Why Disney World’s Changes to 1900 Park Fare Are Controversial Among Fans
To paraphrase the lead actor of the American Adventure, nothing is certain in life except death, taxes and fan controversy surrounding every change made by Walt Disney World. It could be the replacement of Primeval Whirl or Electric Umbrella and you’re still going to find a certain subset of fans who are upset. Nostalgia is a helluva drug!
Accordingly, we note from time to time when certain decisions are polarizing, but tend not to focus much on it unless it’s a large contingent–or even a majority of fans–and not just a vocal minority who are upset. There’s a reason why entries on the Top 10 Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World focus on bigger picture changes that impact everyone and, for the most part, are cutbacks or ways the guest experience has been eroded, rather than subjective or taste-specific tweaks.
With all of that said, we have to admit that we were somewhat surprised by the response to Walt Disney World’s announcement of the 1900 Park Fare reopening date and details. This is the character dining experience at the Grand Floridian, Walt Disney World’s flagship resort, that has been closed since March 2020. When will 1900 Park Fare reopen? had become such a common question among its fans that we wrote a post specifically speculating about it. So we were slightly surprised that, instead of joy about its triumphant return, the top reaction was more: No! Not like that!
In hindsight, this shouldn’t have been a huge shock. If that many people were asking, it’s because 1900 Park Fare enjoyed a fervent fan following. The same passion that gave rise to the question itself would make them protective of the character dining experience and their memories of and nostalgia for it. So that checks out.
However, there’s more to the story than WDW diehards being upset about inconsequential changes after 4 years. This isn’t just a matter of little tweaks; it’s fundamentally overhauling the nature of the character meals, even if it’s keeping the same restaurant name and some of the same foods. This is far more material than, for example, the ‘Ohana “noodlegate” from a few years back. And that unpopular change was rolled back!
Anway, Walt Disney World announced that 1900 Park Fare is reopening on April 10, 2024. (Advance Dining Reservations for 1900 Park Fare open on March 5, 2024.) This iconic restaurant will feature returning guest favorites along with a newly refurbished dining room and other special touches.
This character dining experience at 1900 Park Fare features new royalty: Aladdin in his Prince Ali attire, Cinderella, Mirabel and Tiana in her new costume for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, as they all “celebrate the power of a wish.”
An enchanting buffet will be served for breakfast and dinner at 1900 Park Fare, featuring returning food (including the fan-favorite strawberry soup) along with new menu offerings to pay tribute to some of the characters and stories you’ll encounter throughout the restaurant. Big Bertha, an antique organ that has called the resort home since 1988, also returns to the main dining room as its grand centerpiece.
So in the “not changing” column, we have Big Bertha and the strawberry soup (so at least they’ve averted a noodlegate scenario), and in the changing column, there’s all of the characters and who knows what else.
For reference, 1900 Park Fare previously served up the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast in the morning. This was a fabulously festive, all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast buffet! “Popp in” for custom-made omelets, fluffy mini pancakes, Mickey-shaped waffles, carved ham and more.
Disney characters at 1900 Park Fare for the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast included Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter, Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh. It was quite the eclectic crew. (It was also subject to change–but that was more or less who you’d get each morning.)
In the evening, the character dining experience at 1900 Park Fare transformed into Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner, an enchanting buffet dinner hosted by Cinderella and Prince Charming. The Princess’ storybook friends joined in the festivities as guests had a ball dining on delectable seafood, salad, pasta and beef specialties. The culinary selections are representative of several “kingdoms” from around the globe and include such kid-friendly fare as chicken, cheese pizza, and macaroni & cheese.
Characters for Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner were typically Cinderella (obviously), Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella. This meal had a much more logical cast of characters–all from Walt Disney’s 1950 animated feature film, Cinderella.
As you could probably guess, the core of the controversy comes from the character changes.
