Character Dining at Disney

[DisneyB]

Can anyone tell me where the best place for Disney character dining would be and how much does it roughly cost for adults?

[HappyThoughts]

Price can vary on not only the place but season & day you go.

We’ve done CRT, Tuskers, Akershus, Chef Mickeys, Park Fare & Ohana’s in the past. Other then Chef Mickeys we’ve loved all of them but our faves would be Tuskers, CRT & Park Fare

[WDWfangirl]

It depends who you want to see. I also loved Tuskers although the characters were in safari gear so that might not be to your liking. Probably the best though for me was Winnie the Pooh at The Crystal Palace.
I wasn't a fan of Akershus, some of the princesses looked a little "scary" up close i.e. too much makeup and fake smiles.

[DisneyB]

Thank you all for your responses

Do we need to book it before we go or can we just turn up on the day and pay on the door?

[DiscoD6381]

Best book as early as you can, we struggled to get breakfast with Mickey at chef Mickey's. Had to be there a 0700. Worth it though!

[coggie]

Book the first opportunity you are allowed to

[Guest]

Book as soon as you can even if its not the greatest of time slots. You can always alter it later and hopefully get a better time.

[Pez01]

Your chances of a walk up will be slim to none unfortunately. We have done all of the character meals and we have enjoyed them all pretty much especially lunch at Tusker House... I guess it depends who you prefer to see character wise...1900 Park Fare is good as you can find characters you don’t necessarily see in the parks too often. The characters at Trattoria al Forno were pretty good but the food is hit and miss (I think I just keep ordering the wrong thing there!)

[scoobydooby]

We’ve done them all apart from a few of the breakfasts. My favourite character lunch is Crystal Palace (Pooh and friends), my favourite character dinner is 1900 Park Fare (Cinderella, Prince Charming and the very hysterical Ugly Sisters) and my favourite character breakfast would be a toss up between 1900 Park Fare (best breakfast buffet food we’ve had by miles; Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Winderland) or Cape May Cafe (great food, Minnie, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Donald).

Remember all that character interaction is reflected in the price. Based just on food they are all wildly over priced. But you’re not just paying for the food...

Honourable mention goes to Garden Grill. Food served family style not a buffet so very relaxed. Chip and Dale, Mickey and Pluto.

[chris k]

If you want something a bit different i would recommend the backyard bbq at fort wilderness. think its $55 for adults and $32 for kids. There's a show with mickey, minnie, chip & dale, pluto and goofy. The kids get to dance with the characters and have photos taken and the cost includes beer/wine for the adults. loads of fun and a bit more relaxing than the sit down meals. I've done a few of the sit down ones, akershus has always been very good food, CRT is hit and miss usually good food but service ranges from good to awful. Chef Mickeys is great fun but can be long waits to see the characters. Not really a fan of crystal palace. Really enjoyed tusker house last time, much better range of food than most of the character dining.