Character meals combine food and Disney characters, which are two of our favorite things to do at Disney World. The popular and reimagined Tusker House character meal at Animal Kingdom gives guests a delicious family style meal and normal character interactions with Donald and friends.
Tusker House Character Meal Location
Disney’s Tusker House is located in the Africa area of Animal Kingdom not far from the Festival of the Lion King theater.
Tusker House Character Meal Overview
The check-in area for Tusker House character meals is tucked away in the back of Dawa Bar. Cast members check you in at a small podium and ask for your mobile number. Then Tusker House sends a text message when your table is ready.
Entering into Tusker House you are transported to an African village market. Colorful cloth is draped overhead and each of the buffet stations looks like a food stand. There are several dining areas within Tusker House and the characters rotate through each dining room.
Tusker House Character Meal Food Options
After reopening, the Tusker House character meal is served family style instead of a buffet. Tusker House family style dining ends October 31, 2022 and a return to buffet dining starts November 1, 2022
The breakfast menu is full of traditional foods like pastries, waffles, and scrambled eggs. This tame menu is good for picky eaters plus less expensive per person.
Those looking for a slightly more adventurous meal should try the African-inspired menu at lunch or dinner. There are some exotic options like Cape Malay green curry shrimp, but plenty of crowd pleasers like spit-roasted chicken, roast potatoes, and mac and cheese, too.
Tusker House Characters
Tusker House character interactions after reopening were different from character meals in the past. However, as of April 18, 2022 characters once again move throughout the restaurant and have up close guest interactions.
There are usually four characters at Tusker House character meals: Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey. Each character is dressed in cute safari inspired attire with special little details.
Please note that characters are subject to change without notice.
Our Tusker House Character Experiences
We opted for a late lunch Tusker House character meal reservation. This 3:15pm time slot worked out great since most of the lunch crowd had already left and early dinner guests had not arrived yet.
Daisy Duck
Daisy sashayed her way over to our table and happily showed us her safari chic accessories. A straw hat with a dangling bow, a scarf tied around her neck, and a cute bangle bracelet made Daisy’s safari look adorable.
Daisy happily signed our Disney character autograph ornament before she moved on to the next group of adoring fans.
Donald Duck
Donald Duck is always a ham no matter when you see him. He kept covering up Elizabeth’s face when we were taking pictures. One of the best things Donald did during our meal was his laser focus on Daisy. When Daisy was near Donald he would stop, spend a moment with her, and sometimes they would give each other a kiss. It was adorable.
Goofy
Unlike Donald, Goofy kept accidentally covering Elizabeth’s face with his ear during pictures. After a moment he decided a quick dance would be a much better use of their time together.
Mickey Mouse
We told Mickey that we appreciated him signing our special ornament as a way for us to remember our time together. After signing, Mickey used his hands to draw a big heart for both Elizabeth and me to show he loves our time together, too.
Tusker House Character Meal Cost
As of January 2022, a Tusker House breakfast is $42 per adult for those age 10 years and older and $27 for kids age 3 to 9 years old. A Tusker House lunch or dinner is more expensive. Lunch and dinner runs $55 per adult which is anyone age 10 years or older and $36 for kids age 3 to 9 years. Kids under 3 years are free if they share a meal.
Final Thoughts On Our Tusker House Character Meal
Our Tusker House character meal experience was great. The characters moved through the restaurant efficiently, but still gave each table plenty of time for a meaningful character interaction. The ethnic inspired food was better than many other character meal buffets we’ve attended, but there is also plenty of traditional American food for less adventurous eaters.
If you are looking for other character meal options at Disney World this article has a full list and quick review of every Disney World character meal.
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