Food Reviews Archives - Laughing Lindsay

Disney World Character Dining Guide

April 1, 2026 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Today, I’m finally doing a post that I have been putting off for months – a guide to Walt Disney World Character Dining!

Disney World Character Dining

As of the writing of this post, there are 12 on-site Disney World Character Dining options. Technically, there’s a 13th option at the Four Seasons, however I’m only covering options that are on-site. I’ve been putting this post off in hopes that I would eat at more of these restaurants and be able to provide a better analysis of each one. However, that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon. So, I’m going to cover all 12 and provide reviews as possible. Once I am able to try them out, I will update this post with a review.

1900 Park Fare

I was lucky enough to enjoy 1900 Park Fare about a decade ago. However, after the pandemic it’s a different meal now. There are different characters now. Initially, I was going to try it out with my mom on the December 2025 trip. Unfortunately, she was having mobility issues. So, we cancelled that reservation and enjoyed dinner at The Crystal Palace since we were attending the Christmas party.

It appears that you can currently meet prince/princesses here. This may include: Aladdin, Cinderella, Mirabel, and Princess Tiana. I think it’s fitting that you can meet Disney royalty here since it’s held at the Grand Floridian Resort. That resort is uber nice. I will encourage everyone to try the Strawberry Soup if you eat here.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Again, Akershus is another princess meal. This one is located in Epcot though. I also enjoyed this one about a decade ago. However, I was also able to visit it again for breakfast with my mom back in 2023. You can read my full Akershus Princess Breakfast Review at Epcot here. My mom and I enjoyed the interactions with the princesses and found the food to be good. Although, it was a bit rushed.

I want to point out that this meal is 1 table service for breakfast only. Both lunch and dinner will cost you 2 table service credits to dine here. I think that is because of the popularity of the restaurant. Personally, I find $69 for 2 table service credits to be a terrible value.

Cape May Cafe

Cape May Cafe is a character buffet for breakfast only! Dinner here is a seafood buffet without characters. It is located at the Beach Club Resort. I’ve been lucky enough to eat breakfast here a few times. In fact, it has the distinction of being my first character meal! I most recently ate here a few years ago in December 2022 with my mom. You can read my entire Cape May Café Breakfast Character Meal Review here, but suffice it to say that we really like this restaurant. There’s always a variety of foods available. Plus, who doesn’t love to see characters in beachy outfits? Also, my favorite character, Donald Duck, can be found here!

Chef Mickey’s

Chef Mickey’s is the character buffet located at the Contemporary Resort. Featuring the Fab Five in chef outfits, it’s a fun experience. Plus, it’s another opportunity to see Donald Duck! Once again, I have been lucky enough to enjoy a meal here several times over the years. Most recently, my mom and I ate dinner here in February 2024 prior to a Magic Kingdom After Hours event. You can read my Chef Mickey’s Character Dinner Review here. I know that some folks complain about the food here, but they have improved the quality of food. We were pleased with the variety of foods available and nothing we had was outright bad.

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Cinderella’s Royal Table is the princess dining experience located in the castle in Magic Kingdom! Due to its location and popularity, it costs 2 Table Service Credits to dine here on the dining plan. It’s one of the more expensive places to eat on property. In fact, I’ve eaten here only once. I enjoyed breakfast here in 2021 with my husband. Due to Covid, the princesses didn’t come to the table. In fact, Cinderella just came out and waved. However, thanks to those changes, it was cheaper back then. It’s great to be able to say I’ve eaten here. However, I don’t know that I would pay the prices they are charging these days and certainly wouldn’t use 2 credits.

The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace is a greenhouse inspired restaurant featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends! I’ve had the pleasure of eating here a few times over the years. I had breakfast with my husband back in October 2023 and you can read my Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Review here for that experience. Then, in December 2025, I enjoyed dinner here with my mom prior to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. You can read my Crystal Palace Character Dinner Review too. Once again, I think Disney has improved the food here over the years as well. There’s something for everyone on the buffet and the characters are great!

Garden Grill Restaurant

Garden Grill is a classic character dining experience in Epcot. Featuring Chip, Dale, and farmer Mickey Mouse, it’s a meal that gives you a rotating view of the ride Living with the Land. The food leans more towards basic, but it’s done well and pleases most people. I’ve eaten here a couple of times as well. You can read my Garden Grill Dinner Epcot Character Meal Review from my most recent experience in February 2023.

