Sunday, October 23rd (continued)
It was another easy drive to the Ticket and Transportation Center
: we parked in the Villains lot, hopped aboard a waiting tram, then quickly caught the monorail to the park entrance. Lines for security were fairly minimal and we took our place in the line up for party guests at just after 3:30 pm. Again this visit, Cast Members opened those gates even before the expected 4 pm: at 3:45 sharp, a cheer of appreciation
rippled through the crowd as the turnstiles began allowing the first party guests entry into the Magic Kingdom. We obtained our bracelets and trick-or-treat bags, and then we were off.
For this party, since we didn’t have the Hallowishes Dessert Party to save stomach room for, we booked a dinner reservation for Crystal Palace: we hadn’t dined here since our very first Florida trip in 2009, and back then, it had been one of our favourite meals of the entire vacation. It had held such happy memories for us for the last 7 years, I was hoping this experience would turn out to be as equally heart-warming and fun
.
Once we were inside the park, we texted Lisa and Joe to see where they were at with the kids: this was their first visit to any Disney park, and we hoped that they made it to the Ticket & Transportation Center without issue. We had tried to give them a really good primer on how to get to the Magic Kingdom, but it can be rather confusing for first timers, especially with three excited kids chattering incessantly in the backseat
. We were happy to receive an immediate response that they were currently on the monorail, and the kids had just caught their first glimpse of the castle
. She confirmed that their excitement was bubbling over and that they should be in the parks fairly soon. We promised that we would try to find them after our dinner was over, as we knew they had a few Fastpasses reserved….which were different than ours….to fill the time before 7 pm.
With arriving perfectly on time and being let into the park even early than we had anticipated, we had plenty of time before our ADR to meander around Main Street USA and even take in a ride or two (or three!
).
While I hadn’t bothered to secure the full 3 Fastpasses that I had access to, I did snag one for Pirates that was timed so that we could ride before our Crystal Palace dinner. We also had enough time before our ADR to ride Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, visit the Tiki Room, and get more Photopass pictures....we were getting
great value out of our $21 Memory Maker Share
.
After the show concluded in the Tiki Room, we made our way back to the hub to check in at Crystal Palace.
There were quite a few people milling about, so we anticipated that we might have a bit of a lengthy wait before we were seated. We were quite surprised, then, when our pager began to buzz within less than five minutes from the time we left the podium. Making our way to the restaurant entrance, a waiting CM greeted us warmly and escorted us to our waiting table.
It is so pretty inside Crystal Palace: it’s like having dinner inside a fancy English garden
. The wonderful windows, the high ceilings, the details on the iron chair backs, and the white columns make it feel bright, airy and open despite the large number of people that the room can accommodate.
The Winnie-the-Pooh inspired gardens are also super cute
.
Once we were seated, our most wonderful server came over to take our drink orders and welcome us to visit the buffet whenever we were ready. I can’t say enough good things about this gentle and delightful older soul: she was so sweet and attentive, it felt like we were being take care of by one of our mothers. The meal was definitely off to a very positive start!
The food at this buffet had been really great 7 years ago, so we hoped that would be the case again this visit…..even for picky me. We were both thrilled (and me, a little relieved!) to find almost all the items we remembered so fondly; even better, everything we tried was fresh, hot, and delicious. There was nothing we tried that we didn’t like, and some things were so good, they begged for a second portion.
We had just returned from our first trip through the buffet line when the first of the characters dropped in to visit us at our table. The fun was just beginning, so we swallowed that first bite of mashed potatoes and readied the camera
. The food might be Steve's favourite part of the mealtime experience, but the character interaction is always tops for me
.
Our dinner at Crystal Palace is continued in the next post.
.
. Today was no exception: after feigning initial fear at the sight of two pirates, he challenged Steve to a pretend sword fight before sweetly indulging us in some great photos and awesome hugs.
. He just made it back to the table when Pooh Bear arrived.
. Once he finally freed himself from her grasp, we enjoyed a great visit and the opportunity for some fun photos.
. The sweets and treats on the dessert buffet were not only adorably cute [many of them with a Halloween theme] but they were also mouthwateringly delicious 
. 
. Alas, even pirate wenches need to watch their waistlines, though, so I used every bit of restraint that I had and allowed myself to be satisfied with just the one plate. Ya’ll should be proud of me 
.
. Parenthood just zaps a person of that wonderful talent.
.
.
. If I'm too traumatized to walk to the pool alone in the dark on our trip next month, I'm blaming YOU 
. Sigh. It's hard to concentrate on my trip report when I'm getting "the look".
