Tell me all about Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace!

[ZerasPride]

Trying a couple of different eateries this time. We've done Chef Mickey's for breakfast but never for dinner. I've heard about the great mash potatoes (are they really that good?) but what else do they have on the buffet? Would small children like it? How about the desserts? I've heard they have a cupcake making stand or something?

What about Crystal Palace for breakfast? I figure if we get shut out of CRT, I've already got PSB booked and since I know my niece loves Pooh, she would be thrilled to have breakfast at CP. What's on the buffet? Do they have a made-to-order egg station? I plan on making a ps for 10:15 or so, will we feel rushed to get out so they can start lunch?

Thanks so much guys!

 

[abt426]

Well we just got back Sunday and really enjoyed Crystal Palace for breakfast. They did have egg station plus lots of fruit, pastries, a tasty breakfast casserole, potatoes, lots of meats, etc.. Characters were good. Eeyore, tigger, and piglet circle while pooh stays in middle of enterance. We were able to be seated at 8:05 done eating at 8:40 and had plenty of time to walk around a desserted main street and make it to rope drop at 9. I highly recommend it.

Dinner at Chef Mickey's I can't speak so highly of. The characters are good. Goofy drew a great picture of himself in dd autograph book, and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip and Dale were there. Children's buffet was OK for my dughter and she loved all the toppings for ice cream but the adult food was not good. We were there at 7:30 and the food was very unappealing (ie looked like it had been on the buffet forever) the prime rib was not tasty, the pork was dry, the fish was bland, but the potatoes were good. All in all I will not try it again, but maybe mine was an unusual experience.

Alena

 

[Epcotgal8]

We've done Chef Mickey's for dinner 3 times. The one trip we didn't eat there we all missed it but mom (me) decided to try new places. On our trip (one year ago next week) we had dinner there and had my bil with us who had never been to WDW, doesn't have children, and he loved it. The food was even better then in the past. Yes, it is buffet food but good none the less. (I know not all will agree with me on this.) To start off there are rolls, and breads, salad bar with boiled peel and eat shrimp, and a soup of the day. We then always hit the carving station with prime rib. The prime rib is what we thought was very good last year. The other entrees have varied just a tad on our visits but they normally have one fish entree, a pasta dish, chicken, flank steak, and either pork or ham. There are assorted hot vegetables, new potatoes, and parmesan mashed potatoes (they are yummy). The children's selection includes pizza, mini hot dogs, chicken tenders, and mac and cheese. I am not normally a sweet eater but I am at Chef Mickey's. LOTS of desserts to try and the kids love making their own sundaes. There used to be a make your own cupcake station and they may still have it but I can't remember it being there last year. I may have overlooked it so someone else can give you a better answer on that. The atmosphere is fun with the singing and napkin twirling. I don't think it appeals to all, especially if they are tired and cranky after a long day at the parks. I say this because on 2 of our visits I overheard (not intentionally) someone complaining about the noise while waiting to be seated. Once was a grandpa who was not thrilled with his family, and another a dad who turned and said to my dh that HE had wanted to go to Las Vegas for vacation, not WDW and then a couple minutes later told his wife he'd wait in the bar by the Concourse Steakhouse. So it may not be for everyone but we always get really into the Disney spirit there and I feel like a kid twirling my napkin. (P.S) You should have seen dear bil blushing when Minnie smooched him on his cheek. )
We had breakfast at Crystal Palace once a couple of years ago. I can't comment too much on the food since it was the day we were leaving (I'm always depressed on that day) and I think I may have had one too many glasses of wine at dinner the evening before because I was not feeling 100%. DH thought the food was good and he is a breakfast expert. We had a p.s. but still waited at least 30 minutes to be seated but it was a Sat. morning and the MK is always the most crowded on Saturdays in my opinion. Because it was so crowded service was a bit off and the characters were rushed but I can understand with the amount of people there and waiting outside to be seated. I would suggest an early p.s. to avoid the mid morning rush. At the time we went you could get made to order omelets. Sorry this post turned out to be so long. Hope it helps!

 

[sha_lyn]

I agree with abt426 ... CP breakfast is very good as are the characters. I also think it is a beautiful restaurant.

CM on the other hand, Yuck. The potatoes were bad. I had a good laugh a while back when a UK dis'er returned home and posted something like "if that's what americans consider good potatoes then you don't have good potatoes there, they taste like wall paper paste". The characters are good, but we had horrible service, and so have many others DIS'ers. I know at one time they did away with the cup cake making station. I know when we were there it was unsupervised, and all the toppings had been mixed together. It looked really gross. Many reported watching kids lick the icing then stick it in the sprinkles etc.

 

[Terk-1]

I've been to both, so hopefully I can help.

I LOVE the Crystal Palace!!! I've dined there for all 3 meals and have never been disappointed with the food or service. This is a MUST-dine in my book.

I had dinner at Chef Mickey's on my last trip and never again will I go back there for dinner. The food was completely awful and a total waste of money. Worst meal I've had at WDW, besides the RFC @ DTD.

Instead of Chef Mickey's, I would suggest the 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian, the Garden Grill at EPCOT or the Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. All of these are fantastic and I don't think you'd be disappointed.

