Crystal Palace Breakfast Review
Crystal Palace is a character buffet in the Magic Kingdom featuring Pooh & Friends and serving breakfast and dinner. It’s a one credit restaurant on the Disney Dining Plan. This review features food photos, tips for getting into Magic Kingdom before it opens by booking breakfast, and our thoughts on the meal.
Get into Magic Kingdom before it opens, you say? Sarah and I often try to blunt the disappointment of leaving Walt Disney World on our last day by having pre-opening breakfast at Crystal Palace (a more cost-effective alternative is doing breakfast at Be Our Guest Restaurant, even if the food is not as good, it’s a good option!).
Reservations for these Magic Kingdom restaurants can be booked starting at 8:05 am on days when the park opens at 9 am. That 8:05 am slot can be difficult to book, but it’s well worth it as it offers you a chance to see and photograph the park while empty, and also gives you a jumpstart on the crowds at park opening. We are always really excited about this, as the prospect of getting some empty park shots during the daylight hours is great, as is doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Train after our meal with minimal wait…
Invariably, though, we get to the park about 5 minutes after our ADR time, and never have any time to take photos. This is in part because we don’t plan enough time, and in part because we’ve relied on the Disney transportation system (and it is operational prior to park opening, so it can get you there. For us, though, an Uber/Lyft is going to be the way to go to get to Magic Kingdom early in the future.
By the time we get there, we’re typically able to only stop for a couple of quick pictures on Main Street, before heading to the Crystal Palace. One tip here is to make sure to take your photos before checking in at the Crystal Palace; once you check-in, you won’t be able to leave the vicinity of the Crystal Palace.
Aside from empty park photos, is Crystal Palace worth booking for breakfast? Let’s take a look…
Once inside the restaurant you’re hit by the Victorian charm of the location that dates back to the park’s opening. The atrium includes colorful Pooh character topiaries and other greenery, as well as a large glass dome ceiling.
Behind the greenery, you will see the wonderful buffet that will certainly start your day off right!
It’s worth noting that the Crystal Palace is character dining, although you certainly don’t have to interact with the characters if that’s not your cup of tea.
Sarah and I like to embrace our “inner six-year old” and have fun with the characters. It gives us a chance to interact with them in the air-conditioning while eating–what’s not to love?!
Piglet, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger are the characters featured here. If you’ll be meeting these characters at some point on your trip, an early morning ADR can definitely save you time and frustration.
This way, you don’t have to deal with lines by doing a character meal. The characters typically make their rounds fairly quickly here, so you can usually meet all of the characters within 45 minutes.
The food at Crystal Palace is delicious. I’m not sure what’s different from Cape May Café, but for some reason, Crystal Palace seems a bit better.
I also think it’s better than Chef Mickey’s (even though we hate dinner at Chef Mickey’s, breakfast is pretty solid there), which is probably the second or third-most difficult ADR to secure. Do keep in mind that they are buffets, though, so “delicious” is somewhat relative.
In any case, they’re all delicious for breakfast. We probably are biased towards Crystal Palace a bit because of its location in Magic Kingdom and the added “perk” of being able to get into the park before it opens.
When you consider the characters at each of the three restaurants, I think both Cape May Cafe and Chef Mickey’s are better because the characters at those locations are superior…no offense, Pooh.
My biggest complaint is that Crystal Palace doesn’t offer any real ‘signature’ item on the buffet or anything really ambitious to set it apart from the other breakfast buffets.
For what you’re paying to dine here, some differentiation or little touches would be nice. Even something like breakfast sandwiches would be really welcome here, but maybe that’s an unrealistic expectation given the complexity of a breakfast sandwich? It also might be a good thing: I’m a sucker for breakfast sandwiches, so I’d probably never leave if Crystal Palace had them.
As noted, Crystal Palace is not cheap. For better or worse, no character dining experience at Walt Disney World is inexpensive or offers objectively good value when taking into account just the food.
You’re definitely paying a premium for meeting the Winnie the Pooh characters in an air-conditioned environment with no wait.
Whether that character surcharge is worth it to you is a personal question, but given how popular of an ADR Crystal Palace is (along with virtually every other character meal), most Walt Disney World guests seem to think that the value proposition here makes sense. For us, it’s a ‘once in a while’ type of thing. I’d hazard a guess that if we had kids, Crystal Palace would be a must-do each trip.
