Guide to Magic Kingdom for the Disney Novice



 



So, you're going to Disney World! Hooray! I love Disney because it is one of those places that you can go to again and again, but have a different experience every time. No two Disney days are the same. When I was a child I actually only went to Disney World once, back in 1991. I remember loving it, but it wasn't until 2013 that I entered the Magic Kingdom again that I really noticed how much better Disney is than any other theme park out there. (Wow, that is 22 years later. In other news, I feel old).

Well, after the first time we took our daughter there, I was hooked. Disney is incredible, especially if you are seeing it through the eyes of your child.

For our first trip I read, researching and sought advice for months. I came up with a "perfect" game plan for Magic Kingdom park, and it worked! Now I'll share with you everything you need to know to make your trip to the Magic Kingdom as easy as possible.

Tip #1: Stay on Site

Disney's Polynesian Resort

Now, I know Disney Resorts are expensive, but I have stayed both off-site and in Disney Resorts, and there is no comparison in my book. Disney offers so many perks to its Resort guests, not to mention the convenience of staying so close to all that magic!

 

The first time we took our daughter to Disney we stayed in the Downtown Disney area in a non-Disney hotel. The first hurdle we encountered was just getting to the Magic Kingdom. Let me tell you, driving there is a pain. First you have to get on the Disney property, which is a drive from just about anywhere. What we thought would take 10 or 15 minutes took at least 25. That was just to get to the booth to pay for parking, which was around $15. If you are staying at any Disney resort, your parking is free your entire stay.

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa as seen from the Polynesian's water taxi dock

Okay, congratulations, you have made it to the parking lot. But wait, there's more. Now you are parked so far back that you have to take a tram to the front of the lot. Okay, get stroller out, get to tram, fold stroller, cram stroller into tram while holding child, backpack, etc. Then we ride the tram to the front. Unfold stroller. We're here! Wait, no, we're not there. We've just made it to the Transportation Center. Now we have the choice between a ferry boat across the lake or we can take the monorail. Well, we see tons of people in line for the monorail, so we decide to take the ferry. Roll child, who is now screaming because she thought we were there, onto the ferry while in her stroller. Great view, the ferry, but slow. We see the monorail people whizzing past us, but that's okay, we're (finally) landing!

Tip: When you get on the ferry boat, immediately go to the opposite end of the boat from where you entered, and stay on the first floor. Both sides of the boat have ramps that lower, so the end you entered on will not be the exit. If you head straight to the other end of the boat you'll be the first ones off!

If you stay at Disney's Contemporary Resort you can walk to and from the Magic Kingdom in less than 10 minutes. I timed it! Or you could always take the monorail loop, which also stops at the Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian and the Ticket Center. I'd say traveling from the Polynesian to the Magic Kingdom by monorail takes less than 10 minutes, but it will vary depending on crowds. Being this close means that on hot (or cold) days you could go back to the resort during the hottest (or wettest) part of the day to swim, take a shower, take a nap, etc. and head back to the park later in the day when it cools off or the weather clears to see the evening entertainment.

You can also take a water taxi to and from the Magic Kingdom if you're staying in one of these three resorts! We did that one night and it was actually a lot of fun. It's not every day you go to dinner via a water taxi.

But if staying at either the Grand Floridian, Polynesian or Contemporary Resorts are not your thing, you can still stay on site at one of Disney's many resorts! They start at under $100 a night, and your transportation is free! No matter which resort you've chosen, there will be busses that run to the parks continually!

Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Mousekeeping left us a Mickey made of towels!



Disney also offers Magic Bands to all resort guests where you can pre-select your three Fastpasses per person per day! If you are not staying on site you will have to make those selections once you get to the park, but resort guests can make Fastpass reservations 60 days in advance! Instead of stopping at the Kiosks, you will be able to focus on having fun. And if you change your mind, just use the My Disney Experience App on your smartphone or use a Kiosk to change in a snap!

Resort guests can also take advantage of the Disney Dining Plan, which I think is fantastic! You can pay in advance for all your meals and just scan your Magic Band, enter your pin number, and leave your wallet at home! The traditional Disney Dining Plan includes one counter service meal, one table service meal and one snack per person (per night of stay). In my calculations, you come out about 10-20% cheaper using the dining plan. If you're planning to eat all or most of you meals on the Disney property (resorts or parks) then this is great.

Resort guests also get Disney's Extra Magic Hours, where one park per weeknight either opens early or stays open late just for guests who are staying at Disney resorts. We have had some fantastic experiences using morning Extra Magic Hours! These Extra Magic Hours are always changing, so look to the Disney website for the schedule.

Also, if you buy something in the parks, you won't have to carry your souvenir with you all through the park. Just ask you cashier for delivery to your resort! It's free, fast and convenient!

 

Tip #2: Get there Early

Now that I've touched on how to get to the park, let's talk about when to get to the park and where to go once you're there.

First, you need to get to the park when it opens, if not before. By this I mean take advantage of morning Extra Magic Hours if you are staying on site and they are occurring that day. If not, make sure you get to the park when it opens. Some people will camp outside the entrance up to an hour before it opens, but I think arriving just a few minutes before is just fine, too.

You can also make breakfast reservations inside the Magic Kingdom before it opens, too! Look for breakfast openings at the Crystal Palace or Cinderella's Royal Table. Unless it's a special holiday (Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.) the Magic Kingdom will usually open at 9am, but the restaurants that take reservations will start serving at 8am.

Another idea is to make a reservation at the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique, which opens at 8am to pamper your little princess between the ages of 3 and 12! If you do make it into the park before it opens, it's a fantastic opportunity to take a picture in front of the castle before the mob comes walking down Main Street! More to come on the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique later in this post.

Note: Though the Magic Kingdom typically opens at 9am, on days where there are morning Extra Magic Hours, the park will be open to all Disney Resort guests at 8am. Visit the Disney website for specific schedules.

 

Tip #3: Bring Your Own Stroller/Baby Carrier and

Make It Easy to Find

Once you make it into the park, there will most definitely be a line for stroller rentals. Renting one of these strollers will not only slow you down by having to wait in line to rent one, but they are also ridiculously uncomfortable. The Disney strollers are hard, molded plastic that do not recline. Trust me, you will need strollers that recline.

In addition, think of the literally hundreds of people who are renting the same exact stroller that you are. Disney gives you a small card to write your name on and hang from the handles, but you will be spending a lot of time chasing your stroller if that is the only way to tell them apart.