Hollywood and Vine

Hollywood & Vine is a seasonal character dining experience in Hollywood Studios. I’ve dined here several times as well, since the characters’ outfits change seasonally! I haven’t posted my review yet, but my mom and I enjoyed dinner here during the Holiday Dining prior to Jollywood Nights in December 2025. It was a great way to get into the holiday spirit before the party. We enjoyed the character interactions and the buffet was plentiful. Again, kudos to Disney for improving food quality over the years. My only complaint is that they seem to have lost Donald at this location over the years. I hope they bring him back sometime.

‘Ohana

‘Ohana is a popular restaurant at the Polynesian Resort. This restaurant offers character dining for breakfast only. Dinner doesn’t have characters, but the meal is a favorite among Disney fans. Breakfast features Lilo & Stitch! It’s the only place where you can meet them currently. I haven’t eaten here in many years. However, I recall the pineapple-coconut bread at breakfast with fond memories. Plus, I wore a Lilo dress to this meal and it was a great core memory made to interact with the characters while being dressed like one of them.

Story Book Dining at Artist Point

Another restaurant I’ve been lucky to eat at previously, but not in recent years is Story Book Dining at Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. My husband and I cosplayed as Snow White and The Prince when we ate here and had a great time. The Queen glared at us in the photos! It was awesome. My mom enjoyed interacting with Grumpy. The food here was elevated as well. Due to the experience and popularity, this restaurant is also 2 Table Service dining credits. Although, it is open for dinner only.

Topolino’s Terrace

Topolino’s Terrace is a character breakfast at the Riviera Resort. Dinner does not feature characters and is a signature dining experience. The character breakfast only requires 1 dining credit though. However, since it’s a signature restaurant, the food is better here than at some other buffets. You can read my full Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review for a closer look at this experience. However, I gotta love an artsy Donald Duck!

Tusker House Restaurant

Lastly, we have Tusker House! It’s a safari themed character meal in Animal Kingdom. Open for all three meals and only 1 table service credit, it’s pretty popular. Plus, it features Donald Duck! You can read my full Tusker House Breakfast Review from my February 2023 trip. I have not eaten dinner here in many years though. However, it is the only character dining available at this park.

Disney World Character Dining

As you can see, there are loads of options for Disney World Character Dining. From parks to deluxe resorts, they are located all over the resort. However, I would encourage everyone to pay attention to the dining credits required at some of the restaurants (Cinderella’s Royal Table, Artist Point, and Akershus). While the seated meals tend to have better food, the buffets have greatly improved in recent years. So, what’s your favorite character meal at Disney?

Myrtle Beach Restaurants Guide

March 25, 2026 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in April 2025, my mom and I visited South Carolina for a few days. During that time, we ate at several great places. So, I thought I would list them in a Myrtle Beach Restaurants Guide!

Myrtle Beach Restaurants Guide

Myrtle Beach has a plethora of great dining options! We spent 3 nights here and I feel like there were several other places we could try if we ever go back. Plus, I don’t think a single option disappointed us. Everything was good! So, here are the places we dined at in April 2025 and would highly recommend you try when you visit!

Sea Captain’s House

For our first meal in Myrtle Beach, I booked us a reservation at Sea Captain’s House. This was a wonderful way to kick-start our trip here. We got a table beside a window with a breathtaking view of the ocean! In fact, the image for this post (seen above) was taken at this restaurant! It was such a unique experience (for me) to enjoy some fresh seafood while looking out at the ocean. I will always think of this restaurant when I remember this trip.

The meal started with a bowl of tasty hushpuppies! Then, came our mains. My mom ordered the Filet of Flounder with a baked potato. I believe she really enjoyed each of those items. I got the Crab Cakes with asparagus! Again, it was so nice to enjoy fresh seafood while looking out at the ocean. We split a slice of key lime pie for dessert and ate every last piece of it. This was a great way to kick off a trip to the beach! Plus, we were able to walk out the back of the restaurant and right onto the beach!

Pro tip: Book a reservation ahead of time. This is a popular place to eat. Also, it is a nice restaurant. So, dress up a little.

Blueberry’s Grill

For our first breakfast in the area, we selected Blueberry’s Gr i ll. Technically, we ate at the one located in North Myrtle Beach prior to doing some shopping (see my guide to shopping in Myrtle Beach) at Barefoot Landing. However, there’s another one located in Myrtle Beach proper as well.

