
Deciphering Disney dining is a big challenge. You have to book hard-to-get reservations 60 days in advance, narrow down restaurant choices to fit your family’s tastes, and decide whether you want to purchase or skip the Disney dining plan. It’s a lot of work!
But figuring out the best Disney character breakfasts with boys who can’t sit still, love to yell, and may or may not enjoy Princesses in poofy dresses…well…that’s a whole other ball game.
Luckily, my family is filled with boys, with ages ranging from 1 to 9, and we’ve experienced our fair share of Disney character dining both in and out of the theme parks.
Using the preferences of my own two sons and polling friends and family members with boys of all age ranges, I’ve put together a list that breaks down the best character breakfast options for boys of all ages.
Disney Character Dining With Boys: Considerations
Before we dive into the dining recommendations, it’s important to stress that all boys are different and have different likes and dislikes. While we put together this list based on our own personal experiences and those of friends and family members, your young male family members or trip mates may have a different view entirely.
That leads us to the first of a few things to consider…
Understand Their Unique Preferences
When trying to decide on the best Disney character breakfast for the boys in your family or group, think about their individual tastes (both literally and figuratively). Consider their favorite Disney movies and characters, their hobbies and interests, and — obviously — the type of food they enjoy. This can help you narrow down the best breakfast experiences quickly, so you have a short list ready to go.
Think About Timing
Breakfast with boys can be bright and early (because your toddler wakes up at dawn) or run awfully close to lunch time (if you have pre-teens who want to sleep in). Although times vary depending on the restaurant and location, most Disney character breakfast time slots fall within the 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. range.
Decide whether you want to book your breakfast on a park day or a rest day. Do you want to rope drop or waltz through the gate at your own pace? Will a character breakfast cut into theme park time your family will regret not having. Decide on a general time slot that will allow you and your boys to do and experience all the things you want to do.
Have a Backup Plan
When it comes to securing Disney dining reservations, it’s helpful to have a backup plan. Certain character dining experiences get booked up quickly and you may or may not be able to get the exact restaurant, date, and time slot you had in mind. Having a couple different restaurant options ready to go or being flexible with your date and time and save your family a lot of stress and guarantee your boys a fabulous character encounter.
Even if you do manage to secure a character dining breakfast months in advance, it’s helpful to stay flexible. If you’re traveling with younger kids, plans can blow up quickly for a variety of reasons. Instead of a sit-down character meal, you might want to order quick service and spend the morning at the pool. Or your boys might be begging you to snag a Lightning Lane and skip the cute photo opps. You can cancel Disney dining reservations — including most character dining experiences — up to two hours before your reservation without incurring a cancellation fee. Consult the restaurant’s reservation policy prior to booking to be sure.
5 Character Breakfasts in Disney World That Boys Will Love
According to all of our research and my family’s own personal experiences, these are the can’t miss character breakfasts in Disney World that are fully boy-mom approved.
Tusker House
Location: Animal Kingdom
Breakfast Hours: 8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Characters: Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, Donald
Breakfast Cost: $47 per adult | $30 per child (Ages 3-9)
There’s lots that little adventurers will love about the breakfast buffet at the African-themed Tusker House, located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. The large restaurant offers plenty of space for big families to stretch out and rambunctious boys won’t be knocking into the tables next to them.
You can expect Mickey, Daisy, Goofy, and Donald to make their rounds dressed in fun Safari-themed costumes, which kids of all ages adore. Because it’s buffet style, this character dining experience feels less formal than some sit-down options with similar characters (like Topolino’s Terrace), which may be a nice bonus for families with younger children. It’s also a good pick for boys who might traditionally get antsy when waiting for a check.
When it comes to food, the Tusker House menu has your breakfast staples, ranging from bacon and sausage patties to bagels and breakfast potatoes. But you’ll also find some spice-forward options like Andouille sausage pieces and cardamom granola to round out the flavors. And while the adults may go for seconds of the Zebra Coffee cakes, the boys in your group will definitely go crazy for the Mickey and Simba waffles — they are a huge hit!
Chef Mickey’s
Location: Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Breakfast Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Characters: Micky, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto
Breakfast Cost: $54 per adult | $34 per child (Ages 3-9)
Chef Mickey’s, located in the Contemporary Resort, is the one character breakfast at Disney World where you can see the Fab 5 — Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto — all at the same time. Plus, it’s walkable or a short monorail ride into the Magic Kingdom. All of this makes it a very popular restaurant for families with kids of all ages. The characters are all dressed up in chef attire, which is a fun touch, especially for boys who have an interest in cooking or baking.
But besides the fun interactions with Disney’s most-popular characters, younger boys will enjoy watching the monorail run through the hotel while they are chowing down on classic breakfast dishes. While the monorail isn’t visible from all areas of the restaurant, you can always request seating that allows for a monorail view if your kiddo is especially excited about it!
The food at Chef Mickey’s may not be the best in Disney World, but kids and picky eaters are sure to find something on the breakfast menu they enjoy like French toast, scrambled eggs, or seasonal pancakes. And we love that this character dining experience starts breakfast reservations at 7:30 a.m. These early time slots allow for families to experience all the food and character fun and still get to the theme park at (or very close to) opening.
Crystal Palace
Location: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast Hours: 8 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Characters: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore
Breakfast Cost: $48 per adult | $30 per child (Ages 3-9)
I can say with certainty that dining with Winnie the Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace is an activity that baby and toddler boys love. There’s just something about Pooh Bear’s big round belly and Tigger’s bouncy personality that younger boys find funny and adorable. My two sons were all smiles during our reservation here.

