With the chance to meet Disney favorites such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Eeyore, Tigger, and Pluto and dine on a delicious buffet, the Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens is one of our favorite experiences at Disneyland Paris.
For those of you considering character dinner at Disneyland Paris, we wanted to share our tips and guide to the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner including how to secure a reservation!
Character Dinner Plaza Gardens tip: for those visiting in the coming days it looks like Disneyland Paris have changed up the characters at both breakfast and dinner character dining – in recent weeks we’ve seen Mickey Mouse accompanied by Rabbit, Genie, Smee, Hook and Geppetto at dinner. Donald and Daisy Duck have been making appearances at breakfast. We haven’t seen Minnie Mouse featured in the new dinner line up.
Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens
The Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens is an evening character dining experience in Plaza Gardens in Disneyland Park. Dinner is served as an all-you-can-eat buffet with Mickey Mouse and his friends also in attendance.
The Setting
Dinner is served in the Victorian-style dining room at Plaza Gardens. Located at the end of Main Street, Plaza Gardens is the street’s oldest building and the decor includes antique-style furniture and high ceilings.
How to Reserve Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens
Character dining is hugely popular at Plaza Gardens. It can be reserved from the time of booking for Disney hotel guests with hotel and ticket packages and up to 2 months in advance if you are staying elsewhere.
If you are reserving a Disney hotel and tickets package:
One of the best perks of reserving a Disney hotel and tickets package is that you can reserve character and princess dining from the time you make your original booking – this includes the Character Breakfast and Dinner at Plaza Gardens, Lunch at the Royal Banquet in the Disneyland Hotel and Princess Dining in Auberge De Cendrillion – Check Disneyland Paris hotel and ticket prices here!
Check Disneyland Paris hotel and ticket packages here!
Plaza Gardens Character Dinner: onsite hotel guests also have exclusive access to the 8:15am sitting of the Character Breakfast in Plaza Gardens which means you can get some wonderful photos in front of the Castle before the park opens.
You can also add Princess and Character Dining at any time via telephone prior to your stay. This is subject to availability.
Character dinner at Disneyland Paris tip: we always reserve our Character and Princess dining when we reserve our Disney hotel and tickets package on DisneylandParis.com. We like to reserve dining when we first book as both the Character and Princess dining experiences are really popular and we usually have an excellent choice of times and availability.
All other guests:
Character dining dinner reservations open up 2 months in advance on the Disneyland Paris app. Make sure to set a reminder and check availability to secure a slot 2 months before your stay.
Character dinner at Disneyland Paris tip: last minute slots can become available in the days leading up to your stay. We’ve had some success with slots opening up the evening before but there have been times we’ve missed out entirely.
On the day:
A walk-up line is often available for guests without reservations. You might have to wait a while for slots to open up but it does happen – guests with reservations might now show up or cancel at the last minute and walk-up guests are allocated these tables.
What Characters Are at Plaza Garden Character Dinner?
Mickey Mouse is the regular host of this character dinner at Plaza Gardens.
Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Eeeyore, and Tigger are the friends most likely to accompany Mickey Mouse at dinner.
We’ve seen Daisy Duck in attendance once before but we consider her a rare dinner character rather than a regular.
Character Dinner at Disneyland Paris: as with any character meal, individual characters are not guaranteed. We’ve attended the character dinner quite a few times over the last year or so and the character line up has been mostly consistent – Mickey Mouse has attended every character dinner we’ve been at, Minnie was absent once (there were 5 characters that evening rather than 6), Daisy Duck was there once and Pluto, Tigger, Eyeore and Goofy were present every visit.
The characters make their way through the various sections of the restaurant stopping off at each guest table throughout the dinner. You will have the opportunity to meet every character in attendance and will have time to chat, take photos, and collect autographs if you wish.
The Food
Dinner is served as an all-you-can-eat buffet with the food stations located at the center of the restaurant. There are a wide variety of dishes with options for starters, mains, and desserts.
Soup, bread rolls, and salads are available if you like to start with something light.
For mains, there is usually a roast of the day, chicken, some pasta options, and some casserole-style dishes.
Fish options include Shrimp, langoustines, mackerel, and smoked salmon and there are usually some sea snails beside the shrimp.
Sides include bread rolls, Mickey-shaped roast potatoes, rice, risotto, and mixed vegetables. There is a selection of salads and dressings with smoked salmon, mackerel, and fish terrine.
The dessert selection is always excellent and there is usually a lovely variety of sweet treats. Some, like the Captain Hook chocolate mousse, are themed to characters and there are lots of Mickey and Minnie touches in the desserts.
On our most recent visit, the desserts included Tangerine Puff, Hazelnut chocolate dessert, a selection of Mingardase, fairy cakes and cheesecake.
The dessert selection is accompanied by a chocolate fountain with marshmallows and fruits.
Drinks
One soft drink (adults), one fruit juice (children), and water are included with the buffet at Plaza Gardens. Additional drinks and alcohol can be purchased separately.
Is the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner Worth it?
For us, it is absolutely worth it!
