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When I was a little girl, I used to enjoy an Easter lunch at the Officers’ Club my grandmother was a member of. I have such positive memories from this.
And these are the same kind of memories and warm feelings you can get when you attend Minnie’s Springtime Dine. Minnie’s Springtime Dine is a seasonal character dining experience at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It takes place at the Hollywood and Vine restaurant at Hollywood Studios theme park during lunch and dinner. Hollywood and Vine have some great seasonal events going on throughout the year. We went to Minnie’s Holiday Dine last Christmas season, you can see our Minnie’s Holiday Dine review here.
But this was the first time we’ve been to the Spring event. You can see highlights of our experience here.
Minnie’s Holiday Dine is a great event to go to in the lead-up to Easter but it’s also fun to visit after Easter, too (it runs through May 24, 2023).
And as you can see in the video, we found out last week. We were taking a last-minute trip to Disney World. We were staying at Art of Animation (one of my family’s favorite hotels; you can read tips for staying at this hotel here, including how to save money on a stay there). After we checked in our room, we noticed a lunch reservation for 2:50 PM that was available through the My Disney Experience app. We thought we could make it in time since Art of Animation has the Skyliner transportation to Hollywood Studios. So we headed over to Hollywood Studios with plenty of time left. We checked in through the app and then waited for a text telling us our table was ready.
Atmosphere
When we walked into the restaurant, we immediately saw a beautiful photo opportunity set up at the beginning of the restaurant. This makes a wonderful backdrop for a perfect spring family photo.
This helped set up a wonderful atmosphere in the restaurant. It was happy, upbeat, and fitting for spring. I really liked the music they played, too. I couldn’t help but be reminded of my experience at the Officers’ Club all those years ago.
One thing that was markedly different from my experience in my childhood, however, was the Disney characters. And that, of course, is a wonderful part of this dining experience!
Character Interactions
There are four Disney characters that are in attendance at Minnie’s Springtime Dine. Minnie Mouse is (obviously) there. But so are Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto. They are all wearing springtime outfits which helps make the experience even more special. You can get your picture or your child’s picture with the characters. Or you can just get the character’s picture if you are camera-shy. Either way, these are fun photos to have.
So when we went to Minnie’s Holiday Dine last year, we went at 12:00 PM. It was packed and we got good interactions with the character. But by going at 2:50 PM this year, it was not nearly as crowded. And we got so many more interactions with the characters! They kept coming by our table…and coming…and coming. The characters would shake it up each time with different interactions. It made a really fun experience. So if you love the character interactions, consider booking a later lunch.
Oh, and if you and/or your kids like getting autographs from the characters, consider purchasing an autograph book ahead of time. This can save you money, like this cheap Disney autograph book.
Buffet Dining
But the characters and the atmosphere aren’t the only reasons for going. One of the main reasons my family loves this experience is the delicious food. It is a buffet experience and has so many delicious foods, sides, and desserts.
How it works is like a traditional buffet where you can get up at any time and go to the buffet line and get your food.
And since the characters come by so much, you don’t have to worry about missing them. You’ll eventually meet with each of them at least once.
Here are some of the foods you can enjoy here:
- New York Strip Steak
- Seared Salmon with Beurre Blanc
- Turkey
- Poulet Marine Au Four (Baked Marinated Chicken)
- Peel-n-Eat Shrimp
- Roasted Pork with Spicy Mustard Sauce
- Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
- Baked Chicken
- Roasted Mushroom Farro Risotto
- Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese
- Caramelized Brussel Sprouts
- Sour Cream and Chive Whipped Potatoes
- Crispy Tofu with Asian Glaze
- Olive Oil Herbed-Crushed Potatoes
- Potato Barrels
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Green Beans
- White Rice
- Bean Salad
- Couscous Salad with Cilantro-Lime
- Broccoli & Carrots
- Spring Peas & Pearl Onions
- Kale, Apple & Cranberry Salad
- Mini Corn Dogs
- Chicken Nuggets
- Kid’s Macaroni and Cheese
- Spitzweck Rolls
- Mini Pita Bread
- Herbed Focaccia
- Variety of Fresh Fruit (like watermelon, melons, grapes, etc.)
They also have a salad bar with multiple dressing options (like Balsamic Dressing, Caesar Dressing, Ranch Dressing, etc.) and a lot of things to put in your salad (like mixed greens, chopped Romaine, diced cucumbers, mixed olives, red pepper hummus, tomatoes, etc.).
They also have great desserts, too.
Some of these include:
- Apple Crisp
- Seasonal Bread Pudding
- Mississippi Mud
- BB-8 Star Wars-themed Carrot Cake Cupcake
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart
- Ice Cream
- Crème brûlée cheesecake
And, yes. You read that first option correctly. You can go to the carving station and get a New York Strip Steak. It’s not every buffet that has that as an option! Really helps justify the cost of the experience. Especially if you love steak.
So what foods did we love (or didn’t love)? Well, keep reading!
Favorite (and Least Favorite) Food
The New York Strip was (unsurprisingly) a big hit with my family. The Beef Stew with Root Vegetables was also really good, with the beef being really tender.
The shrimp macaroni and cheese was one of my favorites. It was really good, and I kept going back to the buffet line to get more. Speaking of wanting more, we also kept getting more Sour Cream and Chive Whipped Potato, and more White Rice.
The Roasted Mushroom Farro Risotto was also excellent. The watermelon and honeydew melon were especially good as far as the fruit went. Just like at Christmas, the salmon was a favorite in my family. Also, just like at Christmas, the Mississippi Mud was our favorite dessert. The PB&J tart was also popular. It brings back great memories of childhood (and isn’t that what Disney World is often about for us adults?).
As far as my least favorite was concerned, the turkey we thought was a bit dry. I also thought the pita bread was a bit hard. And the potato barrels were a bit mixed. If you got them when they just got brought out they were good. Otherwise, they were cold and a bit hard.
We also did not care for the carrot cake cupcake. The carrot overpowered the dessert too much. It was also hard to get out of the wrapper (though I did like the Star Wars-themed wrapper!) but I had to use a spoon to eat it out of the wrapper.
Final Thoughts
Minnie’s Springtime Dine is not exactly cheap (in fact, it’s downright expensive at $59 per adult and $38 per child). But you get a lot of delicious food that are expensive no matter where you go, like the New York Strip and Salmon. And on top of that, you get an amazing experience with Disney characters that can create memories that last a lifetime – not to mention some amazing photo opportunities. So to me, it is worth it if you are visiting Disney this spring.
Oh, and by the way, if you are visiting Disney World this spring, I know you’d love to enjoy the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.
If you want to know more about the food at this festival, check out our review of some of the Outdoor Kitchens at the festival:
But back to the character breakfast, there’s one last thing I should mention. Unlike Disney character dining experiences at hotels like the Chef Mickey Character Breakfast at the Contemporary Resort, you will need a ticket to Disney World in order to attend the experience. But luckily, you can learn about a lot of ways to save money on Disney World tickets here.
And if you are looking for a hotel for your upcoming Disney World trip and you’d love to stay at a top Disney hotel (like Disney’s Boardwalk Resort which is within walking distance of Hollywood Studios) – check out our hacks to saving a lot of money on top Disney resorts.
