AVOID This Major Breakfast MISTAKE in Disney World

STOP EVERYTHING — you could be making a major breakfast mistake in Disney World without even realizing it. ?

There’s no denying that a great character breakfast can start your day in the most magical way. And having your fill of Mickey waffles might be a necessity before hopping off to Magic Kingdom for the day. We get that. And there might still be a way for you to enjoy some of those things (in a way) while still avoiding a critical error that could throw off your day.

The main mistake people make is scheduling a lengthy Table Service breakfast reservation at a time when they could be getting on some of the most popular Disney World rides with shorter waits. Allow us to explain.

Oftentimes, many of Disney World’s rides (including some really popular ones) can have much shorter waits first thing in the morning. Now, we do have to throw a disclaimer in here — that’s not necessarily always the case with every single ride. Some rides will also have shorter waits if you are willing to stick around until just before the park closes — so that’s another strategy to consider.

But generally, if you can manage to get to a Disney World theme park for rope drop (arriving a bit before the park officially opens so you’re one of the first in the park) or can take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry (available for Disney World hotel guests and select other guests), you will get the opportunity to get on some of the most popular rides in the parks BEFORE the main crowds have piled in. As they say, the early bird gets the worm!

That’s where planning your dining carefully comes in. If, say, EPCOT opens at 9AM and you’d love to get on Soarin’ or maybe even Frozen Ever After right as the day starts (before some of the heavier crowds arrive), then booking a 9AM character breakfast might NOT be the way to go.

Even a Table Service reservation for earlier — like 8:30AM — would not give you enough time to finish your meal and be one of the first in line for the ride you want to get on. Table Service meals can take a long time — sometimes well over an hour — so unless you want to rush through it (which can reduce its value and might give you an upset stomach) you might want to skip the Table Service breakfast altogether.

Now, there are some things to consider. First and foremost, this mainly applies if you’re really focused on getting on some rides with shorter waits. If you aren’t focused on really maximizing your time in the parks from a ride perspective, plan to use Genie+ to the max to skip all the lines, don’t mind waiting in line, or would rather take your chances and get in line near the end of the night (when things can also get slower) then maybe this isn’t as much of a worry for you.

If you do want to get to a park early and rides are somewhat important to you, but you also want to grab a Table Service breakfast, consider booking either (1) a SUPER early breakfast reservation at a restaurant within your hotel (if available) or (2) a SUPER early breakfast reservation in the park you’ll be visiting.

If, for example, you get a reservation for The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom for a time before the park officially opens to the public, you may get to stroll down a very empty Main Street, U.S.A., and grab some amazing photos. Plus, once you finish eating, you’ll already be in your park of choice. If you eat quickly, you might be done with breakfast just a few seconds before the park opens to the public.

Again, given how long Table Service reservations can take, by the time you finish, you might have already missed the shorter ride lines. But, at least you’ll already be in the park and able to rush to whatever has the shortest line at the time.

Another thing to consider is just how much your family eats. While breakfast can often be one of the cheaper Table Service options, if your family isn’t going to eat all that much anyway, you might be better off saving that money, spending that time riding attractions, and splurging on a bigger lunch or dinner.

Breakfast can sometimes be a bit more of a “standard” meal in terms of food offerings too. Take a careful look at the breakfast versus lunch/dinner menus to see what items might be more unique or fun to eat. Sure, you could get your fill of eggs and bacon for cheaper than lunch/dinner, but lunch/dinner might have some more delicious items worth trying.

If you really want to make sure you can get on the big rides when waits can be shorter in the morning, our recommendation is to consider SKIPPING on that Table Service breakfast reservation. Instead, you can get a super-fast Quick Service breakfast at your hotel before going to the park (these restaurants can open quite early.

For example, the World Premiere Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort generally opens at 6:30AM, while the parks may not open until 9AM. So, you can take the time to sit and eat there (just arrive early!) if you want, or you can even send a member of the group to go pick up breakfast (use Mobile Order!) while the rest of the group gets ready. They can bring the food back to the room and then you can all eat as you put the finishing touches on your outfits and get out fast.

Another alternative is to pack a breakfast snack that you can eat in the room or take with you to eat in the parks. Instacart is a great way to obtain these snacks without having to make any stops outside of Disney World. Use the Instacart service to place your delivery order, have all of your necessities (juice, cereal, snack bars, etc.) sent to your room in advance, and then you can simply pull out and pack/eat what you need.

You can also make a sort of compromise by packing a snack bar/light breakfast, making it to the park early, hitting those popular rides when they have shorter waits, and then enjoying a Table Service meal at brunch time or as an early lunch. That might give you the best of both worlds — the ability to go on some rides with shorter waits, plus the chance to enjoy a Table Service meal relatively early in your day.

The idea here is to just really figure out what you want to accomplish. If it’s getting on the rides with shorter waits — getting to the parks early (and staying late too!) can help. So you may want to avoid an early Table Service meal that conflicts with that.

What’s your early morning strategy for Disney World? Tell us in the comments! And see our video below to learn about other mistakes you’ll want to AVOID making in Disney World!

What is your biggest breakfast tip for those going to Disney World? Tell us in the comments.