What is Character Dining?

It is possible to have a magical meal with one (or more) of your favorite characters while you are visiting Walt Disney World.  This is what Disney calls "Character Dining." This is particularly exciting for the younger members of your party, as well as the young at heart.

It is important to note that particular characters are present only at particular venues. Additionally, not all venues are created equal.  Depending on your dining preferences and your character preferences, you may have a number of different opportunities from which to choose.

Character experiences vary from Mickey and Friends to Alice in Wonderland, from Disney Princesses to Mary Poppins.  Dining options can vary from standard buffet fare to table service.  For a listing of all available Character Dining experiences click here.

It is important to note that reservations need to be made in advance for these meals.  Disney Dining Plan is accepted for the meals, but you will still need to make a reservation and secure it with a credit card.  The card will not be charged if you attend your character meal and use your Disney Dining Plan to pay for your meal.  If you will not be able to make your reservation and do not cancel the reservation in time, then the card will be charged.

If you plan on dining with the characters, please remember to bring your camera and an autograph book.  This is because the characters will visit your table, take pictures with your kids (and you too if you want), and sign autograph books.

Princess Aurora signing our autograph book with the big pen.

Don't feel obligated to buy one of the pricey autograph books at the gift stores, you can bring one of your own from home.  We packed a composition book I found at Target with Mickey on the cover and it worked just great.  The one special concession we made was buying a thicker pen for the costumed characters to use to sign the book.  This is because some of the costumes have thick padding in the gloves which makes a standard-width pen difficult to grip.

If you have a little princess in your party (like I did), then dining with the princesses is something to consider.  It is important to note that getting a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table is very difficult.  While it is amazing to eat in the castle centerpiece of the Magic Kingdom park, don't feel too badly if you have to settle for a reservation at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. That is where we had our princess lunch. Now to let you in on the things I wish I would have known beforehand...

When you arrive at your venue, you will need to check in with your party.  At this point we were given a little slip of paper with some basic information on it. Then we waited a long time for our group to be called to enter the venue. It seemed really odd to me, since we had a reservation for a specific time. 

Once we entered the building, I understood the delay.  Each party was having pictures taken with the "princess of the day."  Our first picture was of the whole group attending the character meal.  Our second was just the princess and my daughter.  I must say, seeing Belle crouch down in that giant yellow ball gown to be on the same level as my four year-old was amazing. Once the professional photos were taken, Belle stayed down there for family members to take additional photos with our own cameras.  Belle did this for every family that entered the venue that day. No WONDER it takes forever to get in!

Once inside we were seated at a table,  we ordered our drinks, and were invited to get something from the appetizer buffet.  While there were some unusual things on the buffet as a nod to being in the Norway pavilion, there were also many standard offerings like meats, cheeses, and mixed greens. While we waited for the remainder of the lunch crowd to be seated, we ordered our entrees from a variety of delicious offerings.

The Princess Parade

Once the lunch seating had been completed, they closed the front doors and several Disney Princesses entered the dining hall.  Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel, and Belle were in attendance for our lunch, which began with a Princess Parade.  Children were invited to find their favorite princess and follow them around the hall.  Amazingly, my shy four year-old went into another section of the hall and stayed there, swapping princesses as they struck her fancy.

Once the parade was completed, lunch was served (I had the roasted chicken which was delicious). While we ate, each princess made a visit to every table in the venue, posing for pictures and signing autograph books. Those young ladies had to deal with everything from screaming babies to children climbing on them, but they handled it all with the dignity and grace of a real princess.

Patient and impressive princess

Toward the end of our meal, I was surprised when a cast member approached the table with a package. Inside were prints of the two photos that were taken with Belle when we arrived.  I hadn't really understood all the details, but this is part of the "Imaging Package" that comes with this character meal.  It was really special to have the professional pictures of my little princess with a "real life" Disney Princess (particularly when it didn't cost me anything extra).

Please note, the number of photos you receive is dependent on the number of people in your party.  We received two photos because there were five in our party.

In the end, I am glad that we had decided to have lunch with the princesses.  It was truly a magical experience. When I asked my daughter about it, she didn't remember that we had lunch there... Come to think of it, she didn't really eat much for lunch.  She was too busy posing with the princesses and getting their signatures.  However, for me it sure beat standing in line to meet all of them!