Character dining at Disney World is one of the best ways to get quality time with your child’s favorite Disney buddies. From Mickey Mouse to Winnie the Pooh to Disney Princesses, your family can see and interact with a wide variety of characters during these sit-down meals.

With a wide variety of cuisines and characters, it can be hard to know which Disney World character dining experience to choose. Also, Disney has been reopening character dining in phases, and some experiences have been altered from previous years.

In our Disney World Character Dining Guide, we’ll break down where you can find every character dining meal in the theme parks and hotels, as well as what cuisine you can expect and which characters will make an appearance.

Update: 12/20/2022 – Cinderella’s Royal Table is bringing princess dining back to Magic Kingdom’s castle restaurant.

What is Disney World character dining?

Character dining at Disney World are meals where Disney characters come to your table throughout your meal. Guests can take pictures, get autographs, and hug these characters if they’d like. There are a couple of meals like Be Our Guest dinner that just feature an appearance by a character, rather than a full-blown interactive experience. These are noted below.

Disney World character dining experiences are typically either family-style meals, prix fixe meals, or buffets.

How much do Disney World character meals cost?

Character meals at Disney World are usually more expensive than comparable meals at other Disney restaurants. You are paying a premium for the character interactions and photo-ops.

Prices will fluctuate based on season and location. Here is what you can typically expect to pay per person at a Disney World character dining restaurant:

  • Breakfast: $35-$45 per adult, $27-$35 per child (ages 3-9)
  • Lunch/Dinner: $55+ per adult, $35-$40 per child (ages 3-9)

Children under 3 dine for free.

Which restaurants feature character dining at Disney World?

Magic Kingdom Character Dining

Crystal Palace

Eeyore - Crystal Palace Character Dining - Magic Kingdom Meet and Greet Character

Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore

Character Meals Available: Breakfast (Starting October 25), Lunch, Dinner

Food: American Cuisine. All You Care to Eat Buffet. Carved Prime Rib, Seasonal Ravioli, Peel & Eat Shrimp

Cinderella’s Royal Table*

Cinderella's Royal Table - Magic Kingdom Dining

Characters: This experience is currently not a full character dining experience. It does feature a meet and greet/photo-op with Cinderella.

The full Disney Princess character meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table will return on February 28, 2023.

Meals Available: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Food: American. Breakfast features Eggs, Shrimp & Grits, and Beef Tenderloin and Eggs.

Price Range: $35-60 per adult for Breakfast, $60+ per adult for Lunch and Dinner

Be Our Guest*

Be Our Guest - Disney World Character Dining

Characters: Be Our Guest Dinner features appearances by the Beast. You can also get your picture taken with Beast after your meal. This is not a traditional character meet and greet where characters come to your table, although the theming is among the best at Disney World.

Character Meals Available: Dinner (Beast does not appear at breakfast or lunch).

Food: French Cuisine. Prix fixe menu with appetizer, entree, and dessert.

Price Range: Approximately $55 for adults, $35 for kids

EPCOT Character Dining

Garden Grill Restaurant

Garden Grill Restaurant Sign - Disney World Character Dining

Characters: Chip, Dale, and “other Disney Pals,” including Farmer Mickey and Pluto

Character Meals Available: Lunch, Dinner

Food: Chip ‘N’ Dale Harvest Feast – Family style dining with American cuisine. Dishes include grilled beef with chimichurri, sliced turkey breast, and macaroni & cheese.

Price Range: $55+ for adults, $36+ for kids

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Akershus - Epcot Character Dining

Note: This dining location will reopened November 4, 2022.

Characters: Disney Princesses, including Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Princess Aurora, and Ariel.

Character Meals Available: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Food: Breakfast features American cuisine, including scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, and bacon. Lunch and dinner feature a “Taste of Norway,” which features “some of the finest Scandinavian seafood, imported cheeses, cured and sliced meats, and a vast selection of salads and fruits.” Kids’ entrees during lunch and dinner range from Norwegian Meatballs and Salmon to Mac & Cheese and Pizza.

Price Range: Breakfast – $53 per adult $34 per kid, Lunch/Dinner $60+ per adult, $40+ per kid

Hollywood Studios Character Dining

Hollywood & Vine

Hollywood and Vine - Disney's Hollywood Studios Restaurant

Hollywood & Vine features two different character meals: Disney Junior Play n’ Dine at breakfast, and Minnie’s Seasonal Dining at lunch and dinner. The character dining is currently a hybrid of family style and prix fixe, but the buffet will return on August 28, 2022.

Characters: Breakfast – Disney Junior Play n’ Dine featuring Disney Junior characters like Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins, and Goofy. Lunch/Dinner – Minnie’s Seasonal Dining featuring Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy.

Character Meals Available: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Food: Breakfast – Shared pastries for the table, individual plates like omelets, frittata, all you can eat pancakes. Lunch/Dinner: Family style salad, and each guest gets to select one entree and one dessert. Entrees include Beef Tenderloin, Macaroni & Cheese with Shrimp, and Risotto. Kids’ selections include salmon, mac & cheese, and roasted turkey or beef.

