Kid's Character Dining
Walt Disney World has an overwhelming amount of attractions, parades, resorts and restaurants. WaltDisneyWorld.com lists over 20 options just for Character Dining (those are the restaurants that also allow Guests to interact with some of Disney’s most well-loved Characters)! With so many options, it can be hard to know what restaurants will guarantee a happy family and full belly, so I’m sharing my personal favorites.
Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s is one of the most expensive Character Dining options but I can understand why; you are meeting Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto while sitting in the Grand Concourse of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Chef Mickey’s is open for breakfast, brunch and dinner daily. It is a buffet style restaurant with dozens of food options at your fingertips.
I’ve been to Chef Mickey’s for all meals and I enjoy breakfast the most! It is wonderful to start a day with Disney fun and amazing food. The buffet includes fresh fruit, oatmeal, fresh pancakes (there are chefs at the buffet counter making them), bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, scrambled egg whites, cheesy potatoes (my literal favorite thing on that buffet), Mickey waffles, tater tots and much more.
Let me tell you about these cheesy potatoes...they are amazing. Yes, they are greasy but filled with butter and whatever else but they are full of flavor and incredibly satisfying. When I am full I continue to eat the cheesy potatoes because I know I’d rather be too full than sad for not eating enough potatoes!
As a kid, my family would always go to Chef Mickey’s for dinner during our Walt Disney World vacations. It was a highlight of the trip! Chef Mickey’s is a fun restaurant because there are intermittent “dance parties” where Characters swing napkins above their heads and encourage Guests to get up and dance with them!
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace is located inside the Magic Kingdom and sits just off Main Street USA. It offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with Characters from Winnie the Pooh! This is also a longtime favorite for me and my family.
Just as I’ve been to Chef Mickey’s for all meals, I’ve been to The Crystal Palace for all of them as well. My family generally goes for breakfast and I would say it is my favorite meal they offer (although dinner is very, very good, too)!
Breakfast provides traditional favorites such as pancakes, Mickey waffles, sausage, bacon, fruit, cereal and pastries. Dinner has carved meats, soup, salads, vegetables and an array of desserts. The food is great at all times of day but again, I like to start my day with Disney magic and a full stomach.
What I love about Crystal Palace is the actual building that houses it. It is inspired by Victorian greenhouses of the 1800s and that is obvious from the outside as you see a grand white structure with an incredible amount of windows. Plus, the “original” Crystal Palace was built in London’s Hyde Park all the way back in 1851. I love London and I love Disney so I get excited when the two mix.
Tusker House Restaurant
Personally, I could do a Disney trip without Tusker House but the rest of my family absolutely could NOT! They are in love. The thing that turns me off from Tusker House Restaurant is that they have a few too many tables so it is hard to navigate the dining area and even harder to get up and mingle with Characters.
Located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Tusker House offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’ve only been for breakfast. See a theme here? My family clearly loves a good Disney Character breakfast! The food here is amazing and different than other Character Dining options because they are traditional American breakfast items along with African-inspired flavors. Kids will find tater tots, pancakes and Mickey waffles and while parents can enjoy those foods as well, Tusker House has a frittata, fruit chutneys and other foods with spices that generally appeal to a slightly older pallet.
You know what people really love about Tusker House? Jungle Juice. Jungle Juice is a mixture of orange, guava and passion fruit juices. My family and friends absolutely adore it and get their cups filled multiple times during the meal. Side note: don’t get Jungle Juice confused with POG juice served at ‘Ohana in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy are at Tusker House to meet Guests and they are dressed in safari clothing to fit the theme of Animal Kingdom. As I said previously, it is hard to mingle with the Characters because of the tight confines of the dining area but the food at Tusker House makes it worth a trip.
1900 Park Fare
Just as my family has gone to Chef Mickey’s and The Crystal Palace since the beginning, we always go to 1900 Park Fare for dinner while visiting Walt Disney World.
1900 Park Fare is located in the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The Grand Floridian is a Victorian-inspired resort located near the Magic Kingdom and due to its Victorian ties, the Character Dining at 1900 Park Fare features characters from Disney stories with English connections.
During Supercalifragilistic Breakfast, Guests can meet Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh! Dinner at 1900 Park Fare is called Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner and features Cinderella, Prince Charming and members of Cinderella’s stepfamily. While Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella cannot always attend dinner, it is a highlight when they do since they are hilarious Characters and always fun to interact with.
Shockingly, I’ve never been to breakfast at 1900 Park Fare but dinner offers a delicious array of salads, soup, carved meat, fish, poultry and other foods. They always have a nice dessert bar, too. As with most Character Dining, 1900 Park Fare is an all-you-can-eat buffet.
