Character meals are an excellent way to meet the characters your family loves. They are exceedingly popular and fill up fast so be sure to make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR's) by calling 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463). Reservations can be made 90 days in advance so plan ahead. If you wish to dine at Cinderella's Royal Table you need to call at 90 days away or you have no chance of getting this very popular character meal. While reservations are not required (except for Cinderella's Royal Table) they are highly recommended - especially during busy periods.
All information below is subject to change.
Characters listed are the characters that are always present. Other selected characters will be at the character meal. The character meals are listed by their location.
Animal Kingdom:
Donald’s Safari Breakfast is a wonderful addition to Animal Kingdom. Here you will find Donald Duck and his friends (often you will see Mickey, Daisy or Pluto with Donald). This breakfast is very difficult to get into so be sure to call very early 90 days ahead.
Epcot:
Epcot has two options for character dining. The Garden Grill restaurant is located inside The Land pavilion on the second floor in Future World. Here you will see Chip and Dale and their farmer friends (Mickey and Pluto often join those rascally chipmunks). Dinners here are served family style and are all you can eat. Garden Grill is only open for dinner.
In World Showcase there is character dining at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall located in the Norway Pavilion. This Princess breakfast is a nice alternative if you can't get into Cinderella's Royal Table. This is an all you can eat menu and with this meal you will also get a set of Princess photos as a gift. Akershus is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
The character meal at Hollywood Studios definitely caters to the preschool aged child. You can eat with the Playhouse Disney characters at Hollywood and Vine for breakfast and lunch. Often seen here are the beloved characters from the Little Einstein's.
Magic Kingdom :
Cinderella’s Royal Table is the pinnacle of all character meals. It is extremely hard to get a reservation here so if you are going to try, you MUST call at 7:00 in the morning (Eastern Time) to try for that coveted reservation. Here Cinderella will greet each guest before they go into the dining room. Inside Fairy Godmother will come by to visit your table. This meal is actually located inside Cinderella Castle.
Crystal Palace is the other character dining location at the Magic Kingdom. Here you will find your favorite characters from Winnie the Pooh. The Crystal Palace is located at the end of Main Street in a secluded area perfect for everyone's most loved bear.
The following character meals are not at the parks, but at the resort hotels. When making a reservation at one of these places remember to consider travel time and make your seating time accordingly.
Beach Club Resort:
Cape May Buffet character meal is only offered in the morning for breakfast. Here you will find Goofy and his friends, usually Minnie and Donald are there to visit your table.
While this character meal is offered only in the morning, the real draw here is the dinner buffet which is character free. If you plan on dining here for an evening meal, reservations are a must.
Contemporary Resort:
One of the most popular character meals is located next to the Magic Kingdom at the Contemporary Resort. This is located on the Monorail so it is very easy to get to. This all you can eat buffet can be enjoyed as you visit with Mickey Mouse and his friends. Often seen here are Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck. Reservations here are highly recommend. If you are a family of four, try to get the first seating so your can be the first family. If you are chosen as first family you will open the restaurant and Mickey will escort you to your table.
Fort Wilderness:
Mickey's Backyard Barbecue also known as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue is a raring good time musical revue. This is a different character encounter because this is actually a dinner show. Standard barbecue foods such as chicken and ribs are served for dinner with strawberry shortcake for dessert. The show runs several times nightly and your seating location is determined by your price category. The higher the price point, the better your seats. Category 1 is the best seats and will be approximately $60 per adult and $31 for children aged 3-9. Category 3 is only a few dollars less expensive. All the seats in Pioneer Hall are good seats.
Grand Floridian Resort:
1900 Park Fare is really three character meals in one restaurant. For breakfast you can dine with characters such as Mary Poppins and her friends. For dinner you dine with some extra beauty. Cinderella's Gala Feast brings Cinderella and other characters from her movie to the restaurant. Finally, you can do an afternoon tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter. All three of these character meals are immensely popular so be sure to make advance reservations.
Polynesian Resort:
Ohana’s offers a family style character meal. Like Garden Grill your table will get a platter with all of that mornings breakfast items to share. It is all you can eat so items you finish can be replaced. Lilo and Stitch are the characters you will see here. Pluto and Mickey also appear on occasion.