If you visit here, you must try the blueberry hushpuppies! They are slightly sweet and very good. For my meal, I went with the Blueberry Ricotta Waffle. This is the ultimate breakfast for any blueberry fan. From the blueberry batter to the blueberry-flavored syrup and served with fresh berries. It’s so good! My mom got the Cinnamon Roll French Toast! She’s not as big of a blueberry fan, so this was a nice sweet treat for her. Plus, who doesn’t want to try French Toast made out of a cinnamon roll?

Captain George’s

For our second night’s dinner, we elected to try one of the huge seafood buffets! We loved the ambiance of this place. It was so cool to see the boats over top of the buffet lines! It added something to the experience. We were pleased with the wide selection of items on the buffet. I loved being able to try so many different types of seafood without fearing that I was wasting an entree choice on it. I even tried Rockefeller oysters for the first time! It was fun to try snow crab legs for the first time as well. My mom and I had fun trying to open them. All of the seafood was plentiful and good. It was a little pricey, but then again buffets with seafood are. It was definitely a splurge to eat here. However, we thought it was worth the money spent.

Johnny D’s Waffles

The one breakfast location I knew I had to try on this trip was Johnny D’s Waffles! Named best waffles in South Carolina by Food Network Magazine and run by an award winning chef, this restaurant was high on my priority list. I’m happy to report that the Red Velvet Waffle lived up to the hype. It wasn’t overly sweet and had nuance to the flavors. I find myself thinking about this waffle from time to time since it was so good. My mom enjoyed her Coconut Banana Waffle French Toast too. We left this restaurant feeling happy and full.

Donald’s Pancake House

Our last meal in Myrtle Beach was at Donald’s Pancake House. This little eatery had friendly staff and good food. I enjoyed their German Chocolate pancakes featuring South Carolina pecans! It had a great combination of flavors that meshed well. Plus, it felt good to know that I was eating something local with pecans coming from that state. My mom ordered Donald’s Breakfast special with 2 regular pancakes, 2 eggs, and bacon. She seemed really happy with her meal as well. It was a nice, sweet way to end our time in Myrtle Beach.

Bonus – See a Dinner Show

One last dining recommendation I can make is to enjoy a dinner show! We tried Medieval Times for my mom’s first time! You can see my Medieval Times Myrtle Beach Dinner Show Review to read my full review of the experience. The show was most enjoyable. Although, the food was the least interesting food we had on this trip. So, I guess it depends if you want award winning food/fresh seafood OR a fun dining experience.

Myrtle Beach Restaurants

While this is not an exhaustive list of the many dining establishments in Myrtle Beach, it is a look at all of the tasty food we enjoyed while visiting. So, where do you like to eat on a trip to the beach? Did I miss your favorite?

50’s Prime Time Cafe at Walt Disney World Review

February 25, 2026 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in December, my mom and I ate at 50’s Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios for the first time! So, I thought I would share how that experience went.

50’s Prime Time Cafe

50’s Prime Time Cafe is a highly themed table service restaurant located in Hollywood Studios theme park at Walt Disney World. It harkens back to the 1950’s with kitschy decor and most tables having a black and white television! It’s supposed to resemble eating in a mom’s kitchen with tasty comfort food on the menu!

The Ambiance

My mom absolutely loved the theme here! She was born in the 60’s, but remembered some of the decor being in her mom’s kitchen. She couldn’t wait to take photos to share with a co-worker and her older mom since they had some of the decor as well.

It’s also fun that the televisions feature short clips from tv shows that were airing in the 1950’s. In fact, Walt Disney himself even makes an appearance from Disneyland (as seen in my blog post image above)! Again, my mom loved watching the clips of old shows and spotting famous actors.

Adding to the experience of eating here are the cast members. They treat you like family here. In fact, they will joke along with you and poke fun of things. For example, I got up to use the restroom and our waitress told me, “I didn’t excuse you,” followed by “wash your hands and use soap” when I responded that I had to use the restroom. It was fun to watch the cast members interact with other tables as well. There’s definitely lots of entertainment to be had at this restaurant.

