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Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Review

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Back in October, my husband and I enjoyed the Crystal Palace character breakfast in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World! Today, I am sharing our review of that experience.

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast

My husband and I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh cartoons and movies. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Pooh and friends a couple of times. However, my husband hasn’t been with me on those prior trips to Disney. We initially had this meal booked for a March 2020 trip. However, that trip was cancelled due to Covid when the resort shut down. We’ve been slowly making up reservations from that trip with each return visit, including trying Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast on this trip as well. So, I was tickled to finally check off Crystal Palace with my husband so he could meet these characters!

For those who don’t know, Crystal Palace is a greenhouse-inspired with Victorian touches restaurant right off Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. It features a buffet and Winnie the Pooh characters!

Breakfast Food

I booked a late breakfast reservation for 10:15 AM. Breakfast is cheaper than lunch and dinner, at $48/adult vs $61/adult. However, as with my Tusker House Breakfast Review, they start switching out the food from breakfast to lunch around 10:45 AM. So, we got to enjoy a little bit of both meals for the price of breakfast!

The one item they are known for here during breakfast is the churro Mickey waffles! I made sure to grab one as soon as I hit up the buffet to make sure I didn’t miss it. It’s a sweet, cinnamon waffle that’s unique as most other locations only serve regular Mickey waffles. So, if you are looking for a character meal with a little bit different menu, this may be a good spot. You can view more of my food in the Instagram post below.

The Characters

Being two grown adults, my husband and I try not to take too much of the characters’ time. This was a pretty fast character meal though. First up was Piglet. He’s so pink and cute! Next up, it was Tigger who is a brighter orange than you would think. Then, it was Eeyore! He was extra cute as he came up behind my seated husband and played a bit of peek-a-boo with him. Haha! That was probably the stand out memory from this meal. I loved the pictures I managed to get of my husband and Eeyore.

Currently, Winnie the Pooh does not come around to the tables to meet you. You get in line to meet him at the end of your meal, before you leave the restaurant. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long to meet him. There’s a cast member there to take photos, which made it the only character photo we got together. I thought it was a nice touch.

Is Crystal Palace character breakfast worth it?

As with any character meal, it’s an expensive meal. Aside from the much hyped churro waffles, I wouldn’t say any of the food stood out. However, you don’t really go here for the food. Besides, the food options in Magic Kingdom can be lackluster anyways. If you are a fan of Pooh and friends, then this is a great option. If you are looking for a sit down breakfast at MK, then it’s also not a bad idea. I wouldn’t recommend this place for someone on a tight budget though.

So, have you enjoyed the Crystal Palace character breakfast?

Magic Kingdom After Hours 2024 Review

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I just returned from a lovely trip to the Orlando theme parks. While there, my mom and I attended a Magic Kingdom after hours event. So, I thought I would do a little review of the experience to help others decide if it’s a good event for them.

Magic Kingdom After Hours

Magic Kingdom After Hours

Walt Disney World hosts special after hours events at their theme parks. These are separately ticketed events that take place after normal park hours. They are more expensive than a regular theme park ticket. However, they are limited capacity events so there are significantly fewer people in the park.

Currently, only three parks are hosting these special events: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. The Magic Kingdom dates are either a Monday or Thursday, from now until June 27th. Technically, the event is only three hours: 10 PM to 1 AM. However, your ticket will allow you to enter the park at 7 PM.

The Rides

The main appeal of these events is the ability to ride the rides without much wait. The night we attended started out rainy. So, we were able to ride lots of rides before the event officially started! By 10:05 PM we had been on Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, and Haunted Mansion! If we had skipped the first fireworks show (more on that below), we probably could have hit up even more rides.

By the end of the night we had ridden Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder 2x each! We also managed to ride Mine Train with minimal wait as we got on right before they closed the line for the second fireworks show. We also rode It’s a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Tomorrowland Speedway once each! As you can see, this is an amazing opportunity to ride lots of rides in a short amount of time!

The Free Snacks

These events also come with some free snacks! Select ice cream novelties and popcorn are provided for free during the event! You can also get bottled beverages included with the price of admission! They start handing them out at 10 PM, so we grabbed a couple of drinks and ice creams prior to the second fireworks show. I got an ice cream sandwich and my mom got an ice cream bar. They also had a strawberry bar available. This was a nice break and a chance to relax in between running around the park for rides.

