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Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn

by Mommy Frog on September 5, 2023 34 Los Angeles

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 as special experience! The characters parade through from time and 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.

Minnie & Friends Character Dining at Plaza Inn - Tigger Greets Guests at Outdoor Table

Planning and Arrival Tips for Plaza Inn Character Dining

Minnie & Friends Character Dining at Plaza Inn - Button

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

Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn-Baby with food

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. 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!

Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn-Selection of food

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!

Minnie & Friends Character Dining at Plaza Inn - Omelet

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! If you are gluten-free, be sure to ask about gluten-free waffles and let them know when you check in. They are not out with the other foods.

Characters at Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park

Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn-Sale at the table

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. 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.).

Minnie & Friends Character Dining at Plaza Inn - Pluto

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!

character-dining-plaza-inn-Woman Poses with Chip

Normally, Minnie 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?

Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn-Pluto with Baby

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 $46, plus tax, for adults and $27, 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!

Disneyland Character Dining: Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn-Hug from Pooh

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

Minnie & Friends Character Dining at Plaza Inn - Tigger

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.

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!

Keep hopping, Mommy Frog!
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Mar 4, 2024 at 6:42 p.m. Disney Fanatic Says...

Is there outdoor seating for this character breakfast? Will the characters meet you by the table outdoors?

Reply
Mar 4, 2024 at 1:54 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi fellow Disney Fanatic!

Yes! There is outdoor seating available and the characters will move around all seating areas.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jan 16, 2024 at 3:02 p.m. Kara Says...

Hi! visiting the park solo with a toddler (2)…will it be possible to manage this buffet?

Reply
Jan 16, 2024 at 2:59 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kara!

Mommy Frog here, and I've been in your shoes before! You'll need to get both of your plates together at the same time since you cannot leave your tadpole at the table alone - so for that reason, it can be a little hectic. But I've done a solo-parent trip with a toddler here, and it was doable!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Nov 9, 2023 at 7:09 p.m. Bailey Says...

Hello, we have a reservation for Minnie and Friends breakfast coming up, however there is a good chance of rain that day. Do the characters still come out if it rains? Do they sit us outside in the rain?

Reply
Nov 29, 2023 at 10:33 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Bailey!

If it starts raining, Plaza Inn still continues with character dining but they will stop taking walk-ins. Characters would stay under a covered area on the porch and inside.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 24, 2023 at 7:16 p.m. Janille Says...

Do you know if Plaza Inn accommodates parties of 6? I’ve been trying to make reservations for December. When I enter 6 it comes up no times available. If I enter 5, all the times pop up??

Reply
Oct 30, 2023 at 10:09 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Janille!

We'd recommend making the reservation for five, and continue to search for a party of six. If you still have no luck, then during mobile check-in, you're prompted to confirm the number of people in the party and it usually allows you to add a person. That said, if you're unable to add a person, you could arrive early and ask the check-in host if it's possible that they can accommodate the extra person, though it ultimately comes down to availability and the cast member's discretion.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 5, 2023 at 2:37 a.m. Chris Says...

Hi there,

Curious if they give Birthday cupcakes like they do at Goofy’s Kitchen. Can’t find any information on it and it’s my little ones bday while we are there so want to make it extra special! Thx

Reply
Oct 11, 2023 at 9:43 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Chris!

We have not seen birthday cupcakes at Minnie & Friends. You may get a birthday button, and when you complete the mobile check-in for your reservation, you can indicate that you're celebrating a birthday.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 3, 2023 at 3:05 a.m. Kira Brown Says...

Hi,

We are doing the character breakfast @ 11:45. Then have Bippity Bippity Boutique at 1:20. Do you think we have enough time to do breakfast and be at Magic Kimgdom in time?

Reply
Oct 3, 2023 at 8:22 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kira!

We saw you commented on the Minnie & Friends Breakfast post. Just want to confirm that this is the character breakfast you're referring to? It's at Plaza Inn at Disneyland Park (in California), but you also refer to Magic Kingdom which is at Disney World (in Florida). Generally speaking though, you should budget at the very least an hour for character dining, as most experiences take 60 to 90 minutes.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 30, 2023 at 5:54 p.m. Jody Says...

If I make regular reservations at the plaza in for breakfast is it the same as the character breakfast? I am confused. One says available the other says no.

Reply
Oct 4, 2023 at 4:04 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jody!

Yes! The Plaza Inn breakfast reservations are for character dining.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Aug 29, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. Kathy Says...

On Halloween Day, do the characters dress upfor brunch? Or is there a special brunch that day?

