele KlineMike BeyerMissy McCormickMisty DickersonNancy CasteelNicole ThorntonPatrick O'ConnorPaul SulPeyton Ward-KubikRaylene CooganRegan OstranderRobbie BulusRobert ThomasSara SolbergSarah McCandlishShanna BrowningShelley BennettShelly MetzStacy CristStacy KrzyminskiStacy SmithStephanie DraganoStephanie FerencStephanie WalshSusannah McCordTara SlusserTerri MillerTiffany DobraskiTiffany DrenkhahnTina FarmerTonya LesiukTracy DaneTroy DuncanVeronica RenteriaVicki FesslerWendy CarllWendy HauserWendy KellehanWendy Shelley

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Destination(Required)

Walt Disney WorldDisneyland ResortDisney Cruise LineAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaUniversal FloridaUniversal HollywoodRoyal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian or other Cruise LineI don't know yet

# of Adults(Required)

# of Children(Required)

Check-in-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Check-out-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Comments, Questions or Special Requests

Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!