Crystal Palace Review

Crystal Palace! You either love or hate this place. There is no in between when it comes to die hard Disney fans!!!! I’m sure that’s how you even ended up here. To get the scoop on whether you should book a table or not since no two people seem to have the same opinion!!!

As long as you keep in mind that The Crystal Palace isn’t in the business of fine dining to appease the Disney foodies, this is a family buffet with every toddlers favorite Pooh Bear being the main attraction, you will find the info below VERY helpful. If you’re looking for a culinary experience to brag about, stop reading right here and book that table at California Grill, The Four Seasons or Victoria & Alberts!

Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom is often the buffet style restaurant many families with small children turn to to meet their character dining needs. With Winnie the Pooh & Pals all together in one place, you can enjoy a pretty budget-friendly meal and snap a few memorable photos for the gram at the same time!

Inspired by Victorian greenhouses of the late 1800s, the Victorian charm of the location is just jaw dropping!!! The neat part is, Crystal Palace happens to date back to the park’s opening. It’s part of original Disney World!

However, to enjoy all of this charm, you do need to purchase a Magic Kingdom park ticket since the restaurant is inside Magic Kingdom. So keep that in mind when making your reservation!

Characters

Piglet, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger are front and center at Crystal Palace. The perk of doing a character meal is that you can ditch the ridiculous lines in the park to meet the characters! Those lines can get crazy busy so character dining is always the route our family goes!!! Dining with the characters means more time for rides, parades & shows!

Drinks

Magic Kingdom may be the only “dry” park out of them all, but the exception is character dining inside the park. That’s right, if you’re dining at Crystal Palace, you can enjoy an ice cold beer, glass of wine or even champagne for an additional cost while chillen with Winnie and all of his pals! Cheers!!!

Food

This is your typical American fare buffet! Carving stations, chicken wings, Mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, kids buffet, the list goes on! While Disney Buffet meals are definitely not a culinary experience, they are definitely yummy!!! Everyone will leave with a full belly since there is literally something for everyone. You can even enjoy a simple desert such as an ice cream cone!

Opinion

Honestly, I’m a huge fan of Crystal Palace for a Magic Kingdom meal! You get to take a break from the Florida humidity, enjoy an ice cold cocktail,meet Winnie the Pooh, all while eating a buffet style meal . Since this is a buffet dining experience, there is literally something for everyone!!! Even those picky eaters will find at least one item they can nibble on!!!

You can also take as much or as little time as you please which is my number one reason for dining at Crystal Palace. If you’re at Disney during an event like Mickey’s Not So Scary, you can be in & out ASAP with a full belly and fabulous character pics for the gram! If you have all the time in the world?! Sit back and enjoy a cocktail or two in the glorious AC while the kiddos live out their dreams of hanging with Pooh Bear!

The food?! It’s Disney buffet food! I feel regardless of the location of your character dinner buffet, the food is going to be the same. Don’t walk in expecting a 5 star culinarily experience. The food is good, but not great! Definitely nothing to brag about, but everyone will leave nice and full and that’s all that matters to me! You’re paying more for the experience and atmosphere than the entree, which is totally fine for me when traveling with my two picky eaters!!! I don’t have to worry about what may or may not be on a menu. Such a stress reliever!

The only con’s really are that there are strollers and little kids everywhere!!! While I think Crystal Palace is a tad bit better than Chef Mickey’s when it comes to manners and kids running around, it’s still packed with little ones! It is Winnie the Pooh after all! Every toddlers favorite, so be prepared to dine surrounded by little ones.

Let’s Chat!

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