Character Meals at Disney World are notoriously expensive. At the time of publication, the most expensive character meal in Walt Disney World costs $84 for adults and $49 for dinner (at Cinderella’s Royal Table, if you’re curious). Including tax and tip that’s $335 for just one meal for a family of four. 🤯
However, there are some more affordable options for dining with characters at Disney World. No character meal is a bargain, since you are paying mostly for the privilege of meeting these beloved characters. But you can get more bang for your buck if you know where to go.
Since I write about saving money at Disney World, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the cheapest way to dine with characters. So let’s dive in!
What Are The Cheapest Character Meals at Disney World?
Mickey at Garden Grill, Epcot
It’s probably not a surprise that the cheapest character meals are all breakfasts. The food is less expensive and people tend to eat less, so it makes sense.
There are a few Character Breakfasts that are priced at $47 for adults ($30 for kids under 10) at the time of publication, making them the cheapest at Disney World. They are:
- Cape May Cafe, Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Garden Grill, Epcot
- Hollywood & Vine, Hollywood Studios
- Tusker House, Animal Kingdom
Of these, only one is located outside of the theme parks, meaning you could visit it on a day you don’t have a park ticket. In fact, I strongly recommend that if you want to do character dining, you do it on a day you aren’t going to the theme parks in order to maximize your valuable time inside the parks.
Also, only one of these these character meals offers a discount for Chase Disney Visa cardholders! While dining locations that offer discounts change frequently, you might also be able to get a 10% discount with your Chase Disney Visa like we did (click here to learn all about this card and find the current discounts).
Since it offers a discount, the breakfast at Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club wins the prize as the cheapest character meal in all of Walt Disney World. We ate there recently and were pleasantly surprised at the experience, so read on for our full review.
Cheapest Character Breakfast at Disney World: Cape May Cafe
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
You’ll have to travel over to Disney’s Beach Club Resort for this character meal. This is made easier by the fact that the Beach Club can be reached by boat from Hollywood Studios, or via the Skyliner.
An alternative is to drive yourself ortake an Uber or Lyft to the Beach Club, which should only cost about $8 from most places on Disney World property. Since you have a dining reservation, the gate attendant will let you park or be dropped off.
The entrance to Cape May Cafe is right off the lobby so it is pretty easy to find.
Now on to what to expect from the character meal.
Cape May Cafe Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast
The theme of Cape May Cafe is (as far as I can gather) a New-England old timey beach vibe. Think wooden folding chairs with pastel canvas and murals of kids in early 20th century beach attire and you’ll be spot on.
The characters that are currently appearing are Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy (always subject to change). Their attire has been updated in the last few years to better match the theme and pastel colors of the restaurant. I especially like Minnie’s new dress and hat!
Here I am meeting Daisy, my favorite character. She was fabulous and sassy, as always.
Goofy was adorable in his rashguard and board shorts along with my too-cool-for-school daughter.
And here we are with Donald who needed to take a load off during his busy breakfast.
The character interaction we experienced was excellent – they all spent lots of time with us and a few even stopped by twice since we were some of the last people there for breakfast.
A tip is to get the last possible seating for “breakfast” which is usually around 11:30 am. That way you can eat a big meal around lunch time and get more bang for your buck while still only paying for what is technically breakfast.
Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast Food
You’ll have lots of options for breakfast at Cape May Cafe. There is one large buffet station with four sides, all offering something different.
First our server brought us drinks (which are included as long as they are non-alcoholic) and these sticky buns.
They were essentially Parker Rolls with crumb topping and drizzled with caramel. I didn’t think they were anything special so I’d suggest just taking a bite and saving room for some of the better options.
I had the breakfast basics of fruit, eggs, meat, and a delicious biscuit. I also tried some vegan options such as this tofu and veggie saute which was very good.
I also had a yummy crepe with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I never pass up a crepe!
The bread pudding with vanilla sauce was excellent, as were all of the baked goods I tried.
Overall the food was above average for a character meal. I know I’m not there for the food, but I like to find some inspired options and Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast did not disappoint.
We had an overall incredible time at the cheapest character meal at Disney World. We loved the characters, the food exceeded my expectations, and the price was below what you’ll pay anywhere else for character dining at Disney World.
Get the current menu and prices straight from Disney World here.
Here is our receipt showing the 10% Disney Reward Visa discount. This card offers incredible benefits for a no-annual-fee card, so I definitely encourage you to check it out here.
If you are on the Disney Dining Plan (get the lowdown on the plans here) then I definitely suggest trying to get into Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. It represents crazy good value on the plans and offers a chance to dine with the princesses.
I hope you enjoyed this review of the cheapest character meal at Disney World. Any questions? leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.
