Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast at Cape May Cafe review: is it worth it?

Beach, please! If you’ve ever wanted to meet Minnie and some of her friends in beach attire, you can do just that at Disney’s Beach Club Resort.

Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast is a character breakfast buffet at Cape May Cafe, which has all of the vibes of a New England beach vacation.

While dinner is also served here, you can only meet characters during breakfast. Both meals are served buffet-style. Breakfast features classic American-style dishes, along with the chance to pose with Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, and Donald in their beachy best.

Keep reading for our review of Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast at Cape May Cafe from our breakfast reservation on July 26, 2023.

The basics

Cape May Cafe

Cape May Cafe is a New England-style restaurant that serves both breakfast and dinner buffets. You can only meet Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy in beach attire during breakfast. While the dinner buffet doesn’t feature characters, you can enjoy a variety of seafood dishes for supper.

How we got a Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast reservation

Character meals are always popular dining reservations – especially Cape May, since this one is within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Reservations for all the restaurants at Disney World currently open up exactly 60 days in advance — and you should book dining as soon as you can (which is what we did).

Other ways to score a Minnie’s Breakfast Beach Bash dining reservation

Set dining alerts

If you don’t get a breakfast reservation at Cape May Cafe or want to try to book one last minute, try setting up a dining alert.

Reservation finding services are built to constantly check for openings at restaurants that you choose. Depending on the service, you can receive an email and/or text alert or a push notification when something becomes available.

Keep checking

You can also keep checking yourself to see if anything opens up. We’ve had a lot of luck with this method. Trust us when we say reservations become available all the time — even the day of!

Join the waitlist

Many Disney World restaurants also have a waitlist option that you can either join in the My Disney Experience app or in person.

If you don’t have luck snagging a reservation, this might be your next best bet. But, keep in mind, it’s not always a guarantee.

Checking in

Like with many Table Service restaurants across Disney World, you are able to check in for dining reservations 20 minutes prior using the My Disney Experience app.

For our 9:55 a.m. breakfast on July 26, 2023, we checked in around 9:38 a.m.

We didn’t have to wait too long to be called, maybe 5-10 minutes max.

What’s included at Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast

Let’s take a look at what’s included at a Cape May Cafe breakfast…

Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast all-you-can-eat buffet includes:

• Starters (for breakfast that is primarily pastries)
• Sides
• Entrées
• Kid’s offerings
• Beverages (all alcoholic drinks cost extra)

You meet classic Disney characters in beach-inspired costumes. They all sign autographs AND we were given a cute little autograph card, too!

• Minnie
• Daisy
• Goofy
• Donald

Character Interactions

What makes Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast so fun is you can meet characters in beach attire! We love themed costumes and these are some of the cutest on property. We feel like we say that at every meal BUT, these really are cute, we promise.

Here’s who you get to meet:

Minnie

Daisy

Donald

Goofy

The characters definitely came in waves, and we made the mistake of getting up to grab some refills and wound up missing Donald, but don’t worry, we didn’t have to wait long for him to come back around. Tip: if this happens to you, and you need to leave, let your server know, and they can sometimes work a little magic to get the character back to you faster.

Minnie, of course, is the star of the show, but Daisy hung out and did a little photoshoot that was absolutely adorable:

Other than Daisy, the character interaction was just “fine”. We managed to snap some cute pics, but overall, we felt like the character interactions were a bit rushed. Maybe it was just an off day?

Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast food and drinks

A buffet is served for breakfast at Cape May Cafe.

Here’s what was included in the breakfast buffet during our visit to Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast on July 26, 2023 (keep in mind that menus and prices change, so the following may not always be the same).

Before you hit the buffet, your server brings you an order of Salted Caramel “Beach Buns” served with vanilla cream:

The Main Buffet Line

There is a decent selection of both traditional breakfast foods along with some heavier entrées that are more in the “brunch” category.

Of course, there are breakfast pastries, including croissants and muffins. Pro-tip: don’t fill up too much on the bread so that you can save room for all the other good stuff.

Plus you’ll find scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, and sausage:

And even carved ham – this was a nice touch and a bit of a surprise. The ham was juicy and flavorful and the perfect compliment for breakfast:

There are also classic breakfast dishes like cheddar biscuits and gravy (this was just okay), grits (not our favorite), chocolate chip pancakes (these were seriously so good!).

There were also some crêpes, which were a disappointment, to be honest. We love a good crêpe, but these were a bit rubbery and lacked flavor.

