Timing Tips for Your Reservation
What is the Restaurant Like?
Restaurant? What restaurant? All we could focus on was our amazing breakfast and the adorable Disney characters who kept stopping by for a photo op! The dining budget will be a significant part of your expense for the trip, so you want to be sure that your meals are delicious and as enjoyable as possible. If you’re planning to visit Magic Kingdom during your next Walt Disney World vacation in Orlando, Florida, you’re probably wondering which restaurants should top your list. Learn how we use this restaurant to get not only a great meal, but make our day at Magic Kingdom a million times better! There are certain restaurants throughout the park that offer a meal, usually buffet-style but sometimes table service, and a certain set of characters will come out to visit you at your table while you eat. The characters change from location to location, but at The Crystal Palace you’ll be treated to a visit from Winnie the Pooh and a few of his friends from the Hundred-Acre Wood. During our visit, we were tickled pink to meet Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. Reservations are required in advance. The easiest way to make reservations is to use the My Disney Experience site. For example, make a reservation at 8 am on a day the park is scheduled to open at 9 am. Why? Because with a dining reservation, you will be allowed early access to the park before other park guests. This means you’re first in line for a family picture in front of the castle before the park gets crowded. It also puts you closer to the hub so that you can quickly get to your first ride of the day after you dine. HOWEVER: If you plan to make the meal a leisurely experience, this could backfire and put you later in line for rides. Don’t rush your meal, but be efficient with your time if you’re using the reservation to get you inside the park early. The restaurant is not available for guests outside of Magic Kingdom. You can check out the full Crystal Palace menu and pricing here. The lunch and dinner buffets offer country fried chicken with gravy, prime rib, ravioli, mashed potatoes, salads, and desserts. My kids dream about those magic waffles all inbetween our Disney trips! We visited Magic Kingdom a month after our daughter’s birthday, it was part of her birthday present that year. When we mentioned it at The Crystal Palace, they even brought her a birthday cupcake to enjoy after her breakfast. They’ve since changed that rule and now the table service restaurants do serve beer and wine with dinner. The Crystal Palace takes it one step farther and offers specialty cocktails including mimosas, homemade sangria, bloody marys, and more. We were so excited for this change in policy! However, the restaurant is themed as a Victorian era greenhouse and is filled to the brim with topiaries and tropical palms. The restaurant is stunning on a sunny morning with all the natural light streaming in through the glass windows. It is one of the best places for character photos in all of Magic Kingdom.
