It’s been nearly three years since Disney World’s historic closure and reopening, but we’re finally starting to see the parks returning to more normal operations.
When it comes to character dining experiences, we’ve seen the reopening of Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT, as well as buffets returning to both Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom and Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Next week, two more character dining restaurants will return to their pre-closure experiences.
When Cinderella’s Royal Table reopened, it did so without the princesses, although guests did get the opportunity to see Cinderella during their meal. Well, the princesses are returning to the restaurant as of February 28th.
Princesses we’ve previously seen here include Cinderella (of course!), as well as Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, and Aurora — they do tend to change from time to time, so you might even see a surprise princess you weren’t expecting to see!
That’s not the only change coming next week, though. A big change is also happening at Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. After Chef Mickey’s reopened, the restaurant served guests family-style all-you-care-to-eat. However, that will change on March 1st, when Chef Mickey’s becomes a buffet again.
Advance dining reservations for both character dining experiences are now available, but as these are two VERY popular spots, you’ll want to try to make those as early as you can. You can do that as early as 60 days before the first day of your Disney World trip. We’ll also be sure to let you know if the menus change at either of these spots (and we’ll let you know what the Chef Mickey’s buffet menu is once we’ve seen it), so stay tuned to DFB for more.
With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World.
We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!
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Will you be booking reservations at either of these restaurants? Let us know in the comments!
Ken says
Hooray, now if we could just afford it…