Princess character dining at Ariel's Grotto

A doubly-unique experience at Disney California Adventure® Park

 ​By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist

Ariel’s Grotto has the unique status of being the only character meal at Disney California Adventure® Park, and the only Disneyland® Resort character meal where you’re guaranteed to meet princesses. The sea-themed restaurant overlooks Paradise Bay, fitting in perfectly with the ocean/pier theme of Paradise Pier.
 
If you have a princess fan in the family, you’ll want to consider a reservation at Ariel’s Grotto at Disney California Adventure Park. Rather than spending a long time waiting in line to meet princesses at Princess Fantasy Faire Royal Hall at Disneyland® Park, guests at Ariel’s Grotto can get up close and personal with a host of royal visitors.
 
Unlike many character meals, Ariel's Grotto is not a buffet. Ordering from a prix fixe menu combines the benefits of knowing your cost in advance with no worries about missing a character while you're at the buffet for food. For a fixed price of $42-$48 for adults and $22-$26 for children (prices as of Oct 2016), guests get breakfast or lunch and face time with 4-5 princesses, who might include Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, or Belle. A town crier periodically announces the arrival of each princess before she visits each table and poses for pictures with adoring fans.  
 
Note that while Ariel’s Grotto does serve dinner, at this time only breakfast and lunch are character dining experiences —dinner at Ariel’s Grotto is presently a World of Color dining package.
 
David's Mouse Master Tip: Don't waste precious early morning park hours eating breakfast. Make a 10:30 a.m. reservation instead. Use those first couple of park hours to enjoy your favorite attractions while the lines are shorter. Then enjoy your breakfast (preferably with a FASTPASS you grabbed just before breakfast in hand to use after your meal) while the park crowd is getting larger and wait times are getting longer.