Cinderella at Akershus
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Cinderella and the Disney Princesses, Lilo and Stitch, Tigger, Pluto, Goofy … the list goes on forever. What do all these Disney characters have in common? You can eat a meal with them. Walt Disney World Character Dining has become one of the top restaurant attractions in the park. Some of the first restaurants to fill up every day are the restaurants that feature Character Dining.
What is character dining?
At selected restaurants all around the park there are special meals hosted by different characters. For example, in Disney’s Polynesian Resort Orlando, every morning, Lilo and Stitch host ‘Ohana’s Best Friends Breakfast. These are meals where a specific group of characters are “hosts” of the meal. Some restaurants are character dining all day and some only host one meal.
What to expect?
Your favorite character is not going to sit down at your table and eat with you. Characters circulate through the room on a preset pattern. During a typical meal, you will be greeted by 3 or more characters who will pose for pictures with your family and sign autographs. It’s a good way to get autographs without having to stand in line for hours. Some of the characters will be mischievous, grabbing hats and making gestures. Don’t expect full costumed characters to speak. It’s hard to find voices that sound like Mickey. The characters that don’t have covered faces will speak and some sound just like the character they are impersonating.
Warning – Danger Will Robinson
All kids love Mickey, don’t they? So what happens when you arrive at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary Resort, which is across the lake from the Wilderness Lodge Orlando, and little Janie or Johnny sees this 6 foot tall Mickey for the first time? What would you do if a 6 foot tall mouse was coming toward you? You’d scream, right? That’s the reaction some kids have the first time they encounter the characters at Disney World. They are very large and can be a little overwhelming.
So how do you deal with it. Break the kids in gently. If you suspect a child might be intimidated by a huge mouse, don’t run up to the first Mickey you see and stuff the kid in Mick’s face. Let the youngster get acclimated to the characters. Point them out every chance you get. Bring them closer slowly. Let the child become comfortable with them before one grabs the hat off their head.
Make your reservations early
Character dining is very popular. Reservations for these slots go very quickly. Disney takes reservations 180 days in advance, and certain reservations, such as Cinderella’s Royal Table, are filled within the first hour.
There is nothing more special than seeing your daughter beam with excitement because Cinderella is at your table.
Dad’s Disney World Character Dining page
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