11/06/2024
🐝🍯 Crystal Palace Breakfast 🍯🐝
I’ve dined at Crystal Palace in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom quite a few times now, mostly pre covid but I returned in 2023, admittedly unsure of whether things had changed. But I was so pleased, once again. Crystal Palace is one of my no brainer go-to choices on Disney trips now for breakfast for multiple reasons. The location, the food options, the atmosphere, the characters, the servers, you name it!
The cost for breakfast is $48.00 plus tax for adults and $30.00 plus tax for children so if you’re not a big eater, you may have to consider if it’s cost effective for you and your party. (Gratuity isn’t included either)
However it’s worth noting that this in park dining location does offer a reservation time before standard park opening so if you aren’t staying on property, you can use this to get into the parks a little early and get some great photographs on an almost empty Main Street USA.
🐝🍯 Food 🍯🐝
The food choice is fantastic for breakfast, with everything from your traditional hot breakfast options, to continental and cold options. There was even shrimp! Now bare in mind, this is a buffet, so the appeal is generally quantity over quality, but the quality is still up there (I’m not saying gourmet, but it’s good enough for me!) There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options and if you have specific dietary requirements, a cast member will walk you through the buffet and let you know what your options are. The food is replenished at a reasonable pace and there is plenty of space to move around and make your choices.
🐝🍯 Characters 🍯🐝
When you enter the Crystal Palace, you are being invited to join Winnie the Pooh and his friends to celebrate friendship with the venue being decorated with a banner. The characters, normally Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore will rotate the dining room, stopping to sign autographs and take pictures. You get plenty of time with the characters to interact and periodically thoughout the day, the characters will do a little parade around the hall with little flags to a cute song, allowing children to join if they wish.
🐝🍯 Location 🍯🐝
The location of Crystal Palace is stunning, sitting in the shadow of Cinderella Castle, if you bag a good window seat on a quiet day, you may even get to watch the occasional cavalcade pass by on Main Street.
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I’ve said a lot of good things about Crystal Palace, but what about the negatives?
Firstly, like I said, it’s a buffet, so despite the prices, don’t expect gourmet food, it’s simple, good food but lots of it.
Due to the nature of the restaurant, it’s hugely appealing to families, especially those with small children. This doesn’t hugely bother us, as we tend to visit during off season when there are less people, especially children. However you do find at times there can be little ones running around and getting under your feet while you’re at the buffet. Like I said, this doesn’t bother us so much, but if that’s not your thing, this may not be the place for you.
Again, as a D**K (dual income, no kids) couple, we tend to visit during the slower season so we have never felt rushed, however bare in mind that the times are quite tight during busier periods so they may scoot you on if they need your table.
On the subject of time, if you’re not the type of family who wants to “waste” time sitting and eating at Walt Disney world, maybe rethink this one. The characters don’t all flock to you at once and you may wait between 15 and 30 minutes between character encounters, so factor around 2 hours minimum out of your day if this is something you want to book.
🐝🍯 Conclusion 🍯🐝
Ultimately, I would recommend this to anyone visiting Walt Disney World, especially if character encounters are high on your priority list. We find that, when staying on property, we book a breakfast reservation later on in the morning, then we can take advantage of the early morning magic hour, and as the park starts to get a bit more crowded, we can have a seat inside in the air conditioning and eat once the queues have built up.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 from Elle
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 from Dylan (although he really loved the chocolate milk)
Have you eaten here before? What is your experience? Let me know below! ✨
