Universal Character Dining for fans of the Minions
Character Dining at Disney World and Universal Orlando is a BIG DEAL. It’s also BIG MONEY. When considering what character dining experience would be the best fit for our kids, I had trouble finding one that would suit all of their ages and interests! Most of the Disney meals cater to princesses or older characters, which the boys would not enjoy. Universal’s character dining options are limited – they offer a dinner with Marvel Superheroes and a Despicable Me character breakfast.
Because we were surprising our kids for Christmas, I didn’t have time to get their input. Instead, I decided to go with my gut instinct – the Despicable Me Character Breakfast at Universal Orlando. While my kids may not agree on princesses or superheroes, they can all agree on silly-speaking yellow minions.
The minions, along with Gru, Edith, Agnes, and Margo, grace a character breakfast each Saturday at Loews Pacific Resort.
What to expect at the Minions Character Breakfast
Plan to arrive early at the Loew’s Pacific Resort. Self-parking is free with the purchase of breakfast, but it takes a while to enter the resort and find the dining location. The Tahitian dining room is actually located on the lower level, and wasn’t easy to find! We asked at the Concierge Desk and they pointed us in the right direction. You could also follow signs to the pool because the dining room is located close to the pool entrance.
At the breakfast check-in desk, the host will give you your dining tickets and show you where to park your stroller (if you have one). Then it’s time for a photo op! On the day of our visit, Gru and Mel were waiting outside for family photographs.
TIP: If you are traveling with a baby, make sure you add them to the reservation because they WILL be allotted a seat. We used this extra space for our diaper bag (since our little one isn’t yet using a high chair). If your party is less than 10 people, you will be seated with strangers. Each table sits 10.
Upon entering the dining room, another host will look at your tickets and lead you to your seats. Servers take your drink orders and allow you to immediately visit the buffet.
The breakfast buffet includes your typical breakfast fare: eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, and maple syrup. There’s also a tower of bananas (possibly for the Minions?!). Cereals, pastries, and bagels are also available. I found the hot items to be very good, but considering the cost of the breakfast, the donuts and pastries were a sad affair. (I’ve found better donuts on a day-old rack at Kroger – Oye).
The hour-long breakfast moved by quickly with the constant appearance of different characters.
The girls spent plenty of time “talking” to our kiddos. Cecilia was showing them her ballet moves and they even came to Louisa and spoke to her.
Gru and Kevin made an appearance right before the end.
How to book the Despicable Me Breakfast at Universal Orlando
You can book your character dining at the Universal Orlando website HERE.
This dining experience is only available on Saturday mornings at 8, 9:30, and 11. We chose the 11 am experience so that we would have time to check out of our hotel before our allotted time.
The cost may change, but at the time of our visit, we paid $47/adult and $27 per child. This rate included tax & gratuities. From my research, this appeared to be less expensive than many of the Disney character breakfasts.
We definitely had a fun morning at the Despicable Me Breakfast! I probably wouldn’t pay to do it again, but in my opinion, it was worth the experience (Mr. Warbucks Yoder may have a different opinion)! Lol.
Need a place to stay in Orlando? Here’s our favorite place to stay and it’s near Disney (so family-friendly).
What has been your favorite character dining? Are you team Disney or Universal?
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