If you're planning a trip to Walt Disney World in the not-too-distant future, and really have your heart set on a character dining experience with some princesses, I have some bad news for you.
At the time of this writing (November 2022), almost none of the princess dining experiences have returned since the Covid shut-down in 2020.
However, the news isn't all bad.
Just a few days ago, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot re-opened. It will, of course, probably be one of the most difficult dining reservations to book for 2023, but it is an option, and the more flexible and persistent you are, the more likely it is that you'll able to get something.
Another option, especially if someone in your family either a) is a huge Cinderella fan; and/or b) loves the idea of dining in a beautiful castle; you can eat at Cinderella's Royal Table and have a meet-and-greet with Cinderella in the lobby.
Finally, you can meet Snow White (along with a couple dwarves and the Evil Queen) for dinner at Artist Point.
That's about as good as it get right now. Sorry, everyone.
I'll be popping in about every month or so and updating this post as needed. In the meantime, I've covered all the pre-Covid princess dining spots, their locations, current prices, and some of their menu items. (You can still eat at some of these restaurants; you just won't meet anyone except your server.)
Toward the end of this post, there's a handy-dandy infographic listing the what, where, and who of all the princess dining (even if they'll not available at the moment. I'll also briefly cover some other character dining options that currently are available.
Cinderella's Royal Table
Location: Magic kingdom
Breakfast: $35 to $59.99 per adult
Lunch/Dinner: Over $60 per adult
Breakfast Menu Items: Caramel Apple-Stuffed French Toast, Beef Tenderloin and Egg,scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, potatoes. orange juice, lemonade, tea, coffee
Lunch/Dinner Menu Items: Prix Fixe Menu with cured meats and cheeses, roasted chicken breast, beef tenderloin, spiced-crusted pork tenderloin, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese.
Dessert Menu Items:: Clock Strikes Twelve (dark chocolate mousse with a caramel and crunchy praline center, served with chocolate sauce and hazelnut gelato), Jaq & Gus (cheesecake with seasonal flavors)
Characters: Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, Cinderella, Snow White (characters may vary; see note below)
As of this writing, character dining in currently unavailable at Cinderella's Royal Table.
Cinderella remains the only Disney Princess at Cinderella’s Royal Table at this time. However, as I mentioned above, you can still meet with Cinderella at photo-op spot in the lobby before you enter the dining room.
We've actually never eaten at Cinderella's Royal Table (The cynical side of me was always a little put off by the fact that it was so expensive and that getting reservations -- at least back when my girls were little -- was more difficult than getting tickets to a Saturday Night Live taping.)
I've heard mixed reviews on the food there, but not surprisingly, most guests say that what makes this dining experience great is the fact that you're eating in a castle. I mean, how often do you get to do that?
Video of the Medieval Spiral Staircase
Back in the -- sigh -- pre-Covid days of the Disney Dining Plan, Cinderella's Royal was a "Signature Restaurant" that counted as two table service credits.
(Speaking of the Dining Plan, as of November 2022, it's been over a full year since Walt Disney World has confirmed that the Disney Dining Plan will be returning soon, but they're "not quite ready" to make an announcement about it. O-kay...)
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Location: Norway Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase
Dinner Price: $63 adult/$41 child
Dinner Menu Items: Field greens salad with lingonberry vinaigrette, traditional Norwegian meatballs, grilled salmon, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese
Dessert Menu: Rice Cream with strawberry sauce, Chocolate Roulade with lingonberry cream.
Characters: Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Mulan, Cinderella, Ariel, Alice and Mary Poppins (characters may vary)
For years now, Akershus has been the "other princess dining option" in Disney World. If you couldn't book CRT, or didn't think it was worth two dining credits, this was the second choice.
This doesn't mean that Akershus is bad. In fact, some people prefer Akershus to CRT.
And what's not to like? Several princesses (and sometimes Mary Poppins, who doesn't seem to realize -- or care -- that for some reason she's crashing a Princess Party), plenty of good food, a medieval castle.
As I mentioned above, this is currently the only princess dining option available at the moment and will probably be the hardest dining reservations to get in 2023.
