We waited a LONG time… four years actually… for the reopening of 1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort. Now, a little over a month before its reopening, Disney fans aren’t holding back on their early disappointment in the hodgepodge list of characters.
Shuttered since the COVID-19 Walt Disney World Resort closures, we were thrilled to hear 1900 Park Fare would once again welcome guests on April 10, 2024. The restaurant has always been a charming place for Disney fans to enjoy the stunning deluxe resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian, while eating tasty food and hugging favorite Disney characters.
1900 Park Fare
Before its closure, 1900 Park Fare was home to the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast, which featured Disney characters such as Mary Poppins, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger. In the evening hours, the restaurant offered Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner featuring Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the rare but fan-favorite Lady Tremaine and ugly step-sisters Anastasia and Drizella.
The meals had delicious buffet offerings that one would expect at the deluxe-level dining experience.
New Characters Arrive
Now, with the restaurant’s reopening on April 10, 2024, fans are voicing their disappointment in Disney’s announcement of the lineup that will be available for the character dining experience. Disney’s new character lineup includes Aladdin, Cinderella, Mirabel, and Princess Tiana.
While Disney notes, “Character appearances and entertainment are subject to change,” fans aren’t holding back their thoughts.
“This Feels Like an Iintern Made This Choice”
Fans aren’t holding back. One comment on Disney’s announcement notes:
“This feels like an intern made this choice. random characters tied together by the flimsiest concept, that doesn’t hold to the theme of the resort or restaurant. And to boot doesn’t pair jasmine with Aladdin, gives us a version of tiana no one has a connection to and doesn’t care about, and if not pair jasmine with Aladdin, then why not pair the prince from princess and frog with tiana and drop Aladdin?”
Another share their “hodgepodge list of characters” thoughts:
“I was so excited to see this restaurant is finally reopening. It was one of my favorites because of the characters. I was hopeful over the possibility of the same characters coming back, and maybe even expanding the selection (Cheshire Cat, Queen of hearts). A chance to meet rare, fun characters would be so exciting!
But instead I see this hodgepodge list of characters with no theming whatsoever, and they are characters you can meet elsewhere. Nothing new or interesting. Is Disney recycling spare character actors they just happen to have sitting around? Sure seems like it. So disappointing…”
Lady Tremaine was always a rare Disney Villain fans enjoyed dining with:
“Wow. I was excited to see this was reopening….but scratch that. Dinner with the Tremaine’s was our favorite…..no thanks to these new characters.”
Another notes how “incredibly disappointed” they are with the news:
“Incredibly disappointed by this news. I was so excited to hear 1900 Park Fare was reopening and instantly deflated when I saw the character line up. It makes absolutely no sense. This was the best breakfast I’d ever had with a fun mix of face and fur characters, all British. So well themed. And I really wanted to try the dinner with Cinderella and the Tremaines… Guess I never will. Definitely won’t be booking 1900 Park Fare on my next trip. Please Disney consider reverting back to the original lineup!! It was amazing and this is just… Weird.”
Unfortunately, many, many more comments equal to or worse in disappointment than those above fill Disney’s announcement page.
Wish Makers Enchanted Dining
How does Disney make Aladdin, Cinderella, Mirabel, and Princess Tiana make sense together for a dining experience? They are calling the dining experience “Wish Maker Enchanted Dining.”
“Wishing for something delicious? Your wishes can come true at 1900 Park Fare, featuring an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet at breakfast and dinner—with visits from some favorite Disney Characters. Each Character is known for making a wish… and making their wish come true.”
Not Everything is Changing at 1900 Park Fare
While folks may be unhappy that the character lineup is changing, some things remain the same! Disney has shared that Big Bertha, a turn-of-the-century organ from France at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa since 1988, will still be part of the dining experience.
Despite other menu changes, such as the offering of Tiana’s Gumbo, the 1900 Park Fare’s famous Strawberry Soup is returning to the menu!
Want to make a reservation for April 10 and beyond? Dining reservations open on March 5, 2024.
What are your thoughts? Do you like the new 1900 Park Fare character lineup, or will you miss the old rotation of characters? Let us know in the comments.
Incredibly disappointed in the choice of characters that will be offered. My whole family loved getting to meet Alice and the Mad Hatter during breakfast. We missed this character breakfast so much and always hoped for it to return. So sad that they are taking away the opportunity to meet more rare characters.
Was so excited about the news of 1900 Park Fare reopening, I may have squealed in my office. BUT then I read the list of characters and I was like “NOPE”. I had planned to book both breakfast and dinner for my May trip, IF the restaurant reopened. Now, we may never go back. Some people say the new characters are better for children because they may have seen the movies. My 14 and 8 year old would prefer the old characters and also aren’t interested in going back. So there’s that. Finally, Aladdin came out when I was a teen, well before any children now were born. Same with Cinderella and Tiana was also before both of my children’s birthdates.
Wow huge let down !Ive been taking my grandchildren for 13 years and told them who they’d meet and not one out of 6 is interested but I look at the good side, saves us a ton of money. It’s a shame how Disney is changing all over , poor Walt would be so disappointed in his family for allowing the most wonderful place to bring your family and children is out of reach now for so many and it keeps climbing , even taking the perks away from the top annual pass holders with the cost climbing so high . But it’s all about the money and who gets paid with it !
I second all of the above. I was REALLY excited to book 1900 Park Fare BUT then I learned about the new character lineup and immediately took it off my list. Please, Disney, bring back the original experience for your guests.
Long ago and far away we had dinner at Park Fare and it was a VILLAINS dinner, we loved it. Shortly after it switched characters. We put off going back. We did finally do a breakfast there because my sister loves Mary Poppins and it was really good, so we were so excited to go to Mary Poppins again. And hoping maybe they might bring back villains… now neither. so disappointing.
I was so disappointed that we are missing the reopening by just 3 days, but after seeing that it won’t be the British characters I have to say I am not disappointed we are going to miss it. Yet again – Disney changes something that was perfect the way it was and replaces it with something far inferior. Not that I don’t like all of the new characters, but they don’t support the overall theme and feel of the GF and there is no tie together no matter what they call it.
I am super excited about the Strawberry Soup returning, but the characters not so much. I was really disappointed to see that Mary Poppins Alice and others are not returning. Cinderella and Aladdin you can see in MK. I’m sure Tiana will be featured more so in MK especially since the opening of Tiana’s new ride. Not even sure who Mirabel is. How disappointing. I’m hoping the food is as delicious as it was, but my bubble has been busted with the characters. Come on Disney make the characters make sense for the theme of GF.
Very disappointed. We enjoyed the step sisters even more than the food. It made for great memories young and old.
I used to eat at 1900 fairly often. But, as the price grew, I stopped. Now, years later, I bet 1900 will be the first WDW buffet to break the $75.00 mark!!
This new lineup stinks. And if they were serious about featuring characters that made a wish and had it granted, wouldn’t Gepetto be featured? In any case, I was looking forward to going back and have been waiting and waiting, but I will not be back. And who is Mirabel?
VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!! This was a must do restaurant every time we visited Disney World. The new character’s are all mismatched to the theme of the Grand Floridian! Please think about returning to the old character’s before the reopening.
Big deal. Things change. Just give them a chance and remember like the olde characters, they aren’t real, just an actor dressed up