The Crystal Palace

Very first time at crystal palace! It was fun and an amazing experience for the kids. The food, quality, price and service were all worth it. Lot of available picture opportunities with the Disney characters. Only issues was the table was a little small for our group of 9 family members. Overall it was a fun experience

We came solely for the churro waffles during breakfast as you can not get it anywhere else in the parks - I think they also serve it on a cruise? The price is steep, as it is AYCE and character dining on top of that. $52/personIt was packed on a busy Saturday morning in December. Our reservation was at 8:45AM. Our server told us it would take upwards of 90 minutes for all the characters to get to our table (Winnie the pooh, eeyore, piglet, and tigger). The character interactions were a bit awkward as they usually are, but I usually just say hi and snap a quick picture on my phone. All the characters have a handler, which made it easier to interact. Food-wise, the churro waffles were unfortunately quite overfried. I see the potential though. It could've been great if they weren't overfried I think. Otherwise, the rest of the breakfast was decent! Best scrambled eggs on property in my opinion, and there were a lot of your typical breakfast options - tons of pastries, some fruit options (cantaloupe), lox, potatoes, etc. Basic drinks are covered - drip coffee, milk, etc. Cocktails, of course, are extra. Overall, it was a decent experience. The building is quite nice and pretty with cute Winnie the Pooh theming. There are two mirrored sides in the buffet serving the same items, as there are two 'dining' rooms. Would I come back again? Maybe, maybe not. You're definitely paying premium for the characters, but I don't regret doing it once (and breakfast was the cheapest option). Service was decent and our server was kind enough to grab two cupcakes for us to celebrate our honeymoon and she kept my coffee flowing, which I'm always thankful for.

Unfortunately, this was just okay. We went for breakfast on my daughter's birthday. The details:1) You get to meet all four characters - Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore 2) The interactions are personal, per table, so you aren't competing for their attention. They have a handler that brings them around the restaurant and they visit each table.3) At your table - you can stand up and hug them, get a photo with them, gesture with them, get an autograph, etc. 4) They will use your phone to take photos. You can do it yourself or have them do it 5) She was most excited about Pooh and unfortunately, that handler was least friendly, so our experience felt rushed. Some of the other handlers were fantastic - and they had a fun attitude and made sure we had the time we wanted with the character, while still moving things along.6) The setting is pretty - with all the flowers and glass.7) They seemed to be short on highchairs that morning and there were a lot of crying babies. The poor folks next to us had to sit across from their kids in highchairs, because of how the seating was designed in that area, and their kids cried the entire time.8) The food - just okay - they have the normal breakfast items: scrambled eggs, little omelets, bacon, sausage, corned beef hash, cheesy potatoes, mickey waffles (regular and churro - churro were the best ones), fruit, yogurt, etc.9) They do offer a list of alcoholic drinks as well as coffee, juices.10) They have an allergy menu - and if you want something off that (at least for me - gluten free specific), you ask your server and they get it made in the kitchen. I was able to have a gluten free mickey waffle (which was really good) and a GF blueberry muffin (super dry, not great). They also accommodate other allergies. Overall, the biggest disappointment was the food. Just okay. The sausage had a weird texture - the skin was sticky. The Mickey waffles were our favorite of the food items. The meet and greet was mostly good, except for the Pooh handler and interaction, but that was the #1 reason we went. For 2 for breakfast it was $55 per person, not including tip, tax etc. If you have the Disney Visa or are an Annual Passholder, ask for your 10% discount, which we got. Those special drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are extra and in the range of $12-$20.We won't do this one again.

This is by far my favorite lunch spot in Magic Kingdom and my favorite character dining experience in Disney World. For the price, the dining options are great. The buffet food is surprisingly awesome with salmon, shrimp and grits, prime rib, and more! Service is amazing and you get plenty of character time and photo ops. My two year old niece absolutely loves it! We brought family visiting from out of state and they loved it. They were very mindful about our allergies and made sure we felt comfortable. This is a great spot for a family experience!

This was such a fun experience! Yes, it's pricey, and you are paying a bit for the character interactions but it was worth it. There were plenty of options at the buffet, we did not go hungry and everyone got food they liked. Our server was also fantastic, being super attentive with clearing plates and drink refills without hovering. We were there for about an hour and a half and never felt rushed out (there were plenty of empty tables so we didn't feel we were taking a table away from someone else).The character interactions are great. You get to see four Winne the Pooh characters- Winne the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. They do rotations around the space and the handlers would often check in with our table to be sure we had interacted with the characters. In some cases, we actually got to interact with them more than once (I think because it wasn't super busy), but always at the discretion of the handlers. We got to take tons of pictures with the characters as well.Again, it's a pricey experience but well worth it. I highly recommend!

