Debating....Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace..Breakfast or Dinner

[shaycamp21]

We are going down again during free dining (in Aug) and right now have ADR's for Chef Mickey's for dinner but upon reading the menus at allears, Crystal Palace's dinner menu seems more exciting to me (also the CM dinner reviews I've read are mixed, whereas those for CP seem more favourable). However I love the atmosphere at Chef Mickeys (we went last time for breakfast)..it was sooo much fun there especially for our dd's.

Seeing it is free dining I am thinking of adding an extra meal as it won't kill us to pay for one OOP, so I am debating if I should...

1) Cancel CM and change to CP for dinner and make ADR's to go to CM for breakfast instead?
or
2) Keep Chef Mickey's for dinner and make ADR's to go to CP for breakfast (last time we had breakfast at CRT and it was great getting into MK early--my dd's got to wake up Tinker Bell and hit a couple rides before our ADR).

What do you think???
Thanks

Disney Wonder / Vero Beach March '06
POFQ Aug' 05
Plus numerous trips to Disneyland 1972-1992

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I am a firm believer in ...

CM-breakfast

CP -dinner

There was another thread about this just recently. I'll see if I can find it.

Your DDs are so lucky they got to wake up Tinkerbell! We are going to try to do that this year.

 

[3PRINCESSMOM]

Chef Mickey's dinner is on our list for "must try." As for their breakfast, we've done it twice and both times we all (me, DH and 3 princesses) found it to be somewhere between mediocre and aweful. I know some here rave about it. To be honest, I can see the "fun" part, but the food quality on both occassions was so far below other character breakfasts, we won't go back. Why should we when we really love CP and 1900 PF? We have yet to try CMC at BC. We've done CRT twice, and quite frankly don't know what all the hype is about there either. Perhaps we have very different taste than most.

Anyway, my recommendation for you is definitely CP.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I love CP for an 8:10am breakfast. When we are done eating the parks are just opening up. We always spend our last morning in MK and have breakfast here.

We are trying CM for dinner our first night in September. I know the reviews are not great, but we are looking forward to trying it ourselves. I don't have high expectations for the food, just the fun.

 

[Minnie824]

We did dinners at both, and we enjoyed the atmosphere and food for both. DDs liked the characters at Chef Mickeys better. However, DH & I much preferred the dinner at Crystal Palace. It was great..tons of desserts too! I would do Chef Mickeys for breakfast, Crystal Palace for dinner.

 

[ribbot]

Chef Mickey's dinner is on our list for "must try." As for their breakfast, we've done it twice and both times we all (me, DH and 3 princesses) found it to be somewhere between mediocre and aweful. I know some here rave about it. To be honest, I can see the "fun" part, but the food quality on both occassions was so far below other character breakfasts, we won't go back. Why should we when we really love CP and 1900 PF? We have yet to try CMC at BC. We've done CRT twice, and quite frankly don't know what all the hype is about there either. Perhaps we have very different taste than most.

Anyway, my recommendation for you is definitely CP.

We did CM for dinner our first night at Disney last year---someone said to go because it will get you in the mood for your vacation. Ok, well it might have gotten us into the mood to be at Disney World because some of the characters were there---but if you're going for the food---forget it! Mediocre is pushing it. All I can remember eating is chicken, chicken and more chicken. The desserts were rice krispy treats, brownies and ice cream with 100 different types of candy to put on top----which is fine for the kids and the kids love it---but please, whatever you do, don't just visit for the food. It was one of our most expensive meals and I don't think I'd do the dinner again, maybe the breakfast (because who can screw up powdered eggs), but not dinner.

We LOVED CP for breakfast. Food was good, character interaction was good and the atmosphere was just so much more relaxing and fresh. I'd definitely do CP again.

Good luck though, whatever you decide - Everybody's got their own taste

 

[Daydreamer64]

We're having BKF with CM and dinner with CP-

I looked at the menus and decided that CP looked more like what we would expect to eat at dinner. We've had Donalds at AK for BKF and enjoyed that very much- we were one of the first seatings both times so the food was good, hot and fresh- we're hoping that CM is just as good.

 

[Greg K.]

We were not that impressed with Chef Mickey's when we had dinner there a couple years ago, and never went back.

But we adore 1900 Park Fare, both b'fast and dinner -- simply the best character meal FOOD anywhere -- and really like Crystal Palace a lot, too. (You just can't beat their breakfast lasagna!)

 

[Tink]

We usually do CM for dinner, since none of us are real big breakfast eaters. Our kids are little and want to get to the park. They are happy with cherrios. We have done the CP for breakfast, but I have wanted to try dinner. I just made ADRs for dinner today for November.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We are going down again during free dining (in Aug) and right now have ADR's for Chef Mickey's for dinner but upon reading the menus at allears, Crystal Palace's dinner menu seems more exciting to me (also the CM dinner reviews I've read are mixed, whereas those for CP seem more favourable)

Menu's change often at a buffet. In my experience, sometimes one is better, sometimes the other, Sometimes one is more deluxe, sometimes the other. It's luck of the draw. They both have their followers and detractors but more often than not, people have a good time. We liked both of them.

You're already decided on doing one at each so I would do the breakfast at CP because if you can get an 8:05 ressie, that gets you into the park before it even opens. CM's for dinner is fine. We love it.

 

[JLS]

I would definitely do CP for dinner. We recently had dinner there and were VERY impressed with the food. Delicious! The salmon was better than the salmon we had at non-buffet places. Lots of variety, and healthy fare. I was very impressed with the CP and it has a nice atmosphere also.

I think that for dinner, it is very nice when you are in the park to be able to have a sit-down meal. it is a nice break, air conditioned, and you don't have to fight the crowds trying to get counter service. Its a great use of a TS credit. Do it!

If I am going to use a day on my pass at the parks, I would rather get up early, ride rides in the morning while it is not crowded (rather than having a big breakfast) and then being leisurely with a sit-down meal in the evening. If I was going to do CM breakfast, I would do it on a non-park day so we could sleep in, do a late CM (so its almost like a lunch), and then go to the pool or go boating at the Contemporary.