BOYS MEET WORLD... NEW! Crystal Palace review on p. 6 - The DIS Discussion Forums

kahluacream · 05-25-2006, 03:12 PM

Cast of Characters:
Me (DW) The one who makes the ADRs
Him (DH) The one who loves to eat!
Dash (DS-5) The one who would rather be dining with the Incredibles
Little Mickey (DS-2) The one who just loves that Mouse!

The Scoop on Us:
It’s our first family trip to Disney World, and we’re staying at the Wilderness Lodge. (Woo Hoo!)

We have a preschooler and a toddler, both very active little boys. Clearly, Victoria and Albert’s was not going to be an option for our motley crew…

Our restaurant choices had to appeal to young kids with limited patience and picky appetites. These reviews are based on what mattered most to us : the quality of food we ate, the amount of fun we had, and how fast the service was.

MAY 7:
Chef Mickey’s (Dinner)
Since it’s our first family trip to Walt Disney World, meeting Mickey and the gang was priority numero uno for our two little guys. So where do we head for our first Disney dinner? Chef Mickey’s, of course!

After a hectic morning/ afternoon of travel by car, plane, and bus; it was so relaxing to hop on the boat from the Wilderness Lodge to the Contemporary Resort. Let the vacation begin! We left at 5:00 for our 5:45 ADR, and wound up getting there about half an hour early. I changed our littlest guy into the Mickey Mouse costume that he INSISTED on wearing to this dinner. Stuffing that costume in my carry-on was worth it just to hear him say, “Mickey will just wuv dese clothes!,” over and over. Meanwhile, Dash kept stealing glimpses at all the characters in the restaurant. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale were making their rounds. Poor Donald got stuck standing in the middle of the buffet area all by himself. Our boys looked so excited at the prospect of finally meeting all of the characters.

Everyone at the podium got a kick out of Mickey, Jr. “Hey, Aren’t you supposed to be working tonight?,” one of the hostesses joked with our little “mouse”. He just buried his head in my shoulder during a rare moment of shyness. After checking in at the podium, we were given a pager and directed into the line for a souvenir photo. Our pager actually went off while waiting in this line, and one of the hostesses told us we could continue to wait in the looooooooong picture line or just go ahead and be seated. Needless to say, we opted for food first. (Note: We never did make it back to have the obligatory family photo done. Oops!)

The buffet looked great—especially since we had lunch on the run earlier that day. Our boys nibbled happily on chicken tenders, pizza, and fresh fruit. They loved the make-your-own sundae bar and had so much fun piling gummy bears (of all things!) on top of their ice cream. DH almost inhaled his peel and eat shrimp, hand carved turkey and prime rib . He gave the turkey a big thumbs up.

I managed a few bitefuls of parmesan mashed potatoes which were really yummy, but there was too much going on for me to really eat a full meal. You moms out there know what I’m talking about…. Juggling autograph books, a digital camera, and a camcorder while cutting your toddler’s food into bite-sized pieces does not exactly give you a chance to eat all-you-can.

Overall, the character interaction was great. Dash quickly befriended Chip, and they kept giving each other the “thumbs up” sign. (Dale was a little elusive tonight.) Mickey Mouse pointed at our little Mickey, then pointed to himself, and then shrugged his shoulders as if he was confused. Will the real Mickey Mouse please stand up????

Our ratings for Chef Mickey’s:
Food: B (Good variety, buffet food sure beat the salad bar at our local Ruby Tuesday’s!)
Fun: A (Good times!)

Fast: A (Seated really quickly with ADR, prompt service)

Next up: Where can you have lunch and play air hockey at the same time? That’s where we’re headed tomorrow…

TruBlu · 05-25-2006, 03:38 PM

Great review! Thanks! I love the costume story!

tinkerbeth · 05-25-2006, 04:20 PM

Thanks for the great review. I'm looking forward to reading more. Chef Mickey's is our standard first night too!

Beth

TwingleMum · 05-25-2006, 04:44 PM

Thanks for sharing Chef Mickeys is one of my 3 litle guys favorites also.

wintergreen · 05-25-2006, 04:44 PM

Looking forward to the rest of the review. Our kids are getting older now, but we still look for the same things in a family meal that you do!

kyirish25 · 05-25-2006, 04:55 PM

Sounds like the perfect start to vacation. I bet your little Mickey got tons of attention all night.