Price Range: Breakfast – around $42 per adult, $27 per child, Lunch/Dinner $55 per adult, $36 per child

Animal Kingdom Character Dining

Tusker House Restaurant

Tusker House Restaurant - Animal Kingdom Dining

Characters: Donald, Mickey, Goofy, Daisy in safari garb.

Character Meals Available: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Food: Family-style dining. Breakfast features pastries, Mickey & Simba waffles, egg curry with jasmine rice, and safari bread. Lunch/Dinner features Moroccan-spiced beef, berbere-marinated pork, Impossible Durban curry, and macaroni & cheese.

Price Range: Breakfast – around $42 per adult, $27 per child, Lunch/Dinner $55 per adult, $36 per child

Character Dining at Disney World Resorts

Chef Mickey’s – Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Chef Mickey - Disney World Dining
Disney World

Characters: Mickey, Goofy, and pals dressed in chef attire

Character Meals Available: Breakfast, Dinner

Food: All-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast featuring eggs, bacon, beef brisket, and Mickey Waffles. Dinner is prix fixe, with your choices of a first course, main plate, side dish. Desserts are served family-style. Options include citrus-poached baby shrimp, roasted salmon, and herb-crusted New York Strip Loin.

Price Range: Breakfast – around $42 per adult, $27 per child, Dinner $55 per adult, $36 per child

Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Story Book Dining at Artist Point - Disney World Character Dining
Disney World

Characters: Snow White, The Queen, Dopey, and Grumpy.

Character Meals Available: Dinner

Food: A combination of prix fixe and family style, where guests choose individual entrees, as well as shared appetizers and deserts. Appetizers include Wild Mushroom Bisque and Hunter’s Pie. Entrees range from Magic Mirror’s Slow-braised Pork Shank to “A Stroll through Nature,” with asparagus, leeks, arugula, gnocchi, sage, and parmesan. And how can you resist ending your meal with a “Poison” Apple — a dark chocolate-apple mousse with a sour center.

Price Range: Dinner $60 per adult, $39 per child

Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera – Disney’s Riviera Resort

Character Dining at Topolino's Terrace
Disney World

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy in French-inspired outfits.

Character Meals Available: Breakfast (Topolino’s Terrace also features dinner, but that is not a character dining experience)

Food: French-inspired prix fixe breakfast. Entrees include Quiche Gruyere, Sour Cream Waffle, and Wood-fired Butchers Steak. Kids’ entrees include Scrambled Eggs, Mickey Waffle Dippers, or Fruit & Yogurt.

Price Range: $42 per adult, $27 per child

‘Ohana Best Friends Breakfast – Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (Reopening September 27, 2022)

Stitch Ohana Breakfast
Disney World

Characters: Lilo, Stitch, Pluto

Character Meals Available: Breakfast

Food: Mickey and Stitch Waffles, Pineapple Coconut Breakfast Bread, Lilikoi Juice.

Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast at Cape May Cafe – Disney’s Beach Club (Reopening October 4, 2022)

Characters: Minnie, Mickey, and pals

Character Meals Available: Breakfast

Food: Breakfast Buffet featuring Mickey and Minnie Waffles, Salted Caramel Beach Buns, biscuits, ham, eggs, and more.

1900 Park Fare – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort – Temporarily Closed

Mickey Waffle - Breakfast at Disney World

This location has been temporarily closed since 2020.

Characters: Breakfast: Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter, Tigger, Pooh. Dinner: Cinderella, Prince Charming, and other royal characters.

Character Meals Available: Breakfast, Dinner

Food: Breakfast buffet featuring mini-pancakes, made-to-order omelets, and Mickey waffles. Dinner buffet features a selection of international dishes from across the globe, including Mongolian Beef, Shrimp Scampi, and barbecued pulled pork.

Wonderland Tea Party at 1900 Park Fare – Disney’s Grand Floridian  – Temporarily Closed

Wonderland Tea Party is held at 1900 Park Fare from 2-3 PM on Monday-Friday. This has been closed since 2020.

Characters: Alice and The Mad Hatter

Character Meals Available: Afternoon Tea for Ages 4-12. Parents drop off and pick up their child (photo ID is required for drop off and pickup).

Food: Join Alice and Mad Hatter for an “unbirthday party.” Guests will sip on “tea” that is actually apple juice, decorate cupcakes, and make a take home craft. There is also a photo-op with this experience.

Price: $49 per child.

What character dining is still closed at Disney World?

Character dining has been making a slow return over the past two years as Disney World has reopened. While many character dining locations are back, Disney still has not reopened some of the most popular WDW character dining.

Tip: Know the ins and outs of dining reservations.

Character dining at Disney World is very popular, so you’ll want to make your dining reservations as early as possible. In our Guide 2 Disney World Dining Reservations, we have step-by-step guides on how to make and cancel Disney dining reservations, which reservations are the hardest to get, and what to do if you don’t have a reservation.

And did you know that your travel agent can help you out with making dining reservations? If you book your Disney World vacation with a travel agent like our friends at Vacationeer, they can help you plan out your whole vacation as well as secure reservations at character dining locations.

We want to hear from you!

Have any questions about character dining at Disney World? Let me know in the comments below!