Character dining is so popular among travellers to Walt Disney World. Dining with your favorite Disney pals is a fantastic way to see a handful of characters without waiting in meet and greet queues. While dining in the parks is certainly magical, we’re going to talk about advantages to dining outside the parks. Visiting all the resorts is great fun, and dining reservations serve as an excellent excuse to do some exploring. It’s no coincidence that the resort-based character meals are located at Disney’s most elaborate Deluxe resorts. For families who enjoy non-park days, whether to save a day on the park tickets or simply to slow down the pace of vacation, dining at the resorts instead of inside the park is a great compliment to a relaxing pool day or Disney Springs trip. Get your autograph books and cameras ready- Here are 5 Character Dining options that you’ll love, located outside the parks.
5. 1900 Park Fare
Located in the iconic Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, 1900 Park Fare is a buffet style dining experience that has a reputation for excellent food and unique character interactions. Something we love about this restaurant is the variety of characters that you can meet and mingle with. 1900 Park Fare hosts 3 different experiences for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast, guests will enjoy dining with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Mary Poppins, Alice, and the Mad Hatter. The buffet is stocked with your Disney breakfast buffet favorites, like Mickey waffles and custom omelettes.
At “Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner”, you’ll meet Cinderella of course, along with her Prince Charming. The most fun interactions, however, may be had with Lady Tremaine and Cindy’s stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. The ever-jealous ladies may scoff at Cinderella’s mid-dining room dance with the Prince and turn up their noses at your autograph book, but they sure are fun to meet! Be sure not to miss the Grand Floridian’s signature Strawberry Soup on the buffet!
Though not a traditional character dining meal, 1900 Park Fare also offers a “Wonderland Tea Party” on weekday afternoons where children ages 4-12 can enjoy juice, sandwiches, cupcakes, crafts, and character greeting with their hosts, Alice and the Mad Hatter. Parents can stay to observe or enjoy the resort for an hour!