In fact, even though we bring our own stroller, we label it for quick identification! I usually print out a sheet of paper with our last name in large letters (see below). This slides in a page protector, which is zip-tied to the handle of the stroller. It makes it a little more difficult to get the stroller mixed up! I also keep our dining reservations, confirmation numbers, maps, etc. in the page protector where I can easily reach it!





"But wait," you say, "I'll just park my rented stroller in a specific spot and I'll remember where it is." Oh, how I wish this were true, but it's not! Disney has designated areas for stroller parking all throughout the park. You park your stroller there and you run into whatever attraction is next on your list. While you are in line for Peter Pan's Flight or Splash Mountain or whatever your stroller will be moved.  Trust me on this. Disney has employees whose entire job is to organize strollers. That means that they are constantly moving strollers to make them as tidy-looking as possible. Let me tell you, there is no way to quickly find your rented stroller under these circumstances. It is so great for making sure that you can get your stroller out, but it can be such a challenge to find it!

Also, remember that at Disney you cover a lot of ground, and not just in the parks! Just walking around your resort is a lot of walking. I know kids are small, but all of us parents have been there when your arm is just killing you from holding a baby for an hour and a half straight. Walking so much creates a great deal of fatigue for us adults, so adding a 25 or 30 pound toddler gets tough quickly.

The stroller is also a great place to rest. Even for kids who don't normally take a nap anymore, the stroller has turned into an impromptu naptime area. During our first trip to Disney, we were a little surprised that our daughter fell asleep in the stroller. She hadn't taken a nap for about 6 months, but with all that walking, getting up early, excitement, etc. she was beat! Having the stroller was great because we weren't limited to staying in one spot while she caught some Z's. We actually walked to Main Street and got a spot for the afternoon parade while she slept. By the time she woke up it was time for the parade to begin!

 

Once our second child was born I ended up buying an inexpensive second-hand double stroller of Craigslist. It was a great buy for our family! Even with that great stroller, I spent a lot of time baby wearing her in our awesome Ergo carrier. Since I do that a lot at home, it was easy for her to nap and even ride rides while in the Ergo!

Note: Even when bringing your own stroller, it's helpful to put something on your stroller to easily identifiable. If the page protector with name idea is not for you, one of my friends came up with the idea of putting a Rapunzel "braid" made of yarn on the handle of her stroller. She said that it made it so much easier to find her very popular stroller in the "sea of red strollers." (see below)

 

 

Tip #4: Schedule Character Dining

With two young children in our house, we LOVE character dining. Disney is great about putting characters out in the park, but they will often draw long lines very quickly. We schedule character dining so we can kill two bids with one stone. We get a meal indoors and all of these characters come around to see us instead of our family walking all of the Magic Kingdom to track them down! I really cannot speak highly enough of the character dining at Disney. I highly recommend it.

Many of these dining experiences will book up quickly, or if you wait there will only be odd times available. (When you have kids, there is no way I'm going to make a dinner reservation for 9pm.) Anyone can make dining reservations online beginning at midnight 180 days before the day selected or 7 am by phone (407-939-5277).

Here is the trick to booking a great dining reservation. First, do your homework on which meals you would like to try. You can read my previous blog post on my favorites here. Once you have decided, you need to try to make your reservations as close to the 180 day mark as possible if you are not staying at a Disney Resort. If you are staying at a Disney Resort, reservations can be made 180 days from the first day of your stay in a Disney resort. That means you can make reservations ahead even further than the general public if they are not staying on site. So, if the first day of your stay is 180 days away you can book dining reservations for anytime the following 10 days thereafter. If you plan to arrive on a Monday and that day is 180 days away, you can make reservations for Friday, which is 184 days away or even the following Thursday, which is 190 days away. They will not let you make a reservation greater than 10 days from your first night's stay.

Tip #5: Make a Plan of Attack

When we get to the Magic Kingdom we follow my previous tips of getting there when the park opens or getting inside early due to a reservation. But once the park officially opens and the rides are running, we go immediately to the back of the park into Fantasyland. Most people will walk down Main Street and stop at the closest thing to them on the left and work clockwise around the park. We walk straight through the castle and go to the attractions that will have the longest wait times in Fantasyland. This is usually the order we use:



• Meet Ariel at her Grotto (usually no line at this point)
• Ride Under the Sea, the Journey of the Little Mermaid (no line)
• Ride Peter Pan's Flight (we've waited maybe 10 minutes this early)
• Ride Small World (usually no line)
• Meet the Princess in Princess Fairytale Hall (small line, but usually not more than 10 minutes)
• Ride the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (may get a 15 minute line)
• Ride the Teacups (usually less than 5 minute wait)
• Ride Dumbo (usually no line)
• Ride the Barnstormer (usually 10 minute wait or less)

With the exception of Mickey's Philharmagic, which we skip because we don't like it, that is just about all of Fantasyland done before lunch! The crowd will hit Fantasyland around lunch time, but you will already be done with these rides by then!

I also usually go on the Disney Parks website in advance to make a spreadsheet with times and locations of all the character meetings, special events (like parades), and our FastPass+ times.

Here is an example of an old one:

I color code events by section of the park. I slip this schedule into the page protector that is hanging from the handle of our stroller so it is always close by for easy reference. 

Tip #6: Schedule your FastPass+ Selections Wisely

What is FastPass+ ? It's a fantastic and free program open to anyone who buys a ticket to a Disney theme park. FastPass+ allows you to schedule a time to ride an attraction (up to three attractions per day).

Rather than standing in the standby line, you will go to the FastPass line. You will scan your Magic Band (resort guests) or card (non-resort guests) at the entrance and just sail on through! You will have an hour window to make it to your FastPass reservation, so when you reserve your time it will say you have a FastPass for Splash Mountain between 2:15 and 3:15. You can show up at any point in that window and gain entrance, but they are turning people away if they are early or late.

 

With the new Fastpass Plus system, resort guests can make their Fastpass Plus selections in advance. Before you even leave your house you have a time to ride up to three rides per day. If you are not staying at a Disney resort, you will have to go to a FastPass+ station in the park to select your times.

Note: Disney's old system allowed for unlimited FastPasses in the day, but the new system allows you to select only three per day. There has been recent news that Disney is working to now allow unlimited FastPasses per day again, but there is no indication of when that will happen. You can read more about that here.

Since everyone is allowed only three FastPasses per day, we decided to follow my plan of heading back to Fantasyland to ride all of those rides early in the mornings when crowds and lines are at their lowest. I always schedule my FastPass+ selections for the afternoon, when crowds tend to pick up. There are some rides that never really have a bad line, and those are the ones we save for the afternoon/evening when the heat and crowds are at their peak.