The Entertainment

New for 2024, this event comes with a special showing of the Disney Enchantment fireworks! So, for the price of one ticket, you can see two fireworks shows! Plus, the second one is with much smaller crowds. We watched the regular fireworks show, Happily Ever After with the regular park guests on Main Street. Even with the rain and wind, it was a huge crowd. So, it was a rare (and very nice) opportunity to experience Enchantment from right in front of the castle with plenty of elbow room! Then again, we are the same people who will pay extra for a seated fireworks dessert party.

Is the Magic Kingdom After Hours event worth it?

The event costs $155-175 per person, with discounts for DVC owners and passholders. So, it’s a pricey 3-6 hours in the park. However, it was worth it for us. It allowed us to rides countless rides as well as watch two fireworks shows and enjoy a few snacks. I don’t think it would be worth it if you go often or if you have young kids who can’t stay up late. However, for two adults it’s a great night in the park.

Have you ever attended one of these events?

Mickey’s Very Merry Dessert Party Review

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You already know about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which I reviewed last year. However, did you know that you can also book a Very Merry Dessert Party for a seated view of the fireworks and a dessert buffet? My mom and I booked this add-on experience on my most recent trip, so I thought I would do a review in case anyone else is considering it.

Very Merry Dessert Party

Very Merry Dessert Party

Anyone who has ever visited the Magic Kingdom knows how crowded it gets for the fireworks. It’s not unusual at these special events to stake out a spot for the parade and/or fireworks 40 minutes or more in advance. In fact, that’s what my mom and I did last year. So, this year we decided to spring for Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Dessert Party! Basically, you get a reserved seated fireworks viewing area and a tasty spread of sweets!

Party Food

Unlike at the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party where you are given a plate of food, at this one there’s a whole buffet to select from! My mom remarked that she really liked this one since she wasn’t limited to eating whatever items they gave everyone. There was an apple caramel crepe that was tasty! I also enjoyed the chocolate covered strawberries and some cinnamon doughnuts! There was a mini key lime tart that surprised me as I don’t typically think of key limes for Christmas, but it was a nice reminder that I was in Florida.

There was also a variety of beverages to enjoy! They had a nice sparkling apple cider as well as some hydrating water. I tried the sparkling wine as I typically like champagne, but it was just ok. My mom got some juice and water. They had plenty of beverage options.

The only complaint I can come up with is the fact that there are so few savory/salty items. They had some cheese and crackers, but everything else was sweet. So, this is definitely for the folks with a sweet tooth!

The View

We headed over to the Tomorrowland Terrace after waiting over an hour to meet the Seven Dwarfs. So, having a seat for the fireworks show was amazing after that! We checked in early, around 8:40 to ensure we got a table by the railing and we got an amazing view! Everyone is seated at the Tomorrowland Terrace with a view of the castle, but those who arrive early get the prime spots. So, I encourage you to arrive 20-ish minutes earlier than they tell you to for the best spots. You are free to come and go, so you could pick out your table and come back later.

I also have to say how nice it was to just sit and take in the show/view without a bunch of people pushing up on me. I was reminded just how nice this was when we left the terrace to get a spot for the second parade and was surrounded by pushy people.

Is the Very Merry Dessert Party worth it?

The Christmas Party is already an expensive separately ticketed event. Then, you add another $100+ for this dessert party. So, it’s a very expensive evening. It also takes time away from the party to sit and enjoy your treats. It also doesn’t leave any stomach space for the party exclusive treats. However, you can see an obstructed view of the parade and castle stage show from this area. Plus, the cookies they give out at the party come individually wrapped, so you can take some with you. My mom and I really enjoyed this experience and highly recommend it if you like desserts and want to sit down.

Have you ever done the Very Merry Dessert Party? What did you think?

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant Review

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Last December, when my mom and I attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, we had dinner at Tony’s Town Square. Today I thought I would provide a review of that experience.

Tony's Town Square

Tony’s Town Square

For those who don’t know, Tony’s Town Square is an Italian restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. In fact, the restaurant is one of the first things you encounter upon entering the park, after going under the train station! I had passed by this place countless times, but had never eaten here. So, I decided that it was time to change that. Plus, the location of it was super convenient for attending the party directly afterwards.

