There are special meals at Disneyland that feature character greets that provide guests with the fun opportunity to meet and interact with their favorite characters during themed dining experiences. Different characters will move from table to table during the meal to greet guests, take pictures, and sign autographs.
There are a few Character Dining experiences available at Disneyland highlighting different characters and themes, with some offering buffet-style food and others providing table service.
Keep reading for more details on the Disneyland Character Dining options, what stands out about each one, and tips for making the most of this experience!
Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel is a popular destination offering Character Dining breakfast and dinner buffets with a really fun variety of characters and foods.
For breakfast, you can enjoy options like made-to-order omelets, Eggs Benedict, and Goofy’s Famous Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza. For dinner, offerings may include meats from the carving station, seasonal vegetables, assorted pizzas, and more. You can expect to see Goofy and other characters like Pluto, Aladdin and Jasmine, Alice, and Pinocchio.
This year there is also a Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween-themed Character Dining experience for the first time with special food offerings, characters in their Halloween costumes, and themed decorations!
Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn provides you with the opportunity to meet a large assortment of Disney characters, featuring a hot breakfast buffet for guests to enjoy. This Character Dining experience is hosted at the Plaza Inn, which is located at the end of Main Street U.S.A. on the Tomorrowland side.
Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park features classic breakfast foods (Mickey waffles, sausage, scrambled eggs, pastries, etc) in its buffet. Past characters that we’ve seen include classic characters like Minnie Mouse, Captain Hook, Rafiki, Winnie the Pooh, Chip n Dale, and more!
This is one of our favorite Character Dining locations due to the variety of characters you’ll see here and the charm of the location!
Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is a Disney princess-themed Character Dining experience that features a three-course breakfast, storytelling time, a photo portrait opportunity, and special keepsakes. The experience takes place at the Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures offers a three-course breakfast with starters like sandwiches and sweet buns, a main course with options like mac ‘n’ cheese, princess waffles, and barbecue beef sliders, and a dessert course featuring choices like chocolate princess cake pops, seashell macarons, and more. You’ll see favorite princesses such as Belle, Tianna, Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, and Rapunzel.
Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures is a more elaborate experience that comes at a higher price point, and it’s a great option for special events like birthdays and other celebrations.
Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Character Breakfast at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa offers breakfast and brunch Character Dining with the opportunity to meet Mickey himself and other favorite characters, and the meal takes place at the Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
Mickey’s Tales of Adventure is a buffet-style meal, with breakfast offerings like pastries, seasonal sliced fruits, Mickey Waffles, an omelet station, and much more. Brunch offerings may include offerings like a yogurt parfait bar, flatbreads, seasonal french toast, carved meats with accouterments, and more. You can expect to see Mickey as he shares his stories of adventure as well as characters like Minnie Mouse, Chip n Dale, and Pluto.
We believe this is the best food offered at any Character Dining meal, and you can read our full review of Mickey’s Tales of Adventure experience for more details on what makes this experience special and why it ranks as one of the best restaurants at Disneyland.
We have a few tips to help you make the most of your Character Dining experience at Disneyland:
- Plan Character Breakfasts around prime morning park hours in order to fully take advantage of our Disneyland morning strategy and ride popular attractions with much shorter wait times. You can book Character Breakfasts during brunch or late breakfast hours or early in the morning before the park opens if that option is offered. Keep in mind that each Character Dining location has different meal times available, so you’ll need to check to see when you can book your meal.
- Make reservations in advance. These Character Dining experiences can be incredibly popular and do fill up, so be sure to plan ahead by securing a Disneyland dining reservation. This way, you can also plan your park time strategically around when your Character Dining experience is. While kids under 3 years old are free at character meals, be sure to still include them in your reservation so that Disney can accommodate them at your table.
Character Dining experiences offer you a great way to meet several Disney characters and spend time with them without the potentially long wait times for character meet-and-greets in the parks. We consider this a must-do experience at Disneyland and a fantastic way to make precious memories during your visit.
Be sure to read our full guide to Character Dining at Disneyland for more information and tips!
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