Bon Voyage Character Breakfast Review
One of the newest character dining experiences at Walt Disney World is also one of the best breakfasts in the resort restaurants. For this WDW meal review, we set sail to the BoardWalk for Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno.
Starting with the basics, Bon Voyage Character Breakfast participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a 1-credit table service restaurant, and also accepts the Tables in Wonderland card for a 20% discount. In terms of pricing, Bon Voyage is comparable to other character breakfasts, and lower than character dinners. For families, character dining can be a good way to maximize your value on the Disney Dining Plan.
In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll offer food recommendations, how this stacks up with other character meals, thoughts on our interactions with the royalty from Little Mermaid and Tangled, and more. As one of the few princess meals outside of the Walt Disney World theme parks (and one with some relatively rare characters), Bon Voyage is a unique and highly-coveted Advance Dining Reservation…
We’ve previously covered dinner here in our Trattoria al Forno Review; if you’re looking for a good Italian restaurant at Walt Disney World, you should check that out. That review offers a rundown of how this dining spot compares to other options around WDW.
We won’t rehash all of that here, as this review is solely about the Bon Voyage Adventure Character Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. Let’s get started by covering theme, restaurant ambiance, etc…
As you might recall, this is an Italian restaurant…and none of these fairytales are set in Italy. Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno is just the normal version of the restaurant. No decorations or any sort of overlays, just different music. That’s something of a mixed bag.
Trattoria al Forno feels more upscale than your average character breakfast, but not to the point that it’s uncomfortable or stuffy. This restaurant benefits from the table spacing and layout of the dining rooms, plus the open/show kitchen, which gives it some kinetic energy even at breakfast.
However, the texture, rich woods, and fixtures don’t exactly scream “light-hearted and fun” character breakfast either. It just ends up feeling nice, but also an odd fit.
Trattoria al Forno isn’t something like Cinderella’s Royal Table where the setting is a huge part of the meal’s theme. It’s not even like Cape May Cafe, where the atmosphere helps create a more laid-back mood befitting of the character interactions.
At Bon Voyage Breakfast, there’s definitely a disconnect between setting and characters, but not so much that it’s detrimental to the overall experience. With that said, let’s turn to the food…
Breakfast starts with a variety of Pastries for the table to share.
It no longer includes a choice of Fresh Fruit or a Mixed Berry Parfait, as was the case when Bon Voyage Breakfast debuted. This cut is a disappointment (we honestly would’ve preferred fruit or a parfait over the pastries), but our entrees ended up being very filling.
Unlike a breakfast buffet, this is a prix fixe menu, meaning that adults select one of 9 different entree choices.
In reviewing the menu, it quickly became obvious to us that the two most interesting options would be King Triton’s Shipwreck al Forno and the Royale Breakfast. We also asked three different Cast Members about their favorites, and those two were the unanimous picks.
However, the most popular item at breakfast is, apparently, the Tower of Pancakes with apple compote. I’m guessing this is due to presentation.
Our server (who was great) did not recommend this, remarking that it was like a denser version of an ordinary pancake. She did bring two out for us to try, and we’d agree with that assessment. I’m guessing there was less buttermilk and more cornmeal to give these a coarser texture and a bit of crunch. They were fine, but not something to order unless you’re only concerned with Instagramability.
Next up is King Triton’s Shipwreck al Forno: “Calzone with Scrambled Eggs, Bell Peppers, Salumi, Bacon, Sausage, Blend of Cheeses, and Sunday Gravy.”
This absolutely defied my expectations. Rather than being a cheap and greasy mess, it was a flavorful and high quality. The crust had a nice crunch without being overdone, and the meats inside were varied, high quality, and perfectly spiced. The ‘Sunday Gravy’ was a savory tomato sauce that did its part to lighten the dish and up the complexity just a tad.
King Triton’s Shipwreck al Forno is ultimately a comfort food, but you could call it a “smart” one. It toes the line between decadent guilty pleasure and a nuanced Italian dish, which I really appreciated.
It’s also absolutely huge. If you order this, perish the thought that you won’t get enough food because this isn’t a buffet.
Finally, the Royale Breakfast: “Oak-grilled Steak, Asparagus, Cheesy-Egg Torte, Fonduta, Breakfast Potatoes, Crispy Onions.”
This is definitely the outlier on the menu, and would be ~$10 more expensive than everything else if these items were priced a la carte. We worried that this would be a cheap cut, but that was not the case. This was tender and had a nice, mildly smoky flavor. The torte and generous helping of breakfast potatoes likewise made this an incredibly filling dish.
Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast has proven incredibly popular since debuting because it features two of Disney’s most beloved couples: Rapunzel & Flynn Rider from Tangled as well as Ariel & Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid.
Each character is announced as they enter the room with a bit of fanfare and interact with one another before meeting guests individually. This bit of pomp and circumstance worked well and helped give the meal a nice energy and made it fun even when the princesses and princes weren’t at our table.
Whenever we review meals at Walt Disney World featuring face characters, I always offer the caveat that we’re awkward around these princes and princesses. Not in a creepy sort of way (at least, I sure hope not!), but more in a we don’t know what to say to their fairytale-style prompts.
I’m happy to report that this wasn’t totally the case here, and we did a “great” (for us) job interacting with the characters. Ariel is always an easier princess to meet because she has a sense of childlike wonder about everyday objects, and it’s pretty simple to play off of that.
Flynn Rider is just a chill dude; unlike the royals, he’s more down to earth. Flynn actually reminds me a bit of Gaston–once you get past the vanity, both are somewhat relatable characters.
You could probably hang out by the quarry and throw things down there with either of them.
Rapunzel asked if we had seen Pascal, and not only did we remember that he’s the lizard, but Sarah also had a clever response about spotting him all over the place outside.
That might not sound great, but anything more than an “uhhh” or one word response qualifies as great in our book.
Beyond that, the characters were really exceptional. There were a couple of points when Rapunzel and Flynn Rider interacted with one another in our area of the restaurant, and two separate occasions when each of them individually did gags at the window near our table.
When it comes to face characters, this type of passive experience is way more our speed, and we enjoy that so much more than being put on the spot for an often-awkward interaction.
In our view, Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno is one of the top 5 character meals at Walt Disney World. It joins other newcomers like Storybook Dining at Artist Point and Breakfast a la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace as the “next generation” of character dining, with quality emphasized over quantity.
However, whether Bon Voyage is right for you really depends upon what you’re after in terms of characters, ambiance, and cuisine. If you want food quantity over quality, Bon Voyage Breakfast is not your best option. If you’re looking for a fun and light atmosphere, there are better choices. If you want Fab Five (or Sensational Six?) characters in themed outfits, it’s not really in the conversation at all.
However, if you want a filling breakfast that’s also high quality, great interactions with rare royalty, and a slightly upscale setting, Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno reigns supreme. This breakfast has a ton going for it, and personal preferences aside, a strong argument can be made that it’s the best overall option at Walt Disney World right now.
Overall, if Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno checks the right boxes for you, it’s hard to beat. Some of the characters are impossible to find elsewhere, there are a couple of dishes that are of exceptional quality, and the experience, as a whole, feels ‘elevated’ as compared to normal character dining. While we normally prefer fur characters to face characters, we had a blast at Bon Voyage, and it far exceeded our expectations. Suffice to say, Bon Voyage is the second-best character breakfast at Walt Disney World, surpassed only by the new Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace.
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Your Thoughts
If you’ve dined at Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast, what did you think? How does it rank among character breakfasts for you? Do you prefer face or fur character meals? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Usually our favorite!! We come for the excellent menu, Tangled, (a favorite in our house of 3 boys), and location. However were sat at the same table as previous visits and were unable to change. Also, disappointed in the price jump- it added almost $50 to the check. Sadly not sure if we will be back.
We loved the Bon Voyage breakfast. At first I was a little bummed it wasn’t a buffet but you’re right in that you get a ton of food. We were stuffed and even took the pastries to go. We also ordered the Triton’s shipwreck and the Royale breakfast and both were amazing. The character interaction is really fun too! I also really loved the Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare so I’m not sure I would say it’s number 1 but it’s definitely up there.
We went twice and I loved this breakfast! Once they swapped out Eric with Merida, and it oddly worked really well given the “bon voyage” adventurer theme. I will say the fruit compote on the pancake is delicious, so trying the pancakes alone without them would not give you a real sense of the dish. But definitely agree that is not one of the “higher value” options when you can have steak.
We went here shortly after it debuted almost 2 1/2 years ago for my daughter’s 10th birthday. Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder are her favorites. She wore her Rapunzel dress and had a blast with Flynn Ryder making Rapunzel jealous. The food was really good too. This definitely tops our list of character meals.