Overall, Crystal Palace is a great dining “experience.” While the food is very good for a breakfast buffet (and is probably the best breakfast in all of the Magic Kingdom, although that isn’t saying a whole lot), it’s not worth the exorbitant prices, on its own. However, when you add in the fact that a pre-opening ADR at Crystal Palace enables you to capture some rare “empty-Main Street” photos of your family, the wonderful ambiance of the Crystal Palace, and the Pooh and friends meet & greet, the cost is more than justified. I’m not sure I would say the same for a 10 am reservation when the restaurant is more likely to be packed to the gills and you don’t have the benefit of enjoying an empty Main Street, but if you plan correctly, Crystal Palace can be one of your best dining experiences in all of Walt Disney World!
Want more dining tips? Check out our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. Planning other aspects of a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts…
Are you a fan of Crystal Palace? If so, which is your favorite meal here? Do you eat here primarily for the food, or for the ambiance (or ability to get into the park early)? Any questions we can help you answer about Crystal Palace or other breakfast options at Magic Kingdom? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
This is a must do every time we go to Disney. Love breakfast.
We agree with one of the above postings……8:05 a.m. Reservations are a must do at the CP.
Yes….maybe it is a little overpriced …but ….. what better quality restaurant in WDW isn’t?
You just cannot beat an early morning walk down Main Street for an 8:05 reservation….to walk through the doors to all the food selections waiting for you.
Mickey waffles to pancakes to breakfast pizzas to eggs, fresh fruit , oatmeal, …you name it…they have it….all fresh….and probably the best in WDW.
And besides….maybe because the day hasn’t started and no one is tired yet…… but it just always seems that everyone is in the greatest of moods with everyone having fun and enjoying Pooh and Tigger.
Great place…great breakfast ….great beginning to a day at WDW
Everybody is talking about the breakfast – but what is supper like?? Is it still a character meal? Is the food still a buffet??
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SEVP
I love the CP but I’m not a breakfast person at all. On our last trip our youngest son was getting his first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop. I got the 9am reservation so we could get into the park early and so he could have his ears all day. I’m not sure how it works with dining reservations but with HBS I just had to tell them that I had the reservation. They didn’t ask for proof of any kind. I loved being in the park when it was almost empty and I didn’t have to eat a meal I really didn’t want to do it.
Spot on review Tom. We love CP. Our kids our older now….we still go there, but we always used character meals for character meets/pics instead of standing in lines all day when they were younger. Now, we just go because it’s fun and the food is fairly good…well…for Disney food.
I just booked a 9:10am reservation in February. Do you think that will give us enough time to see the rope drop, which we’ve never seen, and then head over to Crystal Palace?
Yeah, you’ll be fine.
Hey Tom, first off let me say what an awesome job you have don. You have really helped answer many of my questions. I also was curious to know about the pictures of you two in front of the castle. I have a breakfast @ 8:10 at The Crystal Palace and really wanted to capture some great pictures without the swarming crowds. Were those pictures taken pre breakfast or post breakfast? Also, did you just happen to grab a passerby to take the photo or were there photopasss people there ready to capture photos. Thank you for your help and once again great blog.
8:10…and I assume that’s a morning that the park opens at 9 am? You’ll be able to take pictures before your breakfast. PhotoPass *should* be there already at that point, but if not, other Cast Members will be around.
Crystal Palace 8:05 ADR is a must do for us every year. I learned after our second visit (got to the bus stop at 7:15 and we had just missed the bus) get to the bus stop at 7:00. That way you will catch an early bus. Made it there early every time since. We always have time to check in and then wander around the hub and take pictures before heading back by 8:00 to wait to be seated.
I do not know what they do differently with their scrambled eggs but they are seriously the best scrambled eggs we have ever had. And they are that good every time. And the French toast – wow, simply delicious!
We cannot wait to return for breakfast in 50 days.
Hey, Tom! I’m from Brazil and going to WDW for the first time in September (excited!!!). I was checking the ADRs for CP and most of them are only available after 9am. Do you think they let us enter MK at 8am with this ADR?