This is another buffet-style dining experience (are you sensing a theme???) that is located in the heart of the Magic Kingdom, making it a fun way to start your park day. Sure, the Victorian-style dining room may feel a little stuffy and feminine for boys that are ready to bounce off the walls, but the staff does a great job of controlling the restaurant’s crowds and the character interactions are top-notch. While eating here might be met with some eye rolls from older boys, the experience for younger kids is definitely worth it.
Breakfast menu options include traditional American fare such as biscuits and gravy, freshly prepared eggs, cereal (a toddler must-have), pancakes, and assorted pastries.
Ohana
Location: Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Breakfast Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Characters: Lilo & Stitch with appearances by Mickey & Pluto
Breakfast Cost: $49 per adult | $30 per child (Ages 3-9)
Okay, here me out — boys love Stitch. Whether you are looking for Disney character dining for pre-teens, older guys, or youngsters, Stitch is sure to be a hit. And Ohana’s Best Friends Breakfast at the Polynesian Resort is one of the best ways to get an interaction with this silly and loveable character and the only place on property to meet Lilo. As a bonus, other Disney characters — primarily Mickey and Pluto — make regular appearances to round out the fun. Keep in mind that breakfast is the only time that Ohana offers character dining and characters do not appear here for lunch and dinner.
Ohana’s atmosphere is definitely more upscale than some other options on our list, but it’s not stuffy. Breakfast is served family-style, so you won’t have to worry about running back and forth to a buffet to load and reload your kid’s plate. However, it may not be the best option for boys who have a hard time sitting still.
The breakfast menu includes fresh fruit, pineapple-coconut breakfast bread, and an Ohana Skillet which comes with items like scrambled eggs, Hawaiian-style ham, fried potatoes, and Mickey waffles. While the choices here are more adventurous than a few of the other buffet options on this list, there’s still plenty that appeals to everyone. We also love the smoothie options on the menu, which make for a nice, fancy drink offering for kids of all ages.
Since the Polynesian is on the monorail, it makes it a great place to start your day if you’re heading to Magic Kingdom or Epcot. And if you’re lucky, you might even wind up at a table with a view of Cinderella’s castle. Who doesn’t love that?
Garden Grill
Location: Epcot
Breakfast Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Characters: Chip, Dale, Mickey, Pluto
Breakfast Cost: $47 per adult | $30 (Ages 3-9)
Garden Grill, located in Epcot, is not one of Disney World’s most updated restaurants. In fact, it’s a little bit dated looking with fluorescent lighting and character costumes that have seen better days. But my boys absolutely adored eating here due to the abundance of time spent with the characters.
This small, sit-down restaurant is located in The Land Pavillion, the same place you’ll find the rides Soarin and Living With the Land. The character experience here includes Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey in his Farmer Mickey attire. Chip and Dale’s antics were thoroughly appreciated by my 3-year-old who was grinning from ear to ear throughout the entire meal. Because this restaurant is on the small side, the characters make their way to your table multiple times, and the whole thing feels more intimate compared to other buffet-style options.

The food is served family style and the menu is pretty straightforward. You’ll be served pastries, Mickey waffles, potatoes, bacon, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and grilled steak with ranchero sauce. You can ask for more of any item and eat until your whole family is full. Tell those boys to bring their appetites!
Also, did we mention that the whole restaurant rotates? Yep, diners will get to see scenes from Living with the Land — ranging from a farmhouse to the rainforest — while the restaurant slowly spins. Cool, right? This is another fun feature that makes eating at the Garden Grill a great Disney character breakfast with boys.
Disney Character Breakfast Reservations: Tips and Recommendations
There are a couple important things you should know about booking Disney character breakfast reservations.
Figure Out Your Booking Day
Advance dining reservations (called ADRs) open to guests 60 days before their stay. This applies to both guests staying at Walt Disney World resorts and those staying at off-site or Good Neighbor hotels.
Prepare to Get Up Early
Reservations open up at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. However, sometimes Disney puts them live a little earlier, so we recommend being ready to book — with all your information loaded into your My Disney Experience account — at 5:45 a.m. on your booking day.
Calculate the reservation opening time based on your time zone and location and set alarms and reminders so that you don’t miss out on booking your top character dining picks.
Understand Which Days You Can Book
Guests staying at Disney hotels can book reservations for their whole stay (up to 10 days) at the 60-day mark in advance of their arrival date. This is one advantage of staying on property. Guests staying at off-site hotels can only book one day at a time based on that 60-day window. So, if you are not staying at a Disney resort you will have to wake up to book your character dining experience 60 days out from the day when you’d like to make the reservation.
Decide on Your Booking Method
You can book on Disney’s website, through the My Disney Experience App, or by calling 407-WDW-DINE (3463). Phone lines don’t open until 7 a.m. EST, so we recommend booking through the app or online if your boys have their heart set on a very popular character breakfast.
Plan your Park Days Accordingly
If you are planning to book a character breakfast at one of the restaurants in a Disney theme park (like Tusker House, Crystal Palace, or Garden Grill), you will need to have a valid ticket for entering that park on that day. You will not be allowed to enter the park just to go to your breakfast reservation. This means you will need to have your basic park days planned to coordinate with the dining experience you’re interested in.
Try to Stay Flexible
Being open to different time slots or changing your itinerary to correspond to open character breakfast reservations can go a long way when booking in advance. But if you don’t get a table for your first-choice character breakfast at your 60-day mark, you can always continue checking back for openings — even after you arrive at Disney World. Guests cancel their dining reservations all the time and dates and time slots open up regularly.
Give Your Boys an Unforgettable Breakfast Experience
Whether the boys in your group are character-obsessed littles or big kids who are young at heart, booking a Disney character breakfast is a surefire way to make magical memories.
While we feel confident that guys of all ages will appreciate the dining experiences on our list, there are plenty of other character breakfasts in Disney World to consider based on your family’s own tastes and preferences.