wdwamanda
Registered: August 2009
Location: MA
Posts: 15
|
|
Review Date: Mon November 16, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
|
|
Pros:
|
Characters
|
|
Cons:
|
Mediocre food, seating confusion
|
|
My family, fiance, and I ate a late breakfast at 1900 Park Fare on 11/14. We really want to try out all the character breakfasts in WDW, but I think our expectations have been set a little too high with our absolute favorite, the Crystal Palace. While we love the character interaction, we also hope for good food too. While 1900 Park Fare had a good mix of characters (we saw Pooh, Tigger, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins) the food was really just so-so. I liked the potatoes, but found the same ones at Gasparilla Grill & Games the next morning so it's nothing to make a special trip for. Waffles were soggy and fruit a little bland. My fiance LOVED the coffee, bread pudding, and the strawberry soup, though, so I guess I just chose some of the lesser items on the buffet.
I suppose our experience started on a negative foot, so that may have soured things a bit. The picture was totally pointless for us since there wasn't even a character there - we were asked to pose in front of a mural and for a package worth $30-something. In the future we will opt out of this sort of picture.
When we checked in we were given a buzzer to wait. We waited a LONG time in the lobby, despite having ADRs. The hostess had asked us to wait somewhere on the first or second floor of the main building, so we stayed in one of the seating areas on the first floor. Finally one of the hostesses approached our party and asked for us by name. They had forgotten to tell us that the pagers do not work on the marble tables...for some reason they won't go off there. When we checked in they just asked us to stay on the first or second floor. After the picture, our party of four was led to a table right next to the buffet...but we were confused since the table was for a party of 6. But that's where we were seated so we waited patiently for our server. A few minutes later a different host came up to our table with a larger family in tow, and we were essentially yelled at to get out and go back to our table...but this is the one they had seated us at! While we didn't mind moving, I was particularly upset by the fact that the host treated us as "table jumpers" so to speak. Maybe he thought we wanted more space or we wanted to be closer to the buffet or something, but really we were just waiting where they had asked us to wait. Once we finally got the point across that we had no other place to sit so they would have to find one for us, they led us to a different table and the rest of the meal improved.
The thing I most appreciated about this breakfast was the fact that the managers made a point of going around to the tables and talking to guests, especially when they were closing down. They encouraged us to take extra food and, most importantly, they asked each family individually if they had gotten to see every character. That was great and was actually the thing we were most nervous about with our 11:10 reservation (the last slot for breakfast, I think). Also, contrary to many other reviews, we found this to be the quietest character breakfast we've attended...no parades or dance parties for the children...really it was just characters circulating the room (which some would prefer; to us it doesn't make a huge difference either way).
Overall, I would recommend this, especially if you like Mary Poppins or Alice in Wonderland, but with a word of caution. I, on the other hand, will not be in a hurry to return here for breakfast now that I've done it once.
For better food and a sunnier atmosphere, go to the Crystal Palace!
|
|
HEDYSHAIRBALLS
Registered: November 2009
Posts: 15
|
|
Review Date: Tue November 10, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
EXCELLENT FOOD, SERVICE AND ATMOSPHERE
|
|
Cons:
|
NONE
|
|
THIS IS OUR FAVORITE CHARACTER EXPERIENCE. EVERY ASPECT IS TOP DRAWER-FROM THE FOOD, SERVICE, ATMOSPHERE AND THE CHARACTER INTERACTION. WE WILL BE RETURNING ON OUR NEXT TRIP WHEN WE BRING OUR GRANDCHILDREN. COUNTING THE DAYS!!!
|
|
DisneyNutz
Registered: March 2006
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Posts: 55
|
|
Review Date: Wed October 28, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
good variety of food, all characters visited us
|
|
Cons:
|
none
|
|
This is my husband’s favorite character breakfast and we have done this breakfast twice already. We like it much better than Crystal Palace as we found this one a little less rowdy and crowded. This time, you get your photo taken prior to going into the restaurant-same as Chef Mickey’s. The picture turned out quite well so we bought the package. The breakfast has so much variety. I like the smoked salmon the best. All the characters came to our table and although we don’t have children a few tables were just couples only so don’t let that discourage you from visiting if you are a party without children. We also like the food stations are spread out and there is plenty of room for everyone to get around.
