Let me preface this whole post by saying I’m not really a breakfast person. I know, I know- but for me it’s all super fatty food (ie Bacon, sausage, things too heavy to enjoy first thing in the morning) or super sweet (mmmm doughnuts). My body isn’t happy with me if I so much as drink water first thing in the morning, so it seems a little odd I’m reviewing a breakfast, right? Well that’s the only time they do the Bon Voyage adventure, so hear me out and let me tell you what a non-breakfast person thought!
Bon Voyage Breakfast takes place in Trattoria Al Forno at Disney’s Boardwalk. It’s a prix fixe menu, $34 for adults and $20 for children aged 3-9. As you dine, you can meet Prince Eric, Ariel, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider! The characters meet separately, but as the ladies come in, her true love will leave his place among the fans to greet her and escort her through the room. Ariel leads the kids on a fun parade around the restaurant, but it seemed less raucous than some of the parades we’ve witnessed at other restaurants.
We had a late reservation, 11:25 am. See what I did there? We’d been up several hours at this point, so I was ready to eat- we also were able to eat this meal as lunch. Hooray for savings! Even better (for us), the reservations were running about 15 minutes late. You can give them your phone number and wander the boardwalk while you wait- pin trade, get some photos in the photo booth, or simply stare out at the water. The choice is yours!
Finally we were seated and our server came to introduce herself- shout out to the self-titled Awesome Amanda, who was quite literally the best server we’ve ever had at Disney World. No joke, no comparison. I loved her so much I emailed Disney Customer Service to let them know how truly incredible she was. Hi Amanda!
The meal starts with orange juice and an awesome frying pan of pastries for the table to share! My favorite was the corona star- so crispy and sweet! I could have eaten a ton of these alone, but I knew I had to slow my roll- we have a whole meal to check out, right? The chocolate chip twist was good, it reminded me of eating a chocolate chip cookie (though much softer). The clam shell pastry was my least favorite. I wish it had contained more of that filling! The two mini muffins were also fairly standard and forgettable. I honestly forgot they were even there until I looked back at my picture. Meh, you win some, you lose some. Don’t fill up on pastries anyway, because we’ve got breakfast coming!
At this point Flynn Rider had entered the room and oh my goodness, were the ladies swooning! I saw more than one gentleman practicing his smolder for his own photo op! I found Flynn charming and attentive, he was witty and fun when he found out my little girl prefers him to be called Eugene. She’s serious about her ‘Punzel lore, y’all.
My husband and I both ordered the Royale Breakfast. I had been thinking about the Tower of Pancakes, but I passed someone with the steak on our way in and I needed it. Needed it. Ready for another dirty little secret? I don’t like eggs. When I waffled on getting my steak, our waitress discovered my dislike of eggs and happily informed me I could substitute the cheesy-egg torte for something else. I opted for a side of pancakes. Tim ordered his as-is. He’s dedicated to you guys. Also he will eat anything that doesn’t eat him first.
My daughter went with the character waffles. Seriously kid, the character waffles? I mean, they are adorable, but…well, get what you want. It’s your meal. She chose fresh fruit and loudly proclaimed she didn’t want bacon. Whatever child, I’ve met you. I ordered her bacon. The meal came with a single strip, as you can see in the picture, but never fear- more on that later.
Rapunzel came to visit the table just as our food arrived. My daughter is a big Rapunzel fan and she chattered away with ‘Punzel, pointing out what she got for breakfast. Rapunzel suggested she leave a few blueberries out for Pascal, who was probably wandering around. Come on Rapunzel, did you see what I’m paying for character waffles? Let the kid eat her blueberries! Miss Bongo promptly dug out a few beautiful berries and put them on the table beside of her.
We dug into our food and ohmygosh you guys. That steak. Delicious. Flavorful. Tender. It had very little fat, which made me very happy! The breakfast potatoes were the perfect complement to the steak and this meal ate very much like a lunch or dinner for me. Big win for this breakfast avoider! The pancakes tasted much more like a hoecake- denser, more like a sweeter cornbread circle. My substitute pancakes did not come with the compote a full order boasted, but I did steal a little of my daughter’s syrup. To be honest, I took a quick taste and went back to my steak and potatoes. I ended up being perfectly full without the pancakes- in fact, I packed up some potatoes to take home. So much food!
My husband reviewed the cheesy egg torte for me. He thought it was a solid choice, but he also didn’t think it was amazing– he could have eaten his weight in the potatoes, but the cheesy torte was just okay for him. He says the asparagus was the weakest thing on the plate- while he loves asparagus, this wasn’t roasted or very flavorful and he thought there was far too little on the plate.
Little Miss Bongo enjoyed her character waffle, but the stars for her were the fresh fruit, which she devoured, and the bacon she didn’t want! When the single strip was gone, the little heifer flagged down the waitress to ask for more. Amazing Amanda didn’t bat an eye and brought out a platter for the little stinker! She ate it with gusto. In all honesty, I may have snagged a piece. I was also a fan. The moral of this story is don’t be afraid to ask for something if you need a little more. Oh, and those blueberries that were left for Pascal? Somehow that sneaky little guy snagged them off the table when no one was looking (a la her dad). My kiddo is still talking about how sneaky Pascal stole her fruit. She even stopped a lady who I assume was a manager to breathlessly tell her how Pascal stole her berries! The lady went to the back to check on getting her “more fruit” and while they were “out” (wink wink), she did find a light up straw clip of none other than Pascal! What a special, unexpected moment.
Our meeting with Prince Eric, who came while we ate, was incredible! He was definitely the person my daughter was least interested in meeting, but he was very engaging and so sweet! He laughed because when Ariel came in he was at our table- and my little mermaid abandoned him to join in Ariel’s parade very quickly! In her defense, he had abandoned her to greet his Princess, so all’s fair in love and parades.
Ariel was also excellent. She had a lovely chat with my daughter about her red hair and what color her mermaid tail would be. We’ve met Ariel many times, but this was the first time she’s been outside of her mermaid form, which was unique and fun for my little girl. All the characters were unrushed in their interactions and seemed truly invested in making this experience special for the diners.
Overall, and I won’t mince words- this was my absolute favorite character meal we’ve ever done. Period. The End. Mic Drop. Amazing Amanda was delightful, attentive and so kind to my little girl. She treated her just as she would treat an adult- in fact, she was so enamored of her that rather than bringing her the house birthday cupcake, she brought out a specialty bakery cupcake for her! This is an incredible piece of Disney magic that I must stress you should never expect. It also has no bearing on my characterization of the service Amanda provided. She was excellent because of her conversation, her silly jokes (she told us she called herself Amazing Amanda because she figured if she did it enough, it would stick) and the quality of the service she provided.
While you can meet Ariel and Rapunzel in the parks (both in Magic Kingdom, in fact), this is the only place you can see Flynn Rider and Prince Eric. Combine awesome, special character interactions with the excellent food and great service, and this is definitely a must do meal.