Did this a year or so ago, and our family (40-year old kids, and 3 and 5 year-old grandkids) really REALLY liked it a lot. Honestly, we prefer the breakfast at 1900 Park Fare just a tiny bit more, but we will be hitting the Trat again next trip. Great characters, great food.
We did this breakfast back in January and had a great experience. My boys loved that there were princes and not just princesses . The food was delicious as well! We also walked right over to Epcot after for a pleasant entrance right at park opening through World Showcase.
We absolutely LOVED this meal! The characters were fabulous. Flynn talked to us for forever. Food was great! Loved the location of the restaurant and overall feel. They even suggested we get our spiked coffee to go so we sipped our yummy iced coffee and strolled to Epcot leisurely. It was wonderful. I highly recommend this breakfast!
Loved the Bon Voyage breakfast. The energy was great. Iced coffee was fantastic. We had the pancakes with a strawberry compote in June. It was amazing! The whole experience was great. Hope to do again in the future.
We love Bon Voyage breakfast! You made some great points. My only argument is about the pancakes. Did you try just a plain pancake or did you have them with the absolute-best-apple-compote-caramel-sauce-didn’t-ruin-it-with-extra-cinnamon you’ve ever had? Because that’s how great those pancakes with that sauce were to this adult! We have tried to replicate it at home with mixed results.
I’d love to try this meal just to meet Prince Eric! Have you two tried dinner at 1900 park fare? I wonder if your humor would clink with Cinderella’s stepfamily as well!
I loved reading about how awkward you all feel around characters! I feel the same way! It’s kind of a bummer because some really awesome looking meals have characters and it makes me reluctant to try them. I will have to look into this one since I love Tangled, so maybe I can get over the fact I’m an awkward adult. lol.
I agree that Bon Voyage Adventure breakfast is great and the interactions are always fun. Looking at your criteria for character meals Tom, I would think you would rate 1900 Park Fare as the number 1 character meal as you get lots of great food options and a good mix of face and fur characters.
I attended this breakfast in 2017 soon after it started. I agree that it was a great experience. We had a party of 8 (4 adults and 4 kids–- all 4 kids were girls ages 3-9). We had fun. The character interaction was great and we liked the food. My friend and I both got the breakfast calzone and i agree with your assessment that it was much better than you would think. Delicious.
This is an all you can eat. They will bring you two or three entrees. They kept bringing the pancakes to our table and no one ordered them.
Good article. Sarah, I love your outfit in these pictures! Where can I find a dress like that?
This breakfast was such a delight. The food was outstanding (we ate the two same dishes pictured in this post). Our children ordered the pancakes –which he liked (He’s easy 9 and pretty easy to please) and two meals off of the children’s menu, neither of which I remember. I do remember being concerned because pictures of the kids meals looked tiny and I though they’d leave hungry. This proved not to be the case. The food was a highlight rather than a means to an end (get full, meet characters).
Our character interactions were top notch. They were relaxed and authentic. Toward the end of our meal, Flynn and Eric joined us for about 10 minutes riffing off of one another with the best unscripted yet totally in character retort that had us in stitches.
We agree that it felt more upscale than other breakfast options, and weren’t bothered by the lack of continuity between the venue and the character stories.
Early blogs reporting on this breakfast had a lot of fun bonuses (including a map and a paper to record your dreams – some fun take-homes for the kids), but we weren’t offered any of those. Maybe, like the parfaits and fruit, they were very short lived?
If possible, I recommend booking the last breakfast seating and treating your meal as an early lunch or late brunch. We were among the last tables there, which likely explains our long, relaxed and entertaining extended visit with Eric and Flynn. YMMV based on the server and characters, but our experience here was a highlight of our trip.
Went to this breakfast back at Christmas time. Forgot that Tangled was apart of it and went for Little Mermaid as my daughter loved Ariel and Prince Eric. My daughter was nit much into Tangled and we may have seen parts of the movie in passing on Freeform. Let me tell you, the actor who play Flynn was extremely outstanding to the point of making me watch the movie. My daughter loved Rapunzel. Interactions between the 2 actors we incredible. Now for Ariel, not sure what the issue was. Very stiff, not too happy and just seemed like, wanted the shift to be over. Prince Eric rarely smiled and the actor who played him… was pasty white with rich black hair. This just doesnt work. Lol. My daughter absolutely loves Tangled now and is in her top movies she loves. The food was good, but we are partial to Italian food anyways. Looking at experiencing dinner next summer at this place!