|
|
annat856
Registered: September 2006
Posts: 76
|
|
Review Date: Mon October 5, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Mary Poppins and the Grand Floridian
|
|
Cons:
|
way too crazy crowded
|
|
This was by far the most crazy of all the restaurants we visited last week. We waited for a long time to be seated which was pretty hard for a large family with kids to do. When seated, the food was terrific. I love the strawberry soup, French toast and omelettes. The kids love Mickey waffles, bacon, and lots of fresh fruit. Our waitress kept the orange juice glasses full. The characters were a bit too fast and I know my kids would have enjoyed more time with them. Mary Poppins spent a good amount of time with us and she's the reason I go here so I was pleased!
|
|
Dispro
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 6
|
|
Review Date: Sat October 3, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Unique characters (Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland)
|
|
Cons:
|
Mary Poppins was grumpy, food was fair
|
|
Just remember that you are paying for the characters at this restaurant. The breakfast was very noisy, and my daughter said the breakfast pizza was horrible! Neither of my daughters ate very much of their food, but they did enjoy the characters. The server brought my 5 year old a glass of chocolate milk in an adult glass which was instantly spilled down the front of her shirt. Luckily, our room was not far from the restaurant, so I was able to run to the room (literally) to get a clean shirt before taking pictures with the characters. We did not take the time to have the chef make us an omelet, which probably would have been the best item on the buffet, because we had already been there for an hour. The food is average breakfast food, but the character experience makes it worthwhile. However, I would suggest hitting the parks early and booking your breakfast for the latest time possible since the parks are already getting crowded by then.
|
|
SandjloPhoto
Registered: September 2008
Location: Santa Paula, CA
Posts: 30
|
|
Review Date: Sun September 27, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 1
|
|
Pros:
|
Mediocre
|
|
Cons:
|
Service, Character INteraction
|
|
Visited 9.16.09: Food was fair, but children ran wild in line at the buffet. Character interaction was non existent. We SAW some of them, but none came to our table. A member of our party very much wanted to meet Mary Poppins. After being about the 3rd table seated, and no characters after 45 minutes, we left. Would never do it again.
|
|
tiffanikoop
Registered: May 2009
Posts: 9
|
|
Review Date: Tue September 22, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Lots of breakfast choices, yummy!
|
|
Cons:
|
THE wait!!
|
|
We waited to be seated for an hour. I was feeling sick as well, & the Grand Floridian was so packed that morning with screaming kids and parents running after them, that there was no where to wait in lobby, And the Grand Floridian has a large lobby.
We ended up standing, like I said, for about an hour. Finally, it was our "turn" to eat, but we had to take a picture 1st. Yay, considering we were starving. The pic actually turned out nice, and I am pleased we bought it:O) It was $30, FYI. They seated us near the buffet, which was good. Request a table closer to the buffet for convenience.
The food was great, lots of selection, and the strawberry soup was amazing. And yes, they had the Mickey waffles, witch my kids loved! There is something there for everyone to eat & get stuffed on.
The characters will make their rounds and the only one we kept waiting for was Mad Hatter, I think he passed us out of rotation a few times.. I don't know why. This ended up being A 3 hour meal. Yes, 3 hours.
Park fare was a must for us: you get pooh and friends, plus Mary Poppins and Alice & the Hatter. Everyone we wanted to see, as far as my DD is concerned and the baby loves Pooh & friends. The characters were lively and pleasant, even considering the mad house that was Park Fare that late morning. It is worth the money, if that's your main concern.
If your main concern is having a nice, quiet breakfast at the Grand Floridian one morning, chances are that's not going to happen here. This character meal location is one of the more extremely popular ones and there are tons of screaming kids running around like mad in there to prove it! And BTW, make your ADR'S on this one, because I witnessed a SLEW of parents with upset kids being turned away b/c they didn't have reservations. One man tried to bribe a cast member with cash to get him a table, LOL!
Good luck, and enjoy your meal:O)
|
|
bellanottegirl
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 7
|
|
Review Date: Mon September 14, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
excellent food and service
|
|
Cons:
|
none
|
|
We loved our experience here! The hostess was very nice and our server was excellent, coming by frequently to see if we needed anything. The buffet food was outstanding - my husband had a made-to-order omelet and said it was great. My son loved the Mickey waffles, and this kid usually does not eat waffles ever! I was pleased with the variety of food to choose from, and everything I tried was really good, including the coffee. I thought the scrambled eggs were fantastic and usually at buffets they are dry and crumbly. Not here! The characters were wonderful - never making you feel rushed and they really gave each child their undivided attention. It was busy there, but the characters all came around twice to each table and acted like the kids were their best friends. That was fun to see. The Mad Hatter was hilarious, as was Tigger. I would eat here every day if I could!
