Character Breakfast at Topolino's Terrace

Character meals at Walt Disney World are extremely popular and the character breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace has quickly become one of guests’ favorites! My family has moved Topolino’s Terrace to our top list of favorite restaurants. While breakfast and dinner are very different meals, we love each of these equally. If you haven’t check out our review of Dinner at Topolino’s Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera, you may want to visit that next!

Breakfast a la Art with Mickey and Friends is a pretty unique dining experience and takes place at Topolino’s Terrace in the Riviera Resort. Breakfast is served from 7:30 AM -12:15 PM so if you are looking for a later breakfast or brunch, this may be a great choice as well. This can be a very difficult reservation to secure so you need to plan to make this when your ADR window opens up 60 days before your trip. Scheduling it later in your trip may also help with availability.

One of the nice things about dining at Topolino’s Terrace is that you have an opportunity to visit the Riviera Resort. This beautiful resort is designed to feel like you are visiting the French Riviera and while there are so many unique attributes, one of the great attractions is the art found at this resort. If you arrive via Skyliner, you will be mesmerized by the mosaic murals upon entering the resort. From Peter Pan to Tangled, the beautiful art is something you will not want to miss! Allow yourself some time though to walk through the resort and see the pieces of artwork through out the resort. Have a favorite piece? Stop by the gift shop before you leave because you can order prints of many of the pieces of art work seen at the resort!

Topolino’s Terrace is located on the top floor of the Riviera Resort. You’ll be able to do mobile check in upon your arrival. There is a lobby on that floor where you can wait until your table is ready. You’ll notice large windows that give a great view across the resort in the back of the waiting area.

While being seated, your host will give you a quick overview of the restaurant, pointing out the terrace at the back of the restaurant. After dining, you are welcome to visit the terrace for beautiful views of the Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, and even looking out to Hollywood Studios. You’ll see Tower of Terror off in the distance! This is a beautiful location in the evening as well.

This character breakfast is unique for a number of reasons, but does feature some of our favorite Disney friends, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck. The characters are dressed in unique outfits that you’ll only see them wearing at Topolino’s Terrace. If you fall in love with the characters in their costumes, check out the gift shop, La Boutique, off the lobby at the resort. It is the only place onsite where you can buy the plush characters in these costumes!

Breakfast begins with pastries, muffins, and breads along with a glass of the house juice. If you have ever visited ‘Ohana for breakfast, the juice may seem familiar. Disney’s POG is served with every meal at Topolino’s Terrace. Did you know that this Minute Maid juice is made and packaged specifically for Disney resorts? You can request a variety of coffees, tea, milk, and other juices as well with your meal. Specialty coffees are an additional charge. The delicious prix fixe menu will leave your mouth watering and you can’t go wrong, no matter what you choose. If you are looking for something on the lighter side, the fruit plate with honey yogurt is a great choice. The Wood-fired Butcher’s steak is a heftier meal and may be enough to fill you up for both breakfast and lunch. Cooked to perfection, it’s a perfect brunch choice as well. If something in between is more your speed, I loved the Quiche Gruyere so much that I haven’t even ventured to other choices.

There are a few different breakfast choices on the children’s menu but the most popular is definitely the Mickey Waffle Dippers. Mickey and Minnie waffles on a stick that you can dip into the syrup are a pretty appealing choice. Each of the kids meals comes with a choice of two sides.

Fruit Plate with Honey Yogurt

Every thing we have tried at Topolino’s Terrace has been excellent. You can’t go wrong with whatever you order from the menu. Through out your meal the characters will be introduced and will dance through the restaurant, posing for photos or selfies, and waving hello. You’ll see every character individually but then after they have all made their appearances, they will dance together one more time through the restaurant.

Mickey Waffle Dippers (Children’s Menu)

Scrambled Eggs (Children’s Menu)

In the past, many character breakfasts were served buffet style. Buffet restaurants are not my favorite style of dining, especially with children. I like the choices and trying different foods, but one of the things I always found challenging with character meals in the past was that most of them were buffet style. When dining with children, especially younger children, this could really be a headache. Up and down from your seat to fill your plate, timing it so you didn’t miss a character, finding time to eat your own food between characters and buffet lines - it was exhausting and frustrating. I’ve always appreciated the family style character meals more where food was brought to the table for the family to serve themselves and share. This opportunity to order off menu though is even better allowing a variety of choices across my family.

Wood Fired Butcher Steak

Topolino’s Terrace has quickly become our absolute favorite character meal and the location, quality of food, and lovely characters truly make it stand out above others. If you’ve dined there in the past, let us know in the comments what you thought of the restaurant!