The biggest benefit of the character dinner is the opportunity to meet 5 or 6 characters directly at your dinner table. This can save endless time in the park – the line for Meet Mickey Mouse can be over an hour (we waited 75 minutes on our most recent visit) and, on days she appears at the Meet and Greet Across Europe with Minnie and her friends, the wait is usually upward of 40 minutes. Some of the characters, like Eyeore and Tigger, aren’t park regulars.
We also enjoy the Plaza Gardens dinner buffet and, with three young kids, having a wide selection of foods is a huge bonus! All 5 of us really enjoy the food at the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner.
Of course, at €80 for adults and €40 for kids (aged 3 to 11) it is one of the most expensive reservations in Disneyland Paris. Even with the high price tag, the food is the standard of a regular buffet. However, the premium price is due to the presence of the characters and you need to be comfortable with this to enjoy the dining experience.
Everything you need to know about Plaza Gardens Character Dinner
Here’s everything else you might be wondering about the Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens in Disneyland Paris:
Which characters attend the Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens?
The typical character lineup includes Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Eeeyore, Tigger, Pluto, and Goofy. As with most character experiences, specific characters are not guaranteed.
What days/times is the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner Served?
The Plaza Garden takes place daily and the typical dinner slots are 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm and 9pm – this can change due to special events or seasonality.
How much is the Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens?
The Plaza Gardens Character dinner costs €80 for adults and €40 for kids. This includes one soft drink (adults)/fruit juice (kids) and jugs of water.
Do I need to reserve the Character Dinner at Plaza Gardens?
Absolutely! Character Dinner is one of the most popular dining experiences at Disneyland Paris. All of the dining slots are regularly snapped up by guests with a hotel reservation prior to the slots opening on the Disneyland Paris app two months in advance.
If you miss out on a reservation, keep an eye out for cancelations in the lead-up to your trip or walk-up opportunities on the day you want to dine.
Do kids dress up for the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner?
There’s a whole lot of Disney-themed clothing and Ears on both adults and children! Most guests are dressed in casual park wear.
Is there a PhotoPass Photographer at Plaza Gardens?
No, there are no Photopass Photographers in the Restaurant
Are special dietary requests/allergies accommodated at the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner?
Talk to the Cast Member who seats you and check out the allergy-friendly options at the buffet station.
There were vegan options for one of our party who is dairy-free.
Do the characters sign autograph books at the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner?
Yes! All of the characters sign books.
How long does the Plaza Gardens Dinner take?
It usually takes us around 1.5 to 2 hours in total: it takes around 1 to 1.5 hours to dine and up to 30 minutes to check in depending on the time of reservation. Everyone has to pay/swipe their Magic Pass if the meal is prepaid and it can take a little while to get through.
Do I need a theme park ticket/reservation to attend the Plaza Gardens Character Dinner?
Yes, Plaza Gardens is located in the Disneyland Park. You must have a ticket to enter the park (make sure it is a Park Hopper or, if a single park, is for Disneyland Park) even if you are only wanting to dine – check ticket prices here!
Purchase Disneyland Paris tickets here!
The only character dining option accessible without park tickets is the Royal Banquet Lunch at the Disneyland Hotel. However, this is only available to reserve for guests of the Disneyland Paris Disney hotels.
Where else can I meet Mickey/Minnie/Eyeore/Tigger/Goofy/Pluto?
Based on our recent experiences:
Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mouse has a permanent meet and greet in Fantasyland. We’ve also met him at the Plazebo outside Phantom Manor (except during the Halloween and Christmas season) and with Minnie Mouse in front of Cowboy Cookout in Frontierland (during the Halloween and Christmas season).
Minnie Mouse: Minnie Mouse meets guests at Videopolis in Tomorrowland but she shares this meet and greet with friends including Daisy Duck and Clarabelle. She also meets throughout the year in front of Cowboy Cookout – she is usually with Mickey Mouse during the Halloween and Christmas season and solo the rest of the year.
Pluto and Goofy: Pluto and Goofy meet separately (and sometimes appear together) in the courtyard at the entrance of Walt Disney Studios Park. They can often be seen in Disneyland Park but we’ve seen them all over so it’s hard to give an exact location.
Disney Hotels: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy also make appearances at the onsite Disney hotels. We’ve met them all (on separate evenings) at Newport Bay and Santa Fe. Goofy is also a regular at Sequoia Lodge.
Tigger and Eyeore: we’ve seen them in Disneyland Park occasionally and Tigger usually hosts a Halloween Meet and Greet. They both appear at the Plaza Gardens Character Breakfast as well.
For more on where to meet characters at Disneyland Paris, check out our guides to:
- Where to meet Mickey Mouse at Disneyland Paris
- where to meet Minnie Mouse at Disneyland Paris
- where to meet the Princesses at Disneyland Paris
- Stitch at Disneyland Paris
Are there any other Character Meals at Disneyland Paris?
Yes! If you want to dine with characters at Disneyland Paris:
- Character Breakfast at Plaza Gardens
- Princess Dining at Auberge de Cendrillion
- Royal Banuqet at Disneyland Hotel
- Table Lumiere at Disneyland Hotel