And even Minnie (and Mickey) Waffles. The Minnie waffles were cute as a button, as you’d expect! Taste-wise, they were the standard Disney waffle (which honestly is pretty good). But let’s be real, you’re mostly here for the adorable Minnie shape, right?

If you prefer something a bit lighter, there is an assortment of yogurt, parfaits, and oatmeal.

Plus, your standard fruit options are also available: melon, berries, and citrus. Everything seemed fresh enough, and it’s always good to have some healthy options on the table.

Like all Disney buffets, there is a section of the buffet line that is lower to the ground that is designed especially for kids. On the day we dined, they had Mickey Waffles, pancakes, potato barrels (aka tater tots), and ketchup all down at a kid-friendly height:

Omelet Station

The omelet station was the star of the show for us.

If you want something made fresh for you, head there where a chef will create a customized omelette just for you.

Since the omelets were cooked to order, we actually preferred this to many of the items available on the regular buffet.

Drinks

Water, soft drinks, juice, coffee, tea, and milk are all included with the cost of your meal. There is also a selection of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, or cocktails you can order for an additional cost.

Important: If you or someone in your party has dietary restrictions, many Disney World restaurants have accommodations, and they also sometimes list the allergy-friendly items on the menu (online and in the My Disney Experience app). If you have questions, be sure to chat with a Cast Member and they’ll be able to assist you.

Our most recent review of Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast

Cape May was overall a decent choice for breakfast. Let’s talk about the good things first.

Location. The location of Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast at Cape May Cafe is very convenient for many resorts. Of course, any of the Epcot area resorts are within walking distance (Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn and Villas, Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve) and with the Skyliner, all of the resorts on that line (Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Disney’s Riviera Resort) also are an easy ride away.

This is a big deal because it can sometimes be a hassle to get to a restaurant that is at a different resort than the one you are staying at – especially for breakfast.

Now, what about the character interactions? We thought the characters were a lot of fun. They have cute outfits, and they spent a decent amount of time at our table. It wasn’t the BEST character interactions we’ve ever had. But it wasn’t terrible.

But, the bad part was it felt chaotic. The characters came in weird bursts (or at least weird to us and not our experience at other character meals), the spacing felt tight – especially around the buffet, and because our table was kind of in the corner, it made it difficult to get in and out.

As for the food, it was okay – and we did sample nearly everything. It was breakfast food – and it is really hard to mess up breakfast food, but it is also kind of difficult to have too many “unique” things at breakfast, either.

Pretty much all the breakfast buffets at Disney World offer a similar menu, unlike the buffet service for lunch and dinner. That can be both a plus and a minus, though, depending on how adventurous you like to be when dining.

A food highlight for us was the omelet station. Having something prepared fresh was great, and the serving size of the omelets was perfect (not so big that you don’t leave room for anything else).

And the waffles were delicious, too.

Everything else was good for what it was. There weren’t really any other standouts, aside from the Minnie-shaped waffles simply because Mickey is the typical shape you find which made the Minnie ones extra sweet.

Is Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast worth it?

First off, the food is fine. You’ve got your standard Minnie waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage, grits, biscuits and gravy, etc. They do add a few special items like the omelet station and crêpes. It’s a solid breakfast buffet, but we wouldn’t say it’s anything to write home about. If you’re expecting a culinary masterpiece, this might not be the spot for you. But if you’re good with a decent, hearty breakfast to kick off your day in the parks, then you’ll be satisfied.

But, if you are booking here, you are likely doing it because of the characters. Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, and Donald Duck usually make the rounds, and yes, they’re adorable in their beach gear.

But we’ve got to be honest, the character interactions are not as intimate as some of the other experiences we’ve had. Maybe it was the day we went, or maybe it’s a bit hit-or-miss, but it felt a little rushed and a bit chaotic. You’ll still get some cute photos, but don’t expect an over-the-top, magical experience.

On the topic of cost, you’re looking at around $49 for adults and $29 for kids aged 3-9 as of our last visit. Not the most expensive meal you’ll have at Disney World, but not cheap either. When you consider that you’re getting both food and some time with characters, it might seem like a reasonable deal.

So, is Cape May Cafe worth it? We’d say it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a simple, decent breakfast with a side of Disney characters, then sure, go for it. It’s a nice way to start your day, especially if you’re staying nearby at an Epcot Area or Skyliner resort or are planning to head to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

But if you’re after something exceptional—either in terms of food or character experiences—we’d recommend you try out Topolino’s, which is a nearby breakfast character meal located at Disney’s Riviera Resort. Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s is not a buffet (so it is less chaotic) and the entrée selections are way better, too.

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Have you ever had breakfast at Cape May Cafe? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.