Here are the rides that I think you need to make a FastPass+ reservation for:

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Meet Ariel at her Grotto
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Jungle Cruise
• Splash Mountain
• Space Mountain
• Meet the Princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall (get a Fastpass for Rapunzel, but not the other side)
• Enchanted Tales with Belle

As you can see, there are more rides that need FastPasses than you are allotted in a day, so we prioritize. We get FastPasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and Peter Pan's Flight. All the rest we just try to hit before the mob gets to the park! You will stand in line at some point in the day, but Disney does a great job of designing the ride queues to be interactive and fun. The Winnie the Pooh ride is my favorite queue. There are so many things for the kids to play with and see in this line. My daughter actually cried when there was no line one day and we walked right onto the ride because she wanted to stop and play with all the fun things they put out!

 

There are some rides that either have very fast-moving lines or never get bad lines during the day.

These are the ones we ride when the crowds are at their worst:

• Prince Charming's Regal Carousel
• Small World
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
• Enchanted Tiki Room
• Carousel of Progress
• Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Note: Just about every ride and character meet and greet will have a sign outside it displaying the current wait time. You can also find this information by using the free "My Disney Experience" App for your Smart Phone. FastPass+ selections may also be changed by using this App in the park!

Tip #7: Schedule Your Princess' Makeover at the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique



Okay, so this one is just for fun, but it really is a lot of fun! Any little Princesses between the age of 3 and 12 can make a reservation for a makeover at the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique, which is inside Cinderella's Castle! There are many different packages available, from about a $55 basic package (hairdo, tiara, makeup, face gem, tote and sash) all the way up to a $195 package (Princess dress, shoes, nail polish, hairdo, tiara, picture package, face gem, tote and sash).

This is one memory my daughter just keeps talking about. She loved being able to pick her own hairstyle and get made over by her own "Fairy Godmother in Training." I will say that even with the basic package, it still took about 30 minutes total to finish, so try to get a reservation before the park opens if you can! Also try to make your reservations as close to the 180 day mark as possible because these spots book up quickly! 

My daughter loved this experience! It was completely worth the $50 to me! Bring your own princess dress you bought outside the park or that your daughter wears at home to save serious dinero! You can also tip your Fairy Godmother in Training, and they deserve it! Ours was terrific!

 

Tip #8: Utilize the Photopass Photographers



One thing Disney is great at is providing these amazing photographers in the parks at key spots. These fantastic people are called Photopass Photographers. You will notice them from the moment you enter the park. They line up on Main Street and as you walk into the park they can snap your party's photo in front of Cinderella's Castle, the trolley, with characters, etc. Usually one person in the group who is designated as the "photographer" is the one who is left out of family photos. With Disney that is a thing of the past!

 

When you get a Photopass Photographer to take your picture all you have to do is get them to scan your Magic Band and it will automatically show up on your My Disney Experience account online! You can buy each individual picture for about $15 each or you can purchase the Disney Memory maker to receive all your photos.

If you have pre-purchased the Disney Memory Maker, you will get all of your Photopass photos for $149 if you buy it two weeks or more before the first day of your trip. If you buy it later, it's $199. It includes every single picture Disney takes while you are on site. The photos at your character meals, action snapshots on rides (Splash Mountain, Expedition Everest), as well as all your posed photos in the parks are included! To download pictures from dining experiences, you will need the code they give you at the restaurant and you will enter that code on your Memory Maker account. If you don't know where to find it, just ask! Your Memory Maker includes downloads of all your pictures and the release to print them!

I think the Memory Maker is a great buy, but here is a tip: If you give the Photopass Photographer your camera, he or she will take a picture with it. Yes, your own camera! Even at the big posed phots, like at Cinderella's Royal Table. The Bible says, "Have not because you ask not."

Tip #9: Get your baby in every photo

 



 

Your baby who is not walking yet can definitely get in a picture with the characters as long as he or she is comfortable sitting with them. Disney policy is that no Cast Member can hold your baby, so do not ask! However, most of the characters will automatically sit down with your child and sit your baby on their lap for a photo (see above). I have never asked a "fur" character (Mickey, Tigger, etc.) to take a photo with my baby, just the "face" characters (Alice, Mary Poppins, etc.).

 

 



 If your baby is nervous around a giant, human-sized duck with eyelashes reminiscent of Tammy Faye Bakker (side note: smart baby), then just hop in the picture, Mom or Dad! I've noticed my baby does a lot better with the "fur" characters as long as she can be on my hip. Baby might occasionally look at your eyes to see that everything is alright, and that's a good thing! It's great to teach them early that there should be no fear here. Just remember to introduce the baby slowly, which I've found is the one perk of waiting in a line to see a character. Baby can see them from a distance, and get used to the idea of the character. The only times we have seen her cry around characters was when Winnie the Pooh surprised her once. It also helps if you have a big brother or sister around; my baby wants to do anything big sis does, and she will take a picture with any character so long as big sis is with her!

 

  

Tip #10: Utilize the Disney Dining Plan

 

I have used the Disney Dining Plan twice and I love it! It's a very simple program Disney offers for purchase for all its resort guests. With the traditional Dining Plan you get one table service meal, one quick service meal and one snack per guest (3 and older) per night of your stay. Instead of getting out your wallet every time you want a bag of popcorn or some chicken tenders or even a character meal dining experience all you have to do is use your Magic Band! You will scan your Magic Band at the cash register at quick service restaurants and snack kiosks or your server will scan them with a hand-held device at table service meals. You just enter your pin and you're on your way! The gratuity can even be charged to your credit card on file. No need to break out the old wallet!

 

 

 

Every Disney Resort will have at least one quick-service restaurant and that makes it even easier to grab fast meals from anywhere at Disney. Yes, anywhere! You can use the dining plan in the parks or at any resort. If you're staying at the Polynesian, you can eat a quick service credit at Pinnochio Village Haus for lunch and a table service credit at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort character meal for a table service credit dinner!

 

When you check into your Disney Resort your account will automatically be credited with all your dining in one lump sum. They will not expire until the day after you check out. From there you can use them at your leisure wherever and whenever you like! Just remember that while most restaurants only require one credit per person, some require two, like Cinderella's Royal Table, Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review, and The Spirit of Aloha Dinner.