When it comes to dinner, some fans are sad to see the cohesive Cinderella meal gone. That makes sense, as they were all from that one movie, and it was also a well-rounded slate of characters: princess, prince, and lovable villains. Even though Prince Charming is about as bland of a royal character as conceivably possible, it wasn’t “too princessy” or anything like that. It was a good option, so long as you liked the animated movie Cinderella. And who doesn’t?!
Other fans were specifically disappointed about the loss of the Tremaines. This trio wasn’t just lovable villains, they also provided great comedic relief and were excellent at improv. In the comments to our post sharing the announcement details, a lot of 1900 Park Fare fans shared specific memorable interactions they had with the Tremaines over the years.
This checks out. The Tremaines are occasionally free-roaming characters in Fantasyland, and they are fantastic at heckling guests in a way that is both pointed and lighthearted. It honestly takes tremendous talent to thread that needle, making sharp comments aimed at guests that won’t hurt feelings and cause complaints. I’ll admit there have been more than a few times when Anastasia or Drizella said something that left me stuttering and thinking “ouch, sick burn” in a non-ironic way–but one that also left me laughing. I’m not a fan of face characters for the most part, but I love them.
Finally, other fans were disappointed about the loss of Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, and (to a lesser extent) Alice in Wonderland from breakfast. I don’t think anyone from Pooh’s Posse spoke up about him being gone, but in fairness, he and the gang have their own restaurant in Magic Kingdom.
The sentiment, at least with regard to Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland was fairly similar to the loss of the Tremaines. That these two were great for interactions and spontaneous hijinks. I would definitely agree with regard to Mad Hatter, who was always a source of zaniness. Our experiences with Alice over the years weren’t as great; memorable, but in more weird ways. (Consistent with the character, though.) That’s not to say others didn’t have great experiences with her over the years–I know interactions can vary and often, you get out as much as you put in. Perhaps it was a skills issue on our part!
Then there’s the loss of Mary Poppins, which has the added angle of being an odd decision after basically redoing the outer buildings of the Grand Floridian to be Victorian meets modern meets Mary Poppins motifs. We’ve been critical of changes at the resort over the years–but not these. The new guest rooms (see Grand New Rooms at Walt Disney World’s Flagship Resort for a look inside) are a night-and-day improvement over the old mid-tier Marriott-inspired guest rooms they replaced. The lobbies and hallways also look nice and fresh, using ‘Enchanted Gardens’ and motifs from Mary Poppins as the unifying visual identity of the resort.
We agree with the 1900 Park Fare fans on all of these points. Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner did have a lot going for it, and once you were in the door, the character component really offered something for everyone.
As for breakfast, even though it was more of a grabbag of characters, it was fun and fairly well-rounded. I don’t think many (reasonable) 1900 Park Fare fans would’ve been upset by a few tweaks. Perhaps swapping out Pooh for Bert, or even a penguin or two if they didn’t want more face characters.
With all of that said, I can also understand why Walt Disney World made these changes. It doesn’t mean I personally like them, but I still “get it.” First of all, I don’t recall 1900 Park Fare ever being that competitive of an ADR. In looking back through our posts over the years, it always seemed relatively easy to book. This isn’t to say it was unpopular–like all character meals, it didn’t have trouble filling tables (at least, in our experience).
Here’s where I think there’s possibly a disconnect between diehard Walt Disney World fans and regular ole tourists, who make up a disproportionate number of the guests at a restaurant like 1900 Park Fare on any given day.
While a majority of lifelong Walt Disney World fans probably also love Cinderella or the zany antics and interactions of the Tremaines, Mad Hatter, etc., the average guest may feel differently. If you look at streaming data, you’ll see a bunch of Disney movies from the last decade top the list–and not Cinderella.
