These Disney World restaurants are SERIOUSLY stressing me out, y’all.
Cosmic Ray’s
What will the fate of our favorite (or even not-so-favorite) places to eat around the Most Magic Place On Earth actually be?? Let’s discuss the deets TODAY, here on DFB Guide.
Check out our video below: Restaurants We’re Worried About in Disney World
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Need Disney Restaurant Advice? We’ve Got EVERYTHING You Need to Know
Welcome back to our Character Dining series, where we are walking you through the ins and outs of character dining in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Last time, we looked at Your Complete Guide to Disneyland Character Dining, and this week, in the second installment of this four-part series, we are bringing the party over to the East Coast. Let’s dive into Your Guide to Character Dining in Walt Disney World!
Where Can I Find Character Dining in Walt Disney World?
Considering Walt Disney World covers a much larger area, it isn’t surprising that there are more character dining options in the Orlando-based parks. Here is a full list of where you can find them:
1900 Park Fare – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort (Temporarily Unavailable)
Which Characters Can You Find in Each Location & What Are the Food Options?
When operating, 1900 Park Fare has two sessions you can enjoy. The breakfast buffet has characters like Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter, Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh. At night, join Cinderella and Prince Charming for a royal buffet dinner with their princess friends. Pricing for either session is $35 to $59.99 per adult.
At the Norway Pavilion within EPCOT’s World Showcase, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall has three character dining sessions for you to enjoy, all with your favorite storybook princesses. Family-style platters are served on each occasion, with lunch and dinner including dessert platters as well! Breakfast is priced at $35 to $59.99 per adult; lunch and dinner are over $60 per adult.
Even though Cape May Cafe offers two dining sessions, it is important to know that only one of them provides a character experience. Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast with Minnie Mouse and some of her friends offers a buffet meal priced between $35 and $59.99 per adult.
Mickey Mouse and his friends are waiting to meet you at Chef Mickey’s! Choose from a buffet breakfast or dinner and enjoy some of your Disney favorites. Pricing at this location is between $35 and $59.99 per adult.
One of the most expensive and most immersive experiences for characters dining can be found at Cinderella’s Royal Table. With three sessions (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), all priced at over $60 per adult, choose your favorite options from a set menu at each sitting.
Join Winnie the Pooh and pals from the Hundred-Acre Wood at The Crystal Palace, where you can enjoy one of three meals: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. All are priced between $35 and $59.99 per adult; enjoy delicious food while you visit with friends like Tigger, Piglet, and Pooh!
Family-style dining awaits at Garden Grill Restaurant, where you can enjoy a spread of delicious food with friends. Chip, Dale, and their Disney pals will make their way through the tables, greeting guests while you dine on harvest-inspired dishes. Pricing at this location is between $35 and $59.99 per adult for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Take this unique opportunity to meet some of your favorite Disney Junior characters at the Hollywood & Vine buffet breakfast. At the same location, join Minnie and her friends for a buffet lunch or dinner. All seatings are priced from $35 to $59.99 per adult.
Two meal options are available at ‘Ohana, though only the breakfast offers a character dining experience. Join Lilo and Stitch along with other friends for an American family-style breakfast influenced by Polynesian flavors. The breakfast is priced between $35 and $59.99 per adult.
Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White is where you can meet Snow White, Dopey, and Grumpy every evening for dinner. Your choice of options in a three-course set menu is $65 per adult, and you might even run into the Evil Queen!
A fusion of French and Italian cuisines can be enjoyed at Topolino’s Terrace, with Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends. A prix-fixe menu is available from $35 to $59.99 per adult. A dinner service at the same location does not include character appearances.
Buffet breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be found at Tusker House Restaurant, where Donald and his friends are suiting up for their next adventure. Each is priced between $35 and $59.99 per adult.
What Can I Expect When I Arrive?
While some character dining experiences may start with a meet and greet photo opportunity, some also provide this when you have finished your meal. To get the most out of your dining experience, be sure to familiarize yourself and your family with the characters you might run into. It will be much easier for younger ones to pose for a photo with the Evil Queen from Snow White if they know who she is and have been prepared for her arrival. Making the characters feel familiar will increase the enjoyment when you are interacting with them.
What’s Next in the Disney Planning Character Dining Series?
Your Guide To Disneyland Character Dining
Your Guide To Walt Disney World Character Dining (This Article)
How To Have The Best Disney Character Dining Experience
The Pros And Cons Of Disney’s Character Dining & How To Choose Which One
For all the latest details on character dining experiences, always check the Walt Disney World website here.
A special restored and remastered 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first ever animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is coming this October. What’s Happening: This will be the first time that the classic film has been made available in stunning 4K UHD, as part of The Walt Disney Studios’ […]
Guests are now able to book ticketless packages with Dining Plans for Walt Disney World vacations that begin on January 9, 2024 or later.
