Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dining & Character Meals
Eating at the theme parks falls into two general categories: quick service (a euphemism for
'fast-food') and table service. Beyond this, your primary considerations are price, quality
and theming fun. Sip on a Flaming Moe or Butterbeer at Universal Orlando Resort, eat un-
der asteroid showers or in a mock drive-in theater at WDW, watch giraffes and ostriches
over African fare at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. At Disney's Epcot, it's particularly
fun to sample food and drink from around the world.
Beyond Disney and Universal, the creative twists to dining fade. There's certainly a nod
to healthy and interesting, but generally it's the usual over-priced burgers and pizza served
cafeteria-style. With the exception of Magic Kingdom, which serves alcohol at only one
restaurant (wine and beer only), you'll find plenty of tantalizing cocktails and cold beer
throughout the parks.
Disney allows table-service restaurant reservations 180 days in advance, and for a Dis-
ney character meal, dinner show, or some of the more popular restaurants, you'll need to
reserve the moment your 180-day window opens. Seriously. Some of the most coveted
seats include
Cinderella's Royal Table
inside the Castle, the
Beauty and the Beast-
themed
Be Our Guest
, dinner at
California Grill
with fireworks views, and the ultra-chic no-kids-
allowed
Victoria and Albert's
. Always ask about cancellation policies; generally, you can
cancel with no penalty up to 24 hours in advance.
Snagging a table at Universal isn't nearly the trouble it is at Disney. Each park has two
table-service restaurants that take advance reservations, and there are only three character
dining options.
Note that restaurants inside theme parks require theme-park admission, but there are
plenty of excellent ones, including several that offer character meals, at entertainment dis-
tricts and resort hotels in both WDW and Universal Orlando Resort.