This was not my first trip to the Crystal Palace, nor will it likely be my last. Is it because it's a beautiful place with tons of light and a fun, Victorian-era vibe? Or possibly because Winnie the Pooh and friends travel the restaurant during your dining and come say hello and give hugs and make everyone smile ear to ear? Or is is just because the food they have in this buffet is simply just incredibly good, especially for an in-park eatery that is on a main thoroughfare, towards the entrance of the Magic Kingdom......well, to put it very simply, it's the combination of all these wonderful and fun things. This is one of the spots in Disney's Magic Kingdom for character dining which is a fun experience on its own, whether you're a child at heart or a parent with children. It adds a special something to your meal that just isn't there at other places. However, this usually means that you'd be sacrificing quality or time to have the characters present. Not at the Crystal Palace. The visits from the characters from the Thousand Acre Woods are not intrusive either and they ensure that you and everyone at your table gets the opportunity to see and meet everyone one of them. As for the food, it is a buffet, but it is a great one. There are so many different choices and they are not contained to one style of cuisine. They do theme them around characters and things in the Disney universe though, with one if my highlights being Tiana's gumbo. It was spot on and full of flavor, perfectly stewed to perfection. My other favorite selections were the multiple bean and grain salad choices that ended up making the majority of my meal because of how great they were. Following closely behind that were the Pooh-themed desserts. Each one very unique and totally different, but all delicious.Obviously, if you are not visiting the Magic Kingdom, dining at the Crystal Palace is not an option for you. But if you are planning a trip to Disney World and are looking or planning where to eat, make sure to add this one to your list because it's definitely towards the top of the list. The staff is wonderful and the food is top-notch, what's not to like. Oh and tell Eeyore, I say hello!

This is the restaurant to be at if you're craving hugs from Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger -and- delicious buffet featuring southern style cuisine with plenty of allergy friendly options! Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace is open for breakfast lunch and dinner, offers an extensive menu, escape from the heat, super friendly cast members, and Winnie the Pooh characters visiting every table.

There's a reason this iconic Magic Kingdom restaurant continues as one of the must Disney do's! From atmosphere to service to your favorite pooh characters, this is a favorite. Food is yummy too.We visited with a 7pm dinner reservation. Buffet standouts were shrimp and grits as well as huge peel and eat shrimp. The desserts were delicious mini versions to sample. The shrimp and grits are so popular they're available at all sittings! Fun for young and old, breakfast to dinner!

The Crystal Palace is buffet-style restaurant inside Disney's Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The restaurant opened in 1971, the same year that Magic Kingdom opened. The architecture of the restaurant is inspired by Victorian greenhouses of the late 19th century. It originally opened as a cafeteria-style experience. It morphed into its current all-you-can-eat buffet-style experience in 1996. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Crystal Palace is also well-known for its character dining that features "Winnie the Pooh" characters. My family and I visited the Crystal Palace this past summer while we were on a Walt Disney World Vacation. My wife and I had visited before, but this was a first time visit for our two sons as well as my wife's sister. The venue is very special to me, not just because the food is delicious, but because Winnie the Pooh is easily my favorite Disney cartoon character. While you can go here for any meal, you simply must go for breakfast! Their breakfast buffet is simply divine! You will find all of the best breakfast staples: scrambled eggs, smokehouse bacon, sausage links, blueberry pancakes, biscuits, cheddar grits, chocolate chip French toast, cheesy potato casserole, and (my personal favorite) Mickey-shaped churro waffles! You will not leave hungry at the Crystal Palace. The icing on the cake is the delightful visits from Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and of course Pooh. My two sons were so happy to meet all of the characters. We all think that the Crystal Palace has one of the best character dining experiences at Disney World and we'll continue to visit in future trips!

Was it worth the cost? Sure.. Ultimately you are paying for the characters more than the food. Did I do it for my 2 kids? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Probably not. It's great to do once but for the price I'd try a different character experience.Character experience - we got to meet Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and OFCOURSE Winnie the Pooh. They only come around to your table once (there are 2 sides to the restaurant so it takes about an hour for them to get to every table so it's not likely you'll see them at your table twice). The characters spend a little time at each table and will sign your stuff and take pictures. Ultimately we paid for the characters not necessarily for the food especially since my kids didn't eat anything. Breakfast buffet - it was a typical breakfast buffet, my husband and I liked the spread just fine (I loved the churro Mickey waffles and egg tarts) but it was nothing to write home about. The menu seems to change since I read other reviews about other foods like biscuits and gravy and eggs Benedict and neither of those were available. Neither of my kids ate ANYTHING so that sucked that we couldn't find something they liked (they usually like pancakes, bacon, fruit, chicken tenders, etc but they wouldn't eat any of that). I had hoped for a salad bar but alas no luck. Also personal pet peeve - the coffee tasted burnt, disappointment for the beginning of a LONG day. Service - FABULOUS, very friendly, our waiter let us know ahead of time when characters were coming so we knew when to stay in our seats and not get up to the buffet. He also brought us to go cups for our drinks which was great since it was going to be a 90° day with 80% humidity. HYDRATE PEOPLE!Obviously Crystal Palace is in a great location - right off Main Street with a view of Cinderellas Castle. We chose it to do breakfast first thing in the morning so our kids would experience the wonder of walking into Magic Kingdom without getting too far in and having to come back. The restaurant is clean and well lit for pictures. It's not super decked out in the Winnie the Pooh theme but there were touches here and there and it got the job done.