Of course, first-timers could be won over if they booked 1900 Park Fare and got to experience those memorable interactions, as that’s exactly the type of thing that forges lifelong fans! But that’s also the difficulty–getting them to book in the first place. This would explain why Walt Disney World is moving to a more well-rounded roster of princesses. It’s less reliant on a guest or family being a fan of a single movie, and every character at the meal has at least some “drawing power.” (With that said, Story Book Dining at Artist Point is the perfect counterpoint to this.)
When it comes to characters like the Tremaines and their offbeat antics, I can’t help of thinking about my beloved Country Bears. There’s a reason why characters like this are “allowed” to be free-roaming in the parks and have looser character integrity rules when it comes to interactions: the stakes are lower because they’re less popular. (It’s also more in-character, but popularity plays a part.) I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a guest have a great interaction with the Country Bears, despite having no clue who they were.
This works in the parks because there’s no barrier to entry, but I cannot imagine how unpopular a Country Bear character meal would be, even if it’d also be the best thing ever. Bloggers and diehards like me would rave about it, and the restaurant would be booked solid for 3 whole weeks. After that, crickets–there aren’t enough of us to sustain the concept for 365 days, year after year.
I’m not suggesting the masterpiece that is Cinderella is only as popular as the masterpiece that is Country Bear Jamboree. Just that both present the same issues and aren’t as popular with average families as franchises and characters from more recent releases. Fans who read sites like this one have to realize that what our demographic wants and prefers is often different from or completely at odds with the average one-and-done guest (see also, resort refurbishments).
It’s a somewhat similar story with breakfast. Going all-in or at least “more in” on a Mary Poppins meal seems like it would’ve been smart given the new rooms and other elements of the redesign. But at the same time, the redone Grand Floridian has been all over the place. There’s also a Beauty and the Beast bar, and who knows what’ll happen with the main lobby.
I think there was probably a desire to make it the “royal hotel” at one point (a la Disneyland Hotel in Paris), but there were too many cooks in the kitchen and the end result is more scattershot. Honestly, I don’t mind the result so far (knock on wood), as the more recent efforts with Mary Poppins and the Enchanted Gardens motif have been far better than Enchanted Rose Lounge. Had the redo started in 2020 as planned and followed that “template,” it’d probably be even more all over the place. But I digress.
It’s a similar story because there’s no way Walt Disney World would go all-in on a Mary Poppins meal for the exact same reasons they probably wanted to broaden the appeal of the Cinderella dinner. Yes, I’m a fan of the movie Mary Poppins and would really love a character meal that went all-in on it. I’d also love an all Aristocats character dining experience featuring live music by the Scat Cats. This would be the coolest thing ever and anyone who disagrees has poor taste. But unfortunately, a lot of people would probably disagree (as measured by ADRs).
With all of that said, I do think the new characters for 1900 Park Fare are odd choices even if the concept is an all-princess meal. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if this was dreamt up back when Wish was expected to be a smash success. But it wasn’t, so someone swapped out Asha for Tiana in her new bayou explorer look.
I also would not be surprised if Tiana is only here temporarily, in anticipation of the popularity of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and wanting to give the character somewhere until her own restaurant is ready, either in Magic Kingdom or at Reflections Lakeside Lodge. One way or another, Tiana’s Palace is happening at Walt Disney World. It’s too obvious not to do.
On a positive note for the characters, 1900 Park Fare not featuring Rapunzel & Flynn Rider from Tangled or Ariel & Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid strongly suggests that the plan is still to bring back Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. Those royal duos are/were incredibly popular, and not having 3 of the 4 at any character meals at Walt Disney World is a glaring omission that you have to figure will be remedied sooner rather than later.
If I’m not mistaken, there’s also no character dining at all that features Moana, Pocahontas, Anna and Elsa. I’m somewhat surprised none of those princesses have a presence anywhere, and think a meal that includes those leading ladies would be quite popular. I get that Walt Disney World probably wants to include a token prince to give it more appeal, but is that really necessary? (Especially without Jasmine?!)
