Is Dinner at Crystal Palace worth it?

[Mickey'sCrew4]

Hi. We have ADR's at Crystal Palace for dinner one night during our upcoming stay and was wondering if it will be a worthwhile experience. I love the idea of having dinner at the MK and want to make sure it will be a nice time.

 

[scanne]

YEs, yes and yes!

This is one of our long-standing favorites. It never disappoints. The food is great and the character interaction is top-notch. DOn't second guess your decision. It's the perfect MK restaurant!!

 

[Mickey'sCrew4]

Thanks for the response; I love new restaurants, but the rest of my family gets nervous!!! Hopefully this will make them feel a little more reassured.

 

[byoung]

There in Oct, it was outstamding.

 

[Sleeping~Beauty]

I went to Crystal Palace for dinner (and breakfast) with my family and friends. We had four children between us, ages 2.5, 16 mths, and twin 13 mth olds. It was a wonderful experience.

The buffet had a variety of food and desserts that appealed to everyone at all ages. Also, it was such a fun, comfortable atmosphere. The characters came around to all the tables, at a very nice pace, and everyone got an equal chance to meet all of them.

They even had little parades throughout the meal.

 

[lyeag]

I have only been to the WDW once as an adult, so bear with me...where is the Crystal Palace? I know it is in MK, but exactly where? I have read good things about the character meals and I love Pooh. We are planning a trip over the holidays next year...Thanks in advance!

 

[DisneyPhD]

CP is great. We like it for lunch. It is a most do every trip. We love CP. Good food and lots of fun. We also like Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch at MK.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Hi Lyeag! It is just down Main Street and to the left, as you turn to go toward adventureland.

MickeysCrew-After reading some mixed reviews on this board, I was hesitant. BUT...it was the only ADR we could get inside MK for the night of our MNSSHP, so we took it. I checked out the menu on allearsnet.com and it just looked kind of "eh."

Well, that menu that is posted does not do it justice! I was BOWLED OVER by the selection. There are some really interesting food items on that buffet. Everything was fresh and clean. The desserts were OUT OF THIS WORLD.

My only complaint? Alcohol cannot be served inside MK at all...and it just about kills me to have a dinner out without a glass of wine. But, I made up for it by having about 5 servings of dessert!

 

[EthansMom]

On our trip last April, dinner at Crystal Palace was the best meal we had all week. The food was excellent, with a selection large enough to please everyone. The character interaction was wonderful. And the service was great too!

We'll be back again in two weeks and have ADRs for CP just in time to watch Spectromagic and Wishes afterwards.

 

[joshsmom]

CP is AWESOME!!!!!! We went there on a whim in January 2004 and it was SO fabulous that we plan to go now. We make sure to do ADR's so that we don't miss it. We have several pictures of DS9 with Piglet from each time. He always gages how much he's grown by how tall he is compared to Piglet!!! Just a litte part of the Disney Magic we bring home with us I guess!

 

[OneGoofyFamily]

We did CP for lunch one day this past week and it was excellent! My dh even liked it better than his meal at Coral Reef. We were both really surprised by their very interesting selection. Some of the things that I can remember (just a few of the many available) were Flank Steak with horseradish sauce (my favorite!), barbecued pork loin, roasted (I believe) chicken, mango lime salad with arugula, blue cheese salad, lots of fruit choices, selection of rolls, for the kids - chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and my daughters favorite - a make your own PBJ station. They also had different soups but I didn't have any of those and can't remember. For dessert I had a small lemon bar, pecan pie bar, and bread pudding with Baileys cream. They also had a make your own Sunday bar. It was very nice getting to try foods I would normally not eat.

 

[Praise2Him]

This is my teenagers' favorite restaurant in all of WDW. (We - mom & dad - like it too!) My DD loves the spoonbread.

 

[pedro2112]

For our Easter trip last March, I booked the CP for dinner a few weeks before our trip as a last minute add-onn. We are definitely not a buffet family.. in fact we usually think they are fairly unappetizing. However, my oldest DD (age 6 at the time) has a Piglet Fetish, and I figured 'what the heck', I'd put up with the buffet so my daughter can see her hero.

I have to tell you... the meal at Crystal Palace was one of the highlights of our trip! Not only was the character interaction great (except for Tigger... he had some issues).. but the food was fantastic! Best meal we had all week, and we ate at some really good TS restaurants.

Enjoy!

 

[Thumper's Tara]

I agree with all of the positive experiences! I loved CP and thought the buffet was really good. The food was better quality than H&V where we ate the night before. It was tasty, fresh, clean and yummy. I loved the interaction and got to see Eeyore, Pooh, and Tigger. Tigger wasn't too bouncy when we were there either - but the rest of the characters were great!!

ttfn,
Tara

 

[robinm1215]

We went twice last week, for breakfast and lunch. Both were outstanding. I actually thought the breakfast was one of the best buffets, much better than Chef Mickeys. We went to 3 dinner buffets last week -- 1900 Park Fare, Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic Dinner package), and Crystal Palace. I enjoyed the Crystal Palace buffet the most. They have a great selection of items and a fesh salad bar with peel and eat shrimp that were excellent -- better than the other buffets we went to. Everything was fresh and delicious. Everyone in our party enjoyed it and the characters came around quickly. Plus the Crystal Palace is such a nice setting. I'd definitely recommend it and look forward to going back on future trips. Enjoy!

 

[NUHuskies#1]

WLLover-
Thank you so much for your response! I have an ADR for CP on 12/16, the night of our MVMCP and when I saw the menu on Allears I had the same response as you! We ate at CP about 9 years ago when our oldest was 3 and DH was not impressed. He likes LTT but I couldn't get an ADR for that night so we are going to give CP another shot! I did like it when we went the first time and you gotta love the fact that dessert IS included in the price unlike LTT!!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

NUHuskies...glad I could help! I know what you mean...after looking at the menu I thought "BOR-RING!!!" I like intersting food (Boma is my all time favorite buffet at WDW.)

But when we got there, I was almost giddy about the selection of food. There was a ripe plantain salad that sticks out in my mind, and also an edamame salad...and something with feta...and that blue cheese and steak salad was AWESOME. That spoonbread was incredible...and there is this decadent pasta with a cheesy white sauce...and chicken, I think. The baked chicken was different, with a little sweet flavoring. There are plenty of selections for the picky eater, too...I am just mentioning some of the interesting items that I remember.

have fun...at CP and also MVMCP!!!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=937129

Here is my thread with my CP review. Also, I am a little embarrassed...I bragged about what a bargain it was...well, I looked at my receipt again, and the server made a mistake! I cannot believe I did not catch it...she only charged us for 2 adults and 3 kids, and our party was actually 4 adults and 2 kids!

 

[lyeag]

Hi Lyeag! It is just down Main Street and to the left, as you turn to go toward adventureland.

MickeysCrew-After reading some mixed reviews on this board, I was hesitant. BUT...it was the only ADR we could get inside MK for the night of our MNSSHP, so we took it. I checked out the menu on allearsnet.com and it just looked kind of "eh."

Well, that menu that is posted does not do it justice! I was BOWLED OVER by the selection. There are some really interesting food items on that buffet. Everything was fresh and clean. The desserts were OUT OF THIS WORLD.

My only complaint? Alcohol cannot be served inside MK at all...and it just about kills me to have a dinner out without a glass of wine. But, I made up for it by having about 5 servings of dessert!

thanks! I really can't wait to try it out on our next trip!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Definatly doing CP for breakfast again next trip - great food, and good character interaction, but now I may have to try lunch or dinner as well.