Disney Character Dining Revew
We returned from a Walt Disney World vacation in Florida a few days ago, and I thought I'd review the character meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that we had during the trip.
These are sorted by the order we went to the restaurants.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Epcot) - lunch - grade A+
Our first character meal was the best all around. This is a meal with the princesses. Belle is the host - everyone greets her when you arrive and you get an included picture with her. Then Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, and Snow White come around and greet you during the meal. There was a salad bar and a few entrees and desserts you could choose from. The sight lines were good - you could see the princesses most of the time. They did a "parade" of princesses where the kids could walk along behind one of the princesses during the parade. The cost (if we weren't on the Disney Dining Plan) would have been $111 for 2 adults and 1 child.
The Garden Grill Restaurant (Epcot) - dinner - grade A
The restaurant rotates and you meet Chip and Dale, Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy. The food is served family-style - you can choose what to eat from the tray of entrees, and you can get seconds or thirds of anything. The food was really good. With a circular restaurant, you couldn't tell where a character was until they got close. That was really the only drawback. The cost would have been $92.
Chef Mickey's (Contemporary Resort) - breakfast - grade B
The seats are pretty spread out and the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy) come in "shifts" - they all seem to be in one area, then all move towards another, and so on. The breakfast buffet choices were decent, but not great. They had a "napkin waiving party" which was pretty fun. The cost would have been $78.
1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian) - dinner - grade A-
This one was very unique. You meet Cinderella and some of the characters from the story (a couple of the mice, Prince Charming, and Fairy Godmother). From what I could tell, you wouldn't see these characters anywhere else in any parks. The dinner buffet was pretty good and the sight lines were decent. The cost would have been $96.
Tusker House Restaurant (Animal Kingdom) - breakfast - grade A-
Donald is the host and you meet him before entering and get a picture (which you have to pay extra for). Then you meet Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, and Daisy during the meal. The buffet was a little bigger than the Chef Mickey's buffet. The sight lines were decent, and there was a parade that the kids could get up and participate in during breakfast. The cost would have been $68.
Cape May Cafe (Beach Club) - breakfast - grade B+
You meet Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. The choices were similar to Chef Mickey's and the sight lines were a little worse. In hindsight, I wouldn't do both this one and Chef Mickey's - either one or the other does the job. If you're paying by Dining Plan, then choose Chef Mickey's. If you're paying out of pocket, this might be a slightly better choice. The cost would have been $67.
The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom) - dinner - grade B-
This was by far our worst dining. You meet Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. But the restaurant is split into two halves and the characters seemed to be on the other half for most of our dinner (completely out of sight). The buffet was decent, but no better than any of others. The cost would have been $98.
Cinderella's Royal Table (Magic Kingdom) - lunch - grade A-
You are paying for the atmosphere with this one. You dine inside Cinderella's castle. You meet Cinderella and get an included picture with her. Then during lunch Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, and Belle walk around. Lunch was just a few choices for the entree and dessert. There's a "wish party" where everyone waves their magic wand during the meal. The cost would have been $128. On the Disney Dining Plan, this costs 2 meals - compare this to the Akershus meal (same characters, 1 Dining Plan meal) and Akershus is a far better deal, in my opinion.
These are sorted by the order we went to the restaurants.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Epcot) - lunch - grade A+
Our first character meal was the best all around. This is a meal with the princesses. Belle is the host - everyone greets her when you arrive and you get an included picture with her. Then Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, and Snow White come around and greet you during the meal. There was a salad bar and a few entrees and desserts you could choose from. The sight lines were good - you could see the princesses most of the time. They did a "parade" of princesses where the kids could walk along behind one of the princesses during the parade. The cost (if we weren't on the Disney Dining Plan) would have been $111 for 2 adults and 1 child.
The Garden Grill Restaurant (Epcot) - dinner - grade A
The restaurant rotates and you meet Chip and Dale, Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy. The food is served family-style - you can choose what to eat from the tray of entrees, and you can get seconds or thirds of anything. The food was really good. With a circular restaurant, you couldn't tell where a character was until they got close. That was really the only drawback. The cost would have been $92.
Chef Mickey's (Contemporary Resort) - breakfast - grade B
The seats are pretty spread out and the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy) come in "shifts" - they all seem to be in one area, then all move towards another, and so on. The breakfast buffet choices were decent, but not great. They had a "napkin waiving party" which was pretty fun. The cost would have been $78.
1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian) - dinner - grade A-
This one was very unique. You meet Cinderella and some of the characters from the story (a couple of the mice, Prince Charming, and Fairy Godmother). From what I could tell, you wouldn't see these characters anywhere else in any parks. The dinner buffet was pretty good and the sight lines were decent. The cost would have been $96.
Tusker House Restaurant (Animal Kingdom) - breakfast - grade A-
Donald is the host and you meet him before entering and get a picture (which you have to pay extra for). Then you meet Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, and Daisy during the meal. The buffet was a little bigger than the Chef Mickey's buffet. The sight lines were decent, and there was a parade that the kids could get up and participate in during breakfast. The cost would have been $68.
Cape May Cafe (Beach Club) - breakfast - grade B+
You meet Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. The choices were similar to Chef Mickey's and the sight lines were a little worse. In hindsight, I wouldn't do both this one and Chef Mickey's - either one or the other does the job. If you're paying by Dining Plan, then choose Chef Mickey's. If you're paying out of pocket, this might be a slightly better choice. The cost would have been $67.
The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom) - dinner - grade B-
This was by far our worst dining. You meet Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. But the restaurant is split into two halves and the characters seemed to be on the other half for most of our dinner (completely out of sight). The buffet was decent, but no better than any of others. The cost would have been $98.
Cinderella's Royal Table (Magic Kingdom) - lunch - grade A-
You are paying for the atmosphere with this one. You dine inside Cinderella's castle. You meet Cinderella and get an included picture with her. Then during lunch Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, and Belle walk around. Lunch was just a few choices for the entree and dessert. There's a "wish party" where everyone waves their magic wand during the meal. The cost would have been $128. On the Disney Dining Plan, this costs 2 meals - compare this to the Akershus meal (same characters, 1 Dining Plan meal) and Akershus is a far better deal, in my opinion.
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