Disney launched the Mobile Order service within My Disney Experience for multiple quick service dining locations throughout the theme parks and Disney Springs over a year ago. The service allows guests to order and pay for their food from the app and then pick it up from the pickup window when it is ready.
It saves time waiting in line to order food so that the experience is more convenient for guests and their time in the parks.
Disney Parks Blog confirmed that the service will now be expanded to more restaurants at select Disney Resort hotels. The first restaurant additions include Everything POP Shopping & Dining at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, The Mara at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Contempo Café at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Guests are also able to use their Disney Dining Plan entitlements within the service, so it works great for guests one of the dining plans to easily order their meal.
Remember that you don’t need to be staying at a Disney Resort hotel in order to eat there, and the same goes for Mobile Order as well.
From Disney Parks Blog, “The mobile order service is yet another way we are improving the vacation experience for guests through the My Disney Experience app, especially at Disney Resort hotels, where select guests can streamline check in to start their vacation even faster, use their mobile device as a digital key, view bus times and much more.”
Epcot’s World Showcase allows guests to visit 11 countries to experience their culture and cuisine. Food lovers will be thrilled to hear that Disney has announced the opening date of a new signature dining restaurant in the Japan pavilion.
This will be a Table Service Restaurant and will offer guests here a unique dining experience while at the same time taking in the natural beauty of Japan.
Expect a mix of natural beauty and Japanese craftsmanship to be present throughout the restaurant.
Takumi-Tei will open in the Japan pavilion at Epcot this summer and will be operated by Mitsukoshi USA, which operates the merchandise, restaurants (Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining), and kiosks in the Japan pavilion.
The Japan Pavilion has been a World Showcase destination since the park opened in 1982 and since then, guests routinely add it to their must-do list as it has become a fan-favorite pavilion. Filled with Japanese architecture and iconic cultural offerings, there are so many things to see and explore in the pavilion.
Will this be on your next Disney Dining experience?
Get ready for the ultimate global dine-around when the 24th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival takes place Aug. 29-Nov. 23!
At 87 days, this is the longest foodie fest ever at Walt Disney World Resort theme park, with fresh flavors available across 30 Global Marketplaces dotting Future World and World Showcase.
There are flavors for everyone in the family to discover, like the new Kenyan Coffee Barbecue Beef Tenderloin in the Africa Marketplace or the plant-based Cottage Pie at Earth Eats. Between bites and sips, you’ll find a world of entertainment.
And, back by popular demand, “Disney du Jour Dance Party” in Future World will expand to seven days a week! Sundays through Thursdays, a DJ will spin plenty of interactive fun, while on Fridays and Saturdays stars from Radio Disney pump up the mix with live performances; on opening weekend, actress/singer Meg Donnelly from the Disney Channel original movie “Zombies” will appear.
Watch for more weekend celebrity headliners to join the lineup. Other family activities on tap are Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt and the popular Candy Sushi interactive experience.
The Eat to the Beat Concert Series also returns (through Nov. 19 – 249 concerts in all), so you can get your groove on three times nightly. Rock, pop, Latin, swing, country and other genres – it’s a buffet of great music.
You can even guarantee your concert seats by booking an Eat to the Beat Dining Package for breakfast, lunch or dinner at one of many Epcot restaurants.
Here is the full line up:
Plain White T’s – August 29 through 31
Sawyer Brown – NEW – September 1 through 2
MercyMe – September 3 through 4
Grace Kelly – NEW! – September 5 through 6
Zach Williams – NEW! – September 7 through 8
Lauren Daigle – NEW! – September 9 through 10
Jimmie Allen – NEW! – September 11 through 12
TBD – September 13 through 15
The Allman Betts Band – September 16 through 17
Everclear – September 18 through 19
STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas – September 20 through 22
Post Modern Jukebox – September 23 through 24
Blue October – September 25 through 26
Mark Wills – September 27 through 29
Sugar Ray – September 30 through October 2
TBD – October 3 through 9
Boyce Avenue – NEW! – October 10 through 11
Southern Avenue – NEW! – October 12 through 13
TBD – October 14 through 15
38 Special – October 16 through 17
Baha Men – October 18 through 20
Billy Ocean – October 21 through 22
Sheila E – October 23 through 25
High Valley – October 26 through 27
Hanson – October 28 through 30
Sheena Easton – October 31 through November 1
Kris Allen – NEW! – November 2 through 3
Boyz II Men – November 4 through 6
The Hooters – November 7 through 8
Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy – November 9 through 11
TBD – November 12 through 18
D’Capella – NEW! – November 19
If your palate begs for more, plan a new culinary adventure when bookings open on May 15 for:
Party for the Senses at World Showplace Events Pavilion, the sensational event featuring chefs and vintners from around the world. (Select Saturdays through Nov. 9)
Sunday Brunch with the Chef, hosted by celebrity chefs such as Cat Cora, Andrew Zimmern, Buddy Valastro and others. (Select Sundays through Nov. 17)
“Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It!” hands-on workshops that let you rub shoulders with visiting chefs, bakers, mixologists and other pros. (Select Mondays and Thursdays through Nov. 14)
Now, more than ever, is the time to plan your visit to the 2019 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. More details are available at www.TasteEpcot.com.
