While visiting Walt Disney World last week we dropped by the Swan & Dolphin Resort to have breakfast at the Garden Grove. The Garden Grove is one of my secret spots smack dab in the middle of all the theme parks. It’s a quick boat ride from either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. It is a great place to eat breakfast with many fresh and unique choices, fun characters, and home of my favorite the yogurt bar.
Here is a little info about the Garden Grove if you have no idea what or where it is:
Guests will feel as if they have been transported to the tranquil gardens of Central Park after stepping into the Garden Grove restaurant in the Walt Disney World Swan Resort. The centerpiece of this unique restaurant is a beautiful 25-foot oak tree, adorned with twinkling lights and paper lanterns, a true spectacle for diners. During the day, families can feast in the park-like atmosphere while bright sunlight from the restaurant’s tall windows illuminates the room.
In the evening, the lights are dimmed and the oak tree centerpiece shimmers while guests dine under street lamps in a magical oasis. Each night, we feature an unlimited buffet of fresh, gourmet vegetables, soups and salads, accompanied by a delectable selection of Prime Rib, Half Roasted Chicken, or Cedar Plank Salmon and chef’s created sides and a special Seafood Buffet on Friday and Saturday. Don’t forget to leave room for a selection of decadent desserts, created by our award-winning pastry chef, Laurent Branlard.
The young at heart will also enjoy Disney character dining at dinner nightly and for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays. Garden Grove is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
What I love about Garden Grove is unlike the other Disney Buffets if you don’t want to eat all that food you can also order off a menu. They have some wonderful breakfast choices the Croque Monsieur is to die for and is also on the buffet! You can get a look at their menu here.
Not only do they have great food they also have Disney Characters. Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale are on hand for photos and they make their way around to your table a few times during your breakfast! We got a bunch of fun family photos and even had time for selfies.
Like I mentioned above one of my favorite items on the buffet is the SuperFoods Yogurt Bar and Smoothies. They are so good and so fresh! It is really a great way to start the day. You get tons of energy for the parks and you don’t feel so stuffed you can barely walk. This is one of the many unique items that set them apart from other Disney World Breakfast Buffets.
Ok now that I shared with you how yummy this breakfast buffet is, how close it is to Hollywood Studios and Epcot you are probably wondering how much something like this costs. Well unlike the other Disney Buffets that will cost you a pretty penny Garden Grove Character breakfast is only $24 for adults and $15 for children, if you go the ala carte option then your meal is even cheaper. Where else on Disney property could you meet the characters for the cost of a bowl of fresh fruit ($5).
Garden Grove also has other meals if you can’t make it out for breakfast, check them out:
Finally getting here might be a bit of a challenge if you are not staying at the Boardwalk or the Yacht & Beach Club. Since it is between Epcot & Hollywood Studios you have a few options. Find the park that has early magic hours and take the bus to that park and then take the boat to the Swan & Dolphin. It’s not a bad walk either. Breakfast is open till 11:30 am so you could go to Epcot spend a few hours and when they open the World Showcase then walk to the Swan & Dolphin for breakfast. But there is a 2nd option and the one we like to use…
We like to plan unique meals on Disney World property, I enjoy walking around the resorts and taking photos. Getting to the resorts can be a challenge sometimes especially if you have to wait on buses and monorails. What we do is use UBER from our hotel Saratoga Springs to the Swan Resort it cost us $7.87 for the 4 of us. We waited 10 minutes to for our ride to get to us and it took less than that to get to the hotel. I know the transportation at Disney is free but for us paying a few bucks for a Uber ride is worth it so we can head straight there for a meal. Then we just hop on a Disney bus and head to the parks when we are done. That is a bonus Disney World Quick Tip for ya!
No matter how you get to Garden Grove Character Breakfast you won’t be disappointed! It is a great meal and a good value. The food is fresh, the staff is friendly, and the characters are hilarious! I hope on your next Disney World Vacation you will give this place a try.
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