BeckWhy · 05-25-2006, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kahluacream

After checking in at the podium, we were given a pager and directed into the line for a souvenir photo. Our pager actually went off while waiting in this line, and one of the hostesses told us we could continue to wait in the looooooooong picture line or just go ahead and be seated. Needless to say, we opted for food first. (Note: We never did make it back to have the obligatory family photo done. Oops!)

Is this photo included in the cost of the dinner or do you have to pay extra for it?

candykisses · 05-25-2006, 05:05 PM

Wonderful review! Chef Mickey's is a great way to start your vacation. I'll be waiting for next review.

nluvwithmickey · 05-25-2006, 05:08 PM

I agree that dinner at Chef Mickey is the best way to start a vacation. It is just so festive! The food is pretty good but I go back mostly for the atmosphere and my man Mickey, he's such a cute chef!

Princess89 · 05-25-2006, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeckWhy

Is this photo included in the cost of the dinner or do you have to pay extra for it?

You have to pay extra for the photo, they bring it to your table after its processed, and you can decide whether to buy it or not.

Chef Mickey's is our first destination as well what a great way to kick off the Disney celebration.

Cannot_Wait_4Disney · 05-25-2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeckWhy

Is this photo included in the cost of the dinner or do you have to pay extra for it?

It is extra. They take it before you go in, then deliver it to your table where you can decide whether or not to buy it. You can buy just one sheet or the package. It was something like $30 for the package. It was priced lower than my kid's package the school takes.

3princesses4us · 05-25-2006, 07:35 PM

Such a cute review! You sound like me. We have princess costumes all lined up and ready to go to WDW.

swankybeth · 05-25-2006, 07:45 PM

Great first review! I bet your little one was so cute in his Mickey costume, I can just picture it.

3DisneyBuggs · 05-25-2006, 08:19 PM

Very nice review but your title said reviews- we need more!!

Princess4Eeyore · 05-26-2006, 03:32 AM

I loved your review

Thank you! Glad you all had fun!

05-25-2006, 03:12 PM	#1
kahluacream Mouseketeer Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Too far from the Mouse! Posts: 336	BOYS MEET WORLD... NEW! Crystal Palace review on p. 6 Cast of Characters: Me (DW) The one who makes the ADRs Him (DH) The one who loves to eat! Dash (DS-5) The one who would rather be dining with the Incredibles Little Mickey (DS-2) The one who just loves that Mouse! The Scoop on Us: It’s our first family trip to Disney World, and we’re staying at the Wilderness Lodge. (Woo Hoo!) We have a preschooler and a toddler, both very active little boys. Clearly, Victoria and Albert’s was not going to be an option for our motley crew… Our restaurant choices had to appeal to young kids with limited patience and picky appetites. These reviews are based on what mattered most to us : the quality of food we ate, the amount of fun we had, and how fast the service was. MAY 7: Chef Mickey’s (Dinner) Since it’s our first family trip to Walt Disney World, meeting Mickey and the gang was priority numero uno for our two little guys. So where do we head for our first Disney dinner? Chef Mickey’s, of course! After a hectic morning/ afternoon of travel by car, plane, and bus; it was so relaxing to hop on the boat from the Wilderness Lodge to the Contemporary Resort. Let the vacation begin! We left at 5:00 for our 5:45 ADR, and wound up getting there about half an hour early. I changed our littlest guy into the Mickey Mouse costume that he INSISTED on wearing to this dinner. Stuffing that costume in my carry-on was worth it just to hear him say, “Mickey will just wuv dese clothes!,” over and over. Meanwhile, Dash kept stealing glimpses at all the characters in the restaurant. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale were making their rounds. Poor Donald got stuck standing in the middle of the buffet area all by himself. Our boys looked so excited at the prospect of finally meeting all of the characters. Everyone at the podium got a kick out of Mickey, Jr. “Hey, Aren’t you supposed to be working tonight?,” one of the hostesses joked with our little “mouse”. He just buried his head in my shoulder during a rare moment of shyness. After checking in at the podium, we were given a pager and directed into the line for a souvenir photo. Our pager actually went off while waiting in this line, and one of the hostesses told us we could continue to wait in the looooooooong picture line or just go ahead and be seated. Needless to say, we opted for food first. (Note: We never did make it back to have the obligatory family photo done. Oops!) The buffet looked great—especially since we had lunch on the run earlier that day. Our boys nibbled happily on chicken tenders, pizza, and fresh fruit. They loved the make-your-own sundae bar and had so much fun piling gummy bears (of all things!) on top of their ice cream. DH almost inhaled his peel and eat shrimp, hand carved turkey and prime rib . He gave the turkey a big thumbs up. I managed a few bitefuls of parmesan mashed potatoes which were really yummy, but there was too much going on for me to really eat a full meal. You moms out there know what I’m talking about…. Juggling autograph books, a digital camera, and a camcorder while cutting your toddler’s food into bite-sized pieces does not exactly give you a chance to eat all-you-can. Overall, the character interaction was great. Dash quickly befriended Chip, and they kept giving each other the “thumbs up” sign. (Dale was a little elusive tonight.) Mickey Mouse pointed at our little Mickey, then pointed to himself, and then shrugged his shoulders as if he was confused. Will the real Mickey Mouse please stand up???? Our ratings for Chef Mickey’s: Food: B (Good variety, buffet food sure beat the salad bar at our local Ruby Tuesday’s!) Fun: A (Good times!) Fast: A (Seated really quickly with ADR, prompt service) Next up: Where can you have lunch and play air hockey at the same time? That’s where we’re headed tomorrow… Last edited by kahluacream; 08-15-2006 at 11:46 PM. Reason: Update to the title