Lady and the Tramp Theme

This is not an ordinary Italian restaurant. No, it’s the restaurant from Lady and the Tramp where the dogs have their first kiss! So, this restaurant has pictures of the dogs on the walls. Plus, there’s an adorable water fountain featuring the dogs. They even play the classic movie in the waiting area!

My mom is a dog lover, so I knew she would appreciate the theme here. She enjoyed watching some of the movie while we waited to be seated. She also enjoyed seeing some of the pictures on the walls.

We were seated in the front of the restaurant, near the windows. That meant that we didn’t really get to enjoy the movie theme during the meal. However, we did get an excellent view of the park and its Christmas tree! I loved that more than seeing the pictures. It was nice to walk by and see the pictures and fountain. I loved being able to sit inside comfortably while gazing at the Magic Kingdom tree during our meal. I highly recommend doing that sometime.

The Food

I’ll be honest, I had read bad reviews of this place before eating here. So, I was nervous. We started the meal with Tony’s Garlic Bread for the Table. It had a great garlic flavor. Unfortunately, it was bit over toasted and was a little too hard for our liking. Next, came our entrees.

I selected the Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp. While it wasn’t a bad dish, it didn’t really wow me either. I’d say it was just ok. I could have used a little more flavor or spice. My mom got the Chicken Parmigiana. She seemed to enjoy this. She ate all of the chicken, but left behind a good amount of sauce. There again, I think it could have benefitted from some seasoning.

Is Tony’s Town Square worth it?

While I enjoyed the view of Main Street/the tree and it was a convenient meal, I don’t know that I will be returning. It’s not a bad restaurant. However, I think there’s much better food in the area (particularly at the Magic Kingdom resorts). This year, my mom and I are planning to eat some quick service prior to the party instead of eating here. I definitely wouldn’t recommend using a table service dining credit to eat here. Although, I could see it being a good sit-down meal for a family with picky eaters and people who like the movie/dogs. Have you ever eaten here?

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Review

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I just got back from a very busy trip to Orlando on Wednesday. One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Walt Disney World for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Having attended the party a few times in the past, I feel like I can give a fair review of the event and provide a few tips.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Just in case you don’t know, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is an add-on ticketed event held at the Magic Kingdom after normal park hours to celebrate the holiday season. Typically, it’s held from early/mid-November until right before Christmas. The party includes special character meet and greets, a Christmas parade, holiday stage and fireworks shows, ride overlays, as well as free cookies and drinks!

Party Entertainment

One of the main draws of the party is the unique entertainment options. One key difference between this party and the Not So Scary Halloween Party though is that these shows will eventually be included with the regular park admission as you get closer to Christmas. However, if you are visiting before that time, then you can only experience the holiday parade, stage show, and fireworks show at the Christmas Party. Personally, I absolutely adore seeing the toy soldiers marching down Main Street, USA!

Food

During the Halloween Party, you can trick-or-treat for candy. During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you can go around the park for free cookies and beverages! These treats are only available at the party. However, this year they were pre-packaged Cheryl’s cookies. So, if you want to try them outside the party, you can order some for yourself.

Now that you have an adequate understanding of the party itself, allow me to share some tips with you!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tips

  • Arrive early. The party starts at 7 PM, but your ticket allows you to enter the park at 4! Use this time to eat dinner or get in line for any big characters you want to see.
  • Get a spot for entertainment early. Stake out your spot for the parade early. In previous years, the second parade was less crowded. However, this year it appeared that this advice has been read by everyone and it’s no longer the case. My mom and I sat on Main Street for the first parade and it was less crowded than the second parade! So, just know that if you want a prime spot, you need to get there at least 30-45 minutes early.
  • Pick up an event guide. When you first enter the park, pick up an event guide that features a map with treat locations as well as times guide. I highly recommend picking one up to reference throughout the night.
  • Make a list of must-do’s. You aren’t going to be able to see and do everything at the party. It’s just too short/too crowded. So, do your research and know the things that are priorities for your group.
  • Enjoy the ambiance. You could be annoyed that you have to stake out a spot for the parade so far in advance or that you have to be so close with so many people. You can also choose to enjoy just being in the park while it’s decorated for the holidays and snowing! I truly believe your attitude impacts your experience. Make the best of it and you will enjoy it.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party can be a delightful holiday addition to your Disney World trip. I promise that there’s nothing else like it!