Pooh & some not so nice friends
Finally the MONRAIL was insight.
My family prepared themselves for loading. With the double stroller, the preparations include buckling Tink in, for the joy ride. As always we asked to be on a handicap exit, so that our clan could fit, doublewide included. While we stood and waited for the previous passengers to unload, I noticed Ms. Not so Nice Mama grab her son and pull him to a different cab. Thank Goodness! We only like to hoop it up with the friendlier crowd.
Do you think she saw my LGMH or the LG Ribbon on the stroller and got all gun shy?
Naaa… she’s no dis’r.
She was just a …
When the Monorail finally made it, it over made it.
The arrival tape began asking us all to stand clear of the doors…
The doors didn’t move.
The driver then hit it in reverse.
Again we heard the taped message…
Doors didn’t budge
At this point all of the passengers inside where standing up, trying to pry open the doors
…facing us… (you know where this is going…)
The driver hit it forward, yet again.
Nothing, but the message starting over.
The natives inside seemed to be getting restless. Each time the driver went forward or backward, the whole inside clan would fall to one side…then the other. Why they just didn’t sit down and stop trying to pry open the doors was…?
Finally after a few more tries the tape began again and the doors opened.
On the other side of the cab.
You know, so the passengers could get out.
Well, they still stood there, trying to pry open the doors on our side. Everyone waiting to get on was yelling,” Turn around!”
But they wouldn’t.
Instead, the doors opened on our side, for us to get on.
Could we?
No!
All of the passengers were attempting to get off on the entrance side. Not the exit.
Strange Monorail experience…very strange.
Tink was unimpressed with the whole situation and began sticking her little feet out and yelling, “MOVE, MOVE, GO! GO!” over and over again.
With a little help from the monorail CM’s, everyone made it to their destination safely. No brawls were started, no choice words were spoken. We had a very uneventful monorail trip there on out.
Once at MK, we had to hightail our tushies to the Crystal Palace. Our long way to the MK had taken a bit too long and we had ADR’s for dinner. Our annual visit with the bear who is apparently stuffed with fluff was about to begin.
Again, I gave my DH instructions to park the double wide and insure the rain cover was on. This time he did remember to bring the ever so treasured backpack into the restaurant with us.
BOGO ALERT ~ The Crystal Palace, Dinner with Pooh & Friends.
We visit the Crystal Palace just about every time we come. We have always done breakfast or lunch so dinner here is new for us. Every time we have been here we have always and I mean ALWAYS encountered a crabby hostess. When I say the word crabby, I pretty much mean the b word…you get my drift. This time didn’t fail us. We went to the little counter to announce we were there. The CM immediately 'drill sergeant' like-asked if we were ALL there. She gave me my orders and told me to wait. I stepped to the side and another CM, just about yelled my name in my ear…about 2 feet from me. We promptly stepped forward and into the Foyer area, Lil’l Diz was following right behind us. The hostess began snipping at my DS, telling him to wait outside...shooing him away...telling him he was not allowed into the restaurant until his name was called. So my DS stepped back as she proceeded to step in between my DS and us, separating us from him. Lil’l Diz Man was unsure what to do and told her he needed to go and eat with his mommy and daddy.
You know who came to visit…right!?!
Why yes, Momma Bear!
I stepped back and grabbed Lil’l Diz Man’s hand and pulled him in towards me. The Hostess barked, well no almost hissed, “Is HE with YOU?”
In which I replied, “Yes he is and we would like to keep him with us if you would mind, so please stop separating us from our child and speaking to your guests so rudely…remember where you work!”
No apologies. Nor did I acspect one here.
She promptly brought us to our table and left.
We were seated in the middle area of the restaurant, which is also new to us. The restaurant is laid out similar to a figure 8, each side has tables that go around the perimeter and a large cluster in the middle. Characters make their rotation in specific ways. If you miss a character, you must wait for them to make their round all the way around both areas, before they hit your table again. This can take up to an hour to do, so it is in your best interest to make sure you are at your table when the Characters come by. If not, you will have a long wait for them to return to your area.
When you are seated on the outer perimeter (as we have always been), you can easily see when the characters will be heading in your direction. Given we were seated in the middle area, we were unsure how or when the characters would come.
So as soon as our server came to take drink orders, we were quick to get the low down on how and when the characters would make it to our area. Our CM waitress assured us that we had plenty of time to go and get our plates of food, as the characters were not in our room yet and when they came they would go on the outer perimeter first, then hit the middle. I told DH to go ahead up to the buffet and asked him to please get Tink a plate, as she was growing restless (no nap).