 

 

 

When I tally it up, I estimated that we saved between 10-20% total on food on our last trip. I thought that was fantastic, especially when you consider that it is just so convenient too! One other perk of the dining plan is that if you are on the regular Disney Dining plan, you will also get free Rapid Refill Mugs, which you can use at the soda refill station at your resort. These mugs allow you to get unlimited soft drink refills for the duration of your stay! If you have a soda addict in your family, the $16 for the entire trip will probably be worth it. The only down side to this is that you can only refill for free at your resort's soda refill station; you cannot use it in the parks. Well, here is what we did. When using the dining plan quick service credits you get one entree, one side, one drink and one dessert per meal. Usually the drinks are bottled, so we when we would eat quick service at our resort we would grab an applejuice, Coke, Lemonade, whatever AND fill up our Rapid Refill mug. We would drink the soda in the mug and just put the bottled drink in the mini fridge in our room. We just kept these and used them in the cooler for the ride home, took it to the park or drank it early in the morning when we woke up and didn't feel like leaving the room yet! You also can keep the snazzy mug as a souvenir!

 

Note: On the Dining Plan, a snack credit is considered something small in the park like an ice cream bar, a bag of popcorn, apple slices or one bottled beverage. If you bring your own bottled water into the park you can use your snack credits for the unique food Disney offers!

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite ways to use the Dining Plan is to reserve a character meal and use one of the Table Service credits for it. I think you really get a bang for your buck with character dining! You can read more on my favorite Character Meals here.

 

Note: While I only spoke of the traditional Disney Dining Plan above, there are several variations of the dining plan available. From only quick service meals to Platinum Dining Plan, which includes three table service options per person per day. Call Disney Dining for additional information.





Tip #11: Go in the Off Season

Typically, the highest crowds at Disney World occur over Spring Break, all of Summer, and Christmas break until New Year's. My family will typically go in the off-season, which is basically anytime school is in session. In addition to lower crowds, you'll also find that the resort room rates are cheaper and you'll sometimes get a perk, like free dining or free unlimited soft drinks with your reservation.

This website is great at spelling out the big pros and cons of a Disney vacation each month of the year. 

We have been in January when it's perfect shorts and tank top weather one day and the next day we are wearing hats, boots and gloves. You just never know with January. But the crowds are pretty consistently low and that also makes dining reservations easier. While I think going in the off-season is great, just know that ride closures and refurbishments generally occur during this time.

Conversely, we have also been on Thanksgiving day, and while many people will tell you to avoid the Magic Kingdom on all holidays, I can tell you that we had an absolutely phenomenal time that day. Now, we went at the last minute, so there were no dining reservations to be had anywhere in the Magic Kingdom, but we decided we would just eat counter service meals and stick to our normal plan of getting there early, riding the big rides first, etc. Well, it turned out to be my favorite day at Disney World to date.

We stayed at a Disney Resort, so we got Extra Magic Hours that morning. We got to enter the park at 7am. Being the first ones there, we also got a fantastic parking spot, and didn't even need to take the tram. We ate a very early lunch (10:30am I think) at Be Our Guest Restaurant, which is counter service only for lunch. It was incredible and such a fantastic memory. The popularity of this restaurant is off the charts, so it worked out great that we were hungry so early in the day (from getting up so early that morning) and that meant we beat the line to eat there.

 

All that said, just maneuvering around the magic kingdom at a peak time of year is a feat. The off-season is significantly easier to find good room rates, dining options, and shorter wait times.

While I say to go in the off season, no matter when you go, anytime is a good time to go to Disney!



 

Best Character Dining at Walt Disney World!

 

 

It's no secret that just about everything Disney does, they do well. Disney Dining is so exception. As a matter of fact, when I was planning our first trip to Disney World the one tip that I kept getting over and over was to take advantage of the many different character meals that Disney offers. I must say, I am hooked on character dining. It is such a time saver and a convenience to be able to wait inside in the air conditioning and have all the characters come to you. I'm just waiting for an opportunity to dine with Tinkerbel and friends because I think that is the worst character line I've personally experienced (only about a 45 minute wait though).

 

Be aware that many of these coveted character meals book up quickly. Reservations can be made 180 days from the first day of your stay in a Disney resort. That means you can make reservations ahead even further than the general public if they are not staying on site. So, if the first day of your stay is 180 days away you can book dining reservations for anytime the following 10 days thereafter. If you plan to arrive on a Monday and that day is 180 days away, you can make reservations for Friday, which is 184 days away or even the following Thursday, which is 190 days away. They will not let you make a reservation greater than 10 days from your first night's stay.

 

Here are my favorite character meals in alphabetical order.

 

1900 Park Faire

(Supercalifragalistic Breakfast and Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner)

 

Breakfast: 

 

On our last Disney vacation we went to 1900 Park Faire for their Supercalifragalistic Breakfast. The restaurant is on the second floor of Disney's Grand Floridian resort. If you are on the Disney Dining Plan this meal will cost 1 table service credit.

 

For those of you who have never been to the Grand Floridian, you should really take half an hour to explore this beautiful resort. The Grand Floridian is one of 3 resorts that are located on the monorail line (others include the Contemporary and the Polynesian). We were staying at the Polynesian on this stay so it was easy to hop on the monorail instead of walking or driving. The monorail is so convenient. It will run all the way to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, as well as the Contemporary Resort, the Ticket Center, and the Polynesian. So if you're in the Magic Kingdom it is very easy to leave for a meal and head back later in the day.

 

 

 

The lobby of this hotel is truly grand and the cast members are all decked out in their 1920's period uniforms. It's the most elegant hotel on the Disney property in my opinion. (Side note: Grand Floridian is very quiet. You might want to think about that before booking a room here with young kids.)

With Disney character breakfast experiences, the earlier your reservation the better. That is not necessarily true with lunch and dinner, but breakfast usually begins at 8am everywhere and when you get an early spot you get first dibs on the buffet. The food is warm, fresh, and the buffet is spotless. (When a bunch of kids start descending on the waffle bar, you start to get a little nervous about how truly clean everything is.) You also don't have to wait so long for the posed photo they take of you when you get to the restaurant.

 

 

Note: The picture the photographer took (shown above) was not given to us for free. Before you are seated, your party will be posed for a picture. While you dine a cast member will bring several prints of the photo to your table. These prints are available for purchase. However, we bought the Disney Memory Maker, which allowed us to download this picture. (More on the Disney Memory Maker to come in another post.)

