Do we REALLY want to go to 1900 Park Fare?

[CrabbyPatty]

I made ADRs the other day and made several character meals - Princess Breakfast in Akershus, Tusker Breakfast with Mickey and Friends and 1900 Park Fair dinner.

While we adults would really just like to take a look around the Grand Floridian before our 6:00 dinner reservations, and think / assume the girls (8 and 6) will enjoy another character meal, I'm beginning to wonder. Also the Princess Breakfast is the first full day and Tusker is Day 3. Park Fare would be the following evening.

I've read several reviews that 1900 Park Fare is good for the characters you don't anywhere else, but that the whole experience is incredibly LOUD and the character interaction is very minimal/rushed at best. I'm just not sure that I want to sit in a loud loud room with screaming kids and mediocre food (although I do want some of that strawberry soup - can we get it anywhere else at GF?)

Your thoughts? Thanks!

 

[hoffman1]

We were there last year with our niece who was 4 at the time. It was a great experience for us. The characters did not rush at all. It was a lot more relaxed than Chef Mickey's or the Crystal Palace. They announced the "royal party" (the prince, Cinderella) and they came out and danced together and then with a guest. My niece was fortunate enough to be chosen to dance with Cinderella. She was in heaven! The step-sisters and step-mother were great fun for the adults with their snarky comments. The food was not a big hit with our group of 8 (some liked it, some did not).

 

[mom2rtk]

I made ADRs the other day and made several character meals - Princess Breakfast in Akershus, Tusker Breakfast with Mickey and Friends and 1900 Park Fair dinner.

While we adults would really just like to take a look around the Grand Floridian before our 6:00 dinner reservations, and think / assume the girls (8 and 6) will enjoy another character meal, I'm beginning to wonder. Also the Princess Breakfast is the first full day and Tusker is Day 3. Park Fare would be the following evening.

I've read several reviews that 1900 Park Fare is good for the characters you don't anywhere else, but that the whole experience is incredibly LOUD and the character interaction is very minimal/rushed at best. I'm just not sure that I want to sit in a loud loud room with screaming kids and mediocre food (although I do want some of that strawberry soup - can we get it anywhere else at GF?)

Your thoughts? Thanks!

Edit: Oops, that should be 1600 Park Fare. Sorry!

I've been there a number of times and NEVER heard a screaming kid. They only screams I heard were from Anastasia and Drizella every time they came across a potential husband!

It was a great experience, an awful lot of fun.

Research your choices here, but take it with a grain of salt. If it's not a financial burden, then I say by all means do this one!

 

[ljcrochet]

I have done this dinner once. We had a great table right where Cinderella and Prince charming do their dance. That was the only good think about the meal. We all left unsatisfied (you know when you are hungry but not hungry). The step sisters were good, but Cinderella was the worst Cinderella I have ever seen and I have been to ever charcter meal except Cape May breakfast.

 

[Dawn68PA]

1900 is one of our favorite places. I'm very bummed we can't fit it in on our next trip and it's just DH & I!

Our girls loved it here and we thought the food was fine. The characters are also great. I'd keep your ressie and do the dinner.

 

[troobabiee7]

We love 1900 Park Fare! We went in 2007 and had a great time - the food was good, it was a gorgeous restaurant, and the characters were a lot of fun. The noise wasn't an issue at all. We're going again this summer and bringing my aunt and little cousin Alison for the first time. Can't wait!

 

[tami82]

I know exactly how you feel i booked here also and having second thoughts due to reviews. It seems a 50/50 between who does and doesnt like the food. I dont know if the people are just picky so it has me confused as well. I already have Chef Mickey, Akershus, and Ohana booked and they are definites but this one really has me thinking.
I did take a look on Youtube last night under 1900 Park Fare and it looked fun but i was wondering if the step sisters are going to start to get on my nerves with their loudness after a while. There are many videos of it that you can watch i only saw a few.

 

[TigMaya]

We did dinner at 1900 Park Fare a few weeks ago. We also did Akershus, Chef Mickey's, and Crystal Palace character meals. 1900 was our least favorite character meal. The food wasn't bad, but the restaurant was very cramped and noisy. I also felt like the character interaction was extremely rushed compared to the other meals. Our ADR was at 5:40 but we got there at 5:15 and were seated immediately because the hostess said "we aren't busy right now" so I don't know why the characters were so rushed.

We were also seated in a side room at the very back so we felt disconnected from the rest of the restaurant and if there was a character in the room at all we could not get to the buffet because they blocked the isle. Prince Charming was such a disappointment (he signed our book and took a picture but didn't speak a word to any of us including DD6 who had been to BBB that day). It was also my daughter's birthday and not one person said or did a thing (she had on a button and I had noted it on the ADR).
This was in stark contrast to the treatment she got earlier in the day when it seemed like every 30 seconds someone would say "Happy Birthday Princess!!" There were even two Disney employees (looked like executives or something) on the mono who stood up when she walked on and said "We are honored to have a princess in our car!"

We were all disappointed with the experience we had and when I asked DH, DD, and DS which restaurants they wanted to visit again when we go back (this was our first but definately not our last trip to WDW) 1900 Park Fare was not mentioned by anyone.

