Storybook dining dinner vs crystal palace breakfast

[Networth]

Thoughts between the two places while traveling with a two year old?

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

I haven’t done crystal palace in a looooong time. Storybook has really good food, and not just compared to mediocre Disney offerings. Went with our daughter last year when she was 3 and she loved it. For us, spending a longer amount of time for a meal works better at dinner as opposed to breakfast; hit the parks in the morning and afternoon, then wind down with a leisurely meal. Characters there is the cherry on top.

 

[DeeBee3]

I think it depends on your food preference. We have done Storybook and loved the food, but some of it is unique compared to what you normally see at theme parks. My 1 daughter was scared of Grumpy, but that's something you would know with yours.

 

[Marthasor]

It just depends on the child and if you prefer a seated meal in a darker restaurant or a chaotic buffet. If your 2 year old is ok with characters, I would just pick the characters the child is more inclined to like and the dining style you prefer. The food is mediocre at both.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

First big question - how well do you know how your 2-yr old reacts to characters? Some will embrace the oversized plush critters, while others howl in fear, hide, or try to escape. Trust me, we have all seen it! You can wave off the characters if you see your child is uncomfortable, but then you’ve paid a premium for a meal that would be better priced elsewhere without the characters. Honestly, I would only book a character meal a few days into the trip, so it could be cancelled if there was any indication that character interaction would not be welcome.

I know that was not your question, so here’s my humble opinion on Crystal Palace vs Storybook Dining. Winnie the Pooh and his 100 Acre Woods friends tend to be more well-known for children, frankly because of their merchandise. Pooh & friends appear on just about EVERYTHING for babies and toddlers, as well as in books and a wide array of toy forms. Snow White characters, not so much. For younger children, I would say the Pooh characters would likely be more appealing. On the other hand, the Storybook Dining characters are very, very skilled in their interactions with all ages.

The Crystal Palace atmosphere is more than a bit chaotic. The movement around you never stops, and folks can be a bit disoriented when trying to co-ordinate trips to the buffet without missing a character visit to their table. The characters make individual rounds to all tables and during the average time span of a meal, each character will be at your table twice. You do not have to have them stop twice, they are just trying to make sure everyone gets at least one chance for a hug, pictures, etc. The big plus at CP is that YOU control the pace of your meal. You can hurry your party along if you wish, you just can’t hurry the characters! The food variety is good, while opinions on quality vary widely. You’d be hard-pressed to not find something you like. All in all, it can be a hearty, high energy way to start your day.

Storybook Dining is a far more leisurely meal, although service is very efficient. It’s always more relaxing when diners don’t have to serve themselves! Your meal arrives by course, so there is no way to gracefully speed it up. If your toddler is OK with spending some time at the table, that won’t be a problem. Snow White, Grumpy, and Dopey visit the tables individually and you will be given “an invitation” to visit the Evil Queen. For shyer children, I think it is a stroke of genius to have people approach the Queen, as opposed to the other way around. A photographer is there to capture your visit. My adult daughter & I dined there 2 yrs ago once and are hoping to go back on our Dec trip. If you are real foodies or picky eaters, you might find it underwhelming, but we enjoyed every course. It is a nice way to end a day, as long as no one is too tired for a longer meal.

 

[AZMermaid]

My kids were always such better diners at breakfast than dinner. They were fresh and happy. They loved breakfast foods and would happily munch away. Dinner was much less predictable.

 

[bookbabe626]

We ate at Storybook on Saturday night. While service was a bit slow, we all agreed that it was probably some of the best food we’ve eaten on Disney property in a long time (or on the Treasure last week) but it is a fairly set menu. Character interactions were great.

Crystal Palace is your standard chaotic character buffet. Food is pretty much the same as every other breakfast buffet. But, you’ve got Pooh and his pals, and you can be out as quickly as you want/need to.

If it’s purely about the food, Storybook wins. If it’s about the characters, pick which your toddler will recognize and love. If you need flexibility, go with Crystal Palace since you have more control over timing and food choice/quantity there.

 

[sponica]

My kids were always better at breakfast when they were that age....actually they are probably STILL better at breakfast.

I liked the Snow White characters but my husband wasn't a fan of the food and had to go to roaring forks after dinner.

I've never done Crystal Palace (we avoided buffets when the kids were little) so I don't have any lived experience.

 

[keishashadow]

haven’t done crystal palace in a looooong time

We did right after covid and it was so awful. Had been on our regular rotation for ages.

for July trip with GD, only venue she requested, for breakfast.

Ugh. DH not a big breakfast sort. I booked one of the last breakfast seatings and he was able to grab lunch.

The character interaction was lovely and the food a big surprise, so tasty and fresh! there will be waffles