Topolino’s Terrace Only Character Meal When Disney World Reopens
When Walt Disney World’s hotels begin reopening on June 22, only one character dining experience will be among the options operating: Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera. In this post, we’ll cover why this is likely the lone character breakfast, what the “modified” meal likely entails, and offer some commentary about this new meal at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Let’s start with a quick look at the meal itself, which is covered in more detail in our Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends Review. We did this meal last Christmas-time when the new Signature Restaurant first opened, and we absolutely loved the experience.
There are a few reasons this meal is great. First, the character costumes: Poet Minnie, Ballet Dancer Daisy, Sculptor Donald, and of course Artist Mickey. They range from artistic blue collar to the fashionable socialites, but all look great, fit the venue perfectly, and are fresh & original.
Second, the food. The menu is upscale, offering an an a la carte menu, like other new meals Bon Voyage Adventure at Trattoria al Forno and Storybook Dining at Artist Point, as opposed to being a buffet. It’s a quality over quantity approach, with some inventive and delicious items. (The Wood-fired Butchers Steak is spectacular!)
Finally, the setting. Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera is light, airy, and inviting. We don’t love a lot about the design of Disney’s Riviera Resort, but they definitely got this restaurant right. The dining room and decor are all elegant and refined without being stuffy and most significantly, the views are absolutely stellar.
All in all, Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends is like a family-friendly version of Brunch at the Top at California Grill (one of our very favorite meals in all of Walt Disney World). Suffice to say, Topolino’s Terrace immediately jumped to the top of our Best Character Meals at Walt Disney World List.
The characteristics of Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera that make it the best character breakfast at Walt Disney World also make it a prime candidate for being the first character meal to return.
There’s the meal itself, which is a la carte rather than a buffet. This means Topolino’s Terrace can reopen without overhauling its approach, or changing the menu at all.
Then there’s the fact that Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends is entirely fur characters, which distinguishes it from other new meals like Artist Point and Trattoria al Forna, which are otherwise similar but are not reopening.
Perhaps most importantly, unlike other older restaurants where character dining was added after the fact, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera was designed with it in mind. The result is a significantly more spacious venue, with wide walkways and ample space between tables.
Most of the seating area isn’t cramped like so many other Walt Disney World restaurants, which means there’s built-in space for social distancing without removing tables or revamping the seating area. This should make it easier to roll out whatever changes are necessary for the “modified” character breakfast.
What that “modified” character dining experience entails is the big wildcard with Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends. We’re guessing it means the character component of the meal will not involve individual stops at each table.
Instead, it’s likely that there will be character introductions and a guest-less parade around the seating area (which already happens), and more of a “Smile & Wave” semi-show as discussed in our Character Dining Cancelled at Walt Disney World post.
It’s also possible that Mickey & Friends will make individual stops at each table for photos, but with contact minimized (there’s no way of avoiding it completely–it’s unrealistic to expect kids not to react emotionally and impulsively when seeing their favorite characters, and Walt Disney World is undoubtedly aware of this).
Given what we know about the low likelihood of surface transmission, the practical realities of fur characters, and the spacing of tables at Topolino’s Terrace, it also doesn’t seem totally unreasonable for the “modified” meal to only have minor changes made, and ones that do not impact the substantive experience.
In this regard, it would be the perfect “pilot” character dining experience for Walt Disney World. As compared to other character meals, very little needs to change for such a test run. Disney could gauge guest demand and potential problem points, making this adjustments while redoing other character meals.
If that’s the case, we would expect to see other modified character dining experiences gradually return as Walt Disney World’s phased reopening continues. If our assumptions are correct, other prime candidates would be Garden Grill, Cape May Cafe, Chef Mickey’s, Hollywood & Vine, Tusker House, and Crystal Palace.
One of those (Garden Grill) would be very easy to modify and reopen, while the restaurant would require more significant changes. They’re all probably doable if Topolino’s Terrace works, though.
That list is entirely speculative on our part–this should not be construed as a rumor. However, we think it makes sense given both viability and locations. If those other meals reopened, it would mean there’s one character meal in each of the 4 theme parks, plus every major resort district.
We previously shared this info in our Walt Disney World Resort & Restaurant Reopening Changes & Know Before You Go Info “mega post” over the weekend, but it was towards the bottom of that. Judging by reactions on social media, many people missed this aspect of the story. (Side-note: would it be helpful if in the future we broke down longer material like this into a few, shorter topical posts? One for resorts, one for restaurants, and one for ‘other interesting stuff? The single post is a lot to digest.)
