Disney Vacation: Our Favorite Character Dining {in the Parks}

Disney Vacation:
Our Favorite Character Dining {in the Parks}

If you know us, you know we don't just love Disney. We live for Disney. It's our absolute favorite of everything, movies, characters & of course Disney World.

I love planning our Disney Vacations. It gets me so excited & I take a lot of time going into detail planning our trips, even with a travel agent.

One of the biggest part of planning for us as a family, is dining. Since our girls our young, getting in character dining really helps seeing the characters so you aren't standing in long lines & gets us some great interaction. With your reservation you can book your dining 180 days out from arrival date.

I always have a list of what I want to aim for ahead of time so I am not scrambling in the morning hurrying on line to get them.

To help ya'll I have put together a list of some of our absolute favorite dining options at Walt Disney World IN the parks.
I will round up resort character dining in another post!
Please remember all character are subject to change at all restaurants.

Please remember all character are subject to change at all restaurants.

EPCOT:

Garden Grill

Garden Grill is right above Living with the Land. I mention this because I always suggest going on the ride prior to eating at the Garden Grill. Our side salad was made of all veggie & fruit grown right below on the land ride! It is so neat & the girls really got a kick out of that. Another neat part of the garden grill is it is moves in circular motion. I know that sounds crazy, & mostly because it is; but it is AMAZING. It goes super slow that you really don't even notice you are moving it is going so slow. So you don't need to worry about motion sickness. The next thing you know you are half way turned around!
This meal is family style.

Characters: Mickey {in a super cute farmer get up}, Pluto, Chip & Dale

Akershus

If you have a princess lover your family this is one of the top options for your family, that is only 1 dining credit! As opposed to 2 for Cinderellas Royal Table. We always go for breakfast. You get a family skillet with basic sausage, bacon, eggs, hash browns ect then there is a buffet of other random breakfast items. The food here isn't my personal favorite. But it is for Brandon & girls! You only meet Belle at the very beginning waiting to be seated where you get a photopass photo with her. The rest of the princesses go table to table. They also do a little "royal parade" that children can participate in where they walk around the dining room.
This meal is family style & buffet.
Characters: Belle, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel & Cinderella

Magic Kingdom:

Crystal Palace

This is one of our ALL time favorites. & always a must. We always go for breakfast & it is one of favorite breakfast spots! The whole place makes you feel nostalgic & we love getting sat over by the "river" The food is buffet style, with traditional breakfast foods & of course mickey waffles. The girls love that they have a small, & shorter buffet bar that is their size so they can get their own food.

Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tiger

Cinderellas Royal Table:

This is the holy grail of dining reservations. It s 2 dining credit meal, which mean it is pricey. Which is why I only recommend this one to do once. The food is good, small servings. But very good. But not worth the 2 dining credit in my opinion. Going up the spiral staircase is enough to get even the non-disney addicts heart pounding.I mean hello, your IN Cinderellas Castle! It's so beautiful. You only see Cinderella at the bottom of the stairs for a quick photo. All princesses come around like other character dining. You get a wishing star, & a wand {swords for boys} they do a wishing ceremony that is so neat & will make your kids really believe in the magic! I recommend dinner, Its delicious & a 4 course meal.

Characters: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Snow White & Aurora

Hollywood Studios:

Hollywood & Vine

This is the only character dining available in HS, currently. {as of 2017} Breakfast is Disney Junior Characters , & dinner is Hollywood glam. We love this restaurant. Service is always amazing & it does feel very diner-ish! It is buffet! You start coming in getting a quick picture with Mickey in his fancy Hollywood get up. Hes so handsome! The buffet is american food & has the best desserts! The girls even were awarded best dressed awards from the staff. So fun! During holidays, it turns seasonal to the holiday for Minnie Holiday Dine. For dinner, there is a photopass option.

Characters: 

Breakfast - Disney Junior Play & Diner:
UPDATED: Doc McStuffins, Vamprina, Sofia the First, Goofy from Mickey Roadster Racers
{previous to 2018} Handy Manny , Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, & Jake

Lunch & Dinner - Minnie's Seasonal Dine:
 Mickey, Daisy, Minnie, Goofy

Disney Junior Play & Dine: 
These Disney Jr pics are circa 2015, look how sweet & tiny they are!!

Dinner Minnie Silver Screen Dine:

 UPDATED 2018 Minnie Christmas Dine:

Animal Kingdom

Tusker House:

Again, this is the only character dining in this park. It isn't one of our favorite food choices. This is a buffet as well. But we love seeing the fab five in there safari get up! Character are there for all meals!

& there you have it! Our favorite character dining experiences in the parks! Next up I will break down our favorite Character Dining experiences in the Resorts!

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