Aulani Character Breakfast guide: Is it Worth It?

Discover what makes the Aulani Character Breakfast a magical experience. Get tips on how to prepare, who you might meet, what you’ll eat, and the pros and cons to expect during your visit.

A group of five people, including two young children, stands outdoors with Mickey Mouse. They are smiling and dressed in colorful vacation attire, surrounded by lush greenery and tropical plants.

Table of Contents

If you’ve read my full Aulani resort review, you already know how much our family loved our time together in Ko Olina. We’ve stayed at Aulani twice now with our two little ones, and both times the character breakfast at Makahiki was a highlight of the entire trip.

Coming from a family that has tackled Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the red rocks of Utah, and Mackinac Island with young kids in tow, that’s saying something!

For families with young Disney fans, it’s hard to think of a more picture-perfect morning. It’s also one of those experiences at the bottom of the post!

A small child with curly hair and rainbow Mickey Mouse ears sits on a bench, looking toward people posing with a costumed character in the background. The scene is outdoors with stone pavement and greenery.

Overview

Makahiki — The Bounty of the Islands, hosts the character breakfast. As one of Aulani’s on-site restaurants, Makahiki is located on the first floor of the main building. And the character breakfast happens daily from 7am to 11am. The format is a three-course prix fixe meal. (Pre 2020, they offered a buffet). We actually preferred the three course prix fixe because there’s no hauling little ones back and forth through a food line. You can choose between indoor seating amid beautiful Hawaiian-inspired artwork and décor, or al fresco on the lanai overlooking the koi pond beside the Waikolohe Valley pool area. (Opt for outside if you can. The weather is usually quite temperate and natural light makes for much better character photos.)

A smiling woman holds a baby who looks up at Chip, a large costumed chipmunk character in a yellow shirt, at an outdoor resort with greenery and buildings in the background.

You meet characters right from the jump. After you check in with the host, they bring you outside to meet Mickey in the garden. A private meet-and-greet, just your family and Mickey, with a Disney PhotoPass photographer right there capturing everything. (PhotoPass photos aren’t included in the meal price but you can purchase separately).

A child wearing a Hawaiian shirt and colorful shoes high-fives a person in a Mickey Mouse costume dressed in island attire. They are outdoors on a stone path with lush greenery and a hotel in the background.

Pro tip: cast members do take photos on your own phone too, which is a nice option. From there, you’re led inside where you wait for your table. Before sitting down, another character (in our two visits once it was Goofy and once it was Minnie) is waiting to greet you. Two character moments before you’ve even ordered is a pretty good sign of what’s ahead.

Characters You Might Meet

During our breakfast, we met Mickey at the garden meet-and-greet. Then we met Minnie and Goofy on the way in. And then while we were eating, several other characters came to us throughout the meal. Max, Chip and Dale, and Pluto all made rounds to our table — interacting with the kids, posing for photos, and signing autographs.

A costumed chipmunk character hugs a seated man wearing a baseball cap and blue shirt at a restaurant. The man holds a menu, and a childs arm is visible on the left. The chipmunk gives a thumbs-up.

Stitch also makes appearances as a table character on some days, and he tends to be a scene-stealer. The lineup can vary, but you can count on Mickey and several of his friends making their way to every table. The pacing is relaxed enough that nothing feels rushed, and no table gets skipped.

What I really love about the breakfast format compared to the resort’s regular character meet-and-greets is how low-pressure it is for little ones. At the free meet-and-greets around the resort, you’re standing in line — sometimes in the Hawaiian sun — building anticipation, and then suddenly your toddler is face to face with a life-size costumed character and has approximately two seconds to decide how they feel about it. For some kids that’s thrilling. For others, that’s a meltdown waiting to happen. When Dylan was three, it was definitely the latter.

At the breakfast, the characters come to your table while your child is already comfortable, already eating, already in their element. They can wave from across the table, watch from a safe distance, or dive right in for a hug or a high five— completely on their own terms.

Menu Highlights

The three-course meal starts with a small bowl of fresh fruit and a malasada. Malasadas are Hawaii’s version of a Portuguese donut, coated in powdered sugar and served fresh and pillowy soft. POG juice (pineapple, orange, and guava) is a beloved non-alcoholic option and a Hawaii staple. For guests 21 and older, mimosas and Aloha Marys are available separately. I ordered a mimosa with passion fruit juice which was wonderfully refreshing, and all of the adults at our table appreciated the bottomless coffee (especially with our 7am reservation).

A smiling young child holds up a Mickey Mouse-shaped waffle at an outdoor restaurant, with people dining and trees with pink flowers in the background.

