Disney has revealed a trio of new and returning dining experiences coming to Disneyland Resort, including a first-ever character dinner hosted by Donald Duck and a special package for Paint the Night parade. This shares the official details, along with our commentary about all of the latest DLR dining changes and additions.
Let’s start over at the Grand Californian, where Storytellers Cafe is temporarily closed for refurbishment “for a few weeks.” (That’s literally the official announcement–no concrete dates.) During the time of closure, Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast Buffet and Brunch are available in the Trillium Room, which is an ordinary convention space.
To each their own, but we would not pay $55 per adult or $33 per child for the limited menu in a convention hall. That’s just crazy to me. Amusingly, Disneyland intends on pulling the same thing with the pricey princess breakfast at Napa Rose. Here’s the announcement for that: Beginning in April 2025, Napa Rose will temporarily close for refurbishment. During this time, Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures will be held at the Trillium Room in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Note that this princess breakfast costs $142 per person. Unless it’s like, half that in the convention center, that’s a really tough sell.
On a much more positive note, Disneyland has announced that Storytellers Cafe will offer Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet starting May 16, 2025. (That’s the first day of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration.) Bookings will begin on March 25, 2025.
Here’s everything we know about Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet:
Swap adventure stories over a bountiful campfire-style barbecue buffet and meet some of your favorite Disney Characters. Plus, get camera ready! Look to pose with Donald, Daisy, Clarabelle, Goofy or Pluto dressed in their new explorer outfit.
Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet will be served from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The menu features a variety of scrumptious dishes and treats, including:
Baby back spareribs
Slowroasted prime rib with creamy horseradish
Fried chicken
Creamed corn
A variety of vegetables and salads
S’mores bread pudding
Sweets and confectionaries
An array of beverages
Price:
$62 per adult (ages 10 and older)
$36 per child (ages 3 to 9)
Prices do not include tax and gratuity.
Cancellation Policy: You must cancel at least 2 hours prior to your reservation to avoid a per person cancellation fee. If you fail to cancel timely or are a no-show, the credit card provided at the time of reservation will be charged $10 per person.
I’m almost positive we’ll be doing Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet. I have little say in the matter. Whenever there’s a new character anything at Disneyland, I first learn of the news through Sarah, who I assume has some sort of Bat-Signal for this type of thing. Or maybe she’s secretly influential with Disneyland leadership, and she is using that sway for character stuff instead of, say, a Tomorrowland overhaul and new PeopleMover.
In this case, I actually want to do Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of Storytellers Cafe (the setting) and I also far prefer dinner buffets to breakfast buffets. Even at a $10 surcharge, I’d prefer to do dinner since the foods are higher value, and I always eat more at dinner.
This isn’t a $10 surcharge, though! Assuming the prices listed on the website are accurate, this is actually less than we paid for Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch at Storytellers last Halloween. That might be a bold assumption, as the price when I booked that was $10 less than the price we paid, so who knows–maybe this will shoot up to eighty bucks between now and then.
None of this is to say $62 isn’t a lot of money–it absolutely is–but I’ll take the pleasant surprises and small wins, especially knowing that we’re going to do these character meals regardless and that the clock is ticking on getting them done before Megatron turns 3. Suffice to say, I’m excited for Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet!
Heading inside Disneyland, the Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo Nighttime Gathering returns to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park for a limited time.
With its variety of delectable options, special takeaway items and subsequent viewing of the nighttime spectacular “Fire of the Rising Moons” when available, this dining package celebrates sweet, savory and Star Wars under the spires. Reservations open on April 3, 2025.
I’m not going to waste your time (or mine) addressing this further. See New $89 Star Wars Fireworks Dining Package if you want to know my full thoughts about this. Spoiler: they are not positive.
Back at the front of the park, there’s the Paint the Night Dining Package. I’m not sure whether this is technically a new or returning dining package. It’s returning in the sense that they did this with Main Street Electrical Parade previously. It might be new in the sense that it’s a first (maybe?) for Paint the Night, and also has a different menu. Here are details:
Savor a scrumptious lunch at Plaza Inn with an all-in-one meal package that comes with reserved viewing for Paint the Night—a dazzling nighttime parade at Disneyland Park—in honor of the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration!
Dining Dates and Times
May 16 to August 21, 2025
Dining Time: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Showtime: All Guests will receive a voucher for the day’s first performance of the Paint the Night parade.
Bookings will begin on March 25, 2025.
Package Pricing
Lunch: $55 per adult
$28 per child (ages 3 to 9)
Tax is not included; gratuity is not included or required. Valid Disneyland Park admission and Disneyland Park reservations for the same date are required and not included in the package price. A reservation for this dining package does not guarantee Disneyland Park admission or a park reservation.
