Tusker House is one of those restaurants that I often see bloggers write about when they’re talking about some of their favorite restaurants in Walt Disney World.
And with great reason. You have wonderful interactions with Disney characters (without having to stand in a line). You also get to meet some amazing Cast Members.
But, my favorite thing about Tusker House is the unlimited jungle juice. I can’t get enough of it.
I’ve known what makes Tusker House a great place to stop for breakfast long before making our reservation.
That is why I am astonished that we only recently had breakfast at Tusker House for the very first time.
But, did it live up to the hype?
Character Breakfast at Tusker House
Breakfast at Tusker House is a character buffet, in the heart of Africa, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You will find some traditional breakfast items, like Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, and cereals.
But, since you are in the heart of Africa, there are a few traditional African dishes, as well.
During our breakfast, we got to see Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy in their safari outfits. I love their classic outfits, but there’s something about seeing them in costume that makes them look extra adorable.
Our Experience
Booking
Booking our breakfast reservation was easily done on the My Disney Experience app.
Although we were well within that 180-day window when we booked this trip, there were plenty of times to choose from.
I say this because many Guests tend to panic when they start booking less than 180-days before their arrival. While you may find it easier to book specific times on that 180-day mark, you can still get great reservations months later. This includes Peak Season.
Reservation Day
Since our trip was so short this time around, I wanted to make the most of the little time we did have. That meant getting to Animal Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours.
After a quick pit stop at the gift shop in Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, we hopped on a bus and arrived to Animal Kingdom about 15 minutes after Extra Magic Hours began.
“Secret entrance“
After quickly going through security, we rushed over to our “secret entrance” inside Rainforest Cafe.
When you walk through the doors, the restaurant is on the left and the gift shop is to the right. Walk through the gift shop and you’ll see the entrance gates up ahead.
Going through this entrance has saved us so much time, especially in the mornings. In all of the times we’ve gone to Animal Kingdom, we’ve never seen more than one family in front of us.
So, despite the fact that the main entrance was completely packed, we were inside the Park about 5 minutes later.
After a little shopping, gazing at the The Tree of Life, and one fantastic ride on Expedition Everest, it was time to head over to Africa for our breakfast reservation.
Character Dining
Character dining is always a special experience. There’s nothing better than characters walking to your table and giving you a great big hug. You almost forget that you have a plate full of food waiting for you.
The Cast Members at Tusker House were equally as amazing and made the experience even more enjoyable.
Considering that my husband is a restaurant store manager, that’s really saying something. It’s not always easy going out to eat with someone who knows every rule in the restaurant business.
The server was attentive and came by our table multiple times to fill up our jungle juice and give us suggestions.
When we were seated, it looked like we would have enough time to grab food before meeting Donald. But, with his suggestion, we stayed put for a few minutes since Donald would be coming to our section next.
The server said that after meeting Donald, we would have about 30 minutes before the other 3 would be on the way over. Donald must have been the last of the 4 characters to come around to that section before the reset.
He was spot on with the time and by the time our reservation came around, we were starving. So, having that time to eat was perfect.
The Food
If you are looking for more African-inspired food, you may want to go for lunch or dinner.
For the most part, the breakfast selection was pretty standard breakfast food. But, for someone like me, that’s perfect.
Just give me some Mickey waffles (or in this case, Mickey and Simba waffles) and some jungle juice and I’m a happy camper.
While nothing was blow-your-socks-off amazing, I did enjoy my breakfast. And as someone who enjoys a vegetarian diet, there was still plenty of options for me to choose from.
Do you get what you pay for at Tusker House?
It’s a character breakfast, so you pay for the experience more than you pay for the food.
No matter where you go on property, Breakfast is much cheaper than lunch and dinner. And the same is true at Tusker House.
And I believe that has to do with the quality of the food. Aside from a few dishes, the bulk of the menu has basic breakfast food options.
The lunch and dinner menus have more of an African-feel to it, so they can charge more for that experience.
Opt for “Brunch”
If you’re really looking to get your money’s worth, I suggesting booking around that 10:15 – 10:30 am time frame.
You will the breakfast pricing, but you’ll also get to eat the lunch menu items as soon as they come out around 10:45 am.
On the Disney Dining Plan? This character dining cost 1 Table Service credit.
