JULY 3RD PART FOUR: Crystal Palace
When I last left off, we were drenched in sweat and meandering around Main Street surrounded by a bajillion other people who were also drenched in sweat. Things were a tad
moist. Thankfully, it was time for us to head over and check in for our dinner reservations at
The Crystal Palace!
I was really looking forward to this meal. Despite the fact that Ive been going to WDW since I was 4 years old, this was our first ever character meal. I know, right? Its shocking. Youd think that a Disney-obsessed family like ours would be dying to dine with characters, but we never really were. Well,
I was always open to it, but no one else really wanted to.
I guess, in a weird sort of way, it was fitting that my first character meal came during my 21st birthday trip. Im a full-blown adult in every sense. I can drink, I can gamble, I can rent a car, and I can dine with gluttonous bears, overenthusiastic tiggers, depressed donkeys, and anxiety-laden little pigs.
There were a bunch of people hanging out in front of the restaurant, so Mom went solo to check in and the rest of us found a bench on the porch that runs along the building.
Heres the view from our bench:
Its so pretty. And the porch was so shady. I could have sat out there for hours. The Castle show was going on and there was an adorable little girl on the sidewalk below us dancing her heart out. She was following along with the dancers and I wanted nothing more than to go down and join her. Then, I realized that her parents might find an incredibly sweaty (2 days from) 21 year-old rushing down to dance with their daughter a bit creepy, so I stayed put.
I cant remember exactly, but Im pretty sure we were given one of those light-up buzzer thingies that managers at chain restaurants love so much when Mom checked us in. It went off shortly after I decided not to go dance with the adorable Disney-loving child. If Im remembering incorrectly and we didnt have a buzzer, then someone came out and called us over, but I really do think it was a buzzer.
Regardless, it was time to head into the restaurant, so that is what we did.
This photo's not great, but I loved how bright and cheery the restaurant is. All of the natural light is wonderful.
I had kind of forgotten about this, but we indicated that we were celebrating my birthday on all of our dining reservations. So, when we arrived at our table, we found this:
Mickey-shaped confetti!
I love that stuff. I wound up playing with it throughout the meal. Its just so fun!
Again, I am the worst (2 days from) 21 year-old ever. I completely understand if the other way cooler 21 year-olds want to shun me.
Heres the view from our table:
Our server was an adorable older woman, but I cant remember her name! I really wish I had written it down or something because she deserves 100 high-fives. She was
that awesome. Anyway, she took our drink orders (ice water with lemon, for me) and told us all about the buffet. She also said that while the characters would be around shortly, we had just enough of a window to head to the buffet, so thats what we did.
The buffet was filled with many scrumptious-looking foods. Im often guilty of cramming everything (literally EVERYTHING) onto my plate, but this time I decided to pace myself. We were planning on staying in the park until after the special 4th of July (on the 3rd) fireworks, so I thought it would be best not to eat a ridiculous amount of food and feel sick for the rest of the night.
Heres my first plate:
Starting from the roll and going clockwise we have: a roll (obviously), some sort of yummy pasta salad, some sort of yummy couscous, garlic mashed potatoes, and Mediterranean chicken with a huge chunk of feta cheese.
It was all wonderful. The dishes that were supposed to be warm were warm, and the dishes that were supposed to be cold were cold. Im a HUGE mashed potato fan (Well, Im a fan of potatoes in general really) and these did not disappoint. They were divine.
I didnt take pictures of everyones plates (I didnt want to scare Wade on the first day with an OMG LET ME PHOTOGRAPH YOUR FOOD) but Dad was sitting next to me (and ate a good variety of food) so I took pictures of his as well.
Heres Dads first plate:
From the top: a roll with a slice of bread underneath it, salad, fruit salad, giant hunks of pineapple, and peel and eat shrimp with cocktail sauce.
Dad ate it all, so Im assuming everything was good.
While we were devouring our first plates, Eeyore stopped by to say hello. Hes so adorably bummed out.
It was Wades first character encounter. I think it went pretty well. I mean, he didnt run away screaming or anything so
Once we all joined the Clean Plate Club (voluntarily
no one was standing over our shoulders demanding that we finish all of our food
though that would cut down on waste), it was time to head back to the buffet. I wanted some prime rib and I wanted it
badly. There wasnt much of a line during our first trip, but this time the buffet was crowded. Luckily, the woman in front of me was hilarious, so we bonded while waiting. I guess us hilarious people are just drawn to each other.
