One of our favorite character dining experiences is the Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn. This is located inside Disneyland Park! There is something very special about character dining, especially getting to experience it in the theme park. Why chase the characters around the park when they can come to you? Character dining at Plaza Inn is the only available character dining experience in a theme park at Disneyland Resort. (The others are located in the hotels.) This dining experience is just one of the ways we love to celebrate birthdays or special occasions at Disneyland Resort.
An Overview of Minnie & Friends Character Dining at Plaza Inn
Minnie & Friends character dining at Plaza Inn is such a special experience! The characters circulate though all the tables. They stop for photos, hugs and fun interactions. On special holidays, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day, you can attend special brunches from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The menu, pricing and characters are different for just those special occasions. On Father's Day, Goofy and Max are the hosts of the brunch. Get a picture of them in their Dapper outfits. But Minnie is your main hostess all other days.
Planning and Arrival Tips for Plaza Inn Character Dining
The best way to access Minnie & Friends character dining at Plaza Inn is to make a reservation. You may reserve up to 60 days in advance at 6 a.m., and these days, all reservations fill up quickly. If your reservation is at or before park opening, you can use the special character dining turnstiles on the left side of the park entrance to get into the park faster. If you cannot get a reservation, inquire in the Disneyland app or at the restaurant to see if they have any walk-up availability that day. You may have to wait a bit before getting in, if Plaza Inn has any availability.
You also need a theme park ticket to access your dining reservation, so you'll need to buy a ticket and make a theme park reservation for the day of your reservation. You may make a theme park reservation up to 120 days in advance.
Arriving at the Restaurant
When you arrive at the restaurant, you can use mobile check-in or check-in with the host in person. You might see a walk-up dining line for people who did not secure a reservation. Don’t stand in that line unless you do not have a reservation. When you do mobile check-in using the Disneyland app, you can note any special occasions or food allergies.
Before you are seated or even pay, you can meet your hostess with the mostest, Minnie Mouse. You can take a photo together. Your PhotoPass photo downloads from the meal are included, so link your photos to the Disneyland app! You are also allowed to take your own photos with your devices.
After meeting Minnie, take your slip to the cashier to pay (don’t froget to add any discounts such as Magic Key or use your Disney credit card for discounts). You’ll receive complimentary Minnie buttons for each member of your party. You’ll be seated indoors or outdoors. Also, remind the person who seats you if you have any allergies so they can have the chef come talk to you. (The chef will tell you what is safe and what to avoid. Your chef may even make up a plate of safe foods and send it to your table.) Then, it’s time to hit the buffet!
Food at Minnie & Friends Breakfast at Plaza Inn
At all of the character dining locations, there are standard items, but each location puts its own spin on breakfast. Plaza Inn has Minnie waffles — not Mickey waffles! What a surprise for Lily! While you can douse your waffles with the usual maple syrup, the bananas foster topping is a must-try. YUM!
The other really unique part of Plaza Inn breakfast is that it includes a nod to our favorite Plaza Inn lunch and dinner items: fried chicken with biscuits and gravy. It’s a boneless fried chicken breast, and we were toadally frogcited to dig in!
Traditional hot foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes (plus the chicken and biscuits) are in the middle of the buffet line. The made-to-order omelet station is on the left. Minnie waffles, French toast and oatmeal are to the right. Do not miss out on the Bananas Foster waffle topping!
Breads, pastries, croissants, desserts, yogurt, granola and fruit are centrally located. Dry cereal and the drinks area are to the sides (coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks and milk). You’ll grab a tray and the servers will fill your plate as you desire. I hope you’ve arrived hungry because it’s all-you-care-to-enjoy!
Allergies and Special Dietary Needs
If you are gluten-free, egg-free or are vegan, request the gluten-free waffles from the chef (be sure to let them know when you check in). They are not out with the other foods. In terms of peanut allergies, avoid baked goods, which can have cross contamination, and the fried foods (chicken or potatoes). The chef can bring peanut-free roasted potatoes. Actually, the chef can bring a whole allergy-safe plate customized to your needs. If you have any food allergies, hop over to our guide to dining at Disneyland with food allergies.
Characters at Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park
Now we are getting to the important part of character dining — the characters! Minnie is a guarantee, but the others could be anyone. When we visited, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Chip 'n' Dale, two mice from "Cinderella" (Suzy and Perla) and Pluto also stopped by and visited our table. On other days, we have seen Daisy, Piglet, Rabbit or Max mixed in. So the characters may vary. Some characters, such as Pluto or Eeyore, may stay stationary to the right of the main doors. You can head to them for photos. After everyone has had their photos taken with Minnie and new guests no longer can enter the restaurant, Minnie may circulate tables as well (about 11 a.m.).
Plaza Inn usually has the greatest number of characters at a character dining location with seven or eight characters. And the characters are of a greater variety, with characters from different stories and areas of the park.
Do not count on any particular character except for Minnie and you will not be disappointed. It is what it is. There are plenty of characters, and we love them all!
Normally, Minnie (and possibly another character) stays in place and the other characters circulate the tables, give hugs, pose for photos and spend a little time with each table. We visited Minnie more than once. Can you ever get enough of her?
Prices and Service at Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park
The Minnie & Friends breakfast is the most affordable of all the Disneyland character dining locations, except for the fact that you must have a theme park ticket to dine there, and we know those are not cheap (but we can toadally help you save some green on Disneyland Resort tickets). As mentioned, you will pay at a register before you are seated. Buffet meals are $50, plus tax, for adults and $30, plus tax, for children ages 3 to 9. Tax is added to the bill but gratuity is not. That differs from other character dining experiences, which add gratuity to the bill when you pay your server before or after the meal. If you have a Magic Key pass, present it for a discount. Tadpoles under 3 are free!
While this character dining is technically the cheapest, it also has the least amount of service and the smallest variety of food. At other character dining locations, such as Storytellers Café, the waiters bring your drinks or specialty items. At Plaza Inn, you collect your own omelets and beverages. You also must collect your own silverware and paper napkins. On the other hand, at Plaza Inn, the buffet servers plate your food. At other character dining buffets, you serve yourself. Once you're finished eating, someone will come by to clear used plates and trays at Plaza Inn.
Tips for Attending Character Dining at Plaza Inn
We have some hopful advice for getting the most out of your character dining experience:
- Reserve dining 60 days in advance.
- Make a theme park reservation for Disneyland Park (or one that starts in Disneyland Park if park hopping on the day of your reservation).
- Bring your camera.
- Ask for a table near the central walkway instead of the edges so you are closest to the characters as they pass by.
- Time your meal right. Don’t make it too late or too early. We prefer a reservation time in the middle of the dining window, about 9:30, so we have a buffer for arriving and have plenty of time to eat and see all the characters before the dining ends.
- Plan to spend 90 minutes on the experience. That gives you time for each character to visit your table.
- Arrive at Disneyland early. Give yourself plenty of time to park, go through security and walk to the park and restaurant so you will be on time for your reservation. We like to arrive an hour early.
- Think of questions to ask the characters or things to tell or show them so they can get excited to interact with you.
- Talk to a chef about any dietary needs, allergies or food intolerances. Also mention these when you check in. You can get gluten-free waffles if you notify them when you check in.
- Keep an eye out for stationary characters. Minnie is one, but there may be another.
Do you have any questions about Minnie & Friends character dining at Plaza Inn? Please ask away in the comment section below. If you need to purchase your Disneyland tickets for your visit, Undercover Tourist sells discount multi-day Disneyland Resort tickets.
Related: All of the Disneyland Character Dining Options
Related: The Ins and Outs of Disneyland Dining Reservations
Hoppy planning!
