Disney Needs Some New Character Meals
Do you know what Disney hasn’t done in a calendar year?
We haven’t gotten a new character meal at the parks. And the last one we got was a reboot of a previous one at 1900 Park Fare.
Photo: Disney
Disney hasn’t introduced an original character meal since 2019, and I don’t understand why.
These are the most entertaining, thematic meals available during a vacation, and they’re like found money for management.
Mirabel at 1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Everyone goes to these things, guaranteeing crowded restaurants and happy customers. So, why haven’t we gotten more of them?
Folks, Disney needs some new character meals. Let’s discuss this strange absence.
The History of Character Meals
D23
Walt Disney World opened in 1971 and proved instantly popular.
So, management tried to find new ways to entertain guests while making more money at restaurants.
Photo: Passport to Dreams Old and New
A few years later, Papeete Bay Veranda at Disney’s Polynesian Resort became the first restaurant to offer a character meal.
Minnie’s Menehune Breakfast introduced themed character dining at Walt Disney World.
Several Disney characters, including Minnie and Mickey Mouse, put on their Hawaiian shirts and acted like they were on vacation.
This character meal thrilled guests, who couldn’t wait to get their picture taken with members of the Sensational Six dressed thematically.
‘Ohana
Disney sometimes handed out paper autographs of the characters, and everyone smiled throughout the meals.
They felt like they were on a Polynesian vacation with Minnie Mouse and friends! What could be better than that?
Photo: Disney
Fittingly, this character meal took place in the same general space where ‘Ohana resides today.
And ‘Ohana offers one of my favorite character meals, Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch.
That’s not the longest running character meal at Disney, though.
The character meal we have at ‘Ohana today isn’t anywhere near the same as the original.
Exterior of Crystal Palace
So, that honor belongs to either Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey’s, depending on your perspective.
Which Came First?
Long before Disney Springs, park officials attempted to create a shopping mecca in the same general area.
Once called Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, this place opened in 1975 and immediately disappointed.
For whatever reason, 1970s tourists never warmed to the idea, which forced Disney to experiment.
Over a period of 15 years, Disney used the shopping section as a testing ground for some of its most ambitious ideas.
Photo: planDisney
Few worked, though. So, in 1989, Disney rebranded the space as Downtown Disney, but it kept trying bold new strategies.
One of the most successful endeavors was Chef Mickey’s, a restaurant that debuted in 1990.
Mickey at Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
While the broad strokes are similar, this isn’t the same restaurant you know today, as it was located at Downtown Disney.
Still, Mickey Mouse wore a chef costume and roamed from table to table, interacting with euphoric guests.
Chef Mickey’s
The concept proved quite popular, but it flew in the face of the adult atmosphere Disney was trying to create at Downtown Disney.
These were the days of Pleasure Island, which made Chef Mickey’s a bit incongruous.
The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom
So, in 1996, Disney moved the experience to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, where it has remained for 30 years.
That same year, Magic Kingdom added a character meal to Crystal Palace.
Tigger at Crystal Palace
The restaurant had opened with the park in 1971, but Disney felt it underperformed relative to its exceptional location.
That’s why Disney converted it to buffet service with characters, a decision that paid immediate dividends.
Photo: Disney
Thus, you can point to 1996 as the year when Disney committed to character meals.
Personally, I credit Chef Mickey’s as being the first one due to its history, but others suggest Crystal Palace came first.
Winnie the Pooh at Crystal Palace
There’s no absolutely correct answer here, but those two are definitely the oldest remaining character meals.
More Recent Character Meals
Photo: Disney
Anyone familiar with Disney knows that several character meals are wildly popular, especially Chef Mickey’s.
The only time a Cast Member has ever told us no on literally anything was when we needed a table here on a birthday.
Due to inclement weather in the area, our original plans were cancelled.
Since we were staying at Bay Lake Tower, we tried pivoting Chef Mickey’s.
The kindly Cast Member sadly informed us that while it broke her heart to say no, they were already running well over capacity that day.
Demand at Chef Mickey’s is constantly high, and I mean to a ludicrous degree.
Similarly, other character meals typically book weeks in advance.
Often, they operate at higher than 100 percent levels of occupancy because Disney has grown that efficient with them.
Photo: Disney
In short, no matter how many tables Disney offers with character meals, it’s never enough.
Not coincidentally, when Disney’s Riviera Resort opened, its best restaurant, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera, added a character breakfast.
Photo: Disney
Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends became a quick hit, as guests loved the artistic outfits worn by Mickey and his buddies.
A year before then, Disney had updated one of its least trafficked restaurants, Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
While the food here was always terrific, it never drew large crowds…until the introduction of Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White.
Since then, Artist Point has become one of the most challenging reservations to snag at Disney World.
Disney
This thematic visit to Snow White’s forest delights guests with its memorable characters, including the Evil Queen and Grumpy.
These are the interactions guests want to make every Disney vacation feel special, providing unforgettable memories.
Disney Needs Some New Character Meals
1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
During the 2020s, Disney has opened only one “new” character meal, and even that’s a misnomer.
During the pandemic, 1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa remained closed.
This restaurant had formerly hosted one of my favorite character meals, one starring Cinderella with appearances by her wicked stepsisters.
When 1900 Park Fare reopened in 2024, Disney had replaced the raucous stepsisters with characters like Aladdin and Tiana.
So, this experience varies greatly from past ones at the restaurant. Still, I wouldn’t describe this as a new character meal.
We haven’t had one of those since 2019, a fact that absolutely mystifies me.
Right now, you can pull up My Disney Experience and search for tables at the various character meals.
You’ll quickly realize that these character interactions drive attendance to an epic degree.
Thus, it makes no sense why Disney isn’t adding more of them.
To the contrary, we’re actually still down one since the pandemic.
Bon Voyage breakfast at Trattoria al Forno, a delightful character meal celebrating The Little Mermaid and Tangled, remains closed.
As recently as November 2024, Disney Cast Members didn’t know whether it would ever return.
That’s indefensible to me. I just checked, and Trattoria al Forno has full availability for breakfast reservations tomorrow.
No times are currently blocked out. That wouldn’t be the case if people could do The Smolder with Flynn Rider.
These are the moments that differentiate character meals from simply eating at Disney. We need more of them.
Come on, Disney! Hook us up! You gave Disneyland Resort a new one!
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Feature Photo: Disney
