Happy FRIDAY! I hope the end of your week wasn’t too shabby and you finished strong. So strong that now you want to plan a DISNEY VACATION??

Well here I am to help you decide where to eat, when you want a little bit more NORMAL. Character Dining Experiences.

Now, not all of these dining locations are open just yet, but that doesn’t mean you will never be able to go there; O’hana. Im looking at you.

To get started, I will go from the most $$$ to the biggest value. BUT keep in mind, no matter where you go, character dining is always a little pricier than one without.

#1 Garden Grill (Lunch and Dinner)

This is the only place you will be able to see Chip & Dale in a character dining experience. Located in the Land Pavilion, Garden Grill is definitely a one of a kind experience and the bet part, there are characters!

Mickey, Chip & Dale, and Pluto make their way around every so often, to say hello to you and your party! Since located in the Land Pavilion, there are seats that will look onto the ride, Living with the Land, as well as a continuously rotating restaurant so you can view more than one scene from the ride.

This is normally a buffet style dining experience, but during the new guidelines, the cost is $55 per adult and $36 per child and comes out on top as the most expensive character dining experience. It is also a smaller restaurant so you will se the characters more than any other location.

#2 Hollywood & Vine (Lunch and Dinner)

Located in Hollywood Studios, this dining experience was one of the first to come back after the reopening of the parks. Join Minnie and her pals as they shine in their dazzling outfits during all the seasons; including Silver Screen Dine (jan-march), Springtime Dine (march-may), Summertime Dine(may-august), Halloween Dine (Sep-Oct), and the Minnie’s Holiday Dine(nov-jan).

This also used to be buffet style dining experience, but for now the cost is $55 per adult and $36 per child. A family-style menu caters to both meat eaters and vegetarians alike.

#3 Topolino’s Terrace (Breakfast and Dinner)

This is a MUST do in my opinion. It is the newest Character Dining Experience and it is my favorite. From the food to Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, and Donald in their special artistic outfits, the experience is incredible. The cuisine is more of a French-Italian spin and comes off a little classy for a character dining experience. Make sure you go out on the balcony too. The view, day or night, is pretty unbelievable.

The cost of this dining experience during the new changes are $42 per adult and $27 per child. It is normally a buffet style dining experience, but in my honest opinion, I rather enjoyed it over the latter.

#4 Chef Mickey’s (Breakfast only)

Located in the Contemporary Resort, Chef Mickey’s recently opened its doors back up as a character dining. Although it opened with the reopening of the parks, the character dining was held off for a while. You get to see Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald in their cute chef outfits as they parade around. The menu is a pretty standard American style menu.

They also are a buffet style experience, but due to the current situation, the cost it at set prices. $42 per adult and $27 per child.

All of these locations will not let you get up and take photos with the characters. You are allowed to take selfies from you seat, so you can capture the magic of your dining experience. Masks are required for entry and walking around, including the balcony.

These are NOT all of the character dining experiences that Disney has to offer, they are just the ones that are open with characters at the moment.

Dining that isn’t open just yet: O’hana, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Tusker House, Cape May Cafe, Artist Point, and 1900 Park Fare.

Dining that is open WITHOUT CHARACTERS: Crystal Palace, Garden Grove, and Trattoria al Forno.

The only other character dining experience is Be our Guest. Open for lunch and dinner, you will be able to see Beast come through every so often and you can wave and take photos of his from afar. That is also a fixed menu coming in pretty high at $62 per adult and $37 per child.

Keep checking back as they will continue to open more and more as the year progresses.

I hope this has helped you and the planning of your trip! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out or if I haven’t covered what you need to know, find me on Instagram and send me a personal message!

xo

M