Crystal Palace early or late breakfast??

[alliebug]

We would like to take DD to breakfast at Crystal Palace. I would like opinions on the best time to try for ADRs. Is it better to go before park opening? I've also heard it is less crowded and you get more time with the characters if you go for a later breakfast. I would love to hear opinions and experiences from those "in the know".

Thanks

 

[cnids00]

I made ADR for CP and asked for earliest available, got 8:15am, before park opens and I'm exstatic (SP?)! We've never been inside the park before it opened and on here they say it's fun to be inside with hardly any other people and that you can get great pictures with just you & family without others in the pictures.

We're really excited

 

[jenjersnap]

We've done it both ways and both ways work fine. Our favorite method, though, is to hit the parks at opening and then do a late seating at a character breakfast buffet. It serves as lunch, but we prefer breakfast foods anyway. Usually cheaper too. We have found character interaction is better and we aren't choking our food down to get out before opening.

My only caveat about CP in particular is that they stop serving breakfast maybe a bit earlier than other places because they also have lunch there.

 

[pugcrazy]

We love Crystal Palace! We prefer to get the earliest possible seating. 8:05am if possible. We arrive at the park early & are some of the first 100 or so people in the park.

I have pictures taken down main street with no one in them but our family. We stroll to CP & have a wonderful (unhurried) meal. Gotta have my picture taken with POOH & the gang! We then are out into the park & can make pictures at the castle with almost no one else around.

 

[jpolak]

We tend to make all of our breakfast ADRs on the later side for several reasons. First, traveling with a toddler can be unpredictable to say the least so getting out of the room at an exact time to be some where can be difficult. Secondly, I do not like to rush a meal. You never know how long you will wait to be seated and if your goal is to eat and get into the park early you may find yourself saying "What do mean your going back for more? the park opens in five minutes!". Lastly, we like to try and get to the park when it opens so why waste that time eating? We give DD a light snack before we leave the room, hit fantasyland and whatever else we can get in before breakfast. Then we head over and have a nice relaxing brunch. We eat late enough that we can usually skip lunch (sometimes you just need a turkey leg!).

 

[MickeyNicki]

I did my ADR for 9 am, the park opens at 9 and the CM said the buses start at 8:15 so I wanted to make sure we get there in time.....I could drive but I really do not want to take my car once I get to WDW

Bummer there are no EMH for the dates that I am going.....

 

[dsneygirl]

We ate a later breakfast there in Dec and had great character interation because they weren't at all rushed.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I did my ADR for 9 am, the park opens at 9 and the CM said the buses start at 8:15 so I wanted to make sure we get there in time.....I could drive but I really do not want to take my car once I get to WDW

Bummer there are no EMH for the dates that I am going.....

If you are staying on Disney property this is not correct. I think the buses start about 7:30. I have done Crystal Palace at 8:10 twice and always taken the Magic Kingdom bus. Both of these times were when the park opened at 9:00.

To the original OP, I like the early time better but our kids are early risers anyway. Two weeks ago we did 10:30 on an EMH day. It took us 45 minutes to get seated. They kept the breakfast stuff out, and it was all hot and fresh, but one side of the room changed to lunch so it was never really "empty."

 

[PortieOwner]

I did an 8 (or 8:05am) ADR with them last Fall and it wasn't that great. Lots of lines to snake through to get in the park and then it is a cattle stampede to the front of the restaurant (I assume the same thing happens for people heading to the Cinderella breakfast). Get to the front of the Crystal Palace and get your name on their seating list and then wait some more. I didn't find it that magical to be in the park early, and it seems like back in the old days people were allowed into Main Street before the parks opened and I did that before especially on a cool rainy Fall day when the place is empty.

Portie

 

[goodeats]

We had one of the last breakfast seatings in December (I believe it was 10:25). We split a zone bar in the hotel room and got to the park at opening. We hit lots of rides with no lines and by breakfast time we were famished. Our waitress said that we could help ourselves to the lunch items once they put them out, but by that time we were too full. It was a nice break, and with an ice cream break mid-afternoon we lasted until dinner without another meal.

I'm not sure if I would do an 8:00 am ADR. Certainly not during EMH since you waste a lot of prime park time. I liked being able to sleep in a bit more the way we did it. The food was still really fresh. We were there more for the food, but we still saw lots of characters.

 

[Sharon Esch]

We have an ADR on Friday, June 23 for 8:05 am. We have never done this, but are very excited about the empty feeling about walking up Main Street. We generally make our breakfast ADR's late, but this is our last day of our trip and we got all our early park stuff done.

Is there a special area at the ticket entrance where you need to be let through?

 

[Jenn Lynn]

We always have an early breakfast at CP on our last morning. I think ours is for 8:10 next trip.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We always seem to be at CP at 8:25
It is very crowded and you ususually still wait for a bit before you get seated. But the characters make their rounds and one is almost always near the buffet to see as well. It is a 'must-do" breakfast for our family!

To another poster, there will be a CM (or 2 ) off to the side at the ticket gates asking people if they have ADR's before the park opens. Go to that person and tell them your name and which restaurant and they will let you through.

 

[Amyrlin]

I like to do it later, serves as a bruch then we do a meal in the evening.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

We also had an early ADR last summer and although we did not feel rushed by the CP staff, we just felt like we had to hurry up if we did not want to miss out on doing the main rides before the crowds really flock in.

We ate pretty quickly, everything was so good but we didn't enjoy it because we wanted to get out quickly.

We opted for a late seating this time around. That way we can see the park opening ceremony, hit a few major rides and be good and relaxed for our breakfast.

 

[swilphil]

I like the early ADR, but our family gets up early any way. We have enjoyed getting into the parks before opening, and the kids don't feel quite as rushed to eat because the rides aren't even open yet. If you are going during the hot summer months, you might do the park at opening and have a late breakfast. That way you'll be able to get out of the hot sun for a nice long break.

 

[LoveMyBoys]

We have an 8:25am ADR for CP on the day that MK opens at 9, will we be allowed to take some pictures on Main Street while going to CP before the ADR or not. I know we'll be done with breakfast after park already opens, and I was really hoping for some pictures with not a lot of people in them. Or will they make us go straight to CP and not allow us to take any pictures. Thanks.

 

[phyllis1966]

We've done it both ways and both ways work fine. Our favorite method, though, is to hit the parks at opening and then do a late seating at a character breakfast buffet. It serves as lunch, but we prefer breakfast foods anyway. Usually cheaper too. We have found character interaction is better and we aren't choking our food down to get out before opening.

Same for us - we found both ways to work, but we preferred getting to the MK on its Early Entry (EMH) day and riding all our favorites, then sitting down to brunch at sometime between 10 and 11 am. It's the best of both worlds - no waiting on long lines for rides, and no rushing through a great character meal to get to the rides before it gets too crowded.

 

[alliebug]

Thanks to everyone for all your replies. I made our ADR for 8:05 on a day that does not have EMH.

I decided that since it will be DD(2) first trip to WDW I would like to get there before the park opens to everyone else so I can get pictures without a ton of people in them. And I thought it would be magical to her to be able to see it for the first time without the crowds.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Thinktinknpixiedust]

Early to get to the park first!!