Rethinking Crystal Palace

[Bonniec]

I keep reading mixed reviews on CP. I have an ADR for a late lunch at 2:00. It seems like a lot of the bad reviews are the later reservations when the place is a mess.

We will be there for a week. We have APs and live near so we go a lot. We have never done any TS before so the character meals will be a first for the kids (17, 17, and 5). Stitch and Mickey are the house favorites.

I have ADRs at:

Day 1.....O'Hana (dinner)
Day 2.....Boma (dinner)
Day 3.....Chef Mickey (breakfast) and Wishes Dessert at night (youngest's bday)
Day 4.....Garden Grill (dinner)
Day 5.....Crystal Palace (lunch and the one in question)
Day 6.....O'Hana Breakfast
Day 7.....50's PTC (late lunch)


I could switch CP for just about anything. I'm not sure if it would be worth going back to MK just to eat when we are likely there the whole day on the 3rd day. The kids really like buffets and getting to choose what they want. I could also try something nicer like Shulas. But not sure if that woould be good for the youngest. I thought of Cape May but we already have Chef Mickey and the family isnt huge on breakfast anyway.

Heck, we could also just stay in the hotel and eat since I got us a place with a full kitchen.

I dunno....Im very 50/50 on CP. I'd love some thoughts on sticking with CP or maybe something better we should consider.

 

[Albytaps]

I've only done CP once and I'll have to say it was a great experience. I'm assuming you know it has the Winnie the Pooh characters, so if your family likes Pooh then you'll like that at least. People complain about the food but honestly I thought it was good.


Copied from: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=112

Adult Lunch Buffet - A Buffet with Character - Guests 10 & up. Offers a variety of selections to tempt every taste including: multigrain nut bread and white rolls, PB & J, Mixed field greens with choice of dressing (ranch, zinfandel, & madarin orange sesame vinaigrette), Tropical slaw, Mediterranean pasta salad, Moroccan couscous salad, Romaine blue cheese salad, Shrimp, black bean & mango salad, Edamame, Papaya frisee salad, Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, Broccoli, Medley of veggies, Braised kale with bacon & onion, BBQ Pork Tenderloin, Vegetable Fritatta, Curry Stir Fry Noodles, Citrus Marinated Flank Steak, Cheese pizza, Vegetable pasta, Wild mushroom & chicken pasta, Cinnamon & lemon basmati rice, Thai curry mussels, Fruit & vegetable tofu curry, Atlantic salmon, Rotisserie chicken, and New England clam chowder. Dessert selection includes: Red Velvet cheesecake, Double chocolate brownie, Peanut butter cake, Tres leches, Apple cobbler, Banana bread pudding, Carrot cake, Assorted cookies, and Coconut flan. Winnie the Pooh and friends invite you to indulge yourself in our bountiful buffet. The room comes alive with the sights and smells of the day's offerings being prepared in our live on stage kitchen. $36 to $59.99 per person *

Children's Lunch Buffet - A Buffet with Character - Guests age 9 & under. Offer a variety of selections to tempt every taste. Pooh's Corner Childrens' Buffet: macaroni & cheese, green beans, and chicken strips. Winnie the Pooh and friends invite you to indulge yourself in our bountiful buffet. The room comes alive with the sights and smells of the day's offerings being prepared in our live on stage kitchen. *

I remember the rotisserie chicken being very good. I really don't complain too much when at least one thing is extremely good, but I don't remember anything really being horrible except maybe for the chicken strips (they seemed dry to me.) I also read bad reviews before I went so maybe that made me think the food was better than what it was. The kids sure had a blast too!

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

We loved CP for Breakfast. It was a traditional breakfast fare. I loved the Pooh stuffed french toast and so did DD. I would highly suggest breakfast. Though I'm sure that the dinners are great too.

 

[OhThePain]

A few thoughts.

First, we (my fiance and I) are with those who don't care for CP. We have had both breakfast and dinner there (never did lunch before). The breakfast is pretty standard stuff, nothing too great. However, the best thing about the breakfast is that we get ADRs for before MK opens, which gives you a chance to get some great pictures of the castle, the Walt and Mickey statue, MSUSA and the train station without little to no "other people" in your shots. We have given the dinner a couple of chances but the food is pretty awful (as are most of the dinner buffets in our opinion). The food is pretty bland, some "hot" dishes were room temp or cold and it's pretty chaotic inside. The character interaction always seems rushed no matter what time of day you go and the service, while it always depends on the server, was only decent at our breakfast. So, all in all, if you are not big fans of the Pooh crew and are not getting in before MK opens, it's a very skip-able restaurant.