Ultimately, it’s easy to see why the changes to 1900 Park Fare have been controversial with a lot of diehard fans who have nostalgia for the old meals. I share some of that sentiment, especially when it comes to characters who are known for being fun and great for spontaneous interactions. But it’s also hard to “sell” first-timers on that–what does Disney even say? Some of our princes and princesses are kinda boring to meet, trust us, you’ll make more lasting lifelong memories with these oddballs!
I can also understand the desire to broaden the appeal of 1900 Park Fare and make changes that are more marketable to average first-timers or infrequent guests. Personally, I think that Walt Disney World maybe isn’t giving guests enough credit, and a more cohesive character meal would’ve been perfectly popular here. (Again, look at Artist Point! As franchises, Mary Poppins or Cinderella are at least as popular as Snow White, right?!) Even assuming that 1900 Park Fare “needed” to feature a wider range of royal characters and movies, the choices still seem a little odd to me. The end result here just strikes me as jumbled–like there were 3 different ideas for a character meal and management couldn’t agree on one, so they chose all of them. But what do I know?
In the end, we’ll miss some of the hijinks of 1900 Park Fare, but we never had as much sentimentality for it as a lot of WDW fans. So admittedly, the stakes aren’t as high for us. While we’ve enjoyed the cuisine and the interactions, the restaurant (honestly) always kind of reminded us of a random thing thrown together and shoved into an unused space (the interior had convention center vibes). So we’re at least tentatively on board with the changes, even if some of the choices are a tad puzzling. We can see why longtime fans anxiously awaiting its return are disappointed, but the reopening of 1900 Park Fare should still be a win for many families wanting princess dining at Walt Disney World.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on the character choices at the new 1900 Park Fare? Anyone you’ll really miss? Excited that new meals are debuting, or would you prefer a return of the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!
I’ll keep my opinion brief – I am just happy Park Fare is opening again! Bring on any characters – I do not care! I am pretty pumped to meet and dine with my all time favorite Aladdin. Does it really make sense with the restaurant’s theming? Not really. Will I miss the stepsisters? Not really. To each our own – Tom, I hope that you are right! Fingers crossed for a Tiana’s Palace at WDW!
I think as Disney fans we need to look back and remember what Walt said. Walt’s vision was for Disney parks to constantly change and evolve. We may not always be happy with a specific change, but let’s do our best to try and embrace it.
The original line-up.at 1900 Park.Fare made sense.Mary Poppins, Alice and the Mad Hatter, and even the Pooh Pack are all from.the turn of the 19th century.
A tidbit that Disneywould like to never hear is that the model for
the original illustrations of Mary Poppins looked nothing like Emily Blunt or Julie Andrews. sue S,was based on Beatrice Lilly, a music hall.star and a friend of the author’s. And Bea was a lesbian!
The stepsisters and Lady Tremaine are what brought us back time and time again. We were hooked from the moment my then 2 year old gave the sisters the side eye to which they did it back made a great picture. The quips back and forth were delightful.
I can embrace change and new things but it sure feels like there are so many changes. And what’s more normal than snarky sisters??
The combo of Anastasia, Drizella and Lady Tremaine sound like they at least entertain as you’re handing over the big bucks. Mary Poppins, Bert and the penguins could, too.
Lunch/breakfast could be other characters that mostly pose for pictures and sign autographs.
Even if Cinderella doesn’t belong in a Victorian setting, when she descended the staircase at the Grand Floridian to waltz with her prince, I got up from my table in the Garden Tea Room to watch. It was jaw-dropping.
And *THAT* was Disney magic.
You’re 100% spot on with the WISH theory and that film tanking. It’s quite literally the only plausible excuse for this character line up. I admit I’m one of the “diehards,” but I’ve never even eaten at 1900PF! My littles love Mary so I’m frustrated and no longer planning this for our upcoming visit. Praying they include her in the Christmas party again at least. I will admit I am happy for all face characters at least, as those are preferred for my kids– they don’t like the “mascots.” I think if Disney had compromised and kept either dinner or else breakfast the same and only changed one meal… Or Just changed part of the line ups.. this may have gone better.
