Eat, Return, Avoid - Character Dining must read.
*updated with 2025 experiences!
Let’s start with the obvious - it’s pricey, especially for a family. When you’re paying for three, four or five spots at the character table, you expect a great time. We can tell you that all of our experiences were different, mainly great with the odd disappointment and one seriously overpriced. The Disney Dining Plan (DDP), however, can be a great way to ensure you cover the costs of dining (except gratuities) but even so you’ll still want to know which to eat, return and avoid.
Disney World Florida can be a once in a lifetime holiday so you’re going to want to plan wisely where your dollars or dining plan credits are spent. (We’ll do a separate blog on the dining plan).
We’ve done character dining with and without a DDP - as a sneak insight the DDP comes in very handy with character dining experiences. Where we have paid the costs are noted otherwise it is noted as how many credits are used from your dining plan. You need a DDP to include table service in order to use those credits at a character or table service restaurant.
If you’re planning a Walt Disney World vacation and want to make the most of your time with your favourite characters, our updated character dining guide is here to help!
We’ve now tried nearly all of the character breakfast, lunch, and dinner options across Disney World, and we’ve included our latest experiences from summer 2025 which include -
Tusker House for dinner
Crystal Palace
Cape May Café
Hollywood & Vine
This guide covers food quality, variety, service, character interactions, and tips for families, including how to get the best photo opportunities and maximize your Disney Dining Plan credits.
Whether you’re looking for a quieter dinner, an early morning breakfast with minimal crowds, or a buffet with lots of variety for kids, we’ve got all the details you need to plan your magical dining experiences.
We’ve also luck enough to eat at some other great restaurants on Disney property including Wolfgang Puck, Boathouse and Raglan Road at Disney Springs, Ale & Compass at Yacht Club, Sanaa at Kidani Village, Yak & Yeti and Space 220. Check back soon for these reviews.
Crystal Palace Breakfast – Magic Kingdom
A new experience for us was Crystal Palace, located just off Main Street in Magic Kingdom. Booking the earliest slot at 8 am is key to avoid the crowds and get photos with the characters without waiting.
We stayed at a Deluxe Resort (Saratoga Springs) and caught Disney bus at 7:15 am, but due to a trainee driver and longer-than-expected security lines, we missed some photo opportunities. This is a journey we have done many times and should have taken 15 minutes max. We allowed for extra time and should have been in the park earlier to enjoy the experience.
Top tip: allow extra time if you are booking this slot - if you are staying at a MK resort you will fare better for this early experience but as Disney transport only begins up to 1hr and 15 minutes pre-park opening, consider an Uber/Lyft for early breakfast arrivals.
The restaurant itself is very pretty, inspired by the Victorian-era greenhouses of the 1800s, and it really lives up to that theme. The buffet is similar to Disneyland Paris, featuring:
• Mickey Churro waffles – don’t miss these!
• Eggs, sausages, toast, croissants
• Tea, coffee, and orange juice
• Speciality coffee is available if you ask — included with the Disney
Dining Plan
We had lovely interactions with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and friends, and arriving early gave us plenty of space for photos. The service was excellent, and we left a cast compliment for our server.
Team Five Travel Tip: As with Tusker House, arrive very early or late, not mid-service. The earliest arrivals get the best character experiences with fewer crowds.
Chef Mickeys
Meeting Pluto at Chef Mickeys
Chef Mickey and friends at the Contemporary Resort was probably the surprise of our character dining experience. What we expected, a frantic, kid crazy, unorganised experience, this was not what we got. Yes it was busy and there was a lot going on but it was much more organised and less noisy than expected. It was a lovely surprise, rooms were sectioned off it was nowhere near as noisy as we anticipated.
The Mickey Waffles were a plenty and the food was hot, tasty and good for a character breakfast. But of course, we’re all really here to meet the characters and even if the food wasn’t that great, we’d probably accept it - well maybe.