Anyway, heres my second plate:
Its a tad bit boring, just prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, and fire-roasted corn spoon bread, but it was all DELICIOUS. If you ever dine at Crystal Palace you must, MUST try the spoon bread. It is beyond amazing.
Heres Dads second plate:
Everything is piled up in a giant heap, but from what I can make out, there are some mashed potatoes, prime rib, mussels, rice, Mediterranean chicken, and a chicken nugget.
Dad also had a third plate:
It looks to be bread, turkey, a meatball (cause who doesnt put a meatball on top of their turkey?), fruit, and the spoon bread.
Again, he ate it all, so Im assuming it was good.
For dessert, I opted for some chocolate ice cream with sprinkles.
Youre probably thinking Gosh, Kara, way to be lame and not try any of the
fancy desserts offered but the fact of the matter is that I am an ice cream addict. Very rarely does a day go by without me eating ice cream of some sort. I should probably join a support group. Anyway, the ice cream was wonderful. It was very cold (almost icy) but still wonderful.
Heres Dads dessert plate:
Theres a bowl of ice cream that looks freaking perfect (apparently Dad worked at an ice cream shop in another life) and raspberry cheesecake. Im sure it was delicious.
While we were eating dessert, Piglet stopped by our table. I love him. Thats probably because I am him. Im anxious, worried, and afraid of just about everything. Also, I got mad sun burn during the trip and turned bright pink. So, yeah, were basically twins
I really do not know why Im posting this picture, because its absolutely horrid, but Im doing it anyway.
This is what happens when both parents are taking pictures at the same time and one of them is terrible with technology. Also, Im sure I broke a bunch of etiquette rules by wearing my hat during a meal (Im sorry Countess LuAnn) but my hair was an absolute mess. Sometimes summer is just the worst.
After Piglet left, our server brought out a special birthday cupcake for me. She lit it and instructed everyone around us to sing Happy Birthday. It was really sweet of her. Fun story: when I was younger, I used to cry hysterically and run out of the room anytime someone tried to sing Happy Birthday to me. For some reason, I found having the whole everyone stop what youre doing and start singing just to me thing absolutely mortifying. Its weird because I wasnt an extremely shy kid or anything. Heck, Ive been dancing for most of my life. I have no problem performing in front of hundreds of people. But having people sing Happy Birthday to me? Absolute disaster.
Thankfully, I grew out of that and didnt run out of the restaurant. I did, however, turn red and giggle uncontrollably. I cant help that.
I blew out the candle, made a wish, and snapped a quick shot of the cupcake before digging in.
Of course, by digging in, I really mean eating one bite before passing it over to Dad. It was wonderful, but I was full.
Tigger came to our table next and I was incredibly excited. He pointed at my birthday button, jumped up and down, and gave me a HUGE hug and kiss. If it were legal to marry giant orange furry creatures, I wouldve done it right there on the spot.
The willy, nilly, silly old bear himself, Winnie the Pooh, came over to our table while our fabulous server was scanning our Keys to the World or whatever it is that they do for the dining plan. Pooh, like Tigger, was very cuddly.
After Pooh left, our server brought the Keys to the World back and we made sure to thank her a million times. She really was wonderful. Then, we gathered our belongings (Literally
whenever we dine, stuff winds up all over the table) and headed out.
Overall, this meal was an enjoyable experience. The food was yummy and the characters were a lot of fun. Is it a must-do? No, not at all.
Would we come back? Definitely.
Ill leave you with photos of a couple of the topiaries:
UP NEXT: I really hate being terrible at things.
Can't wait to hear more.
Woooo! Go Buckeyes! In other sports news, my Indians lost to the Tigers today, so our chance of making the playoffs looks very slim. Disney, if you're reading this, we could certainly use a little bit of pixie dust right now. Or maybe the Angels in the Outfield? Your help would be much appreciated. 
Something's wrong there. At least you got to enjoy a nice smoothie, it looks REALLY good 
I wish people would see how epic that ride is. It is probably the only time I hear Root Beer termed as Sasparilla lol
Thanks! That's true though. If someone wanted to hire me to follow them around and take pictures, I'd totally do it.
I have it on my iPod.
Obviously I have a long way to go with him.
that popcorn. It IS pure magic.
I digress...