Counting Down to the Flower and Garden Festival

Counting down to a vacation or trip is pretty common for everyone. How many posts have you seen that share how many sleeps until the big trip? When you are counting down to a Walt Disney World trip that countdown can be pretty exciting. We love visiting Disney all year round but there are always two times a year that are particularly special to us. One is mid November after the parks are decorated for Christmas but before the holiday season begins. It’s like a kickoff to the holidays! The other favorite though is in the Spring and we love this time of year largely because our favorite Epcot festival is the Flower & Garden Festival.

This year Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival will be running through July 5, 2021! That is the longest time this festival has run yet and we can’t wait to explore it. Running into the summer months will allow a lot more guests to experience the park in full bloom so I wanted to share some of the reasons we love this festival at Epcot!

1. Topiaries - The topiaries at Disney parks are always lovely and well maintained but there is nothing like the topiaries you will find at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival. The beautiful topiaries are not just characters but actual scenes in many cases with multiple characters grouped together. They are the perfect backdrop for selfies but just beautiful to see all by themselves. There are over 100 topiaries to be found at this years festival!

2. Gardens - Through out the entire park you will find special gardens and exhibits relating to the beautiful blooms you are seeing in the parks. Visit a bamboo garden in the China pavilion, a tropical rainforest garden in the Mexico pavilion, a Tuscan kitchen garden featuring herbs and produce for the classic Italian meals in the Italy pavilion and so many more! With over 20 gardens represented this year, there are plenty you won’t want to miss including the Goodness Garden Butterfly House, the Honeybee Bistro, and the new Prehistoric Garden.

3. Taste of Epcot - Epcot has been bringing new dining experiences to each of their Festivals. These outdoor kitchens offer a variety of foods, drinks, and desserts at a snack price. The are themed to each kitchen and available for a limited time. You can even participate in the Garden Graze where you try 5 different items from the special Garden Graze menu and receive a bonus complimentary treat. You can check out the menus in advance and make a plan of what you want to try too! I have my list made and I think I could easily spend my day at Epcot eating all of the tasty treats! I’d love to hear what you want to try or let me know what your favorites were after you visit in the comments. We have always loved the frushi in the Japan pavilion, Hanami.

4. Character Promenades - You will definitely see characters in Epcot! Mickey and friends will show up driving through the World Showcase and you can be sure to see the Princesses in horse drawn carriages as well! Watch the gardens, you may just spot Joy and Sadness or Winnie the Pooh and friends through out the day.

5. Live Entertainment - It’s not all characters though, the festivals always bring some live entertainment and the Flower and Garden Festival will not disappoint! The Jammin Gardeners which you will find near the Canada pavilion will play some unique instruments and entertain the entire family. America Gardens theater will also host the Voices of Liberty and Mariachi Cobre and you won’t want to miss these performances while there. You’ll be able to check show times and locations in the Festival Guide when you arrive.

6. Scavenger Hunts - During the festivals, Disney offers a scavenger hunt for a small fee. This year there are two scavenger hunt events. Eggstravaganza begins on March 19. You can purchase a scavenger hunt map for $7.99 and begin your hunt for specially decorated eggs around the World Showcase. When complete, return to show your completed scavenger hunt for a special prize. The second is Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration and you will follow Spike the Bee on his pollination trail. The cost for this scavenger hunt is also $7.99. You can purchase the hunt including maps and stickers at Disney Trader’s or World Traveler and this is also where you will return for your prize upon completion. These are limited time events, so the scavenger hunt will only continue while supplies last.

7. Special Photo Opportunities - Photopass photographers will have special magic shots and props in the park to ensure you have great photos from the festival. You’ll see places you can stop for selfies through out the festival areas as well.

8. Festival Merchandise - The festivals always bring a lot of unique merchandise to the parks. It may be special characters like Spike the Bee or the Orange Bird who are often spotted on merchandise for this event. There will be special ears, clothing, bags, pins, mugs and travel cups as those are big souvenir items all year round. During this festival though, you will also find some unique souvenirs such as pots, gardening supplies, windchimes and other gardening accessories.

Frushi from the outdoor kitchen in the Japan Pavilion.

There are so many fun experiences for families at this festival and so many unique things to see and do! Even with all of the great things that come with the Flower and Garden Festival, you’ll still want time to visit your favorite attractions, restaurants, and shops. Don’t forget to stop by the Kidcot Stations so your family can participate in this fun and free activity around the world showcase!

Will you visit the festival this year? Leave a comment below and let me know what you can’t wait to see or try!

If you are starting to think about a summer vacation or if you would like to visit Walt Disney World during the Flower & Garden Festival, I would love to help you start your planning! You can email me at juanita@themagicforless.com or submit a request for a free no obligation quote.