 

[dvc guy]

CM is a MUST for dinner on every trip, ( once a year). It is a buffet and not everything is great , but many items are very good. The kids food is typical disney fare that they serve just about everwhere. The kids desserts are good and I like the adult stuff. I vote for the cheese mashed potatoes very good. Don't compare it to a California Grill, but for buffet it is excellent. We did CP last year after the renovations, it was good , but I like CM better.

 

[tidoublegger]

We just went to Chef Mickey's this past Saturday night for dinner. Our PS was at 5:00. We were seated at 4:55. There was a children's buffet with pizza, mac & cheese, mini hot-dogs etc. The buffet had a nice salad bar with potato salad, pasta salad, etc. There was roast turkey, prime rib, fish, chicken, mickey ravioli's, mashed potatoes (very good), rolls, etc. The dessert bar had make your own sundae, fresh fruit, chocolate mousse pie, key lime pie (great!), cookies, apple crisp, tons of different pastries and more. We had a good time, were happy with the character interaction. We saw Chef Mickey, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Minnie, and Donald. The food was very fresh. I'd recommend the first sitting if you're concerned with that. (5:00p) It was $28.99/adult and I think $14.99/child. We were given carafe's of drinks too. If you have children, it's a fun time! I'd give the food 4 out of 5.

We had breakfast Monday morning with Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace. This was our favorite!! The food was wonderful and the service was even better! There was good character interaction! There were bagels & cream cheese, donut holes, croissants, excellent fresh fruit, cheese, etc. There was bacon, sausage, ham, great home fries with red skin potatoes and bacon, scrambled eggs, omelettes, breakfast lasagna, yummy french toast, and for the kids, character waffles and breakfast pizza! There was also quite an assortment of muffins, breads, and danishes! This was worth every penny!! We had a PS for 8:05a and were allowed entry into the MK at 8:00a. We were done by 8:45a and were at the rope for Adventure land before it dropped. I'd recommend trying to get the 8:05 PS.

Have fun!!

 

[Rafikifan]

I would recommend both CP for breakfast and Chef Mickey's for dinner. I liked both. You will NEVER get all the same kinds of reviews on restaurants at Disney or elsewhere since a LOT of times it depends on if you go there on a night that is "on" or "off', what you try, the server you get, the time you go, (I do think earlier is better with buffets), and most importantly the mood you are in. You can dine at a 5 star restaurant and not be pleased if you are tired and the kids are cranky. That affects a lot of reviews. I know personally that there are a couple of highly recommended restaurants at WDW that I would give a negative review to but know it may be a fluke so I tend to give a place another try before knocking it (or just not returning period). With the buffets there are ALWAYS enough food items to get your money's worth and eat well even if one or another item isn't to your liking. Just my .02.

 

[goofy4tink]

Adding my .02 worth. My dh loves the mashed potatoes at CM's. In fact, it was one of the big hits on our last trip. 4 adults and 2 8 y/o girls. The adults have pretty cultured tastes. We all really enjoyed it. It is now a must do for our first night. My 'picky' eater found lots to eat. We have had dinner at CP, but never breakfast. Loved the dinner. Will be trying the breakfast this Aug.
Now that I think about it...about those mashed pots....my dh likes his potatoes whipped. That may be why he likes CM's so much.

 

[ZerasPride]

I am a bit concerned about the number of negative reviews of CM for dinner. We've had breakfast there a couple of times and thought it was great. DH and I have had dinner at 1900 Park Fare when it was the villians dinner (we had so much fun with them) but I prefer 1900 Park Fare breakfast over dinner. All things considered, I think we'll keep CM and see what we think. On a buffet we should be able to find somethings that we like (I hope).

I do have another question. I was told by the CM that made my ps that the price is $23.99 per adult and $10.99 for kids. A previous poster said it was $28.99 and $14.99. Can someone verify the prices at Chef Mickey's for dinner? I don't think the buffet is worth almost $30 even with characters and napkin twirling! Thanks!

 

[Planogirl]

Not sure of the current prices for CM but I agree that it's worth going to simply because it's fun. The food isn't great but OK if you stick to simple things but the napkin twirling, characters and general hubbub make for a very fun atmosphere.

I agree that the Crystal Palace has yummy food. It's one of my favorite places to wake up at in the morning.

 

[mmmcq]

Last August on our last day and last hour at WDW we booked lunch at CP with Pooh & friends at 11:15 am (Th 8/29). The place was empty and the characters practically sat down with us for lunch! Pooh was all over us. And just as we finshed, the noon time parade was making it's way down Main Street to the garage. My older daughters took my 3 year old out onto the curb in front of the restaurant and Belle came by and took my youngest's hand. She joined the parade for about 60 seconds. When we show her that picture she squeals in delight.

P.S. As we were headed to the restaurant we let a roving photographer take our picture with the castle in the background. My girls had Mickey ears on. The picture was so good I wrote Disney for permission to use it for our Christmas card and had it reprinted. Of course I never sent the cards out......too busy this year. Maybe this summer as a mid-year greeting???

My kids have NO idea that we're headed back to WDW in 60 days (hee, hee).

 

[tidoublegger]

ZerasPride~ sorry about that...I posted the wrong prices...I just looked at my receipt from this past weekend and it was $23.99/adult and $10.99/child. I really thought it was great and hope you have a good time!! Tracy : )