The characters here didn’t disappoint - all were really interactive and of course, Donald tried to steal the show. I was wearing a Mickey & Donald t-shirt and for the photos, Donald had to cover up Mickey’s face. Typical attention seeking shenanigans from the number 1 duck.
There was plenty of space in the restaurant and service was well paced, friendly and efficient. As said, this one was a pleasant surprise and we would definitely do it again. Including tax, this one came in at $162 - before gratuity. If you don’t know, it’s very common to leave and 18 - 20% tip in the states. The price was for 2 adults & 2 children (over 10’s pay adult prices).
Cape May Café – Disney’s Beach Club (new)
Another new experience was Cape May Café, where the characters appear in their beach outfits. Expect to meet Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
The buffet here is one of the most varied we’ve seen at Walt Disney World, offering:
• Breakfast staples: croissants, cereals, omelettes
• Unique options: fajitas, seafood, and more
• Kid-friendly options
We booked towards the end of the breakfast service, and the buffet was still fully stocked. The characters performed their signature dances, and our youngest got a special dance moment with Minnie Mouse.
Service was excellent, and the staff were friendly and attentive. The restaurant layout means photos can be tricky if it’s busy, but timing your visit helps. Overall, great value for a one-credit meal on the Disney Dining Plan.
Topolino’s Terrace - Falvors of the Riviera.
Topolino’s Terrace - a beautiful restaurant.
Toppolinos Character Breakfast is billed as one of the start attractions of the character dining experiences. It’s at the Riviera Resort which is one of the newest Disney property hotels - a stunning addition to Disneys extensive hotel collection on-site. You can’t argue it’s a beautiful hotel and as per usual, Disney really captures the theming of both the Italian and French rivieras very well.
Painter Mickey, Writer Minnie, The prima ballerina Daisy Duck and Sculptor Donald are out to impress at Topolino’s Terrace and we expected big things from this character breakfast but not all aspects lived up to expectations. You can also go out onto the terrace before or after your meal which offers great views over the Riviera resort - a lovely spot for photos and great memories.
We’ll start with the food - it’s a nice menu, probably one of the better menu’s in the character dining line up and its all table service so buffets in sight. The breads, pastries, butters & spreads come in a cute painters pot, keeping the theming running all the way.
The smoked salmon bagel was good. Eggs are available any style, avocado toast quiche gruyere and wood fired steak. I had the eggs which were really good and well presented. Anna had steak as did one of the kids. One steak was great the other was not - it was chewy and not the best quality. It was swapped but the replacement wasn’t great either, it was the worst steak we ate on property; Not what you’d expect from a signature restaurant. However, the Mickey Waffles & were light and fluffy and the sauces full of sugar - so a great hit. We also got some cheeky madelines as a lovely extra for our wedding anniversary.
The Characters
On this aspect we thought the experiment really dazzled. The outfits are great and the space really allows the characters to play to the audience - as does the well themed introduction of each character to music.
The detail in Minnie’s dress is fantastic and Daisy loved pirouetting into the dining room as the prima ballerina. Mickey’s outfit is cute too, with his paint brushes and hat. Donald’s French beret adds a great finishing touch to his sculptor outfit. The song, the dancing, the intros all very Disney!
Overall, we were spoiled with character interaction so give it a big thumbs up for this part.
Service was not the best we’ve had at Disney. It was by no means terrible but it was certainly below par. For a costly character experience, in a fantastic setting with great theming, it really seems fantastic service should be so easy to get right here - maybe just an off day - we all have them and it wouldn’t put us off trying Topolino’s again.
This one came in at $178.25 before gratuity.
Top tip: Ask for a window seat the resort views are beautuful.
Garden Grill
Brilliant character interactions!
Garden Grill was the first character meal of our holiday. The kids had no idea and we managed to come off Soarin and head straight to our reservation.
At Garden Grill we had lunch - and you get to meet Chip & Dale, Pluto & Mickey. The lunch menu is a set meal $62 for adults and $40 for kids (prices correct in 2024), its all table service and the resatuarnt is really small by Disney standards. We paid $254 including tip. The massive salad comes out first which was nice and all grown in Living with the Land - which is where this restaurant rotates over the top of this ride. This is very cool and as it moves so slowly you can really soak all of it in, you cannot feel it move.
