We got to the bus stop at 7:40. The first MK bus arrived at 7:55, so I knew then that it wasn't likely that we’d make it to the Grand Floridian on time for our 8:30 reservation. We weren’t too worried about it though. We were determined to relax and not let things like that freak us (me) out for once. Once we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, we were able to get on a monorail very quickly and even though it stalled at the Contemporary for a while, we made it to 1900 Park Fare right on time.
Maddie found a way to amuse herself on the bus
We checked in and were given our pagers. We admired my favorite topiary again while parking the stroller before heading into the lobby.
If you read the last TR, you know that I couldn't find a skirt that matched that shirt. She's wearing the one that I made. I think it turned out pretty well!
And Maddie convinced her Dad to dance with her for a few minutes
Bryan and I found seats on a sofa, and Maddie found one that she preferred in front of the television. We waited about 30 minutes before Bryan went to the check in desk to find out when we’d be seated.
The lobby of the GF
Maddie was in her "TV Daze"
The pager went off before he got to the desk. It was by far the longest wait that we had for any meal on the trip, and luckily it came on a day when our only plan was to take it easy.
1900 Park Fare
An All You Can Eat Character Meal
8:00am - 11:30am
Join Mary Poppins, Alice and the Mad Hatter
Adult price range: $22.36-$26.62; Child (ages 3-9) price range: $12.77-$14.90
Tax is included; gratuity is not included. A non-alcoholic, non-specialty beverage is included in this price.
ALL Menu Items Subject to Change without Notice!
Breads and Pastries
Assorted sliced breads, croissants, English muffins, bagels, pecan sticky bun, strawberry and apple turnovers, cheese danish, apple, granola and blueberry muffins, cream cheese, strawberry jam and grape jelly
Cold Buffet
Flavored yogurts, fresh fruits, cottage cheese, ambrosia, stewed plums, chilled strawberry soup, assortment of cereals, house-made granola, Edy's Soft Serve ice cream with an array of toppings, Peaches, pears, applesauce, Jello-O, Rice Krispie Treats
Hot Buffet
Chef's preparation of custom eggs and build your own omelets, bacon, sausage links, scrambled eggs, cheese blintz, strawberry melba, apple cobbler, peach and white chocolate bread pudding with vanilla sauce, blueberry pancakes, corned beef hash, Spanish scramble, mini pancakes, Mickey waffles, fresh Challah bread French toast, country-style biscuits and gravy, grits, oatmeal and shredded triangle potato
We were seated in the main dining room only a few tables away from the buffet. Our server greeted us quickly and filled our drink orders in just a few minutes. I again had hot tea—this morning was much warmer than the previous 3, but by then I was sort of fascinated with seeing how each individual place served their tea so I continued to order it. Maddie had milk and orange juice, and Bryan had a Diet Coke.
For some reason I didn’t take photos of the food again, but I’m sure that you’re all familiar with the things that we ate. I did take pretty detailed notes about what was available, so at least there’s that.
By the the time we sat down we’d been up for almost 3 hours and were starving, so we filled our plates right away. My first plate consisted of hash browns, scrambled eggs, Mickey waffle, and bacon. Bryan had waffles, cheese Danish, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. Maddie stuck with her “usual”.waffles, eggs, and fruit.
I may have chosen the same foods that I had been eating every day, but something about that plate looked different than the others. I looked closely at the plate and realized that something was wrong with the bacon. It looked weird. It wasn’t transparent and soggy like most Disney bacon. Actually, it looked a lot like the bacon I make for myself at home. Intrigued I took a bite.
Cue the Hallelujah Chourus*** THE BACON WAS DELICIOUS!!! ***
It was crispy and meaty, and it tasted like real bacon!!!!
No matter what the rest of the food tasted like, 1900 Park Fare was already a winner in my book. Bacon is of vital importance to me and finally, finally Disney had delivered. I believe that I was too overcome by the presence of the good bacon to take any pictures. Luckily, the rest of the food was excellent too! Bryan enjoyed everything that he tried, and Maddie’s fruit was all perfectly ripe. It was a great meal.
I won’t go as far as to say that it’ll become a breakfast must do for us, that honor is reserved for my beloved Tusker House, but it’s a solid choice for a good plate of food and some fun characters.
I’m sure that you must be thinking, “Characters? What Characters? We haven’t seen photos of your child with characters for 1.5 updates! Bring it on!”
Well, dear readers, if you insist...
Waiting for some friends to stop by
Pooh wandered over first, closely followed by Tigger. I don’t know if we still had a Crystal Palace Hangover or what, but we weren’t wowed by either of them. They signed DD’s autograph book, posed for a picture and went on their way.
Hello Hunny Bear
Check out the kid doing a "Home Alone" on the left
Up next was Mary Poppins. We’d yet to catch her in MK or Epcot, so Maddie was really excited to meet her. Maddie and I returned from a trip to the Ladies' Room to find Ms. Poppins chatting with Bryan.
Mary was awesome. Maddie asked why Mary didn’t have her umbrella with her, and she told her that it was in the lobby since it’s rude to bring an umbrella indoors. Ms. Poppins then turned the tables on Mads asking if we’d traveled to Florida via her umbrella. When Maddie said no, we’d taken a plane Mary nodded agreeably and said that it would have to be a pretty big umbrella to carry all three of us. She proclaimed Maddie to be very well behaved indeed and with a final hug and a wave she moved on.
Next was the person Maddie had been dying to see. In addition to Pocahontas, we’d failed to find the time to meet Alice on Maddie’s first trip. She was very excited to rectify the situation.
Alice approached and squealed with delight when she saw Maddie’s shirt. As a thank you for the compliment Maddie treated her to some dance moves.
Alice chatted away as she signed the autograph book and then got down to pose with Maddie. I’m not sure if it was a response to me saying “Maddie, smile!” or what, but Alice tickled Maddie the whole time they were posing. She’d to it, and when Maddie turned to her she played innocent and smiled sweetly only to do it again as soon as Mads turned toward the camera. Maddie thought that was hilarious and was giggling the whole time. After a lengthy photo shoot it was time for Alice to visit with some other families. Her parting words were in a stage whisper to DD, “Look out for rabbit holes!”
Finally we were visited by the Mad Hatter himself. He was a great character. He chattered loudly as he signed her book, and when Bryan asked him how big his feet were he thought for a moment and pointed at his feet saying “that big”. He said to Maddie "Nice shirt, that girl looks familliar", and he asked her what we had planned for the day. In response to her answer of “shopping” he asked what we planned to buy him. Maddie laughed the whole time he was there. And, he wished us all a very merry unbirthday as he walked away.
All in all it was a delightful breakfast that Maddie still talks about. If you’re looking for good food and fun characters, breakfast at 1900 Park Fare is worth a look.
(pixie dust can bring good luck to an exam right?
)
I have no idea why he insisted we go that way, but the seats were great!!
That was me!
What a special day you must have had! 
She fanatically collects all of the princess outfits for them-has a whole bin full-yet they're always undressed. 
DD will be the one holding a pink baseball glove. 