The Food

Seeing as this is mom’s kitchen in the 1950’s, they serve up basic comfort food. Since we were on the dining plan, I selected a yummy peanut butter and jelly milkshake for my drink. It was heavy on the peanut butter and had very little jelly flavor to it. However, as a peanut butter fiend, I was in hog heaven. It was so good! My mom got a strawberry milkshake and she thought it was really good too! I highly recommend the milkshakes here.

For my entree, I went with Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken! It was juicy and tasty! It truly hit the spot. My mom got Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf and was really happy with it. It had flavor without being too spicy (my mom can’t handle any spice). Both portions were huge though. This isn’t the place to come for a small bite to eat. Both of us received roasted garlic mashed potatoes and corn for our sides. Both of which were pretty good.

We were pretty full by this point, but the dining plan comes with a dessert. So, continuing with the peanut butter theme, I got Dad’s Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake a la Mode! It was a rich, dense cake. It was a little dry though. So, the ice cream did a great job of adding some needed moisture to the dish. I would say the cake leans more towards chocolate than peanut butter, but it was still yummy to me! My mom got the Traditional Warm Apple Crisp. This dessert was a little disappointing, to be honest. It was like they dumped a can of sliced apples in a bowl and put some oats on top. It wasn’t bad, it just paled in comparison to my cake. Although, I bet it would have been improved with some ice cream on top.

Fantasmic Dining Package

While dining here, we booked a Fantasmic Dining Package. At $60/each, it’s a good use of a table service dining credit. My mom had never seen Fantasmic. So, we appreciated knowing that we would get good seats to the show. We got to sit pretty much dead center of the stadium and got a great view of everything. It was similar to the Fantasmic Dining Package Review at Sci-Fi Dine-In in that we got the same reserved area to sit in. However, I much preferred the food here at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. I highly recommend a Fantasmic Dining Package if you are seeing the show for the first time just to get a good view of the show. Although, if you are early enough, a dining package certainly isn’t necessary to get a good view.

Is 50’s Prime Time Cafe worth it?

I think the 50’s Prime Time Cafe Fantasmic Dining Package is a great use of a table service dining credit. However, it’s probably a little less “worth it” for a regular dining credit without the package. My meal would have been $47.25 otherwise, which is a little low if you are trying to get the biggest bang for your buck on the dining plan. My mom’s would have been $43.75. Out of pocket, that’s pricey. Although, if we had been paying out of pocket, we wouldn’t have ordered so much food. Overall, it’s a fun environment with comfort food that everyone can enjoy.

So, have you ever eaten here?

Crystal Palace Character Dinner Review

January 21, 2026 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in December, my mom and I enjoyed Crystal Palace character dinner prior to the start of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. So, I thought I would review that experience.

Crystal Palace Character Dinner

Two years ago, my husband and I enjoyed eating here for breakfast. In fact, if you click that link, you can read my review of that experience. On this trip, my mom and I had another character meal booked. However, my mom has started having mobility issues. So, at the least minute I switched from a resort meal to the only character dinner inside the Magic Kingdom – The Crystal Palace!

For those who don’t know, this is a Winnie the Pooh and friends character buffet meal! It takes place in a greenhouse-inspired restaurant featuring Victorian touches!

Dinner Food

Given that I last visited for breakfast, it was nice to enjoy a different menu this time. While the food here isn’t anything fancy, I think there’s a good variety. There’s definitely something for everyone. I really enjoyed the salmon! The shrimp and grits were pretty good too. The chicken was basic but tasty. I also like trying the pretzel roll (with a too big dollop of butter – haha!). Everything seemed fresh and tasted pretty good. I think Disney has definitely improved their buffet food.

The desserts were extra fun! I loved that most of the desserts were themed after characters! I don’t recall a particularly stand out dessert flavor wise though. They weren’t bad, but some were more fun to look at than to eat. It was a tad artificial in the flavor department.

Typically, I order plain water. However, since we were on the dining plan, I ordered the Pink Spritzer mocktail. It was a fun and fruity drink that had way more flavor than plain water. Plus, it helped increase the value of our meal.

Pooh and Friends

The first character we encountered in the restaurant was Tigger! Our server had us go meet him first thing since there wasn’t a line. Plus, she informed us that we were lucky enough to have Rabbit coming for a meet and greet! Since it’s winter, he’s come in from the garden to meet folks! I was excited to hear that as he was in the garden the last time I ate here.

After grabbing some food, Eeyore showed up at the table! He was fun! Then, Winnie the Pooh showed up! My mom told him that I liked honey too. I informed him that I do my stoutness exercises too. So, it was a great bonding moment.

