What's your favorite breakfast buffet?

[wacowgirl]

I'm wondering what your favorite breakfast buffet is? After reading some reviews on O'hana lately, I'm kinda leery about going there. I'll be paying out of pocket and it's just myself and DS21. He hasn't been since 1998 so I would like this trip to be fun for him and he doesn't want to have anything to do with the planning, so it's all in my hands. He has no solid memories of going when he was 4.

This would be on a MK day (but we have hoppers), we'll have a rental car and staying at CSR. I have BOG planned for dinner that night. I would rather it be a character breakfast. I picked O'hana because I love Stitch and last time I went (2008), it was fun for myself and DS22.

TIA!

 

[jimmytammy]

If character meal is a must, I would do Crystal Palace since you will be at MK anyway. Another choice is Cape May since you have a car. Never had breakfast there, but friends go there a lot and love it. But here are my favorite breakfast buffets.
These arent character meals, but IMO, food is way better than most character meals.
1st choice...The Wave, great buffet, 2 options for transportation, drive to resort, or bus to MK then a 1 min walk tops. They have a couple nice tasting exclusive items on buffet, chefs keep food fresh and rotating frequently.
2nd choice...Trails End, another really good buffet, like Wave, a couple unique items that set it apart. If you arent worried about time, bus to MK then a nice boat ride to FW. If time is a factor, drive then catch a bus at FW. Buses run the loop at FW quickly.

 

[Zipears Fan]

My brother and SiL just got back from the parks two weeks ago. They went to Crystal Palace - they said they'll be going back to Crystal Palace. Chef Mickey is also close to MK, where my spouse and I went last year. That, too, was wonderful. Either of those choices are win-win.

 

[disneyktee]

We absolutely LOVED Cape May Cafe over at the beach club, the food was really outstanding! If you want to stay close to MK, though, I've heard good things about 1900 Park Fare. We did Crystal Palace and while we loved the overall experience of a pre-park ADR it was pretty packed with little kids and we aren't big Winnie the Pooh fans as much as other characters.

 

[Tonberry]

You could also try 1900 Park Fare at GF. They have a smoked ham carving station, an omelet station, a large buffet, is a monorail stop away from MK, and features the Alice in Wonderland characters like the Mad Hatter.

Ohana's is good, but it's not a breakfast buffet. It's all you can eat, so they put out the food platter on your table and refill you when you run out. Some people like this because you never have to get out of your seat, but your choices are more limited. When we went this last December, it seemed like the characters didn't spend a lot of time at the tables and were rushed around quickly to meet everyone with the hopes of clearing tables.

 

[Aurora0427]

I'd skip the character buffets and go to The Wave at the CR. One of the best breakfasts on property, and the food is leagues above Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey, 1900 Park Fare.

If a character buffet is a must, my vote goes to Cape May followed by 1900 PF.

 

[pumba]

Crystal Palace is a fun place and the characters will be perfect..not crazy ..and no princesses......We also liked Chef Mickeys ...just have fun

 

[got15]

For Character Breakfasts- the best are Crystal Palace and Cape May. 1900 is great as well- but food quality wise- the others are better, we just have had problems with the checking in taking a long time. Since you are at CSR- I would also check out Boma at AKL breakfast buffet- its spectacular!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

OUR WDW CHARACTER MEAL & BUFFET RANKINGS (*rev: August 2015*):
Results are listed from best to worst
Best Food (quality first, then variety):
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Tusker House, breakfast-Lunch (moved from #1 Spot due to menu changes)
. . . Garden Grove Swan-dinner
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . Tusker House, Dinner
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Crystal Palace
. . . Cinderella Royal Table (since new menu)
. . . Chef Mickey's
Best Character Interaction (time with guest first, then friendliness):
. . . Tusker House, Breakfast-Lunch
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Tusker House, Dinner
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grove (Swan, dinner)
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Chef Mickey's
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Crystal Palace (barely enough time for a photo)
Best Atmosphere (surroundings and ambiance):
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Tusker House, Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . Ohana
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Crystal Palace
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Garden Grove (Swan, dinner)
. . . Chef Mickey's
.
NOTE: Results are listed from best to worst. Overall, Tusker House wins due to best food and the length of time the characters stay at each table. A close second is 1900 Park Fare. By far, Chef Mickey's is the loser, due to mediocre character interaction and almost terrible food quality. The very distant second worst is Cinderella Royal Table, for brief time at tables by characters and the new menu. For non-character breakfast buffets, we prefer either The Wave (CR) or Trail's End (FW).

 

[McKelly]

Crystal Palace!!!!

 

[patr1ckL]

Our favorite is 1900 Park Fare but also like Akershus, Crystal Palace, Tusker House and our young children think Hollywood and Vine is the greatest place ever. I am going to Ohana for the first time this summer

 

[Misha72683]

We loved Crystal Palace! Pooh's Puffed Toast was amaazing.

 

[Dis703]

We really loved Cape May Café. Lots of food to choose from and everything was really good. And it's a little more affordable than other character meal options.

We did Ohana once and didn't care for it at all. Long wait to be seated and very dry overcooked flavorless food. Not a whole lot to choose from either. Characters were fun so if you want that experience it may be worth trying.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

Crystal Palace for sure. Pooh's puffed toast and made to order omelettes. Plus the characters are great - Tigger is especially fun and engaging with older teens / adults

 

[oceanmarina]

I love stitch too, sadly our experience at Ohanas this past August was awful (40 minute wait to be seated even with ressies, long wait for service). I thought the food was great and of course loved seeing Sitich, but we lost so much time there it basically killed our entire morning.

I would recommend Crystal Palace if you want an early start at MK. 1900 Park Fare is a character option too.

If you wanted to do an AK morning, Tusker House is a great option too. I loved the exotic juice and the food was great.

Don't bother with Chef Mickey's - great character experience but unfortunately the food is really awful. It has really declined in the past few years.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We have a few favorites! We are breakfast people, so breakfast in WDW is a must for us!

The one we enjoy the most is Akershus- cold buffet is awesome and the hot foods are brought on a big plate to your table, and all you care to enjoy!

If we are going to be in MK, Crystal Palace is a great buffet! We love it there for a pre-park opening adr. Great food and a great way to start the day in MK.

We don't go often, but we really like Cape May cafe for both breakfast and dinner. This year we will be staying at Beach Club, so we are going to Cape May for breakfast one morning since it has characters.

Tusker House gets great reviews for breakfast. And I have read great reviews on Garden Grill breakfast, not a buffet but all you care to enjoy.

 

[xlsm]

We like Crystal Palace and Tusker House...and are looking forward to trying Garden Grill breakfast on our next trip - it seems to be getting good reviews

 

[Dug720]

Cape May has pretty much been my go-to favorite, but last year over Marathon Weekend I went to Tusker House, and it is a close second if not tied. I do love the breakfast lasagne at Crystal Palace though - and I found that I had plenty of time with the characters there.

 

[anricat]

Cape May Cafe and 1900 Park Fare are great. Cape May is slightly in the lead for me.

 

[CynBeth]

Since you will be at MK I would say CP. Sometimes the whole experience at any TS whether buffet or not it can take an hour and it is easier if you are at MK instead of then after the meal having to wait for transportation. We are a group of all adults and the characters all made sure to get hugs and take pics with us. The food was great as well.