In any case, we thought this was worthy of a dedicated post despite being a relatively small tidbit because it’s an interesting one. Moreover, characters are a deal-breaker for many of you when it comes to visiting Walt Disney World given reactions to our previous posts about character dining and meet & greets not being offered. To that end, we’d really love some feedback on this–are you interested in knowing more about the particulars of this modified character meal? Is it something you’d potentially book? We’re debating going day one to see how it goes and review it, but that depends in part upon reader curiosity.
But we digress. For all of those even potentially interested in the modified character dining experience who have Walt Disney World trips booked for June or July, we’d highly recommend hedging your bets and booking an Advance Dining Reservation for Topolino’s Terrace as soon as ADRs reopen.
You can always decide later whether to keep it, once reports confirm exactly what it entails. Given that it’ll be the only character meal at first, even with limited on-site guests it’s possible that Topolino’s Terrace will book quickly. As discussed above, we love this restaurant and particular breakfast, so it’s definitely a solid choice for Walt Disney World’s first character dining experience to return.
If you have questions about the closure, including policy changes and what we know thus far, please consult our Walt Disney World Reopening FAQ & Info, which should answer most inquiries. See our other WDW Closure & Reopening Updates for the latest news. If you’re planning a Walt Disney World trip, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be booking an Advance Dining Reservation for Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera? Interested in us doing a review of the modified meal at Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends? Thoughts of your own as to why this character meal is returning but others are not? Would not being able to take photos with each character be a dealbreaker for you? Do you agree or disagree with our speculation? Other thoughts or concerns? 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 love reading your articles! We have a reservation in November and would love to hear how the “modified character dining“ works out. We always get the dining plan, so we are trying to decide if it’s worth paying out of pocket for a “modified” experience, as well as going to Disney in general. We don’t typically do alot of the big name rides, sadly all of the Parades & fireworks are on hold til further notice. Theses are the biggest things we typically go for. Getting a reservation at a character meal would really go far for us to still go. Any word yet on either parties yet? That’s another factor for us. Thanks for keeping us informed!
Tom, You and Sarah are a wealth of information and please feel free to keep any and all topics of your choosing coming. You do such a great job and we look forward to your posts and the pictures that you both so proudly pose for and so willingly share.
Do you live in Florida full time now? Have you always and if you don’t mind sharing what area?
My husband and I are in our 60s and for years we have been on the fence about buying property in Florida and I know in one of your post you had recommended Windemere, Dr. Phillips and I don’t remember the third one you suggested. I love the Lake Reams townhomes that are at Disney‘s back door in Windermere, you can actually watch the nightly fireworks from your court yard but my husband and I are not on the same page. Coming from the northeast area he feels it’s just as easy and cheaper to rent for a couple of months if we decided to yearly then to actually buy property and deal with all the headaches that come along with owning.
I know it’s off topic but do you have an opinion – where are you initially from? Thank you
I VORACIOUSLY read all the opening updates, so please do go on the first day! I would love to hear your thoughts! I’m reading everything I can get my hands on with this reopening, and you are my favorite blog in general.
Thank you so much for all the content!! I truly appreciate all you do!
I love reading your articles! We are going in November and would love to hear how the modified character dining goes! We always get the dining plan, so we are trying to decide if it’s worth paying out of pocket for a “modified” experience! Thank you for keeping us informed!
Yes! Please share! We’re booked for the end of October (moved our dates from March 15th) and have been waiting to see what happens once everything is open. I have a 7 and 6 year old that want to go no matter what is offered. We also have Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween tickets that haven’t been canceled yet. But maybe that’s coming?
Tom – not sure if you have done review of Topolinos for dinner or not yet. We tried it when we were there in March and have to say it was one of the best meals we have had at Disney. The food and service was outstanding, as was the atmosphere. I wish I could post pictures of the view we had at sunset. It was a last minute decision to eat there. We were passing by the Riviera on the Skyliner on our way to Epcot to eat then remembered the new restaurant and was able to grab a reservation then loop back on the skyliner. So glad we did.
Chiming in for another request for a “new character meal experience” review when this rolls out. Now that we no longer have the dining plan (RIP dining plan… I miss you already!) Topolinos is an EXPENSIVE breakfast for our family of 5, three of which are picky light-eater kids who will just nibble the ears of a Mickey Waffle. Would really like to know if the character experience still feels fun and “worth it”–especially considering you can get a nice TS brunch or breakfast at most resort hotels and disney springs for half the price or less.