These packages are available to book through the Walt Disney Travel Company and is to accommodate guests who have back-to-back reservations at different Walt Disney World Resort hotels. It allows them to book a room and Dining Plan without having to add tickets to the package.
The Disney Dining Plan has been gone for three years but will return on January 9 with some changes.
There are two plans: Disney Dining Plan and Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan. The Disney Dining Plan, including table-service restaurants, will be $94.28 per adult or $29.69 per child. The pricing is per night. The Quick-Service Dining Plan will be $57 per adult and $23.83 per child.
Disney Dining Plan
Everyone in the party ages 3 and over receives the following during their package stay:
1 Quick-Service Meal Per Night of Stay*
1 Table-Service Meal Per Night of Stay*
1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay*
1 Resort-Refillable Mug**
For example, if you book a 4-night package with a Disney Dining Plan, each guest (ages 3 and up) in your party would receive 4 Table-Service meals, 4 Quick-Service meals and 4 snacks or nonalcoholic beverages—which can be used at any time during your 4-night stay.
Important Information
Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine and cocktails.
Reservations at Table-Service restaurants are highly recommended and are subject to availability.
Guests age 3 to 9 must order from a children’s menu, where available.
Plan must be purchased for entire length of stay and for the entire party (ages 3 and up).
Meals are nontransferable between party members and expire at midnight on day of checkout.
* Specific number of meals and snacks is determined by the number of nights included in the package stay. You can redeem your meals and snacks any day during your stay until the number associated with your package has been depleted. All unused meals and snacks and the ability to use your refillable mug expire at midnight on your package reservation checkout date.
Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
Everyone in the party ages 3 and over receives the following during their package stay:
2 Quick-Service Meals Per Night of Stay*
1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay*
1 Resort-Refillable Mug**
For example, if you book a 4-night package with a Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, each Guest (ages 3 and up) in your party would receive 8 Quick-Service meals and 4 Snacks or Nonalcoholic Beverages—which can be used at any time during your 4-night stay.
Important Information
Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine and cocktails.
Guests ages 3 to 9 must order from a children’s menu, where available.
Plan must be purchased for entire length of stay and for the entire party (ages 3 and up).
Meals are nontransferable between party members and expire at midnight on day of checkout.
* Specific number of meals and snacks are determined by the number of nights included in the package stay. You can redeem your meals and snacks any day during your stay, until the number associated with your package have been depleted. All unused meals and snacks and the ability to use your refillable mug expire at midnight on your package reservation checkout date.
If you have more questions about the Disney Dining Plan, we have the perfect video for you! Tom chatted with our expert friends at Be Our Guest Vacations in studio the day the dining plan was released, and we were able to ask all of our questions and get the perfect answers. You can check that out below:
We’re about to enter the busy season at Disney World. Though, who are we kidding — we haven’t seen a “busy season” in the parks for a while.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
And that’s not to say Disney World isn’t busy either, in fact — it’s the opposite. Crowds can be unpredictable, and just when we thought we had it all figured out we get surprised by lower wait times than normal. We do our best to keep track of when you might expect more crowds so you can plan, and if you’re thinking about visiting Animal Kingdom soon — here are some dates you might want to avoid.
Disney World crowds are… unpredictable right now. Revenge travel has died down, but we’re still seeing high wait times when we’re not expecting it. On the flip side, though, sometimes when we’ve expected heavy crowds to flock to the parks — we’ve been proven wrong. Despite the uncertainty, we can usually predict when Disney World will be a bit on the busier side by looking at data from past years along with popular holidays.
Animal Kingdom
There are quite a few dates coming up that you may want to AVOID Animal Kingdom on — most of which happen to be holidays or holiday weekends. Fall and winter breaks are coming up, along with Labor Day, Veterans Day, and of course Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s.
In addition to holidays, the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend takes place from November 2nd through 5th — and one of the races actually goes through Animal Kingdom on November 5th. Take a look at the list below so you know when to expect some potentially longer waits and crowds!
Expedition Everest
Sept. 2 — Labor Day Weekend
Sept. 3 — Labor Day Weekend
Sept. 4 — Labor Day
Oct. 7 — Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day Weekend (Fall break time for many school districts)
Oct. 8 — Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day Weekend (Fall break time for many school districts)
Oct. 9 — Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day (Fall break time for many school districts)
Nov. 5 — Wine and Dine Half-Marathon and Post-race party
Nov. 10 — Veterans Day is on a Saturday, which means many people will have Friday off work
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 12 — Veterans Day Weekend
Nov. 22 – Thanksgiving Weekend
Nov. 23 — Thanksgiving
Dec. 23 — Jan. 1 — Christmas/New Year’s
Pandora
Keep in mind, though, that there are still ways to have a great Disney World trip even if the parks are busy. Consider buying Genie+ to skip some of the longer lines or purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes. Mobile Order and Checkout will be your friends for dining and shopping, too!