Adult Dining Package Menu
Mushroom gravy-glazed meatloaf
Baby wedge salad
Pea purée over creamy mashed potatoes
Herbed crispy carrots
Paint the Night-themed dessert
Choice of one fountain beverage
Plant-based options available.
Child Dining Package Menu
Crispy chicken tenders
Macaroni & Cheese
Apple sauce and baby carrots
Dinner roll
Paint the Night-themed dessert
Choice of one fountain beverage
Plant-based options available.
Dining Information – Reserve a dining time between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM to pick up your meal. Guests are welcome to dine at any available table at Plaza Inn restaurant.
Viewing Information
The voucher lists the location of your viewing area, reservation time when to arrive at the viewing area and the show’s performance time. Please arrive no sooner than 10 minutes prior to your reservation time.
The viewing area is mainly standing room or ground seating and is separate from the dining location. It will be available for the first show of the day. Please ask a Cast Member if you need directions to the viewing area.
A voucher is needed to enter the viewing area.
Due to overwhelming demand, special seating requests or preferences will not be accommodated except for wheelchair accessibility.
Early and late arrivals will not be accommodated.
Vouchers
One voucher to the reserved viewing area for Paint the Night parade will be issued for each dining package purchased.
Each person in the party must purchase a dining package to obtain a voucher.
Vouchers are valid only for the designated showtime on the same day as the dining experience.
Packages and vouchers may not be refunded, redeemed for cash, sold or exchanged for different dates or times.
A cashier will issue all vouchers when you pay for your meal.
Cancellation Policy
You must cancel at least one day prior to your reservation to avoid a $10 per person cancellation fee. If you fail to cancel timely or are a no-show, the credit card provided at the time of reservation will be charged.
Paint the Night parade can be cancelled due to technical or weather issues without notice.
No refunds or exchanges will be available, even if the show is cancelled.
Blockout Dates – The Paint the Night parade dining package will not be available June 14 to 16, 18; July 4; August 17, 2025.
I’m not sure whether we’ll end up reviewing this one. My best guess is that there’s going to be ~90% overlap with the Main Street Electrical Parade Dining Package at Plaza Inn, so I’d rather save that $55 for more character dining. If you’re debating doing this, I’d recommend reading my full review of the Parade Dining Package at Plaza Inn. Or you can just read the conclusion:
Ultimately, we highly recommend booking the Plaza Inn Dining Package for Main Street Electrical Parade’s 50th Anniversary. If you’re taking a vacation to Disneyland, you’re going to want to try that famous fried chicken regardless, and that puts the cost of the reserved seating area at $15 per person. While that’s not an insignificant expense for a family of 4, the time and headaches saved in not having to camp out hours in advance and “guard” your turf is worth that amount.
We’re normally not particularly keen on paying a premium for only okay nighttime spectacular viewing areas (looking at you, Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert parties), but it’s just different at Disneyland. Locals with time to kill stake out spots for hours, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. We’ve already decided that we’ll be (attempting to) book this again for Sarah’s mom, as she loves Main Street Electrical Parade and the added cost is worth avoiding the aforementioned chaos. Also, I’ll take any excuse I can get to eat more Plaza Inn fried chicken.
The parts about fried chicken seemingly don’t apply given that this is an all-meatloaf menu for adults. (That can’t possibly be right…right? They’re going to make everyone eat meatloaf?!) The cost part also needs to be adjusted, as it appears this will be $15 more expensive than the previous package, making the cost of seating ~$30.
Regardless, the pertinent part was and is about having a reserved spot for viewing the night parade and how locals with a surplus of time on their hands will show up hours of ahead of time to stake out spots. That part is true and, we assume, will only be worse–not better–with Paint the Night during the 70th Anniversary.
Even though it’s wild to me that Disneyland is charging $55 for a meal at Plaza Inn (unlike Donald’s dinner buffet, this price is a bad surprise), I would probably purchase this if I were a tourist wanting a front row spot for the parade without the stress of arriving hours in advance and fending off the rabid locals to defend your space. I wouldn’t be happy about the cost, but I’d still buy it because it beats the alternative and Paint the Night is a must-see.
The most interesting tidbit here is that the Paint the Night parade dining package ends on August 21, 2025. That date probably is not coincidental, as Halloween Time at Disneyland starts on August 22, 2025. While not concrete confirmation, this strongly suggests that Paint the Night will not run during the Halloween season.
This was more or less expected, as Disneyland has been using a Disney Vault approach to entertainment and most everything goes on hiatus for Halloween and Christmas, but it’s nevertheless disappointing. I had hoped that Paint the Night would run, uninterrupted, for the duration of Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration. Who knows, maybe it still will, and it’s just the dining package ending earlier. I doubt it, though.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
Will you be doing Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet at the Grand Californian or the Paint the Night Parade Dining Package at Plaza Inn? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of these dining experiences at Disneyland Resort? Any questions? 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!