Grazie Disney, è fantastico! Tanti Baci xox
First off, I’d love for you and Sarah to go check out Topolino’s for us! It was definitely on our must-do list for the next visit.
Also, in reference to: “Side-note: would it be helpful if in the future we broke down longer material like this into a few, shorter topical posts? One for resorts, one for restaurants, and one for ‘other interesting stuff?”… I read several other Disney blogs, but yours is, by far, the best and one of the things I like about it is that it’s succinct, informative and well-written (and once in a while, even funny). For example, you did like 2 posts on the reopening of DS. Another blog I follow has milked it for like 40! I just click through most of them without reading, but I always read all of yours. I know if you’ve written about something, it’s accurate and interesting. Just my 2 cents…
To clarify, we wouldn’t stretch a single post into a dozen…but some of “us” felt that the previous Know Before You Go post should’ve been broken down into a few posts. Not all of “us” agreed, but we nevertheless felt it was worth soliciting reader feedback. 😉
Tom I really appreciate you being just about the ONLY reliable source of Disney information and thank you for helping us know what the heck is going on with Disney. Even chatting on the website with cast members is a waste of time. I feel bad for them because they don’t know anything! Honestly, we’ve just had enough of Disney and their lack of communication. We have made back up plans to stay off site and are now planning on only eating super quick meals instead of taking our kids to enjoy the fun character meals and longer sit down restaurants. I am NOT giving Disney any more money for experiences that are sub par. Not being able to eat at a neighbor resort without an ADR? What if we just wanted the quick service or to check out the lounge? Closing pool like storm along bay? REALLY? I wasn’t on board with masks but have come around. Then they take away ALL THE FUN things like character meet and greets and fireworks and parades. Now we can’t even go to another resort or the pools???? We just wouldn’t come at all, but we are essentially being forced to go in December because our military tickets expire and we can’t extend them and there is a looming 6 month to 1 year deployment coming next year so all the people who say “oh, just go in 2021” IT ISN’T THAT SIMPLE for some of us. Ugh. I’m seriously considering selling all my Disney gift cards and never going again. Disney really needs to make some major magic here, cause this family is just about done.
Dee – Thank you to your family for their service. I was so sad to to hear your pain. Just remember what happen isn’t Disney’s fault. They didn’t create the pandemic, they didn’t choose to shut down – and they certainly didn’t set the parameters of reopening. For an operation that has been largely “hands on” personal contact to make people FEEL special. They have been handed a very difficult challenge and are least trying to find ways to bring back the magic. Again we “THE PEOPLE” appreciate your sacrifice – If I could change it all so it would work for you – I would in a heartbeat. I hope you can find compromise to your dilemma. Disney magic can happen at home too! Have a disney tea party or dress up dinner! Your kids will love it!
Dee I ffeel like you do. We are locked in because of rented points. I am thinking of selling my cards and just let the resort go and settle for that being the only loss. This will be my last time I could go becuse 75 years old. Am so disappointed.
As soon as you see or hear anything about Characters and Character dining please share!!! I have a trip in November and I’m anxiously awaiting any news on these things specifically. As much as I’m heartbroken over no fireworks or parade, I think I can live with it as long as there were some type of character interaction still available. I keep seeing over and over again posts that say things like I’ll just wait until next year, or I’ll go back when things are back to normal. What about those of us with young kids? Kids don’t keep, my princess obsessed 4 year old will be well and past princesses in 18 mo and probably obsessed with JoJo or something equally obnoxious. As parents this tiny window of time is the only chance we get to make and cherish memories of our children interacting with their favorite characters and the pure innocent joy and belief in the magic. I have been waiting for this year since the minute I found out I was having a girl. Last year (for this spring) I booked a dream week long vacation in the parks with a 3 day cruise right after. I got up at 5 am and obsessively clicked refresh every 13 seconds to make sure I could book every character meal and get the perfect Boutique appointment, I spent a small fortune on princess dresses and accessories and every night my daughter and I discussed what we would tell the princesses when we met them, and how we would show mickey and friends our favorite dance moves to hot diggity dog, and honestly every day since our cancelled trip I’m watching my daughter care a little less and its breaking my heart in degrees. November is probably my last chance, and I know it. I know this is the epitome of first world problems but god I just want one damn picture of my daughter with Cinderella while she still believes with her whole heart that its really Cinderella.
