My Favorite Breakfast Date: The Grinch!

By: Maggie Ballantyne
April 23, 2024

In November 2023, I signed myself up for the Breakfast with the Grinch character experience located in Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios Orlando. This experience was a highlight of my holiday-themed trip and I left happy, full, and laughing. Isn’t that the best way to start any day?

This is a pricier breakfast (at $62 per person as of Nov. 2023) however, if you look at the overall experience, perks, and food, you will see so much is included for that price.

TIMING: The breakfast starts before both park opening and early park entry! On the day of my reservation, the park opened to the public at 9, early park entry for onsite guests began at 8, and I was scanned into the park at 7:15. I love a picturesque empty park. No line at security, no line to get in, and I was able to walk through the park with no one around me!

LOCATION: My only complaint from the entire experience is that the meal is not in Seuss Landing due to a refurbishment. I knew this prior to going into the experience. The staff in charge of this breakfast still did a good job of making the Confisco Grille look festive and fun, but I just prefer the Seuss Landing section of the park.

FOOD: There was more food included than I realized! Here is what I had:

Appetizer: Every guest or family will start with muffins and/or croissants in a basket and a fruit platter. There is nothing out of the ordinary about this, but it was fresh and a nice way to start the meal.

Entree: In the past this meal was a buffet; now it is made-to-order (which I prefer!) My meal was good! I had chicken and waffles. This specific entrée got mixed reviews online, so I was cautiously optimistic and ended up being pleasantly surprised. I would definitely order this again.

Dessert: Three almost-too-cute-to-eat cookies per person! If you are too full from breakfast, your server will bring you a bag so you can take them to go. My favorite cookie was the cookie that resembled Max’s dog treats.

All juice, coffee, soda, and water is included in your breakfast price. You can have as much as you’d like.

CHARACTERS and PHOTOS:

The Who’s walk around the restaurant in duos all throughout the meal. They interact with tables and sing Christmas carols. I loved this! Sometimes I couldn’t hear them over the Grinch’s screaming for the music to stop, but that’s ok! They were as sweet as you’d expect and very good!

The Grinch is the star of the show, and he certainly knows it. When I walked into the meal, he was running around the dining room screaming and at that moment I knew this was going to be a hilarious interaction. I was lucky enough to be seated right by his photo spot. This meant when he didn’t have a line for photos, he would roam around, yell things at me, and when he realized I was dining alone, he joined me at the table. He was hysterical and I had the best time. He made this meal unforgettable.

(Warning: if he has a long line he does not walk around to tables.)

After you finish your meal, you are handed an autograph card from the Grinch to keep as a souvenir and that is also your ticket to get in line for a photo. The staff stationed at the photo spot did a great job taking videos and photos of my meet and greet with the Grinch. I do not have kids with me, but thought the Grinch and staff did a great job interacting with them when it was their turn. I really enjoyed watching. No one had a rushed meet and greet.  

I believe anyone going into this thinking it’s a $60 experience, and not a $60 meal, will love it. This meal is also a great timesaver for anyone who loves the Grinch. He does meet in the park during normal theme park hours, but we have seen that line reach over 300 minutes! Here, you get a meal and interaction in about 90 minutes plus a cute autograph souvenir and cookies to go. That definitely seems like a better deal to me!

Please reach out to maggie@wishesfamilytravel.com if you’re interested in traveling to Universal Orlando during the holidays! I would love to share my experiences with you and help you plan your next vacation!