Breakfast Expansion Continues at Walt Disney World

September 1, 2015, 9:13 AM · Walt Disney World announced this morning that it is adding breakfast to yet another table-service restaurant at the resort. This time, it's at the Sci Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Mickey wafflebr>The ubiquitous Mickey waffles will be on the menu, as well as a puff pastry with eggs and crab, grilled beef tenderloin, shrimp and grits, and macadamia-crusted brioche French toast.

We'll leave aside for a moment the incongruity of having breakfast at a drive-in theater. The Sci Fi Dine-In is one of the Studios' more popular restaurants and has been home to character breakfasts during Star Wars Weekends in the past. The new "Out of This World" breakfast service starts November 1 and offers a fixed-priced menu for $23.99 per person, $12.99 ages 3 to 9. The meal includes breakfast pastries for the table, as well as a choice of appetizer, entree and beverage for each person.

So far this year, Disney also has added breakfast service at Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom and Garden Grill in Epcot. One of the goals of Disney's new MyMagic+ initiative was to create a system that helped to better distribute guests throughout the parks, effectively increasing the resort's capacity by moving people from traditionally crowded areas to less-crowded ones. Opening previously empty restaurants in the morning hours helps to serve that purpose.

Of course, the big push-back against breakfast in the parks has been the fact that so many guests want to spend their first hour going on rides while the lines are short. But MyMagic+ helps here, too. With so many Walt Disney World guests having their three Fastpass+ reservations for the day in hand before entering the park, more guests now are willing to spend some of their early-morning time eating breakfast instead of rushing to rides. So Disney's taking advantage, by adding breakfast service at more of its popular restaurants. Ideally, that might reduce the crush at these restaurants later in the day, too, as some of the people who really want to eat them will be able to get in for breakfast, instead.

Will these new breakfast offerings entice you and your family to have breakfast in the park instead of rushing to the rides on your next Disney World visit?

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Replies (9)

September 1, 2015 at 9:29 AM

Meh. Even with Fastpass+, if I'm inside a theme park that early, my focus is on exploring the park and its attractions, not sitting down for breakfast. Gimmie a muffin and a banana out the door of my hotel and I'm good to go. But that's just *me*.

September 1, 2015 at 9:56 AM

Wow, it seems like everything I read about Fastpass+ is counter-intuitive to how I want to experience an a theme park. Very happy it hasn't come to Disneyland.

September 1, 2015 at 10:14 AM

i have always wanted to go here and never have i cant wait to try the breakfast.. just booked it

September 1, 2015 at 10:53 AM

I always thought Fastpass+ gives late risers a chance to get rides before the early risers. Now, it ensures people have more dining options.

In my last vacation, I was able to get a early lunch reservation @ 11am at Sci Fi Dine-In. For a restaurant that's very popular, all reservations were booked although the restaurant itself wasn't fully seated with guests.

I don't think breakfast is worth the effort. Much too early and too much food at such an early hour.

I recommend Disney take a cue from Asia. Sell Mickey shaped waffle packages as snacks. Many street vendors in Asian countries sell waffles in amusing animal and popular character shapes. They are a good breakfast option, but can be consumed at any time of the day.

September 1, 2015 at 11:33 AM

I have 2 breakfast reservations for BOG about an hour before the park opens. Worked out great since lunches & dinners were all booked for my whole vacation. I got lucky on the breakfasts since I went online 2 days before they officially were approved after the initial shutdown, and to my amazement the reservations were inadvertently functioning ahead of the official rollout. By the time the official opening occurred everything was already booked. The other plus is that I'll get to walk into a relatively empty park and enjoy that particular ambiance. And we should be finished around the time the park actually opens. Normally I wouldn't eat breakfast in a Disney park, due to the wasted time factor, but this was the best of all worlds scenario.

September 1, 2015 at 6:05 PM

It's appalling what Disney and Universal charge for breakfast in Orlando. And I'm not comparing to an offsite Waffle House, but to Disneyland.

When we have a big breakfast, it is usually a late one instead of lunch.

September 1, 2015 at 9:25 PM

Morning in the parks is for rides and peaceful ambiance when there's less people. There's no way I'm wasting my time on a lengthy sit-down breakfast. Even if I have afternoon fastpasses, I'm still using the morning to enjoy the short lines. Fastpass+ will not change anything for experienced and knowledgeable theme park fans, but it will probably fool the tourists who don't know any better.

September 4, 2015 at 6:35 PM

Wow you can eat better food in an open park that's not a huge construction zone for the same price or a little less at Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom.

Sci Fi without characters is not worth that much. I will happily watch old Sci FI movie clips on YouTube on my phone at Denny's or Waffle House, eat better food and spend less money. I don't see the value at all at $24 per adult and it's not even a buffet.

September 7, 2015 at 11:57 AM

Be Our Guest is only $2 less and doesn't include the fruit/yoghurt course. Also Be Our Guest is classed as quick service and you have to order at a kiosk then collect your own drinks,mSci-Fi is full table service.

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