If you are looking for a quick TS for lunch, I would highly suggest either The Plaza or LTT (we prefer The Plaza for a cheap, decent sit down lunch. Columbia Hardor House is our go to place for a CS meal in MK (after you get your food, head upstairs. It's usually very quiet and a great place to just relax and recharge.).

If you are looking for another character meal, I would suggest the breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. I know you said that your family is not big on breakfast, but it is one of the better breakfast buffets. The characterss have a nice variety and usually consist of Mary Poppins, Alice, the Mad Hatter, Pooh and Tigger (the connection between them all is that all their stories take place in England). We like to get one of the last breakfast ADR's here and us it like more of a brunch. It gives us a chance to get to MK for RD, tour a little and get a FP or 2 before heading out for our meal (we aim for an 11:15 or so ADR, which is one of the last). The restaurant empties out pretty quick, leaving you with a more quiet experience, then when it's time to head back to MK the FPs should already to use (we like to grab FPs for rides in Fantasyland, since dark rides are nice on full tummies).

Shula's is not really for the young kids. While they won't turn you away, they don't seem to like kids there. You would have to ask for a kids menu (they won't usually offer one to you) and it is a quiet, darker restaurant. You may not feel comfy with the little one there. If you are looking for a more "kid friendly" Signature, I would suggest Flying Fish on the Boardwalk. The food is fantastic, we've always had great service and it is on the loud side as far as Signatures go. Plus, if the youngest (or anyone for that matter) has a bit of a melt down, it is easy to escape the restaurant to get some air outside. After your meal, there should be a couple of performers out and about, which are very entertaining.

 

[Bonniec]

So, all in all, if you are not big fans of the Pooh crew and are not getting in before MK opens, it's a very skip-able restaurant.

Yeah, we aren't really Pooh fans and I have zero chance of getting these guys up super early, lol. They like to sleep!

I think you are right with Shula's too. The littlest is not loud or rowdy. In fact, quieter restaurants are better for him. But he will sulk and whine if he gets bored. Plus, he has some stomach issues which means as soon as he takes about 5 bites, I'll be in the bathroom with him for half an hour. A $40+ cold steak would not be good! That's another reason buffets are better for the kids. I think I'll save Shula's for a date with DH one night (we only live an hour and a half away).

1900 Park sounds interesting though. But do they have character lunches or dinners? We already have 11:00am ADRs at Chef Mickeys and Ohanas. Two breakfasts around MK is enough. Then again, we have never seen the Grand Floridian before.

 

[pumba]

we always go to CP ..with or without the kiddos...Never have we had a bad experience or a bad meal..

We had a blast when we went in May(kidless) and plan on going again in MAY with the grandkids
Our eldest granddaughter also loved it ...she was a sophmore in College when she went with us

 

[ls3015]

To Me CP always feels dirty, the food quality just isn't there.

 

[OhThePain]

1900 Park sounds interesting though. But do they have character lunches or dinners? We already have 11:00am ADRs at Chef Mickeys and Ohanas. Two breakfasts around MK is enough. Then again, we have never seen the Grand Floridian before.

They do have a character dinner (no lunch) which includes Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella. The food, like most of the dinner buffets, is nothing great, in our opinion.

Basically the only dinner buffets where we actually like the food are Boma (which you already have), Biergarten in EPCOT (the food is ok, the atmosphere and band are fun, lively and festive) and Cape May, none of which have characters.

If you want to see GF, you can have a good lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe. The food is pretty good and is usually pretty low on a lot of peoples radars.

 

[dprincessmom]

1900 Park sounds interesting though. But do they have character lunches or dinners? We already have 11:00am ADRs at Chef Mickeys and Ohanas. Two breakfasts around MK is enough. Then again, we have never seen the Grand Floridian before.

I will second the dinner at 1900 Park being just so so. It wasn't that it was bad, just different. That was one of the few days that we left hungry - just couldn't do it.

We are giving breakfast there a try. We have a dinner at CP scheduled for our trip next week. Don't know when you are going, but would be happy to give you updates when we get back.

 

[WDWlover717]

My DH and I just went to WDW in July. We ate at dinner at Crystal Palace for the first time. Let me just say, we LOVED it! They food was fresh and replenished quickly. They desserts weren't the greatest though. I hope you can decided! If you never tried it before, I say try it once!