Best Restaurant to Celebrate a 1st B-day?

[rhorsley]

HI all. (I'm working on getting my posts up to 10, yay!) So I have another question for all you knowledgeable DISers out there...

We are going to Disney for our son's 1st Birthday in September. We are going along with 7 (10 of us total) other family members. I wanted to have at least 1 meal where we were all together to eat and celebrate his birthday.

I was leaning toward Crystal Palace (mostly because mommy loves it there with Poohbear & Friends ) However, I didn't know if they do anything special for the birthday or if there are other neat places to celebrate. I'd love to hear about your experiences celebrating special events in The World.

Also, I seem to remember a website or phone number for Disney where you could order special cakes. If you've had any experiences with that, I'd love to hear about it too.

Thanks again!!
Rachel

 

[minnie4me]

we went to lunch there a few years ago for DS's 3rd bday. Let them know it was a bday when making ressies. The table had confetti and streamers and after we ate the waiter brought DS a cute cupcake and we and several tables around us sang "happy birthday", it was nice, nothing over the top. My mom and dad were with us and had taken DS to dinner at GF Cafe the night before (DH & I got a "date" night), in passing my mom said to the waitress that we were in Disney celebrating DS's bday, she made an announcement for the whole restaurant to sing...DS was on cloud 9: when everyone sang and clapped, although they ate early and restaurant wasn't very busy, it was still a very nice thing for her to do !!

 

[HunnyJar]

We actually took our oldest daughter to Garden Grill for her first birthday last February. It was fantastic. We knew that we wanted some place that was relatively quiet since it was the first experience she would have meeting a character face to face. While Chef Mickey's is a party place this was going to be WAY too loud. Also we knew that buffets can get chaotic at times. So the logical restaurant was Garden Grill. This turned out to be so excellent that we are taking our newest princess to Garden Grill this September to celebrate her first birthday.

The restaurant was pretty quiet considering how many families with young children were there. It was SO nice not having to deal with a buffet after a long day in the park. The food was tasty and fresh! Our server was so very wonderful, too. We plan on asking if she is working when we go to check in for our September meal. And seriously the characters could not be better. Before our trip we had our daughter watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and other Mickey shorts, so she was very familiar with the characters there. As we were being led to our table our daughter saw Pluto (her first interaction with a character ever!) and she leaned out to hug him. Rather than just wave or walk by, Pluto walked over to her and hugged her. I seriously loved that! Farmer Mickey was super and Chip and Dale were fantastic. Everyone made a big deal about her birthday (she had a birthday pin and a special birthday shirt we made at the Marketplace at Downtown Disney) not only was she given a cupcake but she had a birthday card signed by all the characters and our server. Just a really special treat and a special evening. Now I can't guarantee that this happens all the time, but this was our experience.

I put a lot of thought into what character meals we should go to with our daughter. Not really knowing how she would take to big fuzzy characters compared to "face" characters like the princesses. It turns out she was more at ease with the fuzzy ones than the "face" ones. While we didn't take her to Crystal Palace last year, we are planning on going there in September. We opted for 1900 Park Fare last year since there is a good mix of fuzzy characters and "face" characters for breakfast.

I hope whatever restaurant you choose you have a fantastic time!

 

[DCbride]

We always like the CP for lunch. I find it is less crowded right at 11:30 and DD was more receptive to the characters when there was less stimulation. (kind of like the PP said with the Garden Grill) At CP there is a parade of the characters that you can walk/carry your son around. For DDs 3rd birthday, there was confetti, and she did get a special cupcake and a card signed by the characters. She also was able to hold Tiggers hand and lead the parade. Made for great video.

'Ohana makes a nice family meal since it is not a buffet so you will actually spend more time together as a family since people will not get up and leave at all different times. The atmosphere is relaxing and the food is great. I have been there when they sing happy birthday to certain tables.

 

[John Tag]

We have done many B-Days in Disney. We thought CP and GG were the best. For a larger group for seating with large parties CP is probally best bet. BUT, If you can get seated with larger group at GG I personally thought GG was slightly better for the kids. Reason I say that is every time we went to GG it seems character's spend more time per table. We even had a few character's sit amoment and not feel rushedd as they played with kids during there special days. CP just seemed more rushed character wise. Both great places.

 

[robandkelly13]

Crystal Palace would be an awesome place to celebrate a 1st birthday! We celebrated DD's 5th at CRT and Dh's 32nd at Boma. We special ordered a cake for each one (I can't seem to find the number right now) and each cake was awesome. DD got the standard Mickey Cake /Users/CastilloFamily/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/2009/WDW 2009/DSC01380.JPG

Dh got a special order camouflage Mickey cake /Users/CastilloFamily/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/2009/WDW 2009/DSC01075.JPG

Both cakes were awesome.

 

[Kimberle]

Crystal Palace is wonderful! If s/he likes Pooh & friends, you'll love CP! It's very pretty inside and the b/fast food is yummy! They generally place confetti on the table & serve a cupcake w/ candle.

 

[carly chloe]

Has anyone done it at Chef Mickey's? We were thinking of doing it there since Mickey is his favorite and just get one of those Mickey head cakes and then get a pic of him- Mickey and the cake together. Is that possible?

 

[disneydeb1224]

I think Chef Mickey's would be a great place for a first birthday!!!

 

[SEPTBABIES02]

Has anyone done it at Chef Mickey's? We were thinking of doing it there since Mickey is his favorite and just get one of those Mickey head cakes and then get a pic of him- Mickey and the cake together. Is that possible?

We did our daughters first birthday at Chef Mickeys and she was mortified when she saw the characters. We thought she was going to love it but the big characters are a bit scary at that age. She wouldn't go anywhere near any of the characters for the rest of the trip.

 

[anjalee6]

I think both Chef Mickey's with the fab 5 or Crystal Palace would be a great place to eat for a first birthday. I will warn you though, our LO love the characters when she was very little (8 months). When we went last summer when she was 1 1/2 she was afraid of them at first. You might want to warm your child up to the idea of characters before hand if they are not used to them so you don't have a scene.

 

[crabbygal902]

I've seen 2 absolutely fantastic tips here:

1. Going when a restaurant opens for lunch or dinner may work well for you...less crowds, more character time, fresh food, and a well-rested birthday boy.

2. Warming your child up to the characters first...every kid is different and you never know how they might react if you choose to do a character meal.

I think that Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace would be great choices, but I'll throw in Play n' Dine at Hollywood Vine breakfast for something a little different. Birthday breakfast? Hey, why not??

We have celebrated an adult's birthday at Teppan Edo, and it was a wonderful experience: chef's hat, a song, a special dessert, great food, and the nicest staff I have encountered anywhere. The chef cooking food at your table would certainly be entertaining for your little guy.

We have also celebrated a new job and anniversaries at 'Ohana. The staff made a big deal about the announcements, had the rest of the restaurant join in congratulating the celebrants, and gave them special desserts. 'Ohana has a terrific atmosphere for your special moments.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Another vote for Chef Mickeys or CP!!!!