The Pros And Cons Of Every Disney World Character Dining Restaurant

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Here is a guide to the Pros and Cons of every Disney World Character Dining Restaurant so that you can decide which one is best for your family. A Disney character meal is something that everyone should experience at least once on a Disney World vacation.

We have visited all of the Disney World Character Dining Restaurants many times. In our give our opinion of each of the restaurants together with the pros and cons, character guide and cost.

Remember with all character dining locations the characters that appear may vary.

The cost of each character dining meal is shown in this way:

Price Ranges

$ = Value. $14.99 and under per adult
$$ = Moderate. $15 to $29.99 per adult
$$$ = Expensive. $30 to $59.99 per adult
$$$$ = Very Expensive. More than $60 per adult

Disney Character Dining in Magic Kingdom

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Photo by marada

Pros:

• Inside Disney Cinderella Castle
• Meet select Disney Princesses including Cinderella
• Beautifully themed interior

Cons

• Expensive
• Very popular and difficult to get a reservation
• Cinderella only appears in the lobby for a photo op, not in the dining room
• Signature Dining so requires 2 Disney World Dining Plan Table Service Credits

Characters

Cinderella will appear in the lobby. In the dining room The Fairy Godmother, Princess Belle, Princess Aurora and Snow White may appear.

Cost

Breakfast $$$
Lunch $$$
Dinner $$$$

Lunch and dinner have a choice of several menu items to make up 3 courses of appetizer, entree and dessert.

Each meal includes a photo package.

Menu

Cinderella Royal Table Menu

Best For

Guests who love the Princesses and want to see what it is like inside Cinderella Castle

Our Rating

8 out of 10

We love the location but are not huge fans of the food.

You can see our review at Cinderella’s Royal Table Is It Really Worth It?

Crystal Palace

Pros:

• Lots of character interaction even at busy times
• Lively atmosphere
• Large choice of buffet items
• One of the easier character dining locations to get a reservation
• Located in the heart of Magic Kingdom

Cons

• Food quality could be better
• Limited range of desserts
• Very loud atmosphere with tables close together

Characters

Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.

Cost

Breakfast $$
Lunch $$$
Dinner $$$

Menu

All meals are buffet style.

Crystal Palace Menu

Best For

Families with young children.

Our Rating

7 out of 10. On our recent visit we found the food quality to have gone down considerably.

Epcot Character Dining

Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Photo Credit

Pros:

• The best location to meet the most Disney Princesses
• Good Value
• Wonderful themed location

Cons

• Unusual food choices may not be to everyone’s taste

Characters

Usually at least 5 Princesses are in attendance. You may see Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White and Mary Poppins (yes we know, we don’t count her as a Princess but she is here nonetheless)!

Cost

Breakfast $$
Lunch $$$
Dinner $$$

Menu

Princess Story Book Dining Menu

Best For

Anyone who loves the Disney Princesses.

Our Rating

8.5 out of 10

One of the best opportunities to meet the Disney Princesses. The theme and atmosphere of the restaurant are excellent.

Garden Grill Restaurant

Photo by mrkathika

Pros:

• Interesting concept – a revolving restaurant
• Relatively easy to get reservations

Cons

• Dinner Only
• Not everyone will like the family style food
• Limited food choice

Characters

Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Chip and Dale

Cost

Dinner $$$

Menu

Garden Grill Menu

Epcot Garden Grill

Best For

Guests looking for one of the least expensive character dining experiences offering a very cool concept.

Our Rating

7 out of 10

Nice idea, good characters, but mediocre food.

Animal Kingdom Character Dining Restaurants

Tusker House

Pros:

• Amazing theming
• Try the Jamba Juice!
• One of the best quality character buffets

Cons

• High price for breakfast
• No characters at dinner
• Some of the food options may be too adventurous for some
• Poor dessert selection

Characters

Donald Duck (outside only), Goofy, and Mickey Mouse

Cost

Breakfast $$$
Lunch $$$
Dinner $$$

Menu

Tusker House Restaurant Menu

Best For

Adults who appreciate the amazing theming and slightly different food choices. Perhaps not a first choice with young children.

Our Rating

9 out of 10. The attention to detail of the theming is amazing. We think the food is as good as Boma but with the advantage of being located in the park.

Disney Hollywood Studios

Hollywood and Vine

Photo Credit

Pros:

• Good quality buffet food
• Large dessert selection with chocolate fountain
• Good character interaction

Cons

No characters at Dinner

Limited theme and uninspiring decor

Characters

Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Handy Manny and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Cost

Breakfast $$
Lunch $$$
Dinner $$

Menu

Hollywood and Vine Menu

Best For

Families with young children who want to see these particular characters.

Our Rating

8.5 out of 10. We think this is some of the best quality and selection buffet food in the Disney parks.

Disney World Resort Hotel Character Dining

Cape May Cafe at Disney Beach Club

Pros:

• No theme park entrance needed
• You can draw on the table!

Cons

Characters at breakfast only

Limited choice at buffet

Characters

Beach Goofy and Friends

Cost

Breakfast $$
Dinner $$$

Menu

Cape May Menu

Best For

Families staying in an Epcot Resort who want a good value character experience.

Our Rating

8 out of 10 for breakfast. We like the decor and the characters, but find the buffet area very cramped and difficult to navigate easily.

Chef Mickey at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Pros:

• No theme park entrance needed
• Fun atmosphere
• Good quality food with lots of choice
• Characters wear fun chef costumes

Cons

• Very loud and busy
• Difficult to get a reservation

Characters

Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald.

Cost

Breakfast $$$
Dinner $$$

Menu

Chef Mickey’s Menu

Best For

Families with young children looking for a very fun character experience.

Our Rating

9.5 out of 10. One of our very favorite character experiences. Lots of fun and great food.

1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian

Pros:

• No theme park entrance needed
• Cinderella appears at Dinner
• Lots of character interaction
• One of the highest quality buffets in Disney World
• Excellent with special dietary requests

Cons

• Can get very busy at the buffet as it is a small area

Characters

The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast characters are Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter, Winnie The Pooh and Tigger

Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner has Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drizella, and the Fairy Godmother.

Cost

Breakfast $$$
Dinner $$$

Menu

1900 Park Fare Menu

Best For

Guests looking for a good quality buffet experience with good character interaction.

Our Rating

9.5 out of 10. 1900 Park Fare is, with Chef Mickey’s our joint favorite. Love the decor, food and atmosphere.

Which is your favorite Disney World Character Dining restaurant? Have you had good or bad experiences at Disney character meals. We would love to hear from you so leave us a Comment Below.