Honestly it feels like a casting thing saving money to me. Instead of needing ~10 roles to fill daily, they just need this smaller cast and can probably offer longer shifts/ better flexibility for shifts so people aren’t always working breakfast or dinner. I’ve gotta think it’s cheaper too in terms of the number/variety of individuals to cast for the roles.
The characters they have chosen make ABSOLUTELY no sense to the theming of the dining experience.
They just wanted to out a bunch of hard to find characters in a dining experience. With no thought to how it all fits together in the theming.
Consider my family diehards but this new lineup makes absolutely no sense to me. I personally thought Cinderella, lady Tremaine and the step sisters were perfect. It made complete sense. We have absolutely loved it over the years. Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters absolutely made the dinner. We have so much nostalgia for this dinner. We couldn’t wait for it to return and were so excited when it was announced only to have a huge letdown when they announced the characters. I’m sorry but whoever makes these decisions should be fired! There is no way they have any connection to Disney or what makes it special and the character interactions at the old 1900 is what made it special. Not sure if we will be trying this one out. Bring things back the way they were and while they are at it bring back the Grand Floridian Orchestra!
I don’t think streaming equates to long term popularity in terms of the princesses. While Moana and Encanto may have been the top streamed movies in 2023, I see way more little Cinderellas, Snow Whites, and Belles in costume at the parks and resort. Statista supports this referencing that these princesses are in fact the most popular in the country in 2023. Ariel is #4. This is why Snow White at the WL is so popular. That said, I don’t think these newer characters are as big as a draw to one time WDW visitors as you allude in the blog. The powers that be messed up on this one, and Alice and Poppins are a great and natural fit in this location as well. Not mention, they are well liked and have proven staying power. I was looking forward to this restaurant finally reopening, but now I’m not and won’t be going.
“I don’t think streaming equates to long term popularity in terms of the princesses.”
You’re right–it does not mean long-term popularity. It’s popularity right now, which doesn’t necessarily mean there’s staying power. I’d say there certainly is in the case of Moana, as the minutes streamed of that movie has increased in each of the last three years and it continues to rank higher.
As for the costumes, I would say that (subjectively), the dresses for Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora (my addition) look better than Moana or Mirabel. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my daughter wearing most of the Moana outfits, and Mirabel’s look is just boring (IMO).
I assume you’re referring to this Statista survey? https://www.statista.com/statistics/1388080/favorite-disney-princesses-ranking-us/
That also indicates that Mulan is more popular than Elsa and I am highly skeptical of it on that basis alone. Also worth noting respondents were 18+, which is a very different demo than kids.
Still, I think you do have a good point about the longevity of Cinderella and Snow White–they surely have staying power and multi-generation appeal, whereas I’m guessing a lot of grandparents would say “who?” in response to Mirabel and others.
I just want to say I totally agree. Snow White’s movie came up approximately 90 years ago and little girls today are still dressing up a her. I see tons of little Snow Whites, Cinderellas, and Auroras at the parks. These characters have staying power and should not be dismissed for the newer ones. Not to say there should not be newer characters as well but there is room for both.
I think Encanto is insanely popular. I teach at a majority-Hispanic middle school, and the kids were absolutely insane for Encanto. I had to listen to “We don’t talk about Bruno…” multiple times a day for years. Ha!
I think an Encanto experience would be amazing, but I agree it doesn’t fit in at the Grand Floridian that has an English theme. If they had a Colombian resort, would they put Mary Poppins there? Of course not. To me, it seems like the problem here is that they don’t have anything themed to South America right now. They should focus on changing that. They should prioritize creating a South America land and create an Encanto dining experience there (or consider opening up Colombia at Epcot).
the characters changes are puzzling at best. at least go the route of aladdin with jasmine, and prince charming with cinderella. something that looks less like choices pulled out of a hat. i will say whenever our next trip was we wanted to eat dinner there for the tremaine trio. whenever we’ve seen them in fantasyland there’s no autographs or photos, which left my kids a little disappointed.
