With a toddler - Which restaurant would you pick?

[mommy2jack]

Hello everyone!

If the choice was between 1900 Park Fare for dinner, Hollywood and Vine for lunch, or Crystal Palace for lunch. Which would you pick?

Thoughts??

Thank you!!

 

[crusherace03]

Definitely crystal palace!

 

[Daisy-J&D]

IF your toddler is a fan of Disney Junior then 100% Hollywood and Vine. Our DD21mo LOVED it so much we're going back again this year..... It was a lot of fun. They had the kids up dancing with the Disney Junior characters and "hosts"... doing the Hotdog dance.. It was great!

WARNING: As a parent I did find H&V to be complete chaos.... It was a VERY lively meal. So, if that's not what you are looking for then I'd pick Crystal Palace. I think you could have a more civil meal there.

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

My DD loved Pooh at age 2, so she loved CP.

 

[minnie mum]

Another vote for CP. What child doesn't love Pooh and his friends? I like the food there, and the atmosphere is calmer, so it gives the child a chance to ratchet down the excitement and stimulation levels, and gives the parents a chance to relax. H&V (IMO) can be a bit of a madhouse, and I don't think the food is as good.

 

[Aminniedala]

Hollywood & Vine! We were there in April with our 5 yo daughter for an early (11:00 am) lunch and had a wonderful time. We've been there twice and find it less crowded than CP. The characters at our meal were so attentive and interactive; unlike some of the other character meals where the characters will only stop at your table once and then wave on their next circuit, the characters at H&V stopped to hug, dance, etc. each time they passed (I'd say 3-4 times depending on the character). DD also went up for 2 sing alongs with the hostess and Manny, Oso, June and Jake.

Oh, yes, and since I was wearing my birthday button, Handy Manny pulled ME up for a the sing along! I also got a special cupcake and DD got a special gluten-free brownie for our celebration. The chef was also great about walking me through the buffet to show me what was safe for DD and also made her GF chicken tenders. Hubby and I loved their salmon and asiago chicken.

 

[serene56]

WARNING: As a parent I did find H&V to be complete chaos.... It was a VERY lively meal. So, if that's not what you are looking for then I'd pick Crystal Palace. I think you could have a more civil meal there.

COMPLETE chaos-- with a toddler I would go with Crystal Palace.

Will a todler even understand what is going on at 1900 Park Fare?
Pooh characters are easily identified

 

[Coconuts]

Either H&V or CP.

 

[owensmama]

Hollywood & Vine is very high energy so I agree with others that if you want a calm and relaxing lunch to go elsewhere. BUT if you are looking for a full Disney experience for your toddler with lots of fun, music and even a little eating in between then H&V is a must! We went with our (then) 4 year old DS and 1 1/2 year old DD and they absolutely loved it. My DD was bee-bopping in the high chair and having so much fun.

We usually do calmer more relaxing dinners and do something fun for lunch so we are definitely going back to Hollywood & Vine for lunch next week. It's one of the highlights. My 7 year old is even excited about it! I think the food is decent (not the BEST Disney has to offer) but the chef there was so wonderful last time with our son who has multiple food allergies. I ♥ their corn spoonbread or whatever it's called.

 

[luvmyguyz]

Definitely Crystal Palace. We eat there every trip, and are never disappointed. Even the first year, when our youngest was just a toddler and afraid of EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in the park, he got a HUGE kick out of all of the Pooh characters and we were able to get really cute photos of him with them. And after that experience, he loosened up a bit with the other characters, which made the rest of our trip even better.

I'm not a fan of H&V at all - we only went once and I thought the food wasn't very good at all, and my kids weren't too enthused with the characters even though they watched Playhouse Disney every day (it wasn't "Disney Junior back then!) The only good thing was that the characters danced with kids, but they do that at O'hana's breakfast, too, and the food is so much better there

We haven't tried 1900 Park Fare yet (we're doing the Cinderella dinner in November.) So I can't make a judgement on that yet.

 

[Mississippianna]

Crystal Palace! Love it! (our DD isn't familiar with all the characters at H&V, so we've never been there)

 

[disneydreamkate]

Most definitely Crystal Palace!

 

[dsnymomof4]

We did the lunch at H&V when DD4 was almost 3 and we really enjoyed it. I didn't find it to be chaotic at all. He watches Playhouse Disney so was very familiar with the characters and as PPs have said they really interact with the kids much more than at other places. We also really enjoyed the food!

 

[allidale]

Crystal Palace was my 2 year old and 4 year old's favorite character dining of our trip last fall.

 

[mickeye]

We do CP every trip; it is simply pure JOY and Magic!

 

[rentayenta]

Crystal Palace.

 

[magicalcouple]

WE LOVED THE CRYSTAL PALACE!!! Our DS2 loved it too...we enjoyed the breakfast but I am sure all meals are delicious. Pooh Characters are so precious!

 

[SunnyDey]

Another vote for CP. My two year old DD loved it so much that we made going back again a priority on our next trip. She "knew" all the Pooh characters, and I loved the calm environment. The food was good too!

She would not recognize any of the H&V characters, so we did not try that one.

 

[missminniemouse]

Crystal Palace would be my choice hands down. The character interaction there is great and the food is also great. Our servers have always been very attentive and kept drinks filled. I even took a group of high school students there last summer and they had a blast meeting the characters. A few years ago I took my 90 year old Grandmother there and she had the best time as well. Doesn't matter if you're 2, 18, 90, or anywhere in between, this is a restaurant for all to enjoy.