The food all comes out family style on a big skillet there was steak, turkey, mac and cheese, potatoes, green beans, cornbread - anything you want more of just ask and they will bring it out. The theming is really cute and traditional - we had great interactions with characters we saw each character twice and they were so much fun!
Top tip: ask for an outward facing table so your view is over the land!
Would we go back: yes we would it was a lovely, quiet, cute experience.
Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (summer 2025)
One of our favourite uses of a Table Service credit on the Disney Dining Plan is breakfast at ‘Ohana, located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. This is a 1-credit character dining experience that delivers excellent value and plenty of magic for families.
The breakfast is served family-style, with platters of eggs, sausages, ham, Mickey waffles, and the famous Hawaiian pineapple-coconut bread brought straight to your table. It’s all-you-care-to-enjoy, which makes it a hearty start to a park day — especially if you’re heading to Magic Kingdom, just a monorail ride away.
What makes ‘Ohana so special is the character interaction. You’ll typically meet Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and Pluto, all dressed in their Polynesian outfits. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed, and there’s even a little parade through the restaurant where children can join the characters — a real highlight for younger guests.
From a dining plan perspective, this is one of the best-value character meals because it only costs one Table Service credit per person, yet you get both the plentiful food and the chance to meet several classic Disney characters without queueing in the parks. Drinks (including juice, coffee, or a cocktail if you prefer) are included, but remember that gratuity is not.
Tip: If you want to maximise your day, try to book an early reservation — either before the parks open, so you can be at the Magic Kingdom rope drop, or later in the morning for a more leisurely brunch-style meal.
Story Book Dining at Artist’s Point with Snow White and the Queen
Fun show, great characters
BUT……….
Mirror, mirror on the wall…….
How evil - the queen, such a great character - I think she even scared me!! Story Book at Artist’s Point is set in the Wilderness Lodge hotel - one of the deluxe options for on-site accommodation. The hotel has an amazing lobby as well as Geyser Point Bar & Grill, so we’d recommend you arrive early and spend a little time exploring. We did this and also had a drink at Geyser Point.
Geyser Point is sat on Bay Lake and has some nice views its a very chilled atmosphere, it was peaceful and had plenty of shade where we enjoyed a glass of wine and a Bourbon Breeze. During our stay at Disney, we stayed at Saratoga Springs but after our visit to Wilderness, we’ve got another contender for next time we really fell in love with this resort.
Story Book Dining at Artist’s Point: The theming and the decor were both beautiful in here and it’s a very different dining experience.
The starters and desserts are a set menu and they appear - all were lovely! The service was very quick - our starters arrived before our drinks. There was a Wild Mushroom Bisque, a Hunters pie and a Shrimp Cocktail.
The childrens menu was nice and had some healthy options on which is always a bonus. The starter was From the Garden, the main options were grilled fish, grilled steak or grilled chicken. The speciaility drinks were also a nice touch - the kids loved the light up ice cubes! We tried the Stroll Through Nature and the Pork Shank, both were nice in all honesty the pork was the better option of the two. The desserts were a set menu like the starters were and they were nice but nothing to really rave about and we love a good dessert. Beautifully presented however very rushed our main plates were taken away and dessert arrived within a minute or two.
You had a time slot to go and see the Queen and she was a brilliant character - really impressed and a totally immersive experience. Snow White came to the table as did Grumpy and Dopey - very good interactions but all were quite short with the time allowed per table. It seemed very rushed - take a picture sign the book move on, a lot less time here with characters than at any other character meal.
This was our most expensive meal by far, to be fair we had 3 adults and one child to pay for (as any child 10 or over pays an adult price), our children had a speciality drink each and we shared a bottle of wine. The bill was $360 including tip for all of us.
Would we go back: honestly no, for us this was definitely a one and done and on the new dining plan we certainly would not use two dining plan credits per person for this as it’s a signature restaurant. The whole experience was just so rushed it ruined it for us.