Okay, when you mentioned your dream of an Aristocats themed meal with the Scat Cats (which i think it FABULOUS), I knew i had to mention my dream of a Brave-themed dinner (Merida is one of the best characters to meet) with haggis, mutton, and Scotch whisky . I’ve never had the chance to eat at 1900 Psrk Fare and now I guess I won’t be doing it. Mary Poppins with Bert and the penguins would be a different matter. I agree with the commenter who said Pooh and Tigger have their own undiluted Hundred Acre Wood breakfast at Crystal Palace (which i enjoyed thoroughly about a month ago). A random mixture of characters is not very appealing to me. But i love character dining and, if nothing else was available, i would do the new 1900 Park Fare.
It seems very obvious what was driving Disney in the character choices here (and theme wasn’t it). Odd that no one’s willing to talk about it.
I assume you mean diversity? (If not I have no clue what you mean.)
I’d guess that no one is talking about it because that’s not viewed as the motivating factor? Encanto is currently Disney’s second-most popular movie on D+ (after Moana), so Mirabel is an “obvious” choice even if she isn’t a princess. Tiana has a new ride at Magic Kingdom, so same story there. Cinderella and Aladdin are popular legacy characters, so hard to see that being the reason for their presence.
I agree with Tom that I didn’t personally see diversity as a motivating factor in this lineup, but it’s never a bad thing to try for. Diversity and theming are not at odds with each other, or they definitely don’t need to be, given Disney’s huge roster of characters. Could have done a royalty meal with Cindy, Aladdin, Tiana, and Raya. Could have done an “unlikely heroes” meal with Mirabel, Aladdin, Mulan, and Anna. Etc.
At the end of the day, I don’t think kids will care a jot whether a meal has a cohesive theme or not—but it is the adults who wake up to make the ADRs and decide where to put their plan credits or dollars. You gotta give us *something!*
Sorry, my too-brief comment above caused you to miss my point; all characters should be considered for character meals, but not every location works for every character, or theme suffers. Some are good fits, some are ham-fisted. As another poster noted, many of these characters fit better in a travel/adventure setting, not Victorian London (or wherever Park Fare is). Diversity efforts are very laudable, but Disney was clumsy on this one.
I have never been to WDW so there is absolutely no nostalgia about previous iterations of character meals. My problem is with the complete lack of cohesive theme. For me, that’s what Disney is all about. Complete immersion so you feel like you’re in another place/time. Alice and Pooh may not have much to do with Mary Poppins or a Victorian theme, but they don’t look out of place. I don’t have any problem at all with ‘Adventure’ Tiana, Prince Ali and Mirabel individually or in an adventure/travel themed setting, but together in a Victorian garden setting they are just going to be jarring and a constant reminder that I’m in the real world at a contrived character meal. Unfortunately this character meal has gone from absolute must-do for breakfast AND dinner (possibly even for our wedding party) to not making the cut at all for our upcoming once in a lifetime trip.
I remember being the very last guest in 2020 at 1900 Park Fare right before it closed for the past 4 years. I am one of those die-hard fans and considered it the best breakfast on property followed by BOMA. I was there with my then student-teacher who is now almost tenured! That’s how long it has been. Anyway…not that anybody has ever asked my opinion on the matter but I would submit that 1900 Park Fare ought to reopen on theme with the Flagship resort. That is:
Breakfast: Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland themed including: Mary Poppins, Bert (maybe the penguins as you suggested), Alice, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedle Dum and Dee along with the White Rabbit. Remove Pooh and Tigger (They are already at Crystal Palace).
