Hi Rhegan, welcome back to planDisney!
I absolutely adore character dining experiences and there are so many options to choose from. I love that you can sit down for a meal and the characters come to you! It is a great way to see several characters without having to wait in line. The first question to ask is, who would you like to meet? From Mickey and his pals to the Princesses, there are several dining options to choose from all over Walt Disney World Resort.
If you are on the Walt Disney World website, you can go to the
“Dining” section and choose to filter for
“Character Dining.” This will show you the Character Dining experiences available to book. I love that you don’t need to be in a theme park to have a meal with a character, as there are several resort dining locations that offer character dining! Select the location you’d like to dine at and check availability for the date you are visiting. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you can book up to 60 days in advance for the length of your stay (up to 10 days). If you are not staying on Walt Disney World Resort property,
you can book 60 days in advance for each day of your visit. I like to book at least one table service meal per day of my vacation. Having a set reservation time is a great way to schedule a break in your day and rest your legs while you enjoy a meal.
If you’re asking for recommendations, my favorite character meal is Minnie’s Seasonal Dining at
Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You can meet Minnie and her friends for lunch or dinner and the characters are dressed in seasonal outfits depending on the time of year you are visiting! One thing I’d like to mention is that you should make sure to double check that the meal you are booking is the character dining experience you’d like. Hollywood & Vine is a dining location that offers two different character dining experiences and if you book a breakfast reservation, you will be attending the Disney Junior Play n’ Dine!
I hope this was helpful, Rhegan! And I hope your visit to Walt Disney World Resort is full of “character!” Please
visit me again at planDisney if you have any future Walt Disney World Resort questions!
See ya real soon,
Kaitlin