One of the highlights of our most recent trip was the Disney Junior Play and Dine breakfast. We had 8 am reservations which was prior to park opening, something I highly recommend! (If you eat quickly, you can make it to Toy Story Midway Mania before the park officially opens).
We arrived at the park so early that they hadn’t even hung the “character dining entrance” sign yet. When they finally let us through the gate, we headed to the restaurant to check in. They had water jugs on the porch for you while you wait which was very nice because it was already very hot at 8 am!
When our name was called, we got a great surprise – we were family of the day (the first family to dine at the restaurant)! We were led into the restaurant where the servers and all of the characters were waiting for us. They announced us and everyone cheered. The girls felt extra special! (For those who have cruised on Disney Cruise Lines, it reminded me of the welcome you receive when you board a Disney ship).
We were led to our table and a server took our drink orders. Then we headed to the buffet. The food was very good. There was a very wide selection of fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, bacon, sausage, and a lot of other yummy items. There was a station where a chef would make you a made-to-order omelet as well. The best part – the shorter kids’ station at the end. Here’s where you can find the coveted Mickey waffles! The kids also liked the oatmeal with all kinds of different things to mix-in and the cereal bar where they could get different varieties of cereal in the same bowl.
We grabbed quick plates for the girls and headed back to the table because the characters were already making their rounds. It was amazing to me how fast it seemed in between characters but at the same time, how much time they took with the kids. About halfway through, the servers led the children in a dance party with 2 characters on each side of the restaurant. They also celebrated birthdays during this party too.
The characters made their rounds twice, so if we had hurried, we could have gotten to Toy Story Midway Mania even earlier than we did! But we were having so much fun watching them interact with our little cousin that we *almost* forgot all about it.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this meal. While it was a buffet, since we were there at opening, all of the food was very fresh. The selection was wonderful – there was definitely kid friendly food but there was a lot to choose from for parents too. The character interaction here was probably the best I’ve had with the characters who can’t talk back to you (like the Princesses). The characters really seemed to understand that the majority of the audience is preschoolers who are enthralled with meeting their favorite TV stars!
The Disney Junior Play and Dine breakfast is approximately $27-$31 for adults (depending on the season and in some cases, the day of the week) and $15-$17 for children ages 3-9. The lunch is approximately $31-$35 for adults and $17-$19 for children. Tax is included but gratuity is not. A standard, non-alcoholic beverage is included. This meal is 1 table service credit on the Disney Dining Plan.
Do you have little ones that love Disney Junior characters? Please email me at Amy@TravelWithTheMagic.com or you can find me on Facebook so I can book your family’s vacation! You can also call me at 1-800-670-4312, ext 129. I can’t wait to plan your MAGICAL vacation!
Leave A Comment