I've Been to 6 Disney World Character Meals This Year. This Is How I Would Rank Them.

My LEAST Favorites:

Hollywood & Vine: Holiday Dine

I made a dining reservation here for Thanksgiving because I thought the ambience would be fun for my two toddlers to see Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto dressed up in their Christmas outfits and maybe us adults would get some Thanksgiving fare.

After our visit, I will probably not be heading back. The dining room was very crowded, and there were long lines on both sides of the buffet. My family of 6 people (4 adults and 2 toddlers) were seated back to the entrance to the bathrooms. So we had to deal with a lot of foot traffic. Overall, the food was just okay, and the place was noisy and busy.

1900 Park Fare

After finding out that 1900 Park Fare was reopening after four years just in time for our stay at the Grand Floridian, I was pretty excited to take our children there. After looking at the food pictures and YouTube videos, I was eager to try this place.

Unfortunately, I would say the food was typical and not worth the price tag. Also, the dining room was SO LOUD. I couldn't hear any of the characters speaking with my children, and I was standing right near them. If you happen to be staying at Grand Floridian, and you want to have a character dining experience at your resort, then that is a great objective. That is something that I like to do. There's also some unique characters here that you might have to wait in a line for in the parks. Aladdin, Cinderella, Mirabel, and Tiana all meet you at your table, and if your children really like any of these characters, then that's another great reason to try out 1900 Park Fare. However, I would not go out of my way to eat here again unless requested by the powers that be - my children.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT:

Cinderella's Royal Table

Cinderella's Royal Table is one of the most sought out dining reservations in Walt Disney World and for good reason! Who wouldn't want to dine INSIDE Cinderella's Castle?

My family had a very good experience at this restaurant. I had made this reservation 60 days in advance of my check-in day (+ 6 days!). I wasn't able to find a breakfast reservation for my family of 7 (5 adults and 2 toddlers) until 6 days after our check-in day at the Beach Club Villas (another exciting story for another time). So it's definitely not a reservation to sleep on, and a huge advantage to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort.

My daughter was almost 4 years old at the time, and we had been prepping her for Disney World with watching the rides at home. The only princess movie she had been willing to watch until that day was Frozen and Frozen 2. She was completely enamored when she stepped into Cinderella's Castle and met Cinderella in her beautiful ball gown. The rest of breakfast went swimmingly while my children ate their muffins and Mickey waffles while my daughter gleefully interacted with Ariel, Merida, Jasmine, and Aurora. One of the first things we did when we came home from our vacation was watch Sleeping Beauty.

It doesn't go without saying that there is a hefty price tag to dining inside the most iconic Disney building. If you have a little princess fan, or if it's been your dream to eat in Cinderella's Castle, then go for it! The ambience was nice and not too noisy, and we found the food to be delicious and the kids actually ate the food! But this dining experience is not a must do for every vacation group, and I would recommend this for anyone who REALLY wants to eat there.

My Top 3 Recommendations:

Cape May Cafe

When we stayed at the Beach Club, I wanted to try Cape May Cafe since it was at the resort. Cape May Cafe has a character buffet for breakfast, and it was one of our favorite dining experiences. Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy dress up in their beach outfits and rotate around the dining room to greet you. There's even a little song where the kids can get up and dance with the characters. The food was delicious, and our waitress was so friendly and attentive. My husband and I even got a little cupcake for our 5th wedding anniversary.

If you're staying along Crescent Lake (Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club, Swan & Dolphin) or at a Skyliner resort (Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, Riviera), then this is a great restaurant to start your day before the parks or on a rest day! Five stars!

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace was the first character meal that I took my children to on their very first Disney World trip. This was also a highlight from the trip, so we went again for summer vacation!

At Crystal Palace, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore walk around to all the tables to greet you. They even have a Friendship Day Celebration when the characters walk and dance around in well, celebration!

This is a character buffet that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We had an 11:00 a.m. lunch reservation. We were able to have some breakfast AND lunch fare during our stay. I HIGHLY recommend this strategy because you get MORE variety of food, and it was delicious. When we went back just for breakfast, I missed having the lunch food! I will definitely try the 11:00 lunch reservation again next time! So check this place out on a Magic Kingdom day for a scrumptious mid-morning meal.

Topolino's

My new favorite character breakfast from our summer vacation was Topolino's. We stayed a couple nights at Riviera renting DVC points. On check-out day, we had a mid-morning reservation after we had packed up the car. We were seated right away at a window table and had a beautiful view of the resort and skyliner. Unlike my other favorites, this was a sit-down meal. We were able to meet characters while we had pastry "appetizers". Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy were dressed in their artist outfits and they came around to all the tables as we dined. The characters have their own Italian-inspired dancing song where all the patrons clapped along.

As always, my children choose to eat Mickey waffles, fruit, and bacon. For my meal, the food was DIVINE. I had the Quiche Gruyere with roasted potatoes and vinaigrette salad. Everything about it was amazing, and I'm salivating just thinking about it. The pastries that you eat before the meal were delicious and even came with a yummy nutella spread. Can't wait to have this meal again! If you're looking for a great breakfast along with the skyliner route or even Crescent Lake, then Topolino's should definitely be your go-to!

Not all character meals are the same, but I hope this review helps you make the right choice for your next Disney World trip.