You’re response broke my heart! We don’t have kids so haven’t had those experiences, but we do “borrow” and take our friends with kids to WDW as we can to share the magic. As a 54 year old who still believes in the Disney Magic it is you that keeps it alive in her. My dad is the one who kept it alive in me. My dad took us to Disney as we grew up and always kept the magic alive, I now pass that along to other friends and their kids. You are the spark for the magic, Disney is just the magnifier of that spark. Keep the magic alive in yourself and she will keep it too! And, what do you mean that all the Cinderella’s in the park aren’t real?!
Rosette the inspiration is Disney World the magic is in YOU! Haven’s you ever made a crown out of tinfoil and attacked crystals? Made a flowy curtain in a make shift castle? Don’t wait until you go to Disney… dress your daughter up and do her hair (my daughter went to the Boutique but liked the way I did her hair when we got home better. ) You can have tea parties (put on your prettiest dress also) play a Disney princess movie in the background. You’ll find those memories and pictures will mean as much if not more then those you will get someday at WDW. My daughter will be 21 years old soon. And she is still all giddy when she has thoughts of returning to WDW. If you continue to spread the PIXIE dust at home — the magic will not die whether your daughter is 4 or 14. We took our daughter at 3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 so far and age 10 was by far the best!!!!!! Keep the magic at home…ask her to describe what the NEXT Disney Princess should look like then create that “LOOK” for her… continue to plan and PRACTICE being royal…. you’ll never regret that time. Sending you a kiss of pixie dust to rekindle your magic. Cindy
I know, I know, I was being negative, and I’m sorry. Just so you know I truly believe in all the magic with all my heart. I hug Jasmine and tell her why it was so important for me to see her in movies as a young middleastern girl and I share how I’m a little jealous of her because Aladdin is just so cute. I try so hard to keep all this alive and magical for my kids, but the reality is that kids these days get cynical so dang fast. My 6 (almost 7 year old) son told me Santa is not real this year and even though I campaigned super hard I’m losing every day. My 7 year old niece who had every inch of her room covered in Disney princesses tore it all down and replaced it with Jojo posters and when I asked about it she told me princesses were “lame”, and I died a little inside. Disney magic is real in this house, trust me everyone I know thinks I’m insane, but its getting harder and harder to keep my kids on the same page with me. I’m trying though, and I’ll keep up the good fight!
I feel this so much. I’ve been planning our trip for the first week of November ’20 since November 2016. My kids will have just turned 6 and 8 in the days before. It’s because of that fact that I’m not cancelling or postponing (also, we rented DVC points through David’s and it seems very hard to adjust). I strongly considered postponing another year, but the thing I kept coming back to are that they won’t be these ages in another year. The plan was to go when they’re 6 and 8 and unless the parks are closed, that’s what turned out to be most important to me. Also, since this is our first trip, I figure my kids won’t really know what they’re missing as far as character interaction goes. They’ll be excited just to lay eyes on them.
Also, continuing to plan this trip has been such a wonderful diversion from everything else that’s going on. I’m excited to be a part of this weird, temporary age of Disney World.
Lori, I totally get wanting to go when the kids are a certain age, for whatever reason its really important to me to go when the kids are 4. When my son was 4 we took him to Disneyland so he can go to Carsland, since he was obsessed with everything lightening mcqueen. When the cars characters did the “meet and greets” he absolutely lost his mind when Tow Mater rolled up. Not to mention his pure glee at just being tall enough to ride radiator racers. Those memories are some of the best in my life, and I treasure every one of them. Now even though I’m sure he would still love the ride, I doubt he will even want to wait in line to meet Mater. I so wanted the same thing for my daughter, and shes a bit more wrapped up in Disney than he was, so I’m praying she continues to be excited about it for longer. Unfortunately as this isn’t our first trip we will know what we are missing, I kept saying I’ll wait to do that meal or the boutique when she gets a little older so she’ll understand it more and now I’m just kicking myself that I didn’t go for it earlier. I hope you have a magical first trip, and that your kids love and appreciate every minute. Planning is such a fun distraction, I have this huge excel file that I collect all my info in and I love just reading through it whenever I’m down about the state of the world.
S.Luke and Cindy, thanks for the reminder and I’ll do my best to keep the magic going. Thanks for all the cute ideas….I think I’m overdue for a tea party…..gotta go find my tiara!
