Crystal Palace at 8:20...how long will it take?

[mhanback]

What time should we expect to be done with breakfast if we have 8:20 reservations? Trying to decide between this and 10:25.
Thanks!

 

[elizabethswan]

we just did crystal palace at 8:15 for president's week. first of all, you can enter the park earlier than your adr, about 7:45 . we then checked in and waited to be called to our table (breakfast was great, by the way!). once seated, we took the dis advice and asked for our check right away so that we could pay and be ready to leave once we were finished eating, because we wanted to make rope drop. we ate, and we did make rope drop, but it was pretty close. rope drop was at 9. under other circumstances, it would have been really nice to spend much longer enjoying the meal. again, all of us loved it and we are going back in june to repeat it! hope this helps!

 

[Nettaboo]

Thanks for this info! Our ADR is at 8:05 so hopefully we will make rope drope!! Also thanks for the tip about asking for the check first!!

 

[christa112]

Usually it takes us about 1 to 1.5 hours for a buffet from checking in to finishing with the check. I think one of the other factors if you are lucky enough to get all the characters at your table as soon as you sit (we were lucky enough to have this happen on our last trip a few times). Then you can eat and be out of there alot quicker.

What time should we expect to be done with breakfast if we have 8:20 reservations? Trying to decide between this and 10:25.
Thanks!

 

[MSLRAC]

Usually it takes us about 1 to 1.5 hours for a buffet from checking in to finishing with the check. I think one of the other factors if you are lucky enough to get all the characters at your table as soon as you sit (we were lucky enough to have this happen on our last trip a few times). Then you can eat and be out of there alot quicker.

I totally agree! We got stuck waiting for Pooh. It was our last day and we hadn't seen him anywhere else so the kids wanted to wait for him. We were done eating and had paid but still no Pooh. When he finally came to our side, it was time for their little dance and a honey break so we lost a good like chunk of time waiting for that silly ole bear.

But our server, who knew DD was very torn between waiting to see Pooh and leaving to get to rope drop to see Tinker Bell, gave us two fast passes. She whispered to me on our way out to use one for Tink. It was a great surprise to spring on DD when we got to Tink's line and it already had a posted wait of 45 minutes.

 

[Pumpernoodle]

I didn't know you could use fast passes for character lines. How did that work?

 

[MSLRAC]

I didn't know you could use fast passes for character lines. How did that work?

It wasn't a traditional FP. It was a handwritten check kind of thing that was good for wait time.

When we got to the line for the Fairies, we showed the pass to the CM. She took it and gave us a card to take to the exit. At the exit, another CM escorted us up the exit and into a hallway that was the holding area right before you go into the see the fairies. That hallway was empty when we got there and the CM placed us at what ended up being the front of the line. She then opened the door at the other end of the hallway and let in people from the standby line. As soon as the room with the fairies cleared out a bit, we were sent in. It took us maybe 10 minutes from start to finish.

 

[dismagiclover]

We had an 8:20 Crystal Palace reservation last summer. We arrived early (not intentionally the bus timing was just perfect) and entered the park just as they were letting in the first breakfasters. We dawdled a bit and took some pictures, but then checked in early for the reservation. We checked in about 8:05 and were called almost immediately to our table and we made it outside to join the Dumbo Dash with the rope droppers. I think they sit 1st come 1st served not necesarily based on your reservation time so checking in early really paid off for us.

 

[Pumpernoodle]

It wasn't a traditional FP. It was a handwritten check kind of thing that was good for wait time.

When we got to the line for the Fairies, we showed the pass to the CM. She took it and gave us a card to take to the exit. At the exit, another CM escorted us up the exit and into a hallway that was the holding area right before you go into the see the fairies. That hallway was empty when we got there and the CM placed us at what ended up being the front of the line. She then opened the door at the other end of the hallway and let in people from the standby line. As soon as the room with the fairies cleared out a bit, we were sent in. It took us maybe 10 minutes from start to finish.

Wow!!! Makes waiting for that silly old bear well worth it!

 

[RMulieri]

Allow 90 mins minimum.CP notoriously runs behind on adrs and the characters take awhile to rotate thru.During dinner it took 2 hrs to get seated,eat and see all the characters.We were seated relatively on time too

 

[Mickey country]

We had an early reservation like that one year and got in before the park opened. It was my daughters 8th birthday, and they called us up first to go in the restaurant and closed the doors. We were the only ones in the place and then the characters came out, all of them danced with my daughter. The characters gave her a certificate, and made her a waffle. We got to go through the buffet and get all our food and be seated before they let anyone else in! It was very special. I do like going early in the morning, but you also can't beat a late reservation for breakfast, making it into 2 meals.