Thanks! Great tips! ;D
Book the earliest ADR you can (you might search several days and plan around it) and show up early. I’ve never heard of the front gates turning away people for being too early, but if you have an ADR that’s actually *at* park opening, you may not be on the early entry list in the first place.
I’m not entirely sure how that process works, so I could be wrong on this…
Great site Tom – I am finding it the one I always fall back to for the “real story”.
We have 8:30 ADRs in October and staying at the Poly. Any experience with the Monorails that early? Are they running at 7:30am? Finally – do they limit how early we can get into the MK with 8:30 ADRs?
I have an ADR at 8:45am in JULY (ahhhh crowds) I was wondering what time my family should head out? This is our very first Disney trip as a family (3 kids ages 11,9,2)and I have no idea what to expect! What time should we get the bus? Will they just allow us to walk into MK? How early are we allowed in before our reservation?
They’ll probably allow you in the park as early as 8 am. I’d try to be there by then, so you can potentially be done with your meal early. Head to the bus stop about 50 minutes before you want to be in the Magic Kingdom.
Hi Tom and Sarah! We really want to go here on our trip this year. What’s the price like? Is it similar to Chef Mickey’s? Thanks for the great review!
Definitely one of the top spots on our list for oh May honeymoon! Can’t wait!!
We just made a reservation to CP for ADR per your suggestion. We are excited to have early time on Main Street since it is my son’s first MK visit. He is 2 1/2 yo. I loved your photos. Who took them? Did other attendees of the breakfast or are there MK photo people there?. Your blog is terrific!! You really have helped me plan a wonderful trip. Thank you:)
I agree that Crystal Palace is the place to be for early morning character dining. We try to get one breakfast in with some characters during a trip to Disney and we ate at Crystal Palace the last time we went. Even my (at the time) 8-year-old joined into the “parade” around the restaurant with Pooh bear and all of his friends which was AWESOME to see from a kid that usually feels “too-cool” for such things.
Totally agree! Pre-rope drop ADRs here are A MUST DO for our family on every trip. Some of our most memorable Disney moments are in Crystal Palace. And there is nothing quite like walking down Main Street before the park is open.
We love CP as well!! Although we are going to Chef Mickey’s on our last morning in November, we will probably switch back to CP in May. Love getting those early AM Main Street shots!!
I LOVE CP for an early breakfast! Actually, I love CP anytime and I don’t even like characters. Good food, great location, and if you eat enough it’s a decent price. While the breakfast there is a little pricer than others, you get into MK an hour early, and that is priceless!
And I’ve never had a problem getting their for an 8:05 ADR. Just take the first bus that leaves your resort at like 730 🙂
Ha, easier said than done with the bus! We’ve arrived out at the bus stop at 7:20 before, and still didn’t end up at MK until ~8:10. Not cool!
This is another must do on our list and we will be there once again on our upcoming Sept. visit. I usually am able to secure the 8:05am reservation and this year I am hoping to also secure some of those empty Main Street photographs. We always leave happy with as full a belly as chubby ole’ Pooh!
Already have a early am reservation for December. Last year we did Akershus, looking forward to this one quite a bit.
How was Akershus? We aren’t “into” meeting princesses, but if the breakfast is good enough, we may try it anyway!
The breakfast at Akershus is probably one of the best at Disney World. You go to the buffet which has regular fruits and breakfast things on it as well as Danish breakfast foods. Then they bring you a family style plate of the best bacon, sausage, potatoes and scrambled eggs. The princesses make their rounds as you dine. I’d go back there in a heartbeat.
Crystal Palace is high on our list and we’re headed back there in 78 days from today.
Do you have pre-opening ADRs? Have a great trip!
Is that a…chocolate Mickey Waffle? That may need a food review all its own. I didn’t know those existed!
Me neither, until that meal. They are real, and they’re spectacular! (I hope someone gets that reference!)
I’m sure they were spectacular (in both instances). January ADR for CP – 180 day window opens up on Saturday. Wish us luck for a pre-opening ADR.
I will have to try those on our next trip. We always try to do a pre-park opening character meal at the Crystal Palace during our visits. (And by the way, that quote was Teri Hatcher on Seinfeld!)
Seinfeld. How did it take almost 2 years for somebody to answer that?