The last character to come to our table was Piglet. He was as cute as ever! Finally, we got in a very short line to meet Rabbit prior to leaving the restaurant.

Overall, these were quick character interactions, but they were fun. We got several pictures with the characters and enjoyed ourselves.

Is The Crystal Palace Dinner worth it?

This meal is currently $64/adult and $44/child. We ate here because we were on the dining plan and a character meal is a great use of a dining credit. Plus, my mom really enjoys meeting the characters. However, if we weren’t on the dining plan, we probably would have grabbed something from a quick service restaurant. It’s a pricey meal but it is great for the dining plan and/or Winnie the Pooh fans. The food isn’t necessarily the star of the show, but it’s certainly not bad either. Plus, it was a pretty convenient meal for us since we were visiting the park for the Christmas party.

Have you eaten here for dinner?

Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland Review

October 29, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

It took five trips, but I finally got to eat at the Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland last month! I thought I would do a review to help you determine if it’s worth the hype.

Blue Bayou Restaurant

For those who don’t know, this is a classic restaurant at Disneyland. In fact, it opened in 1967 and Walt Disney himself was involved in the planning of the restaurant! The restaurant is located inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride! In fact, people in the boats ride by the restaurant! If you are lucky enough to get a riverside table, you can see the people and wave. It’s this immersive theming and ties to Walt Disney himself that makes the restaurant so popular.

The Ambiance

I believe the best part of this restaurant is the ambiance. It is next level themed to the Louisiana Bayou! You feel like you are dining at night on the bayou. There’s a big tree and balloon lanterns hang above you. Watching the boats on the ride go by adds to the feeling that you are somewhere else. I will also note that there’s something to be said for going into the cool, dark room of this restaurant when it’s hot and sunny outside.

While I didn’t get a riverside table, I still enjoyed the ambiance here. It was a relaxing meal that was much welcomed after running around a theme park that morning. Plus, it was much calmer than a Disneyland character meal.

The Food

I booked this restaurant specifically for lunch (instead of dinner) so that I could get the Monte Cristo. I have a bit of a tradition of enjoying a Monte Cristo during my solo Disneyland trips. Previously, I enjoyed it at Cafe Orleans. So, I didn’t want to give up this tradition and instead was happy to try it at Blue Bayou. I’m happy to say the sandwich tasted the same. Although, I did appreciate a cast member brining me a small plate and dumping the strawberry preserves on it to demonstrate how much easier it is to enjoy versus cramming my sandwich into the tiny container. No one had ever shown me that at Cafe Orleans.

Additionally, instead of the lovely fries that I get at Cafe Orleans, there are other sides here. At Blue Bayou, it comes with truffle potato chips and roasted fruit salad. The chips seemed like regular house-made chips to me. They reminded me of a restaurant back home that makes their own chips. The roasted fruit salad seemed like a regular salad to me too. So, I definitely prefer the fries at Cafe Orleans over these sides.

The real star of this meal was the seasonal Doberge Cake! It had thin layers of pumpkin cake, with caramel buttercream, and chocolate whipped ganache! If you happen to eat here while this cake is available, I highly recommend getting it. It was one of my favorite things I ate on this entire trip! Yummy! The combination of the flavors was the best! I can’t decide if I’m sad it’s seasonal and I won’t get it again or if I’m happy that I won’t have to resist the pull of the cake to eat here again.

Tips for Getting a Reservation

This is probably one of the most popular restaurants at Disneyland and it can be difficult to get a reservation. In fact, I’ve tried on previous trips to get a reservation and came up empty handed. This time, I was able to grab one exactly 60 days out. So, make sure you check right when reservations open up. Also, keep checking back and you can also look into a waiting list on the day you want to dine here. Who knows, you might get lucky!

Is Blue Bayou Restaurant worth it?

I am so glad I was able to finally eat at Blue Bayou Restaurant. It’s a classic for a reason. However, I will probably stick to enjoying my Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. It’s cheaper ($26 vs $34) and comes with those tasty fries I haven’t had anywhere else. Although, if that cake is there, that does make it harder to decide. I think this restaurant is perfect for any Disney fans or if you want somewhere more romantic or with an immersive indoor theme to eat. However, you can enjoy some of the same foods elsewhere in the park for cheaper.