So – we have no interest in ever meeting Disney Characters.
To us, it takes up a huge chunk of time, plus it’s sort of creepy.
However, this is one of the most in demand things at the park, it’s easy, and almost everyone can do it. And believe me, they do. The lines to meet obscure characters from the 1970s is out of this world.
There’s characters out and about that you can meet and greet for free, but expect to wait.
The alternative is dining at a restaurant where they’ll show up. The Beast is there for Dinner at Be Our Guest, the cast of Winnie the Pooh is there for the Crystal Palace Buffet, Anna and Elsa are at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.
Pay to Dine or Wait Line?
With a few exceptions, these meet and greet restaurants are pretty pricey, even for Disney. Remember, Part of what you’re paying for is having Cinderella or someone come to your table and talk to you without waiting in line.
Let’s think about this from a Money Standpoint. On average, an hour at Walt Disney World can cost around $10 per person.
As I’m writing this, it’s a Wednesday morning in the summer. It’s 45 minutes to meet Anna and Elsa at the Royal Sommerhus in EPCOT. Metting Mickey and Minnie in Magic Kingdom has a 65 minute wait. Tinkerbell nearby has a 45 minute wait. There’s also approximately a 30 minute wait to meet Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Ariel.
The more popular a character is, the longer the line to see them. Fast passes are available for some, but not all.
If you have a little one that is dying to meet characters, be prepared to spend upwards of an hour each waiting in line.
If we use our $10 average hour at the park number, and a 45 minute average wait time. Meeting 5 princesses could “cost” just under “$40” per person.
This number doesn’t account for cast member breaks, and availability. The characters aren’t available all day and often rotate when they are available.
At Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Akershus, you’re guaranteed to meet and greet 5 princesses. Dining at these locations is currently priced at $35-60 per adult.
Breakfast at Akershus is an “All You Care To Enjoy” style offering and is probably the best value? We haven’t done it, so I can’t say that for sure. Cinderellas Royal Table is the same price, but for a limited assortment of pastries only – probably not the best.
From a financial and time standpoint though, at $35 per adult (And often early entry to the park, which is equivalent to 1 or 2 high value fast passes). We are big believers that time is equal to money. In this case, you’d be spending $35 per adult for food AS WELL AS potentially saving nearly 4 hours in line. If you arrive for an early breakfast, consider this a frozen, or 7 Dwarves Mine Train Fast Pass as well.
If you’re from out of town, don’t get to Disney often, or have kids that are huge fans of certain characters that aren’t fast passable, and have the extra money to spare, doing a character breakfast (at least on paper)