The cast of the character dining experience at Hollywood Studios restaurant, Hollywood & Vine, has went through many changes over the years attempting to stay current for its young fan base.
The Disney Junior Character experience will now include Fancy Nancy to its cast of Doc McStuffins, Vamperina, and Roadster Racer Goofy.
Since going to Disney with our daughter who was 2 at the time, we have always enjoyed going to Character Dining experiences. There is nothing I maybe have enjoyed more than watching my kids get their autograph books out and wait for the next character to come by.
Most of these dining experiences are buffets, so it is important to understand what foods you and your family will enjoy better when making a decision on what experiences to reserve and what meal to attend.
Because of this, most of character experiences that we do attend are breakfast meals. I am not sure I have ever had a bad breakfast at WDW.
When deciding that you are going to reserve a spot at some of these places, having a Disney dining plan is beneficial as some of these meals are a little pricey due to most of them being buffets and the extra benefit of seeing the characters.
There are 15 total character dining destinations that you can chose from. We have experienced 8 of the 15.
For all of these dining experiences, one thing is clear…Bring Your Autograph Books!
Here are our Top Five, in no particular order;
Crystal Palace
Located at the Magic Kingdom just off of Main Street USA, The Crystal Palace resembles England’s Crystal Palace, which was erected in Hyde Park. The restaurant’s white steel supports, arched ceilings, and glass roof (especially the atrium) are tributes to its namesake, built to house London’s 1851 Great Exhibition—the first world’s fair—and among the first structures to use plate glass in large quantities.
Crystal Palace
Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Crystal Palace offers some of the best buffet food on property. It’s a great place to start your day in the Magic Kingdom or close out a wonderful day of rides and fun. While we normally eat here for Breakfast, the dinner here is also really good.
The food is consistently good, but eating seems secondary to the desire to get lots of photos with Pooh and his pals. If you time dinner right and can snag a table away from like-minded diners, there is a great view of Main Street parades in the conservatory.
Breakfast prices are average for WDW standards, breakfast is cheaper to visit if you do not have a Disney Dining Plan (DDP).
Who to Meet:
Winnie the Pooh
Tigger
Piglet
Eeyore
Tusker House
Tusker House is located in Animal Kingdom inside the Harambe Village square— is plainer than Disney’s promotional photos would indicate, especially after dark. The food is surprisingly good, with spices and taste combinations you won’t find at other spots.
Tusker House
This buffet style meal is inspired by African and Indian dishes with the classic American dishes as well.
One of the highlights of the meal is the Jungle Juice that is served. It is a mixture of orange juice, guava juice, and passionfruit juice. It is one of those things that you either love it of hate it, I think it’s really good.
The food is priced very reasonable for the quality
Who to Meet: (all dressed in expedition gear)
Mickey Mouse
Goofy
Donald Duck
Daisy
Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s is located at the Contemporary Resort in an open air restaurant. The food take a back seat to the atmosphere that is created by the characters and the resort. Before you are even seated, a picture with the Chef Mickey statue is a must.
Chef Mickey’s
In all of our experiences at Chef Mickey’s, the place has been a zoo, but that’s absolutely to be expected of a restaurant like this. Kids get excited, parents let them run around…it happens. Don’t eat here if you’re not keen on the idea of someone else’s rugrat jumping around your table.
The food is pricier than most on this list but the experience is well worth it.
The food is all American comfort food. While this is not the most exciting, the food tastes really good too. Anyone can find something to eat on this buffet.
The layout of the restaurant and the whole resort level creates a loud, busy experience. The monorail can be heard whirring into the resort overhead.
This is a must visit for every WDW trip.
Who to Meet: (all in chef attire)
Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Donald Duck
Goofy
Pluto
1900 Park Fare
This restaurant, located at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa that has 2 separate character meals. The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and the Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner gives you a chance to meet some characters that it is tough to find elsewhere.
This is another one of those dining experiences where the atmosphere overshadows the food and decor. The characters play their part fantastically from the Mad Hatter to Cinderella’s Stepsisters. The interaction that you can have with the characters is much more personal due to them actually being allowed to talk to you.
The food is much better at breakfast than dinner but still a solid buffet. It is also reasonably priced for being in an extravagant hotel like the Grand Floridian.
Who to Meet:
Breakfast
Mary Poppins
Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
Mad Hatter
Winnie the Pooh
Tigger
Dinner
Cinderella
Prince Charming
Lady Tremaine
Anastasia
Drisella
Cinderella’s Royal Table
The only character dining experience on this list that is not a buffet, this is located in Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom.
Cinderella’s Castle
Although the food is decent, this experience is all about the nostalgia.
The atmosphere is all castle and royalty. When you are allowed in, the initial picture with Cinderella feels like you are in a real life castle. Once the photo session is complete, you are called upstairs to your table.
If you don’t take the elevator, the winding staircase up to the dining hall just adds to the castle like feel.
Once at your table, all “princes” are given swords and all “princesses” are given fairy wands
Music introduces each Princess and they begin to make their rounds to each table. One of my favorite Disney memories was when our daughter was 2 and we experienced this for the first time on Christmas morning. All of the Disney Princesses took time with our daughter and you could tell she loved the experience.
This meal is probably pricey but it is so worth it if you have little kids or simply love nostalgia.