Reply
Sep 1, 2023 at 11:03 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kathy!

Not at Minnie & Friends Breakfast at Plaza Inn, but there is a new Halloween character dining experience (brunch or dinner) at Goofy's Kitchen. The characters do wear their costumes at that one.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jul 22, 2023 at 12:30 a.m. lulu Says...

is the last seating at 11, or is that when they actually close up the buffet? We have a 10:30 reservation so as to have plenty of time to ride some rides beforehand, but I don't want to feel like we're missing out on characters because we're at the tail end.

Reply
Jul 27, 2023 at 9:13 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Lulu!

The last seating is at 11 a.m. Lunch starts at 12, so breakfast will be wrapping up by 11:45 a.m.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Apr 29, 2023 at 7:55 p.m. Trace Nyhagen Says...

Hello. My wife and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary come mid November of this year (2023) and want to do the brunch. We hit the parks on a Tues Wed and Thurs. Are there days that the brunch character buffet isn't offered? Also, how much is it now for adults (we are going kidless this trip). Thank you for all you do, we bought our park tix from you again! Cheers, Trace and Terry

Reply
May 1, 2023 at 2:05 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Trace!

Hoppy (early) anniversary!! Currently, the Plaza Inn only offers breakfast (with an exception for special occasions, such as Mother's Day or Father's Day). Breakfast is daily and runs until 11 a.m. - however, you do not want to go too late so you have time to see all the characters. If you really want a character brunch option that runs a bit later, we'd recommend looking into Storytellers Cafe, which offers a daily brunch buffet.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 8, 2023 at 9:13 p.m. Trace Says...

Hello and thank you. Have they increased the prices for the character breakfast?

Reply
Jun 14, 2023 at 9:44 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Trace!

We're checking into this - we'll be back soon!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 22, 2022 at 4:20 a.m. Rachael Says...

Hello, thank you for the great article and tips. You mention, "ask for a table near the central walkway instead of the edges so you are closest to the characters as they pass by". How do you request this and/or a table inside, is it at the time of booking, is there a request section at the time of booking? Thank you

Reply
Sep 22, 2022 at 5:26 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Rachael!

We'd suggest asking the host upon check-in to see if they could accommodate the request.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 16, 2022 at 3:39 a.m. Valerie Says...

Do you think 11:00 is too late for the character breakfast?

Reply
Sep 20, 2022 at 9:13 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Valerie!

If you're able to get an earlier time, we'd recommend doing so! At 11 a.m., they will be starting to wrap things up and you may not see as many characters in a shorter amount of time.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Aug 2, 2022 at 4:43 p.m. Adina Says...

After we have finished our breakfast,can we go straight into the park or do we have to re enter at the front and through security?

Just say breakfast finished at 9.

Thanks

Reply
Aug 2, 2022 at 12:02 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Adina!

The Plaza Inn is located inside Disneyland Park, so when you arrive for your dining reservation, you will go through security and the park's entry touchpoints at that time. No need to exit the park after your meal!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Aug 1, 2022 at 3:06 p.m. Rebecca James Says...

Hi I’ve booked for 8am is this too early I’ve noticed there is a later option but thought the earlier the better ????????‍♀️ Xx

Reply
Aug 2, 2022 at 2:03 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Rebecca!

We think it depends on your preferences! We enjoy using the first hour of park opening to ride as many rides as possible before the lines get too long and then stopping for breakfast. But if you are early eaters or less concerned about ride wait times, then go have an early breakfast!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 27, 2022 at 12:32 a.m. Jeg Says...

Any tips for snagging a reservation? Currently website says nothing is available :( we are celebrating a special birthday and this would be so perfect

Is there a direct one to the plaza inn?

Reply
Jun 27, 2022 at 3:43 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jeg!

You can only make reservations through the website or the Disneyland app, but we encourage you to keep checking! While not guaranteed, cancellations can and do hoppen! If you aren't able to make any last-minute reservations, you could check to see if you can join a Walk-Up list on the day of your visit.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 4, 2022 at 4:29 p.m. Bee R Says...

How long should I plan for the breakfast to take? If we try to book for, say, 10:20am, would planning to be walking out at 11:30 be reasonable? Would that give us enough time with the characters?

Reply
Jun 6, 2022 at 2:55 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Bee!

Yes, that's toadally manageable! Usually, we suggest setting aside an hour and a half for character dining, but since it's a buffet, it's easier to go at your own pace. Characters parade through the restaurant and now stop at tables, so we can't guarantee how many will come by, but you should definitely get to see several within the hour!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
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