Our family got back from a magical Disney vacation a couple weeks ago and it was so fun to be back at the Happiest Place on Earth! We haven’t been to the parks in about six years so we were looking forward to some old favorites and new experiences. Since we were going for my daughter’s big eighth birthday celebration we wanted to make it extra special and book two character dining experiences. Today I’m excited to share with you and compare Goofy’s Kitchen with Storytellers Café. If you’re considering booking a reservation keep reading for my thoughts on these two dining options, as well as the other two Disney character dining opportunities at the Disneyland Resort!

what is Disney character dining?

Character dining gives you a chance to eat some great food and have characters come to you, rather than standing in line to see them. Another benefit–currently at the Disneyland Resort all character dining experiences except for one are all-you-care-to-eat. The other nice benefit is that at the Disneyland Resort most character dining doesn’t actually happen inside the parks. This means you can have some Disney magic without the cost of a ticket!

Reservation tip: Reservations fill up quickly, especially if you have a large party like we do. Dining opens up 60 days in advance at 3:00 am PST. When checking for availability click on individual times. If you can’t find a reservation for your whole party, try making it for one or two people less. Continue checking as you approach your reservation. Spots can open up and you can modify your reservation. We were able to do this for Goofy’s Kitchen.

Alternatively, if you’ll be in the park several days stop by the location in person and kindly explain your predicament. They were able to add two highchairs to our reservation at Storytellers Café 24 hours in advance, no problem. I DO NOT advise you show up for your reservation expecting them to accommodate you. I’m merely saying that you should be able to rectify the situation ahead of time and this is actually common practice in the parks. If you try to fix it ahead of time and you are unable to do so make sure you cancel your reservation before you have to pay the cancelation fee.

options at the Disneyland Resort

Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel

Goofy’s Kitchen is the only Disney character dining location where you can have a meal other than breakfast (or brunch). So your biggest consideration when choosing which experience to reserve is what time of day you want to eat. Another perk of Goofy’s Kitchen is that each member of your party will get a Goofy’s Kitchen button and a complimentary Photo Pass is included with your meal. This photo used to be taken with Goofy, however at this time it will be just with your party and include a magical add-on.

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The food at Goofy’s Kitchen is served buffet style and includes lots of whimsical, kid-friendly options like the famous Peanut Butter & Jelly pizza. Don’t worry, because there’s lots of mouth-watering options adults will love too, like a carving station and salad bar. Standard drinks are included with your meal and additional beverages can be purchased if you’re interested in something more.

Insider tip: Make sure you mention at check-in if you’re celebrating anything special! Birthday guests will get a pin a cupcake.

Storytellers Café at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

One of the benefits of Storytellers Café is that it’s much closer to the parks than the Disneyland Hotel is. So that’s something to consider if you’re trying to get to and form the parks quickly. In fact, there’s an entrance from Disney’s California Adventure Park right into Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa really close to Storytellers Café. Our dining experience here did not include a photo or a button.

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We ate here for breakfast and enjoyed all your typical breakfast buffet items, such as scrambled eggs, pastries, and fruit. However, we also were able to order omelets from our server and the buffet did feature some special additions like Mickey waffles and bags of Pineapple Agua Fresca and “Fruit Loop Milk”; standard beverages are also included in your meal. I would say the quality of food was comparable to Goofy’s Kitchen.

Insider tip: Try to request a table near the windows. You may be able to spot a princess walking by on the way to Napa Rose. We saw three while we were dining!

other character dining at the Disneyland Resort

Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park– This is currently the only character dining that takes place inside the park. Minnie & Friends Breakfast takes place at the Plaza Inn on Main Street–the rest of the day this location is normal, quick-service dining. If you are a fan of maximizing rope drop you might want to consider one of the later dining times here. Common characters seen at this location: Minnie, other Mickey friends, Winnie the Pooh friends, and some “rare” characters.

Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures at Napa Rose– This is a premium dining experience located right next to Storytellers Café in Napa Rose. Rather than a buffet like other Disney character dining this is a 3-course meal. The price for the experience is $125 and includes character interactions and some small gifts. Common characters seen at this location: princesses, princesses, princesses… did we mention princesses?

in conclusion-

The Disneyland Resort does not offer as many Disney Character dining options as Disney World does. When considering which option is right for you note that all the food is basically of the same quality and other than at Napa Rose, is an all-you-care-to-eat buffet. The most important factors to consider is the time of day you want to dine and proximity to the parks. Whichever place you choose, you can’t go wrong with the magic of Disney!

Have you ever experienced Disney character dining at any of the Disney parks? Which was your favorite?