Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace for a 4 yr old boy?

[AngelaVa]

Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace for a 4 yr old boy, Which breakfast is better & why? Thank you!

 

[WalkersMom]

We chose Chef Mickey's when my son was 3 because he was still into the Fab 5. We're heading back in October to celebrate his 5th birthday and while we are trying new restaurants out, Fab 5 is still his favorite but not returning to Chef Mickey's.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Food is better at Crystal Palace.

 

[simplyton]

We did both in February with DS (who turned 4 mid trip) and DD9

Crystal Palace (late lunch) food was good and plenty of variety. Interaction was good but It felt cramped and we'd often a struggle to get to & from our table to the food station.
Might have just been our luck with table placement but I got the impression that it wasn't well equipped for large characters going round the tables
DS4 did love the characters coming round though

Chef Mickeys (Very early 7.20 breakfast) The setting felt less Disney-like than CP but better equipped to handle buffet guests and characters.
A lot of fun interaction with the characters and a good selection of food

Of course a lot will depend on your plan of action but I think Chef Mickeys probably shades Crystal Palace.

We also did Disney Playhouse at Hollywood & Vine (10am Breakfast) and both kids rated this their favourite of the 3 character dining locations
Food was on par with Chef Mickeys but the character interaction was terrific here and spent much more time with the kids than the other 2 locations
Although DD9 is way out of the Playhouse target audience range she enjoyed joining in which various dance-a-long activities that seemed to be happening every 10mins or so
DD4 had a great time playing with the characters (He had some Star Wars figures with him as it was his birthday and the characters were great with them)
He was very taken by them all and even got a little crush on Princess Sofia
Unfortunately I think DD4 will be too old for the playhouse gang by the time we've paid off this visit and can return

Hope you have a blast wherever you end up

 

[kreckl]

May depend on your kid. What characters does he love? Does he like wild and crazy and loud? If not, avoid CM.

 

[Dansr731]

We did both last November and preferred Chef Mickey's.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I think the food is definitely better at Crystal Palace, plus at Crystal Palace you have the awesome option of having a pre park opening ADR. We love getting the early entry into the Magic Kingdom! As far as characters go, Crystal Palace will always have a special place in our hearts bc it was the first ever character meal that we did with my son when he was 3. At that point in time we stayed off site and were not really well off enough to eat at all the cool places in Disney, but for this particular trip (it was my sons first trip) we saved so that we could eat at Crystal Palace with Tigger and Pooh bc my son was OBSESSED with Tigger. My son is going to be 10 this year and he is still majorly obsessed with Tigger, LOL, so Crystal Palace will always be a MUST do for us. When determining which character meal to go to I think what is really important is what the child is into, bc that is mainly what you are paying for for the character dining experience. The food at Chef Mickey's is not the greatest but for a little kid who LOVES Mickey they won't really care if the food was up to par or not all they want is to see Mickey. The atmosphere at Chef Mickey's a great, its very colorful and has a cool vibe and its awesome to see the monorail go by as you are in the Contemporary. It all comes down to though who does your child like better? The fab 5 or Winnie the Pooh and gang?

 

[goofy4prez]

If the choice comes down to food the clear winner is Crystal Palace. IMO, Chef Mickey is the worst food and dining experience I have ever encountered in WDW. But with that said, if your child is really more excited about Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald Duck and Goofy than Pooh and friends then take one for the team and let your little guy have a great time. If he likes Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eyore and Piglet then the choice is an easy one and a decision that will be much friendlier on your pallet as well.

 

[Mom2darlingboys]

My boys loved (and still do love!) Chef Mickey's. It is a must do on every trip. We'd love to pass on it, but they ask every trip!

 

[Shanti]

They're both good for breakfast. I would base it on which set of characters (Mickey & friends or Pooh & friends) the boy is more interested in.

 

[cassie58]

We love CP brft., and it is a must-do for us on every trip! Food is good, they have made-to-order omelettes and puffy French toast, and it is beautiful with the light coming in from the domed ceilings, and you can ask for a window table and look out on the castle. And they are my fave characters, especially Tigger. We have had good character interaction, bouncing w/Tigger and checking for Eeyore's tail. As PP mentioned, we like to try and get a pre-park opening time, and enjoy MainSt. w/less crowds and get some nice pics with the castle. You are then already in the park ready to head to rides when the park opens. Or we do the latest brft on EMH morning to take advantage of early morning time for getting in rides before the crowds.

Our second fave brft is at Tusker House at AK, which has Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy in their Safari gear. It is near the Safari, so also good to do pre-park opening and then jump on Safari, or do Safari and some other attractions, and do late brft. We have done Chef Mickey's dinner, and had fun with characters, and it is cool with the monorail running through while you eat, and food is okay. Any will be good to meet characters, depending on your preferences. They are all popular reservations, so whichever you choose, you want to try to get one as soon as possible, and if they are booked for the days/times you want, keep trying as people change their plans all the time, and things will pop up, just have to keep checking, and may have to be flexible with your plans.

 

[ArielSRL]

We are doing CP breakfast and CM dinner. But if I had to choose, I'd take into consideration what characters he likes best and if you have any other character meals or meet and greets planned.

 

[mommycrawford]

I would go by your child's disposition. If he is an "in your face" kind of kid, Chef Mickey's is good (the interaction is quite quick though,) but if he is at all reserved or shy, I would go with Crystal Palace where it is a little more calm... other families don't rush your table when the characters come.

Another option, you may want to think about is 1900 Park Faire for breakfast: they have face characters and costumed characters (which some children do not actually like to interact with) so your child can actually converse with Mary Poppins, Alice & Mad Hatter, yet see Tigger and Pooh.

Food wise, Tusker House, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Faire, Chef Mickey's: in that order.