 

As with any Disney meal, breakfast is always the best. For the kids there is a small buffet just for them with Mickey-shaped waffles, syrup, fruit and even whipped cream for the waffles! As for the rest of the buffet, there was an assortment of fruit, waffles, pancakes, muffins, sausage, scrambled eggs, and bacon. It was all good, but it didn't knock my socks off. I would say that it was definitely better than the average breakfast buffet at any hotel. If you have every stayed at an Embassy Suites hotel, the continental breakfast is a good comparison to this buffet. It was definitely better than our Club Level complimentary breakfast we got each morning at the Polynesian (more to come on that later).

 

 

We saw some great characters here: Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Mary Poppins. Please note that I am told that Winnie the Pooh and Piglet don't always make an appearance. We had fantastic character interactions here and the Mad Hatter was my favorite actor the whole trip, though his over-the-top and erratic/kooky behavior really creeped out my daughter. While in the parks, these characters all have pretty long lines, so it's really nice to be able to sit back, eat a warm meal in the climate-controlled room and let the characters come to you! This dining experience was also very tranquil and not in the least bit noisy, which was very relaxing.

 

 

I love this character dining experience because each of these characters generally have a long line in the park. However, if you would rather see Alice, Mary Poppins, Pooh Bear and Piglet in the park you can! The only character I have not seen much in the park is the Mad Hatter. Usually Alice is accompanied by the White Rabbit in the Magic Kingdom.



 

 

 

 

• You can see Alice (and usually the White Rabbit too) in the Magic Kingdom at the Mad Tea Party (Teacup ride). She is usually there almost all day.
• You can catch Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore right outside The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
• Mary Poppins usually makes an appearance by Prince Charming's Regal Carousel during the day.

Dinner:

 



Dinner takes place at 1900 Park Faire every evening. This is a very special character meal with Cinderella. The Prince has usually accompanied her, but on the night we were there, we only saw four characters: Cinderella, Anastasia, Drizella and Lady Tremaine.

I was actually worried that the wicked stepmother would upset my kids and it would ruin their dinner. They aren't fans of villains at their ages, but the characters were very careful to still be pleasant and weren't scary at all. I was really relieved. As you can see from the picture above, my eldest daughter decided to mock Lady Tremaine and copied her pose for the picture!

Anastasia was a hoot! She told my girls that they were dressed exactly like her old dishwasher!

Drizella was fun, too. She was a little crazy and over the top, but fun to watch and it was fun interacting with her. Be aware, if you have a young man at your table, she will probably ask for a marriage proposal! The poor teenage boy at the table next to us was really getting some pressure from Lady Tremaine to propose to one of her daughters!

The buffet was good, especially the carving station and strawberry soup. We had no wait for our table and the characters came though quickly, which was nice that we didn't have to stick around after our meal was over just to see them. This meal is 1 table service credit if you're on the Disney Dining Plan and definitely worth a try if you have some children who love Cinderella or villains!

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

(Princess Storybook Dining)

 

 

 Akershus, in EPCOT's Norway, is one of two Princess meals in all of Walt Disney World (the other being Cinderella's Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom). This meal, however, uses only 1 Table Service credit, while Cinderella's Royal Table requires two.

 

 

Upon check-in, you will have one posed photo with a Photopass photographer. We were posed with Belle, but I have heard that the Princess can change. Unlike Cinderella's Royal Table, you are not given any prints of this posed photo, but if you have Disney's Photopass, you will be able to download it for free!

 

 

We opted for breakfast at Akershus before the park opened. Please note the breakfast is typical All-American breakfast fare: bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, fruit and pastries. Lunch and dinner are also offered at Akershus, but these are all Norwegian dishes. If you have less adventuresome eaters, you may want to opt for breakfast since the food selection is pretty safe. We did have a buffet for breakfast with pastries, fruit, smoked salmon, and cheeses I can't even pronounce. The rest of our food was served family style, much like 'Ohana. Again, if you want seconds, just ask your server!

 

 

Akershus has a much more relaxed and intimate atmosphere than the other Disney Princess Meal- Cinderella's Royal Table. I was really impressed with the amount of time the Princesses took at each table and each child; we didn't feel rushed in the least.

 

 

One fun thing at Akershus is the Princess Parade! All the young Princes and Princesses are invited to walk around the room with either Aurora, Cinderella, Belle or Ariel. My eldest was chosen to walk with Snow White in the Princess parade and she was thrilled! Once they walked a lap around the restaurant, the Princesses gave the girls twirling and curtseying lessons. It was adorable and my daughter is still talking about it!

 

 

At 1 table service credit and a meal with the Princesses, you really can't beat Akershus on value alone. But when you add that you get such a personal and relaxed experience, I would say that those factors alone have made Akershus our new favorite character meal! 

 

 

Chef Mickey's

(Dinner with the Fab Five!)

Chef Mickey's is a buffet style character meal located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort. If you are using the Disney Dining Plan, this meal will cost 1 Table Service credit. The Contemporary resort is on the monorail line, so it's an easy walk from the Magic Kingdom Park (less than 10 minutes) or you can just hop on the monorail from the Polynesian Resort, Ticket Center or Grand Floridian.

 

We checked in here and waited longer to be seated here than we did for all our other meals combined. That said, it was only around a 25 minute wait total. Luckily, they have a lounge just outside the hostess' stand. Once your table is ready they will take your party's picture by a Chef Mickey statue (see above). They will bring prints of this picture to your table later in your meal and you can purchase them for a price.

 

Note: I did not buy the picture above; I had pre-purchased the Disney Memory Maker before our trip for $149, which included free download of ALL our pictures. I just asked for our code for the pictures and I was able to access them when I got home. More on the Memory Maker to come later.

 

Chef Mickey's is where you go to see the "Fab Five": Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald. As a result, reservations here are hard to come by! Try to make your reservations as close to the 180 day mark as possible! I have also heard that you can see the same characters at Cape May Café at Disney's Beach Club with a lot less competition for reservations.

 

Chef Mickey's is standard buffet fare, with an American theme to the food. They have a pretty good variety and I really enjoyed the parmesan mashed potatoes! You'll see a carving station in the center of the buffet and tons of variety here!  The kids have their own small buffet bar with macaroni and cheese, corn, bread, and chicken fingers. I think my girls were too excited to eat, though!

 

The dessert buffet was great and I actually think it outshined the main buffet. The sweets looked like they were straight out of a magazine!

 

During your meal, music will occasionally be played over the loudspeakers. When you hear the music it means it's time to pick up your napkin and twirl it over your head! The characters will do the same! While we were seated, this happened two or three times. The first time my oldest daughter looked at everyone like they were crazy. But by the second or third time, she was in on it with all of them!

