Cindy's Castle vs. Crystal Palace ???

[BethyBelle]

Hello All!

I have been lurking at this board for a few months now. My husband and I are planning our first Disney vacation with our children. As neither of us have ever been to WDW, we are learning everything we can. O.k. Here goes dumb question number 1. What is the difference between Cinderella's Castle and the Crystal Palace? I get the impression that they are two different places. If so , where are they located? Which experience would be better for a 6 year old girl? Thanks

 

[senecabeach]

Yes...the CP and C C ( Cinderella's Royal Table=CRT) are 2 different meal experiences.
CP is off Main St. to the left before you get to Adventure Land. Character meals are with Pooh and friends.
At "THE" Castle, character meals are with the princesses.

Go to http://www.allearsnet.com/index.html

They have extensive info on WDW and....

ENJOY !!

 

[teacher31]

First, welcome to the boards!

I have never been to Cindy's. However, we always go to Crystal Palace. Picture Cindy's in the middle. There is a circle going around it. From a birds eye view, CP is about where the 7 is. It faces Cindy's.

Crystal Palace is Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, etc. We've done breakfast there and have loved it. We are Pooh fans, though. CP is a buffet which my kids love. They eat mostly the strawberries, and one hard boiled egg. I think Cindy's is a plated meal. I could be wrong and then I know people will correct me!

My girls aren't into that whole Princess thing so we've never gone. Either place, you will have a wonderful time!

 

[bellarella]

Yes, they are two different places. Thought it is called Crystal Palace, it looks nothing like a castle or "palace." Think more like a large atrium/conservatory (glass). The characters there are Pooh and Friends. It is part of Main Street, just before you enter Adventureland (or is it Frontierland?). CRT is the restaurant that is in Cinderella's Castle. You are basically eating inside one of the turrets. You get to it from the "back side" of the castle (from Fantasyland rather than Main Street). It has princesses at breakfast and lunch (I'm not sure if they are adding them to dinner next year or not). CP is a buffet (a very good one) and CRT is plated.

 

[minijeanie]

GO RUN TO CRT

first time at WDW and with a six year old girl...I would totally recommend CRT!!!

Go for breakfast and start your day! You will not regret it

Beautiful

 

[BethyBelle]

Wow! Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!!!!!! I think I'll try for Cindy's Castle first since my DD loves Cinderella. If I can't get ressie's, then I'll try for the Castle. It sounds great too. We're not too picky at this point since we've never been.

 

[champagnegirl26]

Please just be aware that Cindys books out extremly quickly, You really need to book it the day the ressies become open IE at the 180 day mark
Claire.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

If you can, go to Crt! It is your first Disney experience, might as well make it one to remember!

I know the prices have changed quite a bit, but it is still a place you have to go to at least once. I waited for my third trip to WDW to go to CRT, I did not regret it one bit. I am even going back to lunch in January. After that, I may think it over. It is really expensive.

But if I had to relive my 1st trip to DW, I would really do CRT....

 

[BethyBelle]

I have plenty of time to make the ressie's since we're not going until Thanksgiving 2006. I read about the CRT reservation guide. I guess I'll give it a whirl and see if I can get in. Thanks again ladies!!!!!!!

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

Good luck getting the ADR! We did CRT with our DDs then 5 and 2.5, and they loved it. We did the PSB (princess story book) breakfast in Epcot about a year and a half later, and they still talk about it. If your daughter is into the Disney princesses, CRT will be a wonderful experience; you can't beat a meal in the Castle with Cinderella.

 

[LoriZH]

First off, WELCOME ABOARD!

Second, Cinderella's has changed and I wouldn't waste my time or money on this again. Cinderella and the Prince use to come to your table and there was always great character interaction and lots of great princesses. This time the food and service was horrible and the experience was okay at best. The past years it has been wonderful, this year was just bad. I've never had a bad experience at Crystal Palace and I would choose there. It's always fun there and the food is always good, much more of a variety also.

 

[luv@1site]

We just got back from WDW and missed the CRT since we thought the booking was 90 days in advance. However, we did book The Storybook Princess meal in Epcot for lunch and it was magnificent! I can't imagine the CRT could be any better. We got to personally meet, talk with and take one on one pictures with Cinderella, Aroura(Sleeping Beauty), Snow White, Belle, and Ariel. They all came directly to our table and my daughter is still dreamy eyed about the whole experience. My husband still says the best part of the trip was seeing our daughter eyes as she talked with the princesses. That really says a whole lot coming from my nonsentimental husband who enjoyed the trip thoroughly.The meal was amazing as well. For the money it cost the meal was worth the price of admission alone. The princess meet was pricless though. We will still try to book CRT for our next trip but don't be too discouraged if you can't get them. If you must have princesses go with the storybook as a great back up and maybe even a first choice. I'll reserve my judgment until after we have done the CRT. I hope this helps.

 

[msklcassidy]

Cinderella's Royal Table vs. Crystal Palace. On atmosphere...CRT. On food...CP! We did CRT breakfast for the first time last March. The food was greasy (bacon and hot-dog like sausage) and cold (the french toast). It is all pre-plated and I wouldn't do it again. However, with a 6 year old daughter, I could survive the bad food to see the look in her eyes. If you can't get in, I heartily recommend the Princess Breakfast at Epcot. If you do get in to CRT, be sure to go to Tinkerbell's shop (located behind Cinderella's castle and to the left) the minute they open and ask if she can "wake up" tinkerbell! Talk about magic!

By the way...welcome to the Boards. They are full of lots of good tips (and opinions). We heading down in a few days and can't wait to get there!

 

[MaryU]

Went to lunch at the CRT last week. Was disappointed in some respects but the positives made up for it. Our lunch res was for 1:20 for 6 people. We showed up at 1:10 and had to wait over 30 minutes. I felt this was unacceptable as they don't even open for lunch until 1:00. The only interaction with Cinderella was we had to wait in line in the waiting area to get a picture taken with her by the Christmas tree. (they came around later trying to sell us a package with the picture for $32). My daughter was very excited to see the princesses in the room and said she hoped that they took a long time to bring the food so that she could enjoy watching them. They 4 "princesses" (Belle, Aurora, Snow White. & Mary Poppins) were very friendly and personable, but seemed rushed. They all showed up at our table before we ordered our food. During our meal, they all disappeared for about a 1/2 hour break (luckily my daughter didn't notice by that time). They all came back in the room just as we were eating our dessert but did not visit our table again.
The food and service were excellent. There were 4 adults in our group & we each ordered something different - everything was wonderful. However given that most people are there for the princesses I was expecting a little bit more interaction- especially since we only had 1 girl for a party of 6 people. My son (2) is named Philip so Aurora did make a fuss over him (of course he wasn't too excited) but overall I was expecting my daughter to have more time with the princesses. I've heard that breakfast is a little better organized.
Last year we went to the Crystal Palace. There the food was also very good but there was much more interaction with the characters. My kids loved parading around the room, etc. & I think the characters all came around twice.

 

[BethyBelle]

This first time around, I'm not too worried about the food. My daughter and I just want to see the princesses. Hopefully we can get in to at least one place.