For entrées, the menu has something for every kind of eater. My kids are devoted to the Mickey waffles; my husband loves the loco moco. Other solid options include

the Punaluu Sweet Bread French Toast (thick, sweet bread with cream cheese icing and fresh seasonal berries)
the Farmer’s Omelet (three cage-free eggs with asparagus, bell peppers, cremini mushrooms, local tomatoes, grilled red onions, fontina and goat cheese, and basil pesto with herb-roasted potatoes on the side)
the Kalua Pig Omelet
Buttermilk Pancakes with macadamia nut Tahitian vanilla sauce.

Most entrées come with your choice of breakfast meat: bacon, pork link sausage, Portuguese sausage, chicken apple sausage, or ham. Portions are generous. We had leftovers from both visits. A note for families with dietary restrictions: the chefs at Makahiki can often accommodate allergies and special dietary requests. Just flag yours when you make your reservation.

Tips On How To Prepare For The Breakfast

The single best tip I can give you: skip the autograph book. Before you head to Ko Olina, stop at an ABC store and pick up small wooden mini surfboards. (They run about $16). The characters love signing them, they make a far better souvenir than a notebook, and they photograph beautifully. We did this and it was a huge hit.

A woman in a red and white Polynesian-inspired outfit kneels and smiles as she interacts with a young girl in a matching dress, both surrounded by lush greenery. The woman holds a wooden board and points at the girls hand.

If you’re traveling with little kids from the East Coast, book the earliest reservation available. I know a 7am breakfast sounds brutal, but hear me out. When you’re dealing with a 5-hour time change, your toddler is going to be wide awake and ready to go at what feels like noon to their body. We leaned into it and it worked perfectly. The restaurant is quieter early in the morning, the kids were in genuinely great moods, and we had the whole rest of the day ahead of us after breakfast. It’s one of those cases where the jet lag actually works in your favor.

A few other logistics worth knowing:

all guests in your party need to be present before you’ll be seated, so don’t plan to trickle in.
Dress your kids in something comfortable but photo-ready — the garden meet-and-greet with Mickey is a gorgeous moment and you’ll want to be prepared for it.
Arrive right at your reservation time, come hungry, and if you have a choice, ask for outdoor seating.

The character breakfast is open even if you are not staying at the Disney resort. If you’re a non-resort guest driving in, you’ll get complimentary self-parking for up to 2.5 hours when you spend $50 or more at the resort. Just bring your parking ticket and receipt to the host when you’re ready to leave and they’ll validate it. If you’re staying in Waikiki but have little kids, I’d recommend booking the breakfast and then spending the day at one of Ko Olina’s lagoons.

Booking And Reservation Information

Reservations are required and can be made through the Aulani website. One important detail: you do not need to be a resort guest to book the character breakfast. So if you’re visiting Oahu and staying elsewhere — with family, at another hotel — this is still absolutely worth adding to your itinerary.

Pricing is currently $50 per adult and $29 per child (ages 9 and under). (Though menu offerings and prices are subject to change, so confirm the current rate when you book). Alcoholic beverages are priced separately. A 19% service charge is added for parties of 7 or more, and Hawaii’s general excise tax of 4.71% is added to all transactions — worth factoring into your budget.

Reservations open 45 days in advance and they go fast. Set a reminder and book the moment your window opens. This experience fills up quickly, and you will be sad if you miss it.

A woman holding a young child greets a person in a Donald Duck costume wearing a green shirt and straw hat, outdoors near lush greenery and palm trees.

Is It Worth It? Pros And Cons

For young Disney fans (and their parents) it’s a legitimately magical morning. The case for:

the food is genuinely good
the character access is relaxed and efficient
the setting is beautiful
the garden meet-and-greet with Mickey before you even sit down is special t
the combination of table-side character visits and live Hawaiian music makes for a truly special experience
Knowing character time is locked in also means you can approach the rest of your resort day without stressing about wait times or line logistics.

My biggest pro: the delicious food, slow pace and you’re not chasing characters around the resort or negotiating with a two-year-old who has decided the line is not for them today. You show up, sit down, and the magic comes to you. For families with toddlers especially, that guaranteed, unhurried, come-to-your-table format is worth a lot.

A smiling baby sits on a stone floor wearing a colorful, tropical-patterned dress and a floral headband with large decorated mouse ears. Wooden chairs and another person’s legs are visible in the background.

The case against:

it’s expensive, especially for larger families.
once you factor in tax and the service charge for bigger groups, the total adds up quickly.
The prix fixe format means you’re committing to a longer sit-down meal, which can be a lot to ask of very young or very energetic kids.
And if your family plans to catch the free character meet-and-greets throughout the resort anyway, you could reasonably argue the breakfast is an overlap.

My honest take: for families with kids in roughly the two-to-eight range who are into Disney characters, this is worth every penny. We went twice and I’d go again without hesitation.