All-in-all I liked Chef Mickey's. We've now been twice, but it isn't my favorite character meal. I liked being able to see the Fab Five all in one spot, but the ambiance leaves a lot to be desired for me. My husband says it's his favorite character meal, though. He likes how the characters are staggered and there isn't too much of a break in the characters during the meal.

Bear in mind, it is in the Contemporary Resort, which is an older resort with all hard surfaces. The sound was deafening to me! I guess I am a little more sensitive to sound, though, because my husband and daughter told me it wasn't that bad. I would caution you that if you have a child who is sensitive to noise, I wouldn't even try Chef Mickey's. I had a hard time talking across our round table in the back of the restaurant. However, the second time we went we were able to sit in the front of the restaurant and it wasn't nearly as noise. Thankfully, my girls did fine with the noise and the hustle and bustle of the restaurant. It is definitely not as relaxed as 1900 Park Fare, Cinderella's Royal Table or even Crystal Palace. There are a lot of really hyped up kids here, and it's really loud and a little hectic. If your child really likes order and calm, I would skip this one. Lucky for me my kids thrive on chaos! ;)





Cinderella's Royal Table

(Meal with the Disney Princesses)

 

 

 

As Disney dining experiences go, Cinderella's Royal Table is considered the crème-de-la-crème. Booking this reservation takes planning and a little bit of know-how. First, decide when you want to go to Disney and try to plan as far in advance as possible. Dining reservations can be made 180 days in advance. If you are making a reservation online, they open at midnight. If you call the reservations hotline, they don't open until 7am. It sounds like a much better deal to stay up until midnight, but I can tell you that I recently didn't stay up, I just looked online in the morning. The website said there were only a few reservations, all of which were at bad times, but when I called the reservations hotline they had a table available at the time I wanted. I think they must reserve a few tables for those who actually use the reservations line.

 

 

Also note that reservations can be made 180 days from the first day of your stay in a Disney resort. That means you can make reservations ahead even further than the general public if they are not staying on site. So, if the first day of your stay is 180 days away you can book dining reservations for anytime the following 10 days thereafter. If you plan to arrive on a Monday and that day is 180 days away, you can make reservations for Friday, which is 184 days away or even the following Thursday, which is 190 days away. They will not let you make a reservation greater than 10 days from your first night's stay.

 

Cinderella's Royal Table not only requires reservations, but it also requires advanced payment. For all other dining experiences they take your credit card number, but only charge the card if you fail to show up ($10 fee per person). If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, any meal at Cinderella's Royal Table will cost you 2 Table Service Credits per person. The cost of the meal is high (around $50-$60 per person the last time I checked), but you will get a complimentary 5x7 print and two 4x6 prints of your party with Cinderella included with your meal. You'll also get little souvenirs for the kids, but more on that later. 

 

 

 

When you arrive, you will be checked in by the Cast Members at the podium, just outside the entrance to the foyer. Once they locate your reservation, you are given a small slip of paper (receipt size) and told to get in line to meet Cinderella. Once it is your turn, the Photopass photographer will scan the receipt the hostess handed you (this is how they know which table to bring the pictures to later on). Then you will get a magical character experience with Cinderella herself. She will sign autographs and take pictures with you. For larger parties you will not receive one 5x7 and two 4x6s, but you will actually receive double that! We had a party of 7 and I think all parties of 6 or more get these two sets of photos. We actually didn't get the same picture twice, I posed my girls with Cinderella for the first one (above), and the entire party posed for the second photo (below). Please note that the foyer is the only place you will get to interact with Cinderella; she does not come upstairs.

While you are waiting to see Cinderella in the foyer, see if you can spot Jaq and Gus, her little mice friends. Hint: They are perched high up and to her right!

After you greet Cinderella,  you will go straight up the stairs and into the Castle! I think I was probably more excited than my daughter on this part! I had never been in the castle before and the Imagineers really outdid themselves here. You will need to present your little receipt the hostess gave you at check-in to the Cast Member at the top of the stairs. From here, he or she will take you to your table.

 

Now comes the fun part! Rather than a buffet like most of the other character meals, you actually get to order off a menu here and it is brought to your table. They have quite a fancy menu here. Please note that your meal includes an appetizer or salad (depends on the menu), an entrée and a dessert. The menu has changed each time we've dined here, so check the Disney Dining website for the most current menu.

 

 

 

The last time we ate here even the children's menu had changed. Kids get an appetizer, entrée and dessert, too! We got our daughter cheese and grapes for an appetizer, I think it was chicken nuggets for an entrée and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. The first time we dined there they gave all of the kids plain frosted cupcakes with sprinkles, edible Mickey ears, chocolate chips, etc. to decorate their cupcake. I think the latter was my daughter's favorite.

 

Note: While you will likely read many, many reviews which characterize Cinderella's Royal Table as having the worst food in Magic Kingdom, I completely disagree. The food has been good every time we've eaten there, and I thought the service was excellent. The food was much fresher and more upscale than the spread at any of the buffets.

 

 

 

 

While you are waiting for your food you will hear music come over the loudspeaker and a voice tell the tale of the first Princess who will enter the room. Now it's time to watch your children's faces light up! We have always met the same Princesses here, and Snow White has always been first.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleeping Beauty, or Princess Aurora, was next (each time) and though I have seen older pictures of her wearing her blue dress here, we have only seen her wearing the pink one. Each of the Princesses stays perfectly in character while she is speaking with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to get her talking about something, ask her if Flora and Merriwether are still changing her dress from pink to blue and back again. You'll like her answer!

This way my baby's first experience at Cinderella's Royal Table and Sleeping Beauty made it so memorable for her! The Princesses will often kiss the forehead of a baby they meet (but each will only kiss one baby per set). My little one got a royal smooch! She wore it proudly the whole day! BTW- that's applesauce above her lip! I promise she wasn't sick!

 

 

Ariel was next! Ariel is my big girl's favorite Princess, but she likes to see her with her tail. So even though we have seen her twice at Cinderella's Royal Table, we still stop by Ariel's grotto in Fantasyland to see her wearing her tail instead of her human legs.

 

 

 

 

 

And finally there is Jasmine. This Jasmine was really sweet and even tried to put my baby's shoe back on when she lost it. She said, "Uh oh, looks like we've got a little Cinderella on our hands here." Like I said, they stay in character the whole time.