I have heard wonderful things about 1900... This was just our experience.

 

[tinkgurl]

We love 1900 PF! The food is good and the Step-Sisters are a riot! They had the whole place laughing even when they weren't at your table.

 

[tami82]

Thats so strange someone could have such a great experience and another a totally different one. Are they basically the same people all the time or do they switch people?

 

[grace&philipsmom]

My daughter is the opposite. Last year we did Akershus, CRT and 1900 Park Fare. This year we are returning for her 6th birthday. When I asked which restaurant she wanted to celebrate her birthday I fully expected CRT. Instead she didn't hesitate and said 1900 Park Fare.

She loved meeting the stepsisters and Anastasia even asked her to dance. The food was fine, a standard buffet in my opinion, although my husband really enjoyed.

 

[stitch34]

I'd say do it! We've done it twice, loved it - my girls are also 6 and 8 and they really enjoyed it. Had read some not so great reviews before going there and was also hesitant - yet we really loved the food and found it to be a good variety.
our last trip we went with another family - they said it was their favorite meal of the trip.
It's typical buffet food - bound to find something you like I'm sure. some things are eh, some are very good. But we really enjoyed it, girls really liked it, and is nice to swing over there to see the GF, too.
It's now looking like it's going to be our first night tradition to eat there - hungry from traveling, what better than a big buffet to fill up on!

 

[TigMaya]

Thats so strange someone could have such a great experience and another a totally different one. Are they basically the same people all the time or do they switch people?

They do switch people. I obsessively read dining reviews and trip reports before I left and I had never seen the "our" Prince Charming in pictures. Maybe he was new??

The Cinderella we saw was also the same one we had seen two days earlier at Akershus. I didn't pay much attention at the time, but looking at pictures since we've been back confirms that is is definately the same girl.

I had been so looking forward to this meal because I love the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine, but it just wasn't what I had hoped. It wasn't terrible, just by far not our favorite meal. The princesses at Akershus (especially Snow White) were so attentive to my daughter and we love it! Maybe if my kids were older (6 and 4 now) they would have been more interactive?

 

[julezdisney]

We did lunch there. It was really fun! No screaming.... not too loud... food was AWESOME! I really enjoyed it- it was my first experience w/a character meal ever. It's linked in the first page of my TR.

Chapter 3

 

[jessica23]

We LOVE 1900 Park Fare! It is the one dinner my dd's ask to go to every year. The step sisters are HILARIOUS. One tried to get my dh up to dance with her, he was mortified but finally did it So much fun!

 

[catne]

just there Sunday May 24 for a 5:30 dinner...we had an absolute blast, and an enjoyable meal. That strawberry soup is wonderful. This trip was for DH's birthday celebration with me, DD (20) and her BFF (19) Birthday was noted and he had his pin on. We were seated within 10 minutes of check in. Did not think it was particularly crowded in there - tables were not as close as some Disney restaurants.

The stepsisters and stepmom were fantastic...hilarious, non-stop in character. Good visits to table from all characters (DD really enjoyed Prince Charming - seriously good eye candy) We were there just over an hour and actually had visits from Prince & Cinderella twice. Stepsisters visited once for pictures, but stopped to make faces or chatted briefly (or told us to quit staring, or go home...funny stuff) We had a great server, many employees wished DH a happy birthday & they brought him out the laminated character-signed placemat for his birthday, as well as a candle-lit cupcake. The food was hot, good, and plentiful. Did not think that was a noisy buffet (other than the silly antics of the stepsisters screeching for Mother! across the restaurant) - kids were all over, but was quieter than Boma or Cape May dinner and those two are not character buffets.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I had dinner there last august and one of the step sisters made my nephew dance with her and then bow to her. It was so funny. I didn't like my breakfast in 2005 though I didn't know about the dis boards then and (can you believe it) didn't know there where characters there but when you know they are there its more fun.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We have been to 1900 PF for breakfast and dinner, both meals were terrible and the service was awful, the noise level was insane.

I would go to Grand Floridian Cafe instead, we had breakfast and dinner there and loved it...super quiet setting, awesome food

 

[itchin2go]

Ate there January 09. Not any louder than a typical buffet. DO try to get seated in the main room. Character interaction was the BEST! Way better that Akershus or CRT (and we enjoyed those very much). The food was infinitely better than I had been led to believe. Many interesting things to try. I'm vegetarian, my husband is a hard-core carnivore and my 7 year old daughter is PICKY. We all enjoyed the food offerings. Character-wise, it is like no other experience because of those snarky stepsisters and their over-the-top mommy. My daughter told her that her dress was pretty, and she haughtily replied, "Of course it is, darling." So funny. The pictures from this experience are PRICELESS!

 

[nicolem05]

Park Fare has never even been a blip on our list.. but after reading this thread I checked out the youtube videos and it is a MUST do now! We have a Cinderella nut in the house and thought our other character meals would suffice but this looks awesome!! Thanks for convincing me I am really looking forward to it.. lets hope I can score an ADR