While my DH was gone I did my best to keep Tink settled. Lil’l Diz colored, while Tink threw the colors one by one on the floor. In between color crayon pick ups, I got the zipper bag with autograph books and camera out of the back pack and continued to play pick up the crayons with Tink, when out of nowhere I was tapped on the shoulder. Thinking to myself that maybe I was sitting to far out and needed to scoot my chair in, I did just that…then turned around to find who, but POOH standing right behind me with his CM.
My DH was nowhere in sight.
Tink started yelling MOMMA HOLD!
Lil’L Diz was excited to see Pooh Bear and jumped up to grab his autograph book.
I started scrambling…shocked that he was there so soon, trying to get the camera & books out of their bags, Tink, crying for me to hold her.
As soon as Pooh left my DH came rushing back. He had saw Pooh from a far and thought he should hurry over just incase he was heading our way. When my DH found out that he totally missed Pooh, he was so upset.
Pooh is a favorite of our family (Cliff Note from the beginning of the Report…Pooh introduced out Lil’l Diz’s arrival and themed his nursery). What a total bummer, the evening had not started out good at all. The only thing we could do was look to the future and make the best out of the rest of the meal.
Tink was not interested in eating or socializing. In fact she preferred to lay her head down and watch the characters go by. My Dh & I took turns running as fast as we could to get food for the Lil’l Diz and ourselves.
We found the dinner buffet at The Crystal Palace to be very similar to Chef Mickey’s.
The large Salad Bar, which included yummy peel & eat Shrimp.
Then there was the typical carving station with both beef and turkey. On the main buffet area some of the highlights where Ancho Chilie rubbed Salmon filet, a hot chicken with mushroom pasta, slow roasted pork. Several side dishes, including skin on mashed potatoes/gravy and infused Balsamic Rice (yummo).
The children’s food station included the typical Mac-n-cheese, cheese pizza, chicken fingers and peas
The dessert buffet, in no way compares to Chef Mickey. The choices were cookies, brownies, soft serve ice cream, a dried up Tiramisu (which I waited to be replenished and never was)& cheesecake.
Food Rating B
Overall the food was good. We usually can find something at a buffet. There is really no need to eat or have to eat everything…but I won’t tell if you don’t.
Service= C
The CM’s who checked us in were less than stellar. The hostess who seated us and attempted to shoo my DS out of the Foyer of the restaurant, darn near scared the bijeeberz out of him.
Our waitress was less than excited to be there…to deliver our…drinks.
Character interaction: B-
They move fast here. Really fast! This is true off all times we have visited. My biggest and best advice is be prepared at all times, with camera’s ready to go and autograph books out. Also ask to be seated on the outer rim of the restaurant (so you can see the characters coming, well in advance). Even then, leave the camera at the table and run to get your food. Due to the fact that this restaurant is so large it takes a long time for the characters to get around. Most likely this is also why they are so quick to move on.
Would we go there again?
You betcha.
Again, sometimes you need to look past certain things, in order to accomplish others. In our case, it is much more worth not standing in any long lines to meet our pretend friends, than it is having an Okay meal. After all were we really there for the food and service?
We waited for what seemed like FOREVER to get our check. We had a hot date and needed to kiss this joint goodbye. Our CM waitress appeared with check in hand, dumped it at our table and took off.
Once we looked at the bill, it was clear that she over charged us for Tink. Tink is under 3; therefore she gets to nibble for free.
My DH had to do the whole wave your hand and just about scream “EXCUSS ME!” to get her to come over. Yes, he tries the smiles and nods, then the pointer finger wave and finally the air traffic controller arm motions to get her to come over…well not really, but close enough…
But no matter what she didn’t ‘get it’.
Or did she? And she was ignoring us?
Well, I’ll just stay positive.
After some fast-talking and swapping of Keys to the Kingdom for later that PM, we were out of there.
Okay, so my DH didn’t swap keys. He did give her ours to deduct dining points from, though.
Really.
UP NEXT: High jacking the Handicap Pad, POST 415, PAGE 28
For sure not a ruiner. But I love it when he 'makes friends' It was pure..did ya know...little boy fun
No joke - I'm seriously thinking of heading to WDW all by myself for a weekend jsut to catch some Z's one of these days...
The boys played very well together
for a few minutes, but the mom of the boy gave a strange looks 
when Lill Diz stared spewing out space facts. Facts about how many planets we have in our galaxy and what makes up the rings on Uranus and Saturn and how Pluto is no longer a real planet. 
Love it!
Your little man looks like he truely loves the character interaction! Priceless, my friend, priceless!
