Disney Aulani Character Breakfast Review: Is Aunty's Breakfast Celebration at Makahiki Worth the Cost?

Feb 6

Written By Randy | The Family Travel Guy

Discover a family paradise with a touch of magic at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii. Even if you're not staying at this amazing resort, you can still partake in character dining with your favorite Disney characters!

There are two character dining meals available at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, with both at Makahiki:

Aunty's Breakfast Celebration at Makahiki
Menehune Mischief Character Dinner

Both dining experiences are at 'Makahiki - The Bounty of the Islands' and feature buffet style dining for both breakfast and dinner.

The casual, family-friendly restaurant is named for the Makahiki season, the traditional Hawaiian celebration of the harvest. Here, the spirit of Makahiki is celebrated through delectable cuisine and local artwork. Throughout the restaurant, you'll find elegant glass designs and jewel-toned murals that depict the story of the Makahiki season. For you meal here, you'll either be seated inside or on the patio and enjoy a nice resort view.

Aunty's Breakfast Celebration at Makahiki
Enjoy a delicious breakfast with Aunty and Disney friends with meal time fun and live entertainment for the whole family. The breakfast buffet features a selection of family favorites, which includes pancakes, waffles, French toast, island fruits, traditional Asian offerings, pastries, daily specialties and a build-your-own omelet station.

What to Expect During Breakfast
If you are considering breakfast here, I highly recommend making a reservation for this experience now, as it is popular and has always been full whenever we've gone.

Character appearance times and breakfast seating times occur throughout the morning, with the current schedule shown below:

Character Appearance #1 – 7:45 AM to 8:30 AM

1st Seating – 7:00 AM, 7:15 AM, 7:30 AM – No seating from 7:45 AM to 8:30 AM

Character Appearance #2 – 9:30 AM to 10:15 AM

2nd Seating – 8:30 AM, 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM – No seating from 9:30 AM to 10:15 AM

Character Appearance #3 – 11:15 AM to 12:00 PM

1st Seating – 10:15 AM, 10:30 AM, 10:45 AM, 11:00 AM – No seating from 11:15 AM to 12:00 PM

After checking in and before being seated, you'll line up to take a picture with Mickey Mouse.

The photos will be available for purchase and photopass photographers will make their way to you during the course of your meal to discuss purchase options. For a complete keepsake photo package (prints and digital), the price is around $35

After being seated and as you enjoy breakfast, you'll experience island-inspired touches, like a ukulele performance by Aunty, singing/dancing, a kids parade and will be visited by Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Pluto throughout the course of your meal.

Note that characters appearances can vary, but you will be guaranteed a visit by each character. And, if for some reason you miss out on seeing a character, the cast members are pretty good about ensuring they stop by before you leave.

Is it Worth the Cost?
Character breakfast is offered daily, with pricing as of February 2020 starting at $43 for Adults and $23 for kids, ages 3 to 9.

If you are staying at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, I highly recommend planning at least one character meal, as it's a great way to meet Disney characters without waiting in line or worrying about the character locations/schedule for a given day during your vacation. In addition to being able to meet your favorite Disney characters, the food selection is amazing!

We have stayed at Aulani twice and in Ko Olina at anther resort recently and each time we have been in Ko Olina, we have experienced the character breakfast. It is a very consistent buffet experience that offers an amazing selection of buffet items for adults and kids alike! The character interaction and performance by Aunty is always fun for little ones - it will be an experience they won't soon forget!

We last enjoyed a character breakfast here in December 2019 and the price has gone up since we first came here in 2018 and earlier in 2019, but for the quality and selection of food, as well as the overall show and character interaction, I feel the price is fair, when compared to other breakfast buffet offerings across the island - and those other buffets don't include the Disney characters or an interactive show!