 

 

 

 

Toward the end of your meal your server will bring each child at the table a wand (for girls), a sword (for boys) and a Wishing Star. The Wishing Star is a small durable plastic star they will hold and use to wish upon during the Wishing Ceremony. The loudspeaker will come on again and the voice will instruct all the children on how to wish upon their star. These little trinkets are such great souvenirs of an incredibly special character meal. This is the only meal in Disney that I know gives out souvenirs included with the price.

 

 

 

 

All-in-all Cinderella's Royal Table is a must-do for our family. Even with the price, I think it's totally worth it. You would be waiting a LONG time to see all of these Princesses individually and you can't beat the location!

 

If you would rather skip Cinderella's Royal Table, there is a great Princess Character meal in EPCOT at the restaurant Akershus in Norway. I have heard that breakfast is the best meal there, so book 180 days + in advance if you want to get this slot.

 

 

 

If character dining is not your thing there are other places you can meet the Princesses all over Magic Kingdom!

 

• You can meet Rapunzel and a visiting Princess (usually Snow White) on one side of Princess Fairytale Hall. (We have never seen Rapunzel at Cinderella's Royal Table.)
• On the other side of Princess Fairytal Hall you can meet Cinderella and a visiting Princess (usually Sleeping Beauty).
• You can meet Ariel (wearing her tail) at her grotto back by her ride, The Journey of the Little Mermaid, in Fantasyland.
• You can meet Tiana in Liberty Square, which is next to the back side of the Christmas shop. She is under a beautiful white gazebo. (We have never met her at Cinderella's Royal Table.)
• Belle is unfortunately not at any posed meet and greet spots in the Magic Kingdom anymore, but you will find her at Enchanted Tales with Belle. She will not sign autographs, but she will pose for pictures with everyone who has a role in the telling of her story. If you want a true meet and greet experience with Belle, I suggest you go to EPCOT to find her in France or dine at Akershus; she is always there. (We have never seen her at Cinderella's Royal Table.)

 



 



The Crystal Palace

(Dinner with Winnie the Pooh and Friends)

 

 



 On our last trip we were able to dine with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. This dining experience takes place in the Magic Kingdom at the Crystal Palace, which is located just off Main Street USA. We had made reservations in advance, but I saw several people inquire about walk-in seating and a few of them were accommodated (they waited a lot longer than we did with reservations). The restaurant was very busy when we were there, which was prime meal time (around 6pm). I'm sure that it would be less busy during the mid to late afternoon. Even with our reservations and showing up only 10 minutes early, we did have to wait for our table. Thankfully we waited less than 15 minutes before we were seated, which was just about the exact time of our reservation! There is no official posed photograph here and no Photopass photographer. All photographs are on your own.

 

The first character we saw was Tigger. We hadn't even buckled the baby into her high chair when he came over, so he told us he would come back again, and he did! That gave us an opportunity to run up to the buffet, grab our dinner and then head back to our seats before the next character came.

 

 

The buffet was pretty good. All of the Disney buffets have a special section just for kids at the beginning of the buffet line. This section is lower to the ground and just the right height for kids to get their own food. They usually have pretty standard kid items, such as macaroni and cheese, corn kernels, chicken nuggets, rolls and some other assorted vegetables. They also had a soft serve ice cream bar with a variety of toppings.

 

 

 





The rest of the buffet was good, but if you are a true food critic you might want to think about this one. In general, eating breakfast anywhere on Disney property is pretty safe because they will have the standard fare, but lunch and dinner are a bit of a gamble. They did offer a carving station and also had a number of other dishes I liked. They ranged from pretty safe (pasta salad) to fairly surprising (I'm pretty sure I had paella, even though there was no description card.)

 

 

All-in-all I thought the food was good, but not amazing. After all, it was a buffet. There was plenty of variety and it was all prepared well. We are not a group of picky eaters, so we just all kind of dabbled in the various dishes and didn't eat some, but got second helpings of others.

The overall atmosphere here is good. The restaurant is pretty with an atrium-like feel. The ceiling in the entryway is completely made of glass and the tables and chairs all have a garden feel to them (iron work on them, etc.).

 

 

 

Please note that if you have a child who is easily overstimulated by noise, you probably want to go during a less hectic time of day. It was a little bit on the noisy side, but very easy to carry on a conversation at our table. My daughters didn't really seem to notice the noise; they were too busy looking at all the characters.

 

During our meal there were two times when music came over the loudspeakers, which instructed all the children to follow the characters in a parade around the restaurant. If a character is at your table when this happens he or she will finish taking pictures and signing autographs and immediately go to the parade. If you are the next table in line, don't worry! The character picks up right where he or she left off! You won't miss a thing. It was really cute to see my daughter following Winnie the Pooh around the restaurant clapping, skipping and dancing with him. I just wished I had known about that ahead of time so I could have gotten some pictures! It really was adorable.

Actually, Pooh Bear was at our table when the music started, so he gestured to my daughter to follow him and she led the parade with Pooh Bear himself! She was so excited! Just realize that every child has a different reaction to the characters, noise and the parade. I saw some kids do fine when the characters were at their table, but wouldn't dare follow them around the restaurant. After a long day in the Florida sun (or in our case rain) everyone is tired, hungry and slightly unpredictable. Try to be extra patient here!

 

Personally, I really liked the Crystal Palace and I would definitely dine there again!



 

 

If you skip the Crystal Palace character meal, you can still see Winnie the Pooh and the gang in the Magic Kingdom! They are always over by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. Please be aware that this line gets very long and the characters take a lot of breaks (probably because they are wearing fur in the Florida heat). The line to see them usually takes a very long time, and I seem to remember it being an uncovered area. Also, the characters will vary. You might only get two or so of the Winnie the Pooh gang.

 

 

 

The Garden Grill

(Chip n' Dale's Harvest Feast)

 

 

The Garden Grill is a dinner only character meal in The Land Pavilion at EPCOT. If you've never ridden the "Living with the Land" attraction in that pavilion, you should do that before you eat here. "Living with the Land" guides guests through a narrative about farming, both traditional and futuristic techniques. The attraction even takes you through EPCOT's greenhouse, where you can see hydroponic (soil less) farming techniques.

The fun thing about the Garden Grill is that some of the produce in your meal comes from this greenhouse! 

 

Our meal here was really fantastic. It is served family style, just like Akershus' and 'Ohana's breakfast. We received a variety of beef, turkey, mashed potatoes and fish for the adults. The children were served sweet potato fries, macaroni and cheese, steamed vegetables and chicken nuggets. The server also brought out salad and rolls for the table. It was plenty of food for us, and we didn't feel like we even made much of a dent in it.

