Character Dining at Disneyland Paris - Inventions!

*Inventions underwent a regal makeover in 2024 and became the Royal Banquet, a full post on the new restaurant is coming soon!

A character lunch or dinner at the magnificent Inventions restaurant in the exquisite Disneyland Hotel is a highlight dining experience at Disneyland Paris. I’ve learnt on all my visits that character dining experiences are a must do activity to meet iconic Disney characters, saving time on queuing, and if you are looking for a spectacular refined experience then you have to choose Inventions!

Inventions

As soon as you enter the opulence of the Disneyland Hotel, you will feel like a prince or princess of your own Disney holiday! The Victorian inspired hotel is located right at the main Disneyland Park entrance way, and is the ultimate luxury location for your trip. The Inventions restaurant is located on the second floor, so take a moment to enjoy your surroundings in the hotel on your way to your premium dining experience!

If you are early for your reservation I'd recommend sitting in the atrium by the hostess stand, and you may even get to see some characters on their way into the restaurant if you are lucky. We ran into several characters this way, with some hilarious brief interactions as well!

Once you are seated at your table you will begin to notice the awe inspiring Victorian era inventions surrounding the restaurant. I loved playing a game of find the invention to keep children entertained as well as adults. As well as the views inside, the restaurant has some amazing views of Cinderella's castle and the park. If you schedule your meal there for the right time you will even be able to watch the fireworks display in the distance from your table, a magical bonus for your dinner!

As with all the character dining restaurants the dining room has multiple sections allowing for plenty of space for character interactions. The buffet is set across one central wall, replicated on both sides of the entrance, so it’s central for all tables. We were seated in the bay windows on the side of the restaurant, which meant we could thoroughly enjoy the views of the park and not miss a moment of the fun in the restaurant either!

Inventions can be selected on the premium Disney dining plan – which does also allow you to make a booking up to 6 months in advance which I’d highly recommend as it’s extremely popular! If you are on a standard or no dining plan, you can still book this experience but will have to pay the difference or full price for your group.

The Food!

Inventions is a buffet style restaurant offering a plentiful buffet featuring the highest quality food and fine dining restaurant dishes. It is a buffet unlike any I've ever eaten at before! There is a huge selection of salads, meat, cheeses and a outstanding seafood section along with hot mains, roasts and endless desserts!

The side arms of the buffet are mirror images of each other, which is fab at reducing queues. The salads were all delicious, and the vast seafood section was fabulous with oysters, massive prawns and more! I particularly enjoyed the fine dining standard hot main dishes available with plenty of sides to accompany them. When we visited the theme was Lion King & the Jungle Book, and I was thrilled with the variety of Jungle themed sweet treats to enjoy!

And don’t worry about the little ones in your group – there are plenty of options for the children too! Plus the Mickey shaped high chairs are a special touch the children enjoyed! From easy choices likes sausages, and chips to healthier choices like pasta salads, plus the whole of the adults selection and even sweet treats as well. Plus as it’s a buffet it’s a fantastic opportunity for kids to try something new.

We were also celebrating a birthday on our visit and paid to have a Birthday Dessert! This has to be booked and paid for in advance, but feeds up to 8 guests easily! We were thrilled with the presentation of the cake by a special guest visitor, a chorus of Happy Birthday and a delicious ice cream cake to enjoy!

If you are visiting for a brunch character dining experience (Sundays only), you can expect the usual components of a splendid cooked breakfast, along with more continental style meats, cheeses and pastries. Plus pancakes, waffles and some Disney specials as well!

Character Interactions

There are no guarantees which characters will make an appearance at Inventions, although you will meet every character that is there on the day as they are extremely clever to not miss a table, even if you’re at the buffet at the time! When we visited we met Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Geppetto and Donald at the Inventions dining experience, and they even come round more than once for some really magical interactions.

Every character will come to each table of diners to chat, sign autographs and pose for photos with children & adults. There interactions are absolutely wonderful, and you will truly make some magical moments for you all. I remember dancing with Minnie and even getting a kiss off of Donald!

Verdict

For me Inventions is the highlight character dining at Disneyland which is definitely worth the budget splurge on to create life long Disney memories. The fine dining cuisine is of plentiful, of an oustanding quality and with great variety for everyone to enjoy their meal whilst meeting beloved characters!

Will you be adding this experience to your Disneyland Paris trip?

Cost: €70 per adult & €40 per child, advance booking essential (recommend to book 6 months in advance if possible!)

Time: approximately 1-2 hours.

Location: Disneyland Hotel, Disneyland Paris

Date of visit: May 2019