Character dining is a great way to get quality time with characters during your Disneyland vacation. The characters rotate throughout the restaurant, so you will get to meet several over the course of your meal, which is very time-efficient compared to waiting in long lines to meet one character in the park.
Guests who are interested in Disneyland’s only in-park character dining meal should be aware that Disney is quietly pausing this experience, and they have pushed back the closure date. Keep reading to see what will be closing, and what the new closure date will be. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including 8 ride closures for refurbishment and changes in August and the return of a viral Halloween merchandise collection alongside a new collaboration.
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Disneyland’s Only Character Dining Inside Park Changes Closure
Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park at the Plaza Inn is the only character dining that is inside Disneyland Park. All of the other character dining experiences on the property take place at the resort hotels. Because of this, Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park is a unique experience where guests can meet a multitude of characters in a charming setting right off of Main Street U.S.A. Minnie Mouse is always present, but guests can also get the opportunity to meet characters like Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Fairy Godmother, Rafiki, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Max, the Cinderella Mice, Chip n Dale, and Pluto.
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A few weeks ago, a closure was quietly posted on Disneyland’s website for character dining at the Plaza Inn. That closure date has now been moved back. Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park will temporarily close beginning on August 17. It is expected to return again in late September, with no official reopening date announced. This new closure date is about a week later than the original one of August 10.
We’re not sure of the reasoning behind this closure. There is no scheduled refurbishment of the Plaza Inn, so this short window of downtime during regular breakfast operating hours, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, is somewhat unexpected.
This closure may be due to the logistics of the seasonal transition. Character dining needs a large staff to make sure it runs smoothly, from actors for the characters to character attendants and general wait staff. With changes for Halloween incoming, including seasonal character dining, staff might be limited at the Plaza Inn, or the availability of some characters might be limited.
It’s worth noting that the closure date was pushed to right after D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, which takes place from August 14-16 in Anaheim. Disneyland is expecting a large influx of Disney fans in town for this major event, so they likely want as many dining spots open as possible during this time.
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This closure of Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park still coincides with the switch to the incredibly popular Halloween season at Disneyland. Halloween officially begins on August 21. In the past, however, no seasonal changes have been made to Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park, except for Minnie changing into a holiday-themed outfit for Christmas. It’s possible that there could be Halloween changes made to Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park, but nothing has been formally announced, and it would be very short notice. We think that is not likely to happen.
However, if you are looking for Halloween-themed character dining, there will be three different options offered at Disneyland. Two of those Halloween overlays will be at Storyteller’s Cafe, and the other one will be at Goofy’s Kitchen.
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