Hollywood & Vine – Fantasmic! Dining Package (summer 2025)
We tried Hollywood & Vine for dinner with the Fantasmic! Dining Package. Unfortunately, Fantasmic! was rained off, but guest services handled everything smoothly.
The setting is fun and American diner style, and the staff uniforms are sharp, but our server wasn’t the best. That can happen occasionally, so it’s a one-off experience rather than a go-to.The buffet style dinner included:
• American diner favourites
• Highlight: beef brisket, which was excellent
Food quality was average; not the best we’ve had and service was not great. As always though, most service at Disney is very good and maybe our server just had an off day? It happens! The beef brisket was fantastic though so if you do go, get it.
We wouldn’t rush back, but it’s useful to compare for families wanting character dining with evening options. However, one stand out benefit of this experience was the allergen menu we were give which set out everything on the buffet, labelling which for is suitable, dealing with a green tick or red circle with line through so you can easily ensure you or someone in your party can eat safely. All Disney restaurants should come with this as standard - take note of Hollywood & Vine.
Tusker House - saving the best til last?
Daisy, Daisy, Daisy Duck - Tusker House.
Tusker house is in Animal Kingdom. It’s slightly tucked away and blends in superbly with the cannily crafted buildings. The theming in AK is truly superb you could hioneslty spend hours just wandering and looking at all the theming the imagineers did a superb job on this park its so cleverly done.
Tusker House used to be a buffet restaurant and after Covid it became a family style meal, its now back to a buffet. We chose to do breakfast as all the characters are at every meal and AK has a lot less rides after a breakfast so we thought this would suit us - we ate at the latest possible breakfast time after having ridden the Kilimanjaro Safari and Flight of Passage.
Well this one surprised us - our server Chris was unreal one of the best waiters we had in Disney by a mile! The food was superb, really tasty loads of flavour and so much choice. Its all themed food with African breakfast curries, Zebra bread, typical eggs, sausages etc. Tea’s, coffee’s and juices were included. I’m sure we asked for takeaway cups and when we were finished we wandered through AK with our drinks.
All of it was amazing and the character interactions were brilliant, they did a song and dance around the restaurant each character spent ages with each table - a totally different experience overall to Artist Point and it stole our hearts! The characters included Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey.
We paid just over a $190 for the four of us and it was brilliant - no surprise here but we would definitely return!
Tusker for breakfast or dinner?:
If you love character dining at Walt Disney World, Tusker House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is always a favourite.
While we’ve covered the breakfast experience above, this time (summer 2025) we visited Tusker House for dinner and there are a few key differences to note.
The characters you meet are the same as breakfast — Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and friends — but you won’t find the breakfast-specific treats like the pancake curry, cake slices, or POG juice. Instead, Tusker House dinner offers a full buffet, and we were impressed by the variety and quality. Highlights included:
• Prawn curry with rice
• Traditional African bread
• Freshly cooked meats and vegetables
• A dedicated kids’ section
We went towards the end of service, following a tip that this is when the restaurant is quieter and you get more time with the characters. Despite concerns about the buffet being depleted, we can confirm it was fully replenished, with plenty of food options. The service was good, and the characters came to our table 3–4 times, which is great when the restaurant is quieter — there were only 6–10 tables, and some left before we finished.
Team Five Travel Tip:
We recommend either booking the earliest possible slot or the very end of service to maximise your time with the characters. Avoid the middle of service when it’s busiest.
Overall, the food quality and variety were excellent, everything was fresh, hot, and tasty, and the desserts were a hit with our family. While we would still choose breakfast if we were to go again, Tusker House dinner is a solid option, especially for those looking for a quieter dining experience.
We hope you found this blog post helpful in deciding on your character dining experiences. If you want more from team five check out our 2025 Florida Series across on our Youtube channel, which includes the character dining above, more Disney plus all three Universal Parks - yes we did a whole day at EPIC Universe. Was it EPIC? Follow us and find out.