1900 Park Fare
Location: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
Breakfast Price:$35 a $59.99/adult
Dinner:$35 a $59.99/adult
Breakfast Menu Items: Hickory Smoked Ham, cheese blintzes, Strawberry Soup, yogurt, Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce, omelets made to order, pancakes, French Toast
Dinner Menu Items:Various salads, fried catfish, salmon, Mongolian Steak, pumpkin ravioli, peel and eat shrimp, chicken noodle soup
Dessert Menu Items: Strawberry Soup, various pastries
Breakfast Characters:Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh & friends
Dinner Characters: Cinderella, Prince Charming, Cinderella's step-mother and step-sisters (Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella)
1900 Park Fare is temporarily closed.
The one time I ate at Park Fare for dinner, I was pretty impressed with the food. (Although I was not as in love with the Strawberry Soup as everybody else seems to be. I guess I just don't like liquid-y desserts. Is the Strawberry Soup a dessert? I don't know. It seemed like it to me.)
Also, the decor and atmosphere was perfectly fine, but we definitely weren't eating in a castle.
That was my adults-only Disney trip, and I choose 1900 Park Fare was because I kept hearing that the step-sisters were absolutely hilarious and it was like paying to see a show.
Unfortunately, the step-sisters were sick that night (along with Prince Charming, who I really didn't care about), and Suzy Mouse was in her place. But Lady Tremaine was pretty funny too, so it wasn't a total loss.
Another nice thing about 1900 Park Fare is the location. You really have to stop in and see Grand Floridian (and go in Basin White, the "soap store"!) whether you're staying there or not. Because it's on the monorail, it's fortunately pretty easy to do that.
Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno
Location: Disney's Boardwalk
Breakfast Prices: $15 to $34.99 per adult
Breakfast Menu Items: Egg white omelet with smoked salmon, goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms and tomato; buttermilk pancakes with bacon or sausage; breakfast calzone with scrambled eggs, cured meat and a blend of cheeses stuffed in an oven-baked dough and served with Sunday gravy
Breakfast Characters: Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel, Flynn RiVBder
The Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast is temporarily unavailable, but you can still eat breakfast here. (You can also eat dinner, which has never been a character meal.)
Storybook Dining at Artist Point
Location: Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Dinner Prices:$65 per adult, $39 per child
Dinner Menu Items: Prix Fixe Menu with mushroom bisque, beef stroganoff, Prime Rib with mashed potatoes, poached sustainable fish
Dessert Menu Items:: "Poisoned Apple" (Dark chocolate and apple mousse and sour center), currant cake
Dinner Characters: Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, the Evil Queen
Hurray, Storybook Dining at Artist Point is open for dinner!
The decor here is pretty cool. It's made to feel like you're inside the enchanted forest, with light-up trees carved out of the support beams in the restaurant. The leaves not only change color when certain characters arrive, but they also ‘dance’ when the Dwarfs do their little parade.
More Character Dining Options
Even though you and your family may have your heart set on princesses right now, I know you'll enjoy hearing about some additional Disney character meals:
Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom
Visit the Hundred Acre Wood and meet Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. I'm always been a big Winnie the Pooh, so Crystal Palace makes me Happy.
Minnie's Beach Bash Breakfast at Cape May Cafe
The buffet breakfast at Cape May Cafe, located in Disney's Beach Resort is a great option for people who love Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck (as I do). You'll also get to meet Donald Duck (who is always good for some fun character interaction) and Goofy.
Garden Grill in Epcot
Garden Grill is a favorite of mine for three reasons:
- I love Chip and Dale. (Mickey and Pluto are also there.)
- It's family style as opposed to a buffet, which don't you don't have to keep hopping up and wandering around looking for food
- The restaurant rotates (very slowly) and you can look inside the Living with the Land attraction. (Get a table on the lower level for a better view.)
Chef Mickey's in Disney's Contemporary Resort
If you're a regular reader, you know I like to make fun of Chef Mickey's, but no matter how headache-inducing it may be for an adult, it's definitely got what kids want: The Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald Duck) and plenty of sweet and gooey toppings for your Mickey Mouse waffles.
Best Friends Breakfast in 'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort
We've only been to 'Ohana for dinner and I've never seen the movie Lilo and Stitch, so I'm not much help with this.
In addition to Lilo and Stitch, you'll also meet Mickey and Pluto. Like Chef Mickey's, 'Ohana is conveniently located on the monorail line, so it's easy to zip into Magic Kingdom right after breakfast.
What are your favorite Disney character dining restaurants?
Now it's your turn. Have you been to any of the restaurants in this post? What was your experience? Let us know below in the comments!
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