No matter when you’re visiting Animal Kingdom, you can still have a great time — even if it’s a bit crowded. Luckily, we’ll be keeping you updated with the latest crowd info and wait times you need to know about. So, as always, stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news!
DinoLand
Hold up for a sec! Before you plan your next trip to Disney World, check out our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here. You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
If you haven’t already made travel arrangements, listen up. Getting to the area is about to get a bit easier. There’s a new nonstop route coming to the Orlando International Airport, and it can save you some major cash!
According to the Orlando Business Journal, Frontier Airlines will soon be offering nonstop flights between Orlando and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
This new route will begin service on November 16th, 2023, and travelers can currently book these flights through mid-February. The best part? Rates start at just $49!
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Universal Orlando Resort Annual Passholders can purchase some exclusive Dueling Dragons merchandise inspired by the upcoming Halloween Horror Nights 32 house, which is itself inspired by the defunct Lost Continent roller-coaster.
This collection is available in 5 & 10 at Universal Studios Florida.
Dueling Dragons Tee – $30
The red and blue dragons are pictured on the front of this black T-Shirt, with “Dueling Dragons” in golden medieval font at the bottom.
A banner across the top of the design reads “Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights” with “2023” below that. In the background is a crumbling castle.
“UOAP Passholder” is in blue and red lettering on the left sleeve.
“Choose They Fate,” the subtitle of the haunted house, is on the back.
Dueling Dragons Scented Candle – $26
The scented candle is blue and features the two dragons fighting on the tin.
All of the merch is branded with a blue and red UOAP logo.
Dueling Dragons Patch – $15
The patch is shaped like a medieval crest, with simpler images of the two dragons breathing fire and ice in front of a castle. “Dueling Dragons” is across the top and the Halloween Horror Nights banner is along the bottom with “UOAP.”
Dueling Dragons License Plate – $22
The license plate features the dragons facing off in front of a castle, with the sky tinged blue and red.
Dueling Dragons Car Coasters – $10
This pack includes two car coasters, which fit into most car cup holders.
One coaster features the blue dragon.
The other features the red dragon. Both have the UOAP logo and Halloween Horror Nights banner.
Dueling Dragons Art Print – $18
The art print is the same design from the shirt.
Dueling Dragons Socks – $20
Each sock features a different dragon.
Will you be taking home any of this Dueling Dragons merchandise? Let us know in the comments.
Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate
Here is the description of the Dueling Dragons: Choose They Fate haunted house:
The great wizard Merlyn has been transformed into the Enchanted Oak, leaving a power vacuum. When two powerful warlocks invade his castle to steal his spell book, they are turned into dragons of fire and ice. Now guests are caught in the middle of their battle and are forced to choose a path and a victor. But beware, one never knows who will win in “Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate.”
Dueling Dragons was an opening-day roller-coaster in the now-defunct Merlinwood section of the Lost Continent at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It featured a red fire dragon and a blue ice dragon fighting, represented by riders in different cars on two different racks, running at the same time. When The Wizarding World of Harry Potter took over Merlinwood, Dueling Dragons became the Harry Potter-themed Dragon Challenge.
The Bollinger & Mabillard coaster was unique at the time in that the launch was carefully timed to have both tracks’ cars moving in tandem, leading to moments where riders came within 18″ from one another. This effect was ended in 2011 after two separate incidents where riders’ loose objects fell and hit riders on the other train. Dragon Challenge operated essentially as two completely separate coasters after that.
The coaster eventually closed permanently in 2017 and was replaced by Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.
According to Wesh 2, a tornado watch is in effect for Marion, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia, Brevard, Polk, Sumter, and Flagler counties Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. This includes the Walt Disney World Resort. What’s Happening: A tornado watch is currently in effect for Marion, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia, Brevard, Polk, Sumter, […]
Disney’s Moana is one of my favorite stories of all time. Even though it is one of the newer films from Disney, released in 2016, the heroic tale of journey, where the love interest is Moana’s community and her sense of adventure, was refreshing. A culmination of themes from environmental to ancestral added so many layers to the meaning of this movie that it had so much more to offer audiences than the standard princess damsel-in-distress scenario.
For any Disney fans who have seen the movie, you will likely remember that water, in general, played a big role in the story. The ocean provided both a barrier to what Moana needed to search for, as well as protection and kinship that progressed throughout the journey. The element of water is one that is celebrated in the new attraction, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, that will be opening soon at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT park.
Disney Parks has released a sneak peek at what this attraction looks like inside the construction walls, and it is filled with all of the spirit of the movie. Take a look at the clip below, where you can see the water playfully interacting within reach of guests as a natural setting transports you to an island home far, far away.
Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, is set to open later this year. Are you looking forward to visiting this attraction as much as I am? From the look of all the images and videos, I get the feeling that there will be an element of tranquility there that could provide a much-needed sensory reset from all the hustle and bustle in the rest of the EPCOT park, much like the walking trails can provide in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Let me know your thoughts on this new attraction.
