The person who coined the phrase “never meet your heroes” clearly never experienced character dining at Walt Disney World Resort. 

One of the best parts of visiting a Disney theme park is the opportunity to meet and interact with your favorite characters. 

You can opt to wait in line to snap a picture or get an autograph from Disney celebrities like Mickey Mouse or Cinderella, or you can treat yourself to a seated, air-conditioned, and delicious meal at one of the theme parks’ character dining establishments.  

During a character dining experience, you’ll get to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner in a beautifully themed restaurant brimming with Disney magic. Throughout your meal, designated characters will make special appearances, coming directly to your table for playful interactions, pictures, and autographs.  

While character dining comes at an additional expense, you aren’t just paying for your food; you’re paying for a magical experience that only Disney can offer.  

If you’re planning a trip to a Walt Disney World Resort theme park and trying to determine which character dining experience is right for you, Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista has got you covered.  

Here is your Ultimate Guide to Character Dining in Disney Theme Parks.  

Cinderella’s Royal Table 

Magic Kingdom  
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Cinderella’s Royal Table has one of the most special locations in any of the theme parks—nestled into the iconic Cinderella Castle.  

Dine in a true storybook setting with ornate stained-glass windows, high vaulted ceilings, and medieval stone archways. From the windows, you can take in views of Fantasyland or take in the spectacular Happily Ever After fireworks show at night.  

Upon entering the castle, you’ll be greeted downstairs by your hostess, Cinderella. During your meal, you can expect visits from her princess peers. Throughout lunch your table may be greeted by Ariel, Aurora, and Snow White. Snow White typically makes an additional appearance during dinner along with Princess Jasmine.  

Diners are encouraged to dress up and don their finest tiaras for their special meal in the castle.  

Cinderella’s Royal Table’s breakfast menu includes traditional breakfast fare like eggs and bacon, as well as indulgences like banana-stuffed French toast. Grown-ups can accompany their meal with bubbly cocktails.  

Lunch and dinner offer everything from roasted lamb chops to a specialty fish of the day. Younger diners can enjoy popular kid-friendly dishes like mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.  

Be sure to save room for the signature “The Clock Strikes Twelve” dessert, a rich chocolate ganache tart topped with a heavenly salted caramel-coffee mousse.  

The Crystal Palace 

Magic Kingdom 
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

Just off Main Street USA is The Crystal Palace, a beautiful restaurant inspired by Victorian greenhouses of the late 1800’s.  

Inside, you’ll find beautiful greenery, walls of floor-to-ceiling windows with spectacular views of Cinderella Castle, and antique light fixtures.  

As you dine, you’ll be visited by Winnie the Pooh and friends from the Hundred-Acre Wood, including Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger. It’s the perfect chance to have your picture taken or get an autograph from your favorite friendly character.  

The Crystal Palace is an “all you care to eat” buffet with plenty of options to satisfy every palate. 

If you visit The Crystal Palace for breakfast, you’ll get to enjoy tasty fare like scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, and a custom omelet from the omelet station.  

During lunch and dinner, you’ll find an array of soups and garden salads, roasted carved meats, and freshly made pasta. For dessert, you can indulge in warm seasonal cobbler topped with soft serve ice cream and other delightful sweet treats.  

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall  

EPCOT 
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Tucked into the Norway Pavilion of the World Showcase at EPCOT is Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Disney’s ultimate princess dining destination.  

If meeting princesses is the goal of your character dining experience, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall should be at the top of your list. 

Feast like royalty in a medieval Nordic castle with soaring ceilings lined in rich wooden beams, tiered chandeliers, and elegant stone archways. 

While at your table, you’ll likely be visited by an array of beloved Disney princesses, including Belle, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, and Cinderella. Mary Poppins, Tiana, Mulan, and Rapunzel have been known to make appearances from time to time, too.  

This medieval castle serves family-style Norwegian fare for all three meals of the day.  

For breakfast, you can enjoy a variety of pastries, mixed fruit, potato casserole, and Norwegian waffles.  

Lunch and dinner serve more traditional Norwegian dishes including Potetstappe Med Brun Saus (mashed potatoes and gravy), Kjottkaker (Norwegian meatballs), and Stekt Laks (seared salmon).  

Specialty cocktails, wine, and beer are also available to purchase.  

Garden Grill Restaurant 

EPCOT 
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

The Land Pavilion in EPCOT is home to popular attractions like Soarin’ and Living with the Land. It’s also where you can find Garden Grill Restaurant gently rotating on the second floor – yes, rotating.  

Garden Grill is a totally unique restaurant that gives guests a variety of unique views as it slowly spins (each full rotation takes about an hour.) You’ll see sights like a rainforest, farmhouse, thunderstorm, sandstorm, and a prairie, much of which is part of the Living with the Land ride.  

