I Finally Tried Disney World’s Most Popular Character Dining – Is it Really the Best?

Walt Disney World offers many different character dining experiences across its Disney resort hotels, including some fan favorites inside the theme parks, like the Princess dining at EPCOT and the Winnie the Pooh-focused experience at Magic Kingdom.

But there’s one specific character dining experience that guests frequently call out as the best one, and the struggle to get reservations for this experience, especially last-minute, reflects that. Even though I visit Walt Disney World multiple times a year, I finally experienced its most popular character dining for the first time to see whether it truly lives up to the hype. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news, including changes in January and ride closures this month.

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ʻOhana Character Dining Is One of Disney’s Most Popular Character Meals

I am talking about the ‘Ohana character dining experience at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, which is easily one of Disney’s most popular character meals. ‘Ohana offers two different dining experiences, including the Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch. In the evening, there are no characters, and an all-you-care-to-enjoy dinner featuring Hawaiian-flavored specialties, including the legendary ʻOhana Noodles, is served.

During our recent visit to Disney World, we finally took the time to reserve a spot for the ‘Ohana Best Friends Breakfast. This has been on our to-do list for years, especially since my teenager has a nostalgic soft spot for Stitch.

Let’s get into what the experience is like at this popular character dining experience, and if I think it’s worth it.

Disney’s Polynesian is Worth a Visit

If you’ve never been to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, this is a reason alone to go out of your way for this character dining experience. This is a beautiful deluxe resort hotel, and it’s easily accessible via monorail from Magic Kingdom.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is also home to the iconic Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, which is now open in the afternoon. You could easily pair a breakfast at ‘Ohana with a quick stop in Trader Sam’s afterwards, which would make for a perfect afternoon. And since it’s so close to Magic Kingdom, this is a great way to escape the not-so-great restaurants there to get better food options nearby. I always enjoy seeing the Disney resort hotels, and resort hopping at Disney World easily becomes its own fun experience.

The Food at ‘Ohana Does Not Disappoint

When you are seated, you’ll be brought the ‘Ohana Breakfast Menu to pick from. This is an all you care to enjoy buffet style experience, you can have as much as you want.

While we couldn’t try the ʻOhana Noodles, we were able to try the equally famous Signature ‘Ohana Bread. This bread lived up to the hype. If you’ve read my reviews before, you know that my family loves bread. But really, who doesn’t? We couldn’t get enough of the ‘Ohana bread.

You will be brought the Breakfast Skillet, which features  Scrambled Eggs, Hawaiian-style Ham with Pineapple Compote, Pork Breakfast Sausage Links, Fried Island-style Potatoes, and Warm Biscuits. You will also receive Mickey-shaped and Stitch Character Waffles!

For vegetarians, you can order a vegetarian-style Scrambled “Eggs”, “Sausage”, Fried Island-style Potatoes, and Character-shaped Waffles. I was fine with regular eggs, so I was able to just have the meat swapped out for the tofu sausage, which was delicious. Definitely a highlight to have an option like that for me.

You can also request a fruit plate, and the quantities are endless. But we were fine with just two platters for the table.

This Buffet Style is Much Easier for Families

I’d be remiss if I didn’t call out how accessible the family-style buffet experience is for families. The food is brought to your table for you on big platters, and then you have small plates to serve each family member from. This is so much easier than getting up and walking to a big buffet table, which can be stressful for families with young kids.

Character Interactions are Fantastic

The character interactions were fantastic at this dining experience. During our visit, we saw Mickey Mouse in his Hawaiian shirt. Like most character dining experiences, they will come to your table, so this is a great way to meet characters.

We also saw Pluto, and he was wearing a Hawaiian lei. The characters take turns doing rotations around the restaurant, and you can get up for pictures.

And of course, Lilo & Stitch will make the rounds, which are really the characters everyone is most excited to see.

I’ve never met Lilo before, so this was an exciting moment after so many years of visiting the Disney parks and finding a character I’ve never met!

You will also receive a postcard with all the autographs from the characters.

Don’t Skip This Character Dining Experience

This breakfast character dining experience lived up to the hype. It was easy to navigate to Magic Kingdom after our breakfast by just hopping on the monorail. The food and character interactions were great, and it’s a fun Disney resort hotel to experience.

This is also the only character dining experience where you can meet Lilo & Stitch, and if you are a fan of these characters, that makes this the best character dining choice to go with. This experience is worth the cost and lives up to the hype.

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