There is one very magical Disney experience that I have been completely missing out on in my 31 years as a Walt Disney World Resort guest, and that is a Character Meal.  As a full on Disney enthusiast, I have always been kind of ashamed to admit I had never had a character dining experience, but on my most recent trip to the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” I was able to make this dream come true!  I could not have been more excited to dine at the Cape May Cafe located at Disney’s Beach Club Resort as a special Mother’s Day gift.

As local Florida Resident Seasonal Passholders, we do not typically plan our Walt Disney World trips far in advance.  Usually, that means we have a difficult time making Advanced Dining Reservations.  Cape May Cafe is not as well known a choice for a character meal as Chef Mickey’s or Crystal Palace, so not only were reservations available for the date we chose, but we also had a few different options to choose from as far as what time we wanted to eat.  We made our reservation about four weeks in advance for a Monday morning at 7:55 (this might be early for many of you, but with two very young kids we have no option but to be early risers and this was a perfect time for us).

The morning of our breakfast arrived and I couldn’t wait to have a beach party breakfast with my favorite pals–Goofy, Donald Duck, and Minnie Mouse!  We made our way through the beautiful lobby of Disney’s Beach Club Resort to the Cape May Cafe host stand.  We checked in and were given a pager while our table was prepared.  Our wait was around two minutes–early bird gets the worm, friends!  Had our wait been longer, it would have been alright though, because there is a small area off to the side set up with a TV and small child sized chairs to keep little ones entertained while waiting.  We were escorted to our table by a friendly hostess who asked about our trip and lamented along with me when I told her this was our last Disney activity before we had to head back to reality.  Being early, there were only a few other families who were seated in the restaurant, and it was mainly empty.  We were seated at our table by the hostess and immediately greeted by our server who already was setting a carafe of orange juice and coffee on the table.  She explained that Goofy, Donald, and Minnie would be rotating around the restaurant visiting tables while we ate, and  it would take about an hour or so for us to see all three characters.  At that point we were free to fill our plates at the buffet.

And fill my plate I did!  The buffet features many classic breakfast favorites–scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, french toast, and breakfast potatoes, but it also had a few not so ordinary items that were fantastic.  It was set up as a square and had two areas for the classic breakfast items; a selection of assorted cereals and oatmeal; an area for breads–a selection of  bagels, english muffins, and toast with jams and jellies; an area of assorted fruits, yogurts, salads, and homemade granola; an area of pastries–croissants, muffins, and assorted breakfast breads; an area of meats which included smoked salmon and salami and different cheeses, and of course a Mickey Waffle station complete with chocolate chips and whipped cream!  I would definitely recommend the chorizo scrambled eggs and slathering some of the espresso cream cheese on the toast points–Delicious!

Classic Breakfast Items

Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Selections

Assorted Pastries, Muffins, and Breakfast Breads

Meat, Cheeses, and Spreads

It wasn’t long into our meal before Goofy dropped by our table to visit.  My three year old could barely contain her excitement!  My eighteen month old could not have been more terrified. 

We spoke with Goofy and took a few (hilarious) pictures (of the baby screaming) before he moved on to visit with the other diners.  My three year old was completely done eating after that; all she could focus on was watching the characters walk around and try to figure out how long it would be before the next one made it to our table.  Within 10 minutes we also got to see and take pictures with Minnie and Donald.  Since the restaurant was not busy yet, all three characters made it around to our table for a second visit before we had to go.

We had a fabulous breakfast at Cape May Cafe that allowed me to cross one of my top Disney experiences  off my “Mickey Bucket List.” I highly recommend the Cape May Cafe for a character meal, and will definitely be going back in the future.

DIStracted tips:

• Try to make your ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation) as far in advance as possible. Restaurants will accept dining reservations as far as 180 days out.
• Cape May Cafe accepts the Disney Dining Plan and Tables in Wonderland.
• Make your reservation for an early time. The characters made it to our table twice during our breakfast; this would not have been able to happen if the restaurant was full. When we were leaving at 9:00 AM, there was a HUGE line of people waiting to check in.
• Bring your camera! You won’t want to miss capturing these magical memories, and there are no professional photographers present here like there are at some other character meals.
• Characters only appear during breakfast at Cape May Cafe.
  • Note:  Goofy, Donald, and Minnie are the only characters who make appearances.
• Allow yourself some time to walk around the grounds of Disney’s Beach Club Resort.  The resort is beautiful and the pool is one of a kind!