Visit with Disney characters like Chip and Dale, Farmer Mickey, and Pluto as you dine on American harvest-inspired dishes.  

The menus at Garden Grill are prix fixe and served family-style on large platters and skillets brought right to your table. It’s also an all-you-can-eat experience, so you can always ask for more of your favorite dishes.  

Breakfast brings an assortment of pastries, fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon, skillet potatoes, and of course, Mickey waffles.  

For lunch and dinner, you can enjoy dishes like rotisserie-roasted turkey, grilled steak with chimichurri, mashed potatoes, and seasonal pie.  

Fun fact: many of the vegetables used in the garden salad are grown downstairs in the Living with the Land greenhouses. 

Hollywood & Vine  

Hollywood Studios 
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

No matter what time of year it is, Minnie is throwing a party to celebrate the season, and you’re invited!  

Hollywood & Vine is a retro, Hollywood-inspired restaurant that hosts Minnie’s seasonal parties: Springtime Dine, Summertime Dine, Halloween Dine, Holiday Dine, and Silver Screen Dine.  

During lunch and dinner, you can meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto, all dressed in their seasonal best, for adorable photos and fun-loving interactions.  

Breakfast, however, brings a new crew of friends for the Disney Junior Play n’ Dine, including Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and Roadster Goofy. It’s the perfect opportunity for younger guests to meet some of their favorite Disney Junior characters.  

As far as food is concerned, Hollywood & Vine offers flavorful takes on popular dishes and classic favorites for pickier eaters.  

The breakfast menu is served à la carte and features items like Mickey waffles, eggs benedict, brioche French toast, and their signature salmon and bagel casserole.  

Lunch and dinner, however, are buffet-style. This all-you-care-to-eat experience features an array of chilled salads and starters, oven-roasted herbed chicken, carved beef tenderloin, seared salmon, and decadent desserts.  

Tusker House Restaurant 

Animal Kingdom 
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Tusker House Restaurant transports diners to a Harambe Marketplace that serves African-inspired food.  

You’ll have the unique opportunity to meet Donald, Mickey, Daisy, and Goofy, all dressed in their Safari best for their next big adventure: joining you at your table. 

This buffet-style, all-you-care-to-eat restaurant serves a variety of familiar and foreign flavors throughout each meal of the day.  

For breakfast, you can help yourself to bread and pastries, Mickey waffles, signature Simba waffles, scrambled eggs, and a build-your-own omelet station. There are also more adventurous dishes like Durban chicken and egg curry with jasmine rice.  

The lunch and dinner menus are identical and include a variety of breads, dips, salads, and African-inspired main dishes with meats like braised beef, curried chicken, and salmon filets.  

More conservative palates will appreciate the array of corn dogs, mac and cheese, and chicken legs. Everyone can then enjoy delicious brownies, cupcakes, and fresh fruit for dessert.  

Honorable Mention: Be Our Guest  

Magic Kingdom 
Lunch, Dinner 

Be Our Guest is one of the most popular dining attractions at Magic Kingdom with an incredible immersive environment and a French-inspired menu.  

However, it isn’t technically character dining. The Beast makes an appearance from time to time, but characters don’t arrive tableside for meet-and-greets like at other character dining restaurants.  

That being said, it’s still an incredible dining experience with plenty of Disney magic and attention to detail that may be worth trying for yourself.  

The restaurant is comprised of three gorgeous and elaborately decorated dining rooms: The Grand Ballroom, The West Wing, and The Rose Gallery.  

Only open for lunch and dinner, Be Our Guest offers a prix fixe, three-course menu worthy of a prince (and his book-loving princess).  

Choose from starters like French onion soup, lobster bisque, salads, or a delightful plating of cheese and charcuterie. Entrées include filet mignon, pork tenderloin, rouge chicken, and more.  

End your meal with a dessert like dark chocolate truffles, vanilla cake, macarons, or their signature dish, The Grey Stuff (spoiler alert: it’s delicious).  

Guests ages 9 and under have a special kids prix fixe menu that is better suited to younger palates and appetites.  

Digest and Unwind at Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista, a Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel  

After a long day of navigating some of the world’s best theme parks and dining with new friends, return to your comfortable, spacious room at Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista.  

As a Walt Disney Good Neighbor Hotel, we uphold a series of standards and expectations established by Disney. When you stay with us, you know you’re in good, trusted hands.  

Let us spoil you with perks like complimentary shuttles to Walt Disney World Resort theme parks (as well as to Universal Orlando and SeaWorld parks), seasonally heated pools, a kid-friendly splash pad, free WiFi, and of course, Mickey waffles.