Crystal Palace ?

bw52

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 10, 2010
I've read people mentioning going there for bf before the park opens.
How early is this? 30 min before the park opens, etc? Or when?
And is it just to see the park w/out anyone else in it or is the food worth it? We don't like bf buffets w/ just pastries. If we're having a buffet we want french toast, omlettes, waffles, etc. Lots of hot foods, I guess.
Also, are the characters out that early?

Thanks. Sorry for so many questions!
 
I've read people mentioning going there for bf before the park opens.
How early is this? 30 min before the park opens, etc? Or when?
And is it just to see the park w/out anyone else in it or is the food worth it? We don't like bf buffets w/ just pastries. If we're having a buffet we want french toast, omlettes, waffles, etc. Lots of hot foods, I guess.
Also, are the characters out that early?

Thanks. Sorry for so many questions!

The restaurant opens at 8 am, so on a regular day that means the park opens at 9 am. People like to see the MK completely empty, and also love the food and character interaction. There are all the hot foods you listed pretty much. Disney breakfast buffets have all the hot foods as well. Crystal Palace has an omelet station and a pancake station I believe, and they serve puffed french toast which everyone raves about. The characters come out during every seating, including early ones. :goodvibes
 
We had reservations at 8:05 and the park opened at 9am. It was nice getting in with few people. The food was excellent - fresh fruit, omelet station, different eggs, croissants, Mickey waffles, etc. It's a lot more than pastries. In fact, I had 2 plate fulls and I didn't have any pastries except a croissants. I had a ton of fresh fruit - it was so yummy!

The characters started coming out about 15 min after we were seated.
 


They open at 8, so an hour earlier than park opens, if the park opens at 9am.
CP was the best breakfast buffet on property, imo. I've never seen a buffet without hot foods (except for the CL ones that are included with your room), this one has an omelet station, waffles, etc. The characters are out when you get there. We ate & saw all the characters & they came around passed us some more than once before 9am. We had an 8:05 reservation a few weeks ago.
 
We have reservations at 8:10 - park opens at 9. Do we just go to the gate & tell them we have reservations?
 
There will be a certain gate that you will be able to give you name and enter early if you have an early ADR. They'll check your names on a list.

In my opinion, CP early morning is worth it just for the experience, although the food is very good also. The most precious WDW photo I have is looking at my DD from behind, staring up at the castle, with no one else in the picture. It was a foggy morning, and I was so mad at the time because I felt like we had wasted an early morning (my main goal in the early ADR was a photo of my DD in front of the castle in her princess dress - yes I am a bit psychotic....) and I couldn't even see the entire castle due to the fog... and then my 3 yr old daughter wouldn't take her eyes off the castle to look at me and take a picture.... and my DH was getting VERY impatient..... so i just took the picture and we went about our business.

Meanwhile, we had a great meal (which made DH happy), and the character interactions at CP are really one of the favorites we have experienced on property. Maybe it's just because our kids are still little and love Pooh and Tigger.

Them, I get back home and upload the picture and it's absolutely MAGICAL..... Seriously, I had friends wonder how in the world I took such an amazing photo. :rotfl2:
 


There will be a certain gate that you will be able to give you name and enter early if you have an early ADR. They'll check your names on a list.

In my opinion, CP early morning is worth it just for the experience, although the food is very good also. The most precious WDW photo I have is looking at my DD from behind, staring up at the castle, with no one else in the picture. It was a foggy morning, and I was so mad at the time because I felt like we had wasted an early morning (my main goal in the early ADR was a photo of my DD in front of the castle in her princess dress - yes I am a bit psychotic....) and I couldn't even see the entire castle due to the fog... and then my 3 yr old daughter wouldn't take her eyes off the castle to look at me and take a picture.... and my DH was getting VERY impatient..... so i just took the picture and we went about our business.

Meanwhile, we had a great meal (which made DH happy), and the character interactions at CP are really one of the favorites we have experienced on property. Maybe it's just because our kids are still little and love Pooh and Tigger.

Them, I get back home and upload the picture and it's absolutely MAGICAL..... Seriously, I had friends wonder how in the world I took such an amazing photo. :rotfl2:

Wow, that's amazing!

We're trying Crystal Palace for breakfast for the first time in July. We went there for dinner on our last trip in 2008, and we loved it. Our kids are little too (3 and 5 now), and they still love Pooh & Tigger too. Character interaction was wonderful at dinner and I am expecting it to be great at breakfast too. I have made puffed french toast with the recipe from All Ears, but I am still looking forward to having it at CP when we go!!
 
Crystal Palace was one of my favorite meals the entire last trip we took. We ate there for breakfast and the characters were there. I loved the character interaction, and the food was vast and yummy. I'd strongly recommend it. In fact, I liked it so much that I have it on my list for next time and I even put it down for breakfast because I liked it that much.
 
we just had breakfast at Crystal Palace this past Saturday...was very good. In addition to all the foods mentioned above, also was sausage links, bacon, corned beef hash, biscuits & gravy, bagels & spreads, yogurt (2 kinds) and toppings, many dry cereal choices, grits, pancakes, 2 kinds of waffles (mickey regular & mickey chocolate waffles), choc chip pancakes. Lots of actual pastry choices too...we especially liked the choc chip croissants. There was also a peach-cobbler looking dish.

We thought it was excellent food & characters, and very nice to be inside the park at rope drop (you still have to wait at rope drop, just don't have to go back to the beginning of Main St...we actually walked through the castle, and awaited rope drop at the Fantasyland end of the castle passageway. Park was not quite "empty" because there's a lot of people in the park for CP and Cinderella's castle breakfasts...but it's much emptier than you'll find most times of the year,so you can get some great pictures.
 
I have to agree with everyone else. I have done breakfast and dinner at Crystal Palace, and LOVED it! Great character interaction and great food. One of the best buffets for breakfast.

At the omlette station where you tell them what you want in yours, you can also get made-to-order pancakes. The CM made us blueberry mickey pancakes. =) Yummmm :woohoo:
 
I think that the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet is better than Chef Mickey's! You will find a large variety of hot items. The characters are great too. We love it and are planning to eat there again in September.
 
In September we have ADRs for 8:05am and I am super excited about it. Not just because we will be able to get wonderful pictures of Main Street and the Castle with hardly any people there, but I have heard many wonderful reviews about the Breakfast foods there. Plus of course I am a HUGE Winnie the Pooh/Tigger fan, I cannot wait to go see my guys :goodvibes
 

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