The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom Welcomes Winnie the Pooh and Friends

The Crystal Palace is Magic Kingdom’s only buffet-style table restaurant. Before the closure in 2020, this was where you could fill your plate during breakfast, lunch, and dinner while saying hello to your friends from the 100 Acre Wood. After Magic Kingdom’s reopening, The Crystal Palace did not have character dining – until now. Character meals at The Crystal Palace have returned.

We’re happy to share that Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore are back, hugging and greeting guests during lunch and dinner. Don’t worry – breakfast will open on October 25th. You can make reservations for breakfast at The Crystal Palace online now.

What You Need to Know

The Crystal Palace is located to the left of Casey’s Corner as you make your way out of Main Street, U.S.A., and into Adventureland. This restaurant is one of the few places that serve iconic breakfast foods like Mickey Waffles inside the Magic Kingdom. This gorgeous Victorian-styled greenhouse is enchanting, bright, and welcoming.

Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2:55 p.m., and dinner runs from 3:00 p.m. to 6:55 p.m. The cost is $59.99 plus tax and tip for adults and $35.99 plus tax and tip for children. This seems to be the standard Disney pricing for all character meals that are not breakfast. Annual Passholders receive a 10% discount at The Crystal Palace.

Considering the popularity and recent reintroduction of character dining, we strongly suggest booking a reservation at least 60 days before your trip. If your trip is coming up, check out our TouringPlans Reservation Finder to get those hard-to-book dining experiences.

Meeting Pooh & Friends

A common question about this type of meal is how much time you really get to spend with the characters. Our researcher felt they had plenty of time to hug, smooch, and enjoy the Friendship Day Celebration with Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

A Cast Member will tell you a few moments ahead when a character is on their way. They also follow the same route – you won’t miss any of them!

The Buffet

Lunch and dinner take inspiration from American, Southern, and Italian flavors. It’s no secret that the food is not our favorite at this buffet, especially compared to Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But where else can you have a guaranteed meet and greet with Pooh Bear without waiting in line and a spot where your kids can have unlimited soft-serve ice cream and chicken nuggets? Nevertheless, our researcher raved about the carrots and said the chicken was better than on her last visit.

There are plenty of options available, which are perfect for picky eaters.

The salad and cold bar features meat and cheeses, peel-and-eat shrimp, fruit salad, Waldorf salad, and standard salad fixings.

Plenty of desserts are available, including puddings, cakes, and mousses. We are definitely eyeing that butterscotch pudding with caramel corn!

You can fill your plate with plenty of ravioli, country-fried chicken, prime rib, shrimp, and veggies.

Beer, wine, specialty cocktails, and hard cider are available (for an extra cost).

Final Thoughts

It is exciting to see Disney Parks bringing back characters for dining. While the price is a little steep, especially if you have a big group, The Crystal Palace is a good spot if you want to meet characters, have picky eaters, or are looking for a restful place to relax at Magic Kingdom.

We are so happy to welcome Pooh Bear back at The Crystal Palace. We’re already antsy to see them at breakfast!

Have you ever been to The Crystal Palace? Would you recommend this Magic Kingdom restaurant? Let us know if the comments!