|
|
tillch2
Registered: September 2008
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 21
|
|
Review Date: Tue September 8, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Characters
|
|
Cons:
|
None
|
|
The food is your basic buffet, we tried the lobster eggs benedict but a little too much citrus for us. My 19yr old daughter really enjoyed seeing the Mad Hatter, Alice and Mary Poppins. This was a surprise for her. Service was great- think her name was Lulu. Would do it again!
|
|
missy
Registered: August 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 47
|
|
Review Date: Sat August 29, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
|
|
Pros:
|
characters
|
|
Cons:
|
food, service
|
|
I have been here several times and I was very disappointed this time. I asked for eggs over easy and I got them over very hard. This is the second year in a row that this has happened. I think they need a cook who knows that you don't cook eggs over easy for 5 minutes. I timed it and this was really how long I stood in line for eggs.
Our server was not very attentive. We had to pay the 18% gratuity because we were a party of 7 so she figured who cares what kind of service we got. Anyway, the server was very happy to give us our bill then disappeared. 10 minutes later we were still waiting to pay. I asked the person who clears the table to take the bill. He said that he couldn't do it but would get our server. Still nothing. Finally he came back and took it after waiting another 5 minutes. Had to wait for more coffee juice too.
The characters were wonderful. The kids enjoyed this breakfast, but not as much as they did at Crystal Palace.
|
|
GinaDD
Registered: September 2007
Location: Clarksboro, NJ
Posts: 15
|
|
Review Date: Wed August 26, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
seeing the Floridian
|
|
Cons:
|
|
|
When we arrived 30 minutes early, we were seated early. And I think WDW saves its best staff for this flagship hotel. The food itself was pretty good. The orange juice was wonderful!! But to compare it to the Crystal Palace at MK (which also has Pooh), the Crystal Palace was better. Mary Poppins, at Park Fare, was a lovely hostess. Park Fare also had better pancakes.
|
|
CourtneyK
Registered: August 2009
Posts: 4
|
|
Review Date: Sun August 16, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
The selection of food and the character interatction
|
|
Cons:
|
none
|
|
We ate here on 8/11 for a late breakfast, arrived and were seated within 15 minutes. The food was very good, my husband and son loved the made to order omelets, my other son loved the Mickey waffles. The characters were very nice. Alice teased my husband and oldest son because they were wearing hats.
|
|
nicchicky
Registered: August 2009
Posts: 7
|
|
Review Date: Wed August 5, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
|
|
Didn't enjoy this one as much as Chef Mickey. Breakfast was hard for us to get up in time for, so would recommend lunch time if you have small kids and plan on late nights at the park. We ended up going back to the resort for a nap before heading to the park. Found all the characters great, except Mary Poppins didn't seem to fit her character :o)..maybe she's not a morning person..lol.. place can get a bit crowded if you are seated near the buffet, which my hubby found a annoying and thought it would have been better to leave a few tables out to make room, rather than cram everyone in. Overall, the kids loved it, food was nice for grown-ups, kids..mmm same old, waffles and eggs stuff.
|
|
enchantedwithdisney
Registered: June 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 23
|
|
Review Date: Wed July 1, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Characters, Beautiful Grand Floridian
|
|
Cons:
|
None
|
|
Our family of six ate breakfast here on the DDP on 6/21/09. After checking in, we had to wait 20 min. for our table but we didn't mind. We enjoyed sitting in the Grand Floridian lobby and looking at the beautiful decor until we were called.
We had our picture taken in front of a watercolor mural of Cinderella's castle and then we were shown to our table. It was busy but I thought it was much quieter than Chef Mickey's.
We had visits from Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Pooh, and Tigger. At all of the character meals I appreciated how the characters made every effort to visit every table.
My kids enjoyed the buffet and being able to choose whatever they wanted. DH and I enjoyed having a hot breakfast.
We used our Disney Rewards card to pay for the gratuity at every DDP table service meal.
Our server seemed rushed but was attentive with juice refills.
|
|
Stanton
Registered: June 2009
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 12
|
|
Review Date: Tue June 30, 2009
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
food, atmosphere
|
|
Cons:
|
none
|
|
We come for the food, and stay for the Mad Hatter: he steals the show every time. While this is still one of the better buffets in the "world", it is not quite what it was a few years ago. I remember they used to have cheese blintzes, better bagels, etc., but it's still very, very good. Take your cameras and don't miss the Mad Hatter.
|
|
|
Subscribe to AllEars®.Net's RSS feed
;)
;)
;)
;)
