I Review Disney World Food for My Job and Character Meals Are My Olympics

Are you ready for a little peek behind the scenes?

I go to Disney World for my job!

I’m a Disney World reporter for Disney Food Blog, and that means I spend a lot of time in the theme parks — ESPECIALLY dining at restaurants. It’s my job to review dining locations all around the resort, and since starting here in 2020, I’ve been to quite a few locations. What people probably don’t know is that it can actually be challenging to review restaurants for a living…and character meals are the most difficult of all!

You may say, “Lydia, what do you mean? There’s no way it’s actually HARD to do dining reviews. You get paid to eat delicious food and take pictures of it.” And while that description is technically true, there’s a lot more to the process than you think!

Breakfast plate from Crystal Palace

When it comes to dining at table service locations, the clock starts as soon as I check into the restaurant. I have to begin by taking photos of the atmosphere — the exterior, the waiting area, the menu, and the dining rooms. You’ve likely seen all of these kinds of pictures in restaurant reviews our team has written before, but you probably didn’t think about how much time it takes to snap those photos AND to get b-roll for our YouTube channel and footage for our social media team at the same time.

Plaza Restaurant

Once the food arrives, it’s a rush to get all the pictures and footage we need of all the items before they get too cold. Of course, during this process, I’m probably taking dozens of photos total, and the other guests are looking at me weird, and the waiter has already stopped by to ask me if my food is good twice, but I haven’t even taken a bite yet. (BREATHE, Lydia, breathe!) Seriously, it’s like my own little dining marathon. But if a regular table service meal is a marathon, then the Disney World character meals are my OLYMPICS.

Hey, Chef Mickey!

Character meals are a whole new beast when it comes to food reviews, because between all the photos of the food and the taste notes and interacting with your server, you ALSO have to find time to photograph and video each character and think of fun ways to interact with them! These are typically my longest dining reviews because there’s just so much to cover.

Pluto!

Things get even more challenging if I’m reviewing a character meal with a buffet — that requires photos of all the items on the buffet (so that you guys know what’s available at the restaurant!), as well as YouTube footage. And I can’t just walk up and hold up the line to film and snap pics. I do my best to wait until the buffet is emptier before I try to capture any content.

Tusker House

Dining reviews are a big part of my job here at DFB, so over the past few years, I’ve gotten pretty good at them! With lots of practice, you learn how to be efficient, how to find the best lighting, and how to have the best character meal interactions. And of course, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to eat some delicious food along the way!

Chef Mickey’s

For our list of top Disney World restaurants for 2025, check out the video below!

Stay tuned to DFB for the latest news and updates on all the dining options in Disney World!

Click Here to Check Out My Review of Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom!

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Have you ever been to a Disney World character meal? Tell us in the comments!