Dinner: Cinderella themed including: Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Tremaines (obviously! :-)) inlcuding Lady Tremaine, and perhaps Gus and Jaq!
I am certain it would work with the Grand Floridian theme, with old-and-new fans alike. They should try my idea and change it if it doesn’t work with their current character buffet. I could be wrong but I think I may be right. 🙂 Love your blog. You always make me laugh and are so insightful and witty. Keep up the great work!
I still prefer Mickey & Friends in Victorian/regal garb, but all of these are excellent ideas.
Gus and Jaq replacing one of the Tremaines would work well IMO. The only thing I don’t like is the Tweedles. Even though they’re Alice in Wonderland, I don’t think they “fit” as well as White Rabbit for whatever reason–but White Rabbit and Cheshire Cat would be great.
Yes! I will swap out the Tweedles for Cheshire Cat for the WIN! Now, if the “Great-and-All-Deciding-Disney-Think-Tank” would listen to our fabulous ideas.
They could also take a play from their playbook at Artist Point and have the Queen of Hearts. Everybody loves meeting the villains and rare characters.
Eh, 1900 was a one-and-done for us. But I will say the night we went the Prince, of all characters, was the funniest and most entertaining. Mad props to the CM who was friends with him that night!
To me the reason people, including myself, are unhappy with this change is not just that we will miss delightful interactions with the prior characters. I certainly will, but that’s not the real issue. The real issue is that whoever made this decision does not “get” Disney theming. It’s the same thing as putting the hatbox ghost too early in Haunted Mansion. Theming is not just tossing out a bunch of characters. It has to make sense in terms of storytelling and setting. Mary Poppins and Alice characters made perfect sense in a Victorian themed restaurant in a Victorian themed hotel. Aladdin, Mirabel, Tiana, and this grab bag of characters does not.
There is a reason Buzz Lightyear meets in Tomorrowland, Aladdin in Adventureland, and the princesses in Fantasyland. They fit in with the story those lands are trying to tell.
Coherence of theming is a fundamental part of why Disney parks are special places. It feels like whoever is making these decisions doesn’t “get it” and that is troubling.
Sorry for the long rant 🙂
No need to apologize. Obviously this isn’t important in the grand scheme of things, but it’s certainly a big part of what made us all fans in the first place!
The problem with leaning too much on the current characters being a grab bag is that the same can be said about the old ones, albeit to a lesser extent. Winnie the Pooh is not Victorian, nor is Cinderella. I think we accepted the former because the bear is British–and so too are the other characters–and because Cinderella is royal and makes sense, superficially, in an opulent resort.
I can definitely agree that the hodgepodge they’ve chosen sticks out like more of a sore thumb than before, but I really don’t think 1900 Park Fare was ever the pinnacle of themed dining experiences. Still, would’ve loved to see this become ‘Royal Banquet Hall’ with Mickey & Friends in Victorian attire!
One hundred percent, agreed!
Hi Tom. I see all your points. I completely plan my trips around your advice! No pressure lol! For me personally the stepsisters were the reason I went there. Everyone has different reasons for their favorites. I read a lot of reviews from that restaurant about the sister and was drawn there. At artist point I go for the hysterical evil queen .
I had the exact same conspiracy theory regarding Wish/Asha, hah. I dismissed it because I thought, “No, they can’t possibly have been that deep in delusion about that movie….” But that’s a rant for another day! Crossing my fingers again for return of Bon Voyage, and after the reaction to this, ever more hopeful they won’t tinker with that one….
Well just keep in mind that whoever would’ve been ‘designing’ this character meal probably wouldn’t have had the benefit of having seen Wish at that time or having foresight into how it would perform. They would’ve been following the lead of the company as a whole, which absolutely was treating Wish like it was going to be a smash hit.
There was definitely delusion somewhere, but I don’t think that would’ve been on this project team. Based on how the company was hyping and marketing it, I assumed their early testing showed that Wish was going to be a huge hit. I’d love to know the full story there, because something was off.
