Sit down lunch/dinner with characters?

[nemomama]

Can anyone recommend a good sit-down kid friendly lunch or dinner WITH characters? And do I have to make priority seating arrangements? I hope it's not too late...we leave in a few weeks!
Thanks to anyone who can help!

 

[disneydreamer98]

One of my favorites is at Crystal Palace in the MK. It features characters from Winnie the Pooh (Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger). Love the atmosphere and beauty of the restaurant. Love the convenience of being in MK. The characters are great and the buffet is really good. Not sure what your chances will be of getting a seating at this late date for there, but it's certainly worth the try!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

If someone in your party is dying to see Cinderella, I recommend 1900 Park Faire for dinner. The food was excellent!

 

[Maureenmouse]

We did 4 Character dinners this past week. I have 2 DDs 2 and 5. They loved every one of them. Crystal Palace in MK had Pooh and friends. The food was buffet style with a nice selection of vegetarian choiceds as well as you regulas meats etc. Chef Mickey's in CR was my DH's favorite. The food was good, again Buffet style. It was a step up from Crystal Palace. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy Chip and Dale came to the table. Donald was in the lobby. I think they had a stir fry section that my DH enjoyed.
1900 Park Fare was my favorite. Cinderella, Prince Charming and 2 mice came to the tables. The fairy God Mother was in the lobby. They had a fresh cooked pasta station, lots of gourmet desserts and my favorite, cold strawberry soup. This was the most expensive. My girl's favorite was the Princess Dinner in Norway. % princesses came to the table. We like Norwegian food, so DH and I enjoyed the selections. If you don't like seafood, you may not enjoy this as much. Girls ate PB&j and pasta. Got lots of attention from all princesses, especially Ariel and Jasmine.
Any questions, PM me. I'll be happy to answer.

 

[tigertam]

We did 4 Character dinners this past week. I have 2 DDs 2 and 5. They loved every one of them. Crystal Palace in MK had Pooh and friends. The food was buffet style with a nice selection of vegetarian choiceds as well as you regulas meats etc. Chef Mickey's in CR was my DH's favorite. The food was good, again Buffet style. It was a step up from Crystal Palace. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy Chip and Dale came to the table. Donald was in the lobby. I think they had a stir fry section that my DH enjoyed.
1900 Park Fare was my favorite. Cinderella, Prince Charming and 2 mice came to the tables. The fairy God Mother was in the lobby. They had a fresh cooked pasta station, lots of gourmet desserts and my favorite, cold strawberry soup. This was the most expensive. My girl's favorite was the Princess Dinner in Norway. % princesses came to the table. We like Norwegian food, so DH and I enjoyed the selections. If you don't like seafood, you may not enjoy this as much. Girls ate PB&j and pasta. Got lots of attention from all princesses, especially Ariel and Jasmine.
Any questions, PM me. I'll be happy to answer.

Thanks for posting this, it has helped. I am trying to make decisions. We have a party of 10 with varying ages, so it is hard to choose and also some aren't going to care for the characters so the food has to be good!

Was the food good at all of them?
Was some mediocre?
Were they all buffet style and does that mean the old way of going to get your food?
Who were the other princesses at Norway?
Did you feel rushed at any of them? We like to linger and take our time.
How long did it take you at each of them?(from time of reserv. to walking out?)
Did you have reservations and how long did you have to wait from time of reservation?

Lots of questions but it would be helpful and any other tid bits you think would be helpful.(party of 10 is my husband and I, my parents, & 6 kids-
boys 17, 15, girls 12, 10, 2, 1)

 

[MKCP5]

we never miss the crystal palace in the MK. Excellent variety for 2-72 yo! Fun character interaction, nice cool airconditioned area you can a real break from the day in, and really good food. Not yucky counter service if I eat another french fry I am going to scream food!

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

We LOVE Crystal Palace! Who can resist Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet?

Chef Mickey's is great fun too. We prefer their breakfast buffet over dinner.

 

[LAWalz23]

Chef Mickeys can be frentic (the napkin parade every 1/2 hour), the food is not highly spiced and the desserts are wonderful. In addition you can get a photo of your whole group. We usually do this our first night and it is fun to see how my sister's kids have grown and the different cast of family members from each year. Crystal Palace has been hit and miss with us one time we enjoyed the other 2x it was not food to our taste. The restaurant is beautiful and located in the MK. That said, I would pick 1900 Park Faire as the best food for the buffets. It is a little more upscale and seems less busy than either Crystal Palace or Chef Mickeys. Usually there is not much of a wait if you have a ADR (PS) and we have never been rushed out of a buffet.