Why can't I decide!

[cmdg]

I have Chef Mickey's booked for dinner, and my sister in law booked Crystal Palace that same night. We need to choose between the two and no one can decide!

We are 6 adults (two who really like "good" food) and one three year old. I am afraid that CM will be super crowded and loud, but I keep hearing it is the most popular restaurant. What gives CM its advantage over CP?

 

[MissMagnolia]

We did a breakfast at CM and a breakfast and lunch at CP (many times). We LOVE CP and CM was 'eh-just okay. I think the advantage that CM has is that you see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and now I understand...Donald. It was Chip and Dale when we were there. They are in the "chef-gear" and the character interaction was great. Also, the monorail runs through the restaurant which is cool (as long as you are okay with the birds that fly into a restaurant ). I have not heard good things about the food at dinner. What I did NOT like about CM is they take a photo of you when you come into the restaurant in front of a big plate and then try and sell the photo to you when you are eating.

Crystal Palace has Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. The food is fantastic. This is the one TS we always book on a MK day. Here are photos from the last CP lunch we did in January.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

CM -is the best Disney Resturant on property. This place is good food & fun. This resturant give you the best Disney feeling . It is very pouplar.
LOVE CHEF MICKEY'S.
CP- is good food to.

If I had to pick one it will always be Chef Mickey's .

 

[Jenngoofys]

I have been to both and Chef Mickeys is the one we keep going back to. There doesnt seem to be an advantage of one over the other except you get a small break from the park. Just hop the monorail and relax. The break for us is needed by dinner and the monorail ride is a highlight for all ages. Good Luck

 

[justintime]

I prefer the food at CP over CM. I didn't think the food at either place was outstanding, but it wasn't bad either. My kids prefer the Mickey characters over the Pooh characters though, so I would personally choose CM. I agree with the PP about the picture at CM, I didn't like the pressure to buy the picture and if I remember correctly, it was pricey.

 

[MHSweb79]

I vote for Crystal Palace - it's a beautiful restaurant inside and nice for taking pictures. My family liked Chef Mickey's more than I did - it was very loud and chaotic and I just didn't have fun.

Maybe your choice should come down to which characters you'd like to see? Crystal Palace has Pooh & Friends and Chef Mickey's has the classics - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc.

Or maybe it should come down to which restaurant can accomodate the changed reservation? My guess is that you'll have an easier time adding people to CP than CM's.

 

[Tricia1972]

For food, if I had to choose one of the two, I'd choose Crystal Palace hands down.

For fun, I'd choose Chef Mickey's. Their dinner is abysmal (IMO), but the atmosphere is fun.

We try to balance our food and fun when we go by doing Chef Mickey's for breakfast (cheaper and it's hard to mess up breakfast food - though with their cold breakfast lasagna they sure tried), and we do Crystal Palace for dinner.

 

[daisyyy]

my DH definitley preferred the food in CP.... but for the kids... you can't beat the characters and party atmosphere that you get at CM. Tough choice... Depends on whats more important to you. Both are buffets so there's always enough food... is there anyway you can switch something else and get both of those places in on your visit?

 

[ThumperandLitenin]

Considering the make-up of your group, I would recommend Crystal Palace. It's a beautiful setting, and much quieter than Chef Mickey's. Chef Mickey's is literally in the middle of the CR concourse, it's like eating out in the open. That's not a bad thing, just totally different from CP

I've dined at both, and I prefer the food at Crystal Palace. Save Chef Mickeys until your child is just a bit older.

 

[Tisha_PA]

We had dinner at both in March. CP had the better food by far. It was DH's favorite meal all week. CM was a more fun atmosphere and the kids had a really good time waving their napkins in the air.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

i haven't been to either in a while but i've heard horror stories from CM lately. too crowded, dirty, horrible and cold food... I'd stick to crystal palace

 

[cmdg]

Thanks everyone! I think we'll go with Crystal Palace and forgo the CM reservation. It seems like CP will be a better fit for all us adults who would like to catch up!