05-25-2006, 03:38 PM	#2
TruBlu I was very excited to see how yummy it looks! You can do what we do and go to BOTH! I could have been contender.... instead, I'm just itchy Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,773	Great review! Thanks! I love the costume story! __________________ 2006-CSR 2007-POP and SSR 2008-POFQ 2009-POFQ Me DH DS10 DS7 "Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." -Captain Jack Sparrow

05-25-2006, 04:20 PM	#3
tinkerbeth Goin' back soon!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,020	Thanks for the great review. I'm looking forward to reading more. Chef Mickey's is our standard first night too! Beth __________________

05-25-2006, 04:44 PM	#5
wintergreen DIS Veteran Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Vienna, VA Posts: 1,018	Looking forward to the rest of the review. Our kids are getting older now, but we still look for the same things in a family meal that you do! __________________ Alice "My only regret in life is that I did not drink more champagne."--John Maynard Keynes "Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right."--Mark Twain

05-25-2006, 04:55 PM	#6
kyirish25 DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 896	Sounds like the perfect start to vacation. I bet your little Mickey got tons of attention all night. __________________ kyirish25

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05-25-2006, 04:44 PM	#4
TwingleMum DIS Veteran Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,586	Thanks for sharing Chef Mickeys is one of my 3 litle guys favorites also.

05-25-2006, 05:05 PM	#8
candykisses Ask Me About My Sheltie Likes to cool off with the Tiki Birds Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Gibsonia PA, USA Posts: 3,648	Wonderful review! Chef Mickey's is a great way to start your vacation. I'll be waiting for next review. __________________ CBR-DXL-ASMo-ASMo-ASMo-FQ-FQ-FQ-FQ? 96 - 98 - 99 - 01 - 02 -04 -05 -07 -08

05-25-2006, 05:08 PM	#9
nluvwithmickey DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montreal,Canada Posts: 1,910	I agree that dinner at Chef Mickey is the best way to start a vacation. It is just so festive! The food is pretty good but I go back mostly for the atmosphere and my man Mickey, he's such a cute chef! __________________ Since 2002: 9 onsite visits, 1 Disneyland visit & 2 DCL cruises. And FINALLY became DVC members in Sept. 2008 at :

05-25-2006, 07:35 PM	#12
3princesses4us Proud OSU alum- Go Pokes! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 1,427	Such a cute review! You sound like me. We have princess costumes all lined up and ready to go to WDW. __________________ Me, my neice & sisters take on the "world"- May 2008. I'm the one in the Mickey shirt of course...

05-25-2006, 07:45 PM	#13
swankybeth Loves bubble tea! Got my internship @ WDW! Her Prince Charming proposed with a glass slipper and rose petals Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Rockville Centre, NY Posts: 4,362	Great first review! I bet your little one was so cute in his Mickey costume, I can just picture it. __________________

05-25-2006, 08:19 PM	#14
3DisneyBuggs The only way I would fly is if John Travolta is the pilot! Maroon is my color, like the pom poms! Now I owe tag tax Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,877	Very nice review but your title said reviews- we need more!! __________________

05-26-2006, 03:32 AM	#15
Princess4Eeyore " You'll see it, when you believe it!" Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: ON, Canada Posts: 606	I loved your review Thank you! Glad you all had fun! __________________ M M

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