Good point that this might have been meant as a meal with Asha and they pivoted. Though they could still use her even though the movie wasn’t a smash hit. And maybe meeting her would drive people to see the movie? (Definitely not the mindset though; Raya seems not to exist as far as I can tell.)
I have nothing against Aladdin (he gets sidelined for Jasime far too often – it’s his name on the title of the movie!). But I wish they had gone with Charming or Naveen instead. It’ snice to have the prince paired with a princess and it helps with conversation.
Last month, I was browsing Emporium when I overheard a guest asking ‘what/who is that?’ around a display of Wish merchandise. After the Cast Member tried to explain the premise of Wish, he finally said (paraphrasing): “oh yeah, I saw that. I forgot about it.” Obviously, guests say the darnedest things and this is one person…but still kinda amusing that this dude saw the movie less than 2 months ago and already forgot.
For royal meals, I think there are three routes that would’ve made sense:
1) princesses
2) couples
3) female empowerment/adventurers (Raya, Mirabel, Tiana, Moana, Pocahontas, etc.)
I actually think the last one of those would be a pretty cool idea for a meal, but maybe not at the flagship resort?
@BW. 100 percent true !!!!
Hi Tom, first and foremost I hope you and the family are all well!! Now for this change at this character meal…. A lot of what you’re saying is very true. It’s mostly the old diehards wanting certain things. To be completely honest, the only reason this was once my favorite meal was the bickering sisters and stepmother. They made it such a fantastic time! I can say that the new characters seem off with the theming of Grand Floridian. I no doubt will not be making reservations here without the old characters. This makes me sad !
The thing is…you’re absolutely right! The stepsisters and the way they messed with guests and one another was the highlight! They are great wherever they go, and make wonderful memories for guests.
If you’re Walt Disney World, how do you market that to casual first-timers who don’t read sites like this (or anything but disneyworld.com)? “Yes, this meal has Cinderella and her prince, but they actually aren’t the highlight–it’s these secondary characters who steal the show!” It’s a bit of a predicament.
Im not the kind to flip out over these kinds of changes but a confused expression is certainly applicable here. The GF is(was?) a Victorian era resort. The previous characters were at least of English lineage if nothing else. The new characters make no sense based on the resort theme and are clearly just a poor attempt at marketing 101 in action(for Tiana and Mirabel at least). For Aladdin? WHAT? Aladdin???
I guess to each their own on this, but I don’t need a restaurant or character dining experience to be themed to the resort that it calls home. Chef Mickey’s, Artist Point, and Bon Voyage are all examples of meals that have (at best) a tenuous connection–or none at all–to their respective hotels.
The difference is that they all have their own theme–so they make sense and don’t stick out as being out of place. The new 1900 Park Fare doesn’t really have that unless you consider “royalty” sufficient connective tissue, and I don’t think that works when you have Aladdin (by himself) and Tiana not as a princess, but an explorer. (Also, is Mirabel even considered a princess? I assume not.)
With all of that said, my dream for this was for a Victorian or Royal Mickey & Friends meal, so I do agree with you in the end. 🙂
Tom, stop trying to make “fetch” happen by rationalizing WDW taking a British Victorian hotel and putting non-western European characters in it. Disney didn’t become popular by being everything to everyone, they became popular by great story telling and theming. When we go to Garden Grill Mickey is dressed up as a farmer and we tell little one its Farmer Mickey and to let Mickey know his favorite vegetable Farmer Mickey grows for him, Farmer Mickey loves that interaction….at all character restaurants we do that based on theme, even character meet and greets in Star Wars. What the heck does South American or Middle Eastern characters have to do with British high society of the GF theme?
And yes, pooh doesn’t belong cause he is after the Victorian age, but at least he’s British. Aladdin is waaaay before the Victorian age and not British.