 

 

While you're enjoying this yummy meal, the restaurant is slowly rotating. Really, it's such a subtle rotation that you won't really notice it. But you do get a front row seat to peer into some of the segments from the "Living with the Land" attraction.

 

 

We made one full revolution during our meal, and we were there about an hour and a half. We even saw a few of the boats from the attraction going through, which my kids thought was lots of fun.

 

 

During our meal, we were greeted by four characters: Chip, Dale, Farmer Mickey and Pluto.

 

 

If you don't know the difference between Chip and Dale just remember this: Chip has a nose like a chocolate chip! Dale has a red nose.

 

 

Farmer Mickey was a lot of fun to see. We had a great character interaction here, and Mickey even came around to our table a few times.

 

 

Our meal here was great, and we really enjoy eating the family style meals. If you want more to eat, make sure to tell your server, you can get more of just one item or the entire platter! I personally prefer to stay away from the buffets, just since it takes up so much more time. I thought the 1 table service credit this meal cost us was well worth it. We had a great character interaction and great food. We definitely recommend it!

 

 

If you skip The Garden Grill, you can still see Mickey and Pluto at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort (breakfast or dinner) or 'Ohana at the Polynesian Village Resort (breakfast only). You can also see Mickey Mouse in Magic Kingdom at the Town Square Theater, EPCOT at the Character Spot, Animal Kingdom at Tusker House or out in the park. You can catch Chip and Dale at the Magic Kingdom near the Diamond Horseshoe daily.

 

 

Hollywood and Vine

(Disney Junior Play and Dine)

 

Located in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Hollywood and Vine has the only character meal with some of the Disney Junior cast. If you're planning to see characters, make sure your reservations are for breakfast or lunch- dinner does not have characters.

Hollywood and Vine is definitely the smallest restaurant I have been in while at Disney World, but we actually loved the small interior. The restaurant is very 1950's diner, and the small space allowed us to see the characters several times during the meal.

 

 

 

We sometimes feel rushed to get the character to the next table, but this was much more free form. There were even periodic breaks in the character meetings to dance with the Disney Junior Play and Dine cast. It really ended up being more of a experience than just a character meal.

 

We loved seeing Doc McStuffins while we were there!

 

Sofia the First was so sweet to my kiddos and she loved their Sofia outfits they wore. :)

 

 

Handy Manny even gave my baby a smooch!

 

The entire meal was buffet, and they had a few highlights for our family. The first was the make your own pasta station for lunch, but we also loved the soft serve ice cream for dessert, chocolate fountain and lobster mac and cheese.

 

Hollywood and Vine was a little chaotic, and not as organized as many of the other character meals. That said, we still loved it and enjoyed the meal. It was a great opportunity to see the Disney Junior characters since they are pretty rare out in Hollywood Studios. Two thumbs up!



 

 

'Ohana

(Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo and Stitch)

 

 

 

 

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort boasts one of the most popular restaurants in all of Walt Disney World: 'Ohana! As you'll soon find out upon entering, 'Ohana means "family." In this restaurant, you won't call your server by his or her first name, everyone is "cousin." If you are here to see characters, make sure you have a breakfast reservation! There are no characters at any other meals, so breakfast reservations fill up quickly! This is also the only place where you can meet Lilo and Stitch in Walt Disney World!

 

Breakfast at 'Ohana is served family style. The "cousin" serving your table will bring you pastries to begin.

 

Note: there were a lot more of these, I just didn't get a picture until we had dug in a bit!

 

The skillet of food they brought for the table had sausage, eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes and biscuits. I really enjoyed the fact that there wasn't a buffet, so I didn't have to waste time going up to get separate plates for my kids and then my husband and I taking turns. It was really nice having it already prepared and brought to the table for us. If you want more of anything, just ask! It's included in the price of the meal!

After our skillet of breakfast foods was delivered, another cast member came around to deliver Stitch waffles. This is a fun treat because this is the only place you can get Stitch waffles! My kids got a kick out of this.

We got to meet four characters at this meal. The first was Lilo, who was just so sweet to my kiddos! The only other place you can meet Lilo is at Aulani in Hawaii, so this was a little more budget friendly for us. :)

Hawaiian Mickey was also lots of fun! He wears a Hawaiian shirt with white pants and a lei.

Hawaiian Pluto wearing a lei is also at the  'Ohana's breakfast, in addition to Stitch, of course. I should note that there was no posed group photo when we entered the restaurant, and there was only 1 Photopass photographer with the characters, and that was with Stitch.

One thing to keep in mind is the parade the kids are able to participate in during the breakfast. The Cast Members give them maracas and other instruments, and they parade around the restaurant with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto. It was really a blast.

Our overall impression of 'Ohana was great. The food was the general Disney breakfast fare, so nothing too unusual there, except for the Stitch waffles and "Stitch Juice"- which is just orange juice and guava juice, I believe. It was definitely worth the time and the Dining Plan's 1 Credit. Ambiance and food were great. Great character interaction, and great time. We highly recommend this meal!

Tusker House

(Donald's Dining Safari)



 Animal Kingdom's only character dining experience is at Tusker House in the Africa section of the park. Located across from the Kilimanjaro Safari, Tusker house offers character meals for breakfast and lunch only, dinner is a buffet, but has no characters.

 

 

We met 4 characters at this meal: Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. All of the characters were wearing their safari garb. Safari Minnie has been at the breakfast in the past, but not the day we were there. Be aware that characters are always subject to change.

As with all other Disney breakfasts, the food was traditional American breakfast: sausage, eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, mickey waffles, etc. We were offered the house "Jungle Juice"- which was okay. It was basically equal parts orange juice, guava juice and passion fruit juice. I'm not a huge fan, but it was something different to try. There are also a few African dishes available on the buffet to try! Please note that this is a full buffet, not a family-style meal.

 

In addition to meeting the characters, our favorite thing about the safari breakfast was the parade! The children are all given African instruments and walk around the restaurant following the characters. So much fun!

 

In sum, Tusker House is a win! This meal is only 1 dining credit and a great opportunity to see the original Disney cast. The food and service were great and we had a fantastic character interaction. Just be aware if you have a child with sensory issues, Tusker house can be loud and crowded! We were practically sitting with the people at the next table.



 

Well, those are my favorites! If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, I highly recommend any character meal. It is such a time saver out in the parks! But even if you're not into Character Dining, please take a look at my review of Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at the Polynesian here. It's a character-free show for any age group!