Save Time on a Character Dining Experience

Last week we talked about saving money on a Character Dining Experience. This week we want to talk about saving time with a Character Dining Experience. A Character Dining Experience is a fantastic way to enjoy great food and spend time with your favorite Disney Characters. There are usually 3-4 Characters at each Character Dining Experience. These Characters can range from the Disney Princesses at Norway or Mickey, Pluto and Goofy at Chef Mickey's. Each restaurant features different Disney Characters. The easiest way to save time on your Disney World vacation is by scheduling at least one Character Dining for your family. You will get quality time with your favorite Disney Characters without the lines at the Disney Theme Park and crowds. You can get several of your kid's autographs in one spot while you sit and enjoy a delicious meal.

Always book your Character Dining Experiences before you leave for your Disney World vacation. These restaurants do book up early. If you wait until you arrive to Disney World, you may not be able to get into your favorite restaurant or you may have a 60-90 minute wait. Be sure to always book your Character Dining before your leave for Disney World!

When you schedule your Character Dining, plan your meals at off times. Most people tend to eat breakfast around 9 AM, lunch at 12 noon, and dinner at 5:30-6:00 PM on a Disney World vacation. You can save some time waiting for your table, by planning a breakfast for the first seating at 7:30 AM or a dinner at 8 PM. If you plan your meals at off times, you will have less waiting time once you check in with the host/hostess at your restaurant.

Disney has several restaurants at the Disney Theme Parks that offer Character Breakfast. Even though the parks open at a certain time, the restaurants at these Disney Theme Parks open earlier for breakfast. If you schedule a breakfast before the park opens, you can enter the park before the gates open for everyone else. If you plan your breakfast early enough, you can get a jump start on the park when the gates open. You will already be in the parks and can get that start before everyone else.

The Character Dining Experiences at Walt Disney World are a wonderful way to spend time with your family and your favorite Disney Characters. Plan ahead of time and you can save time on your vacation with these simple tips on Character Dining.

For more tips on saving time and money on a Disney World vacation, purchase our Insider's Guide to Disney World.

Save Money on a Disney Character Dining Experience

Disney offers an amazing opportunity to meet your favorite Disney Characters during a Walt Disney World vacation. This opportunity is called a Character Dining Experience. There are several restaurants at the Disney Theme Parks and Disney World Resorts that offer Character Dining. These are great ways to spend time with your favorite Disney Characters from Mickey Mouse to Cinderella. Each restaurant features several favorite Disney Characters in one restaurant. You enjoy quality time with your favorite Characters as they stop by your table to sign autographs and take pictures with your family. The Character Dining Experiences are a little more expensive than a typical sit down meal. There are several ways to still save money on a Character Dining Experience.

An easy way to save money is plan on enjoying a breakfast instead of a lunch or dinner with the Characters. The breakfast experience is the same except you will enjoy breakfast menu instead of a lunch or dinner menu. A Character Breakfast is about $9-11 less per person than a Character Dinner. This is an easy way to save a little money on Character Dining.

Another way to save some money is planning a later breakfast. Many of the restaurants offer an all-you-can-eat buffet. If you plan a later breakfast, you can combine breakfast and lunch and then have a light snack later in the day. Since you can eat as much as you want, most guests that have a late breakfast are full the rest of the day.

If you have little Princesses that want to eat with Cinderella, plan a dinner for 1900 Park Fare at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort instead of Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom Park. Since 1900 Park Fare is a newer Character Dining Experience, many guests are not familiar with this restaurant. This restaurant features an all-you-can-eat buffet with Cinderella and her Royal Family. Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom is much more expensive than 1900 Park Fare. If you are not on the Dining Plan, plan your dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare instead of Cinderella's Royal Table. If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, it requires (2) sit down meals instead of just (1) sit down meal at 1900 Park Fare. You would get an extra meal by eating at 1900 Park Fare instead of Cinderella's Royal Table.

If you booked the Disney Dining Plan, enjoy your Character Dining in the evening for dinner. For you, the better value is using your sit down meal for dinner. Since dinner is more expensive, you will get more value with your Dining Plan for this meal.

The Character Dining Experiences are memories that will last a lifetime for your family and friends. This is a great way to mingle with your favorite Disney Characters without the crowds of the parks. You can enjoy these meals, but still save a little money if you pre-plan your vacation. We always suggest booking your restaurant reservations, before leaving for your Disney World vacation. For more guidance, contact MouseDine to plan your restaurant reservations.