Rosette, my 7 and 5 year old daughters still love princesses! They were so excited about meeting the princesses in September, but I’ve been rewriting what it will look like in their heads so they’re still just as excited. Believe me, I did all the same things as you, and I had a good cry when it all got upended, but now I’ve adopted a just for with it attitude, and I’ve looked at how I can still make it a memorable experience for my kids. As long as my husband and I make it fun and exciting, I know my kids will love it. We also have a 2.5 year old boy who is equally excited about the princesses, haha. It’s a crazy year and I completely get your heartbreak. I literally built the perfect Disney vacation this year because I knew my girls’ ages were the perfect age for all the magic and remembering it too. But…now I’m making it different. And I feel like it will still be amazing for them!
I’m always interested in content like this. Also, we’re currently booked for late August at Beach Club (previously Free Dining Bounceback). This was a breakfast we’d had booked before the cancellation and had done once before and loved it, so we’d very much like to do it again.
We’re still undecided on the trip, and while there are a lot of factors influencing whether to continue with the trip (Stormalong Bay probably the biggest, but including Skyliner, dining options, potential for evening park hopping, whether the kids will handle masks – have to practice this summer on that one), but trying to get an idea of WHAT the experience will entail is important. I’m really hoping Disney comes out with much greater detail sooner rather than later on what the reduced experience will actually look like. Obviously there will be many changes and we will go into it knowing that, and there will even be benefits that you’ve written about – lower crowds and a more relaxed trip – but preparing for major changes is easier when one knows what those changes actually are. We’ll only have about 5 weeks post-opening (parks) before our trip, so I will certainly be glued to your site for your unbiased, rational, measured, and even snarky reports and photos of the parks, resorts, and dining experiences.
Having the characters do a walk and wave is not a character breakfast. Hopefully the characters will be able to stop by each table for a photo. The interaction with the characters is why guests pay above and beyond a normal pay rate for their food. I understand that there can be no hugs and contact should be limited. That in itself is a huge disappointment for the little ones. With only limited character dining, the chances of booking a reservation are slim. I shall wait until they have adequate character dining.
We had a breakfast and dinner reservation booked for out trip. Staying at CBR we figured it would be great to take advantage of the “within walking distance” places. Hoping to get another reservation when the system opens back up
Yes, please continue! I am interested in all the dining options, especially character dining.
What makes the cast member inside the costume safe? Are they like a space suite self contained bubble, with breathing air self contained? This whole affair is not sitting well !
I presume the cast member can be wearing a mask underneath the character head. That said, there’s still the 6-foot distancing issue. We’ll see when/if Tom goes to the restaurant and writes a report; if not, I’m sure other bloggers will cover it, too.
Yes, please continue to post on dining. Also, would love to see a post on VIP tours/fast pass/virtual queues and paid options to skip lines like at Universal and Shanghai.
What are your thoughts on the other dining venues and whether they will be open first week of August? Specifically CRT, BOG, Jiko, Tiffins, Hollywood Brown Derby. Will dining venues open just without the characters? Inquiring minds wanna know! P
I would love to see your review of the modified meal! Also, I think it might be helpful to break the news posts into smaller chunks. Thanks for all you are doing to keep us informed!
What is the normal capacity at Topolino’s? This would be our first visit there – supposed to be there July 26.. wondering if we will get the chance to make a reservation?
One thing I don’t know if I missed (or if it is just an assumption?) that when ADRs switch to the 60 day window that resort guests will still have the 60 days from the beginning of their reservation for a max of 70 days?
We were planning on booking this meal as our lone character meal next trip (based on your review and staying at CBR so it will be super accessible). Like you said if it’s the only ADR, I imagine it will sell out insanely fast.
We’re in the same boat- reserved this for our November trip as a lone character meal/interaction of the trip and hope to book again once the system reopens *if* we’re able to find availability!
In the latest round of “know before you go” updates, they confirmed that guests with resort reservations will have up to 70 days (i.e., 60 days before arrival, plus the ability to book for the rest of their resort stay up to 10 days after). However, we are already well within 60 days of park opening, with no sign of a reservation system. So in reality, it will be a free for all for the first couple months and then only later manifest as an onsite advantage.
I’m hoping for Ohana soon! It’s interesting though that the entry and exit to this is only by elevators and having to socially distance and wait for open elevators. It will be kind of sad seeing Chef Mickeys and Ohana closed in such high traffic areas.
There are multiple stairwells as well to get from the first to second floor at the Polynesian lobby, unless I’m missing something in your post? Maybe you mean for handicap accessibility? We’re hopeful for Ohana too! We had a family dinner booked for our November trip. Fingers crossed!
FYI There is (by fire code) stairway access to the floor on which Ohana, Kona Cafe, gift shop are located. The elevator is most convenient, but stairs are there.