Come join my brother, sister-in-law and I for breakfast at Chef Mickey’s and the new Magic Kingdom entry. This past December I was at Disney Springs when I found out that Walt Disney World was discontinuing the Magic Kingdom’s welcome show and letting guests onto Main Street for the hour prior to the ‘official’ opening of the park that comes with its many attractions beginning operations for the day. I didn’t really get to experience this new routine during my April trip because every day I went to the Magic Kingdom was an extra magic hour day, which meant a couple of the park’s lands would be opening at the same time as the first guests entered (If you remember, I was a little confused about how this all would be handled). Meanwhile, the underwhelming new castle welcome show has made the rounds on the internet and has generally been met with shrugs. So what would a standard Magic Kingdom morning actually be like? You’ll have to watch to get that answer.
Another nice video. I am a fan of the “trolley show” even in its trolleyless incarnation. I think I am okay giving up the old welcome show for the more orderly entrance. One of my least favorite parts of any day at Disney World is waiting in a (sometimes unruly) mob for the gate to open.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on some of the new-to-you experiences. What did you think of All Star Movies, the updated Spaceship Earth, Biergarten and Chef Mickey’s?
The trolley show is something that I miss way too often and I’m always sorry when I do. That’s part of why placing it on Main Street at 8:30 on a day when the park opens at 9 is a great decision. Most people just rush through Main Street on their way to one of the ‘mountains’ or other top attractions and this show gets left behind. You’ll see some of that unruly crowd from our Sunday morning at Animal Kingdom. I liked Chef Mickey’s a little better than I easily could have. It sure was a nice way to… Read more »
Biergarten is enough fun and has enough tasty stuff available that I would actively recommend it if you’re on the dining plan especially. It’s a prix fix place that is automatically a good use of your table service credit if you like the kind of food they serve (pretty much ALL meat and potatoes). Nothing was fantastic, but everything was good. The indoor/outdoor theme and music performances are immersive to the degree that it does seem kind of like its own thing rather than like a typical Disney place. Its location at the back of the park may add to… Read more »
Are you excluding Disney Springs? I could have sworn you ate at T-Rex at some point. We tend to go back to the same places frequently so I haven’t sampled quite as many restaurants as you. At least I don’t think I have. I’d have to compile a list to be sure. My list skews much more heavily towards character dining than yours for obvious reasons. We had good experiences at your two bottom choices. I have heard terrible reviews of the food at Sci Fi Dine In, but we have eaten there twice and had satisfactory meals both times.… Read more »
I have eaten at the following sit-down locations in WDW: 50’s Prime Time Cafe Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Be Our Guest Restaurant Boatwright’s Dining Hall Boma: Flavors of Africa Chef Mickey’s (breakfast and dinner) Cinderella’s Royal Table (breakfast) The Chrystal Palace (dinner) The Fountain The Garden Grill Hollywood & Vine (breakfast and dinner) Jiko – The Cooking Place Liberty Tree Tavern O’Hana (breakfast and dinner) Planet Hollywood Rainforest Cafe Rose & Crown Dining Room Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant Wolfgang Puck’s Yak & Yeti Twenty in total. So, yeah, less than yours. And I’m pretty sure you left some off your… Read more »
It’s funny how different people can have such different experiences. While I’ve got a few more restaurants on my list, I’ve never been to more than half of the ones on your list. I did exclude Disney Springs this time around where I’ve eaten at Morimoto Asia and T-Rex and a few places that are closed now. Mama Melrose is up somewhere at about #12 on mt list I think. I’m in the process of making this into a full article with pictures and everything and probably more text than is here now. Expectations are undoubtedly a big part of… Read more »
If you were going to try a character meal (I know, you’re not) I’d recommend the Garden Grill. I think it is the most under-rated character meal on property. My experience at Rose & Crown was ages ago. We ate there in 1988!! For what it’s worth, I remember enjoying my fish and chips, but at the time I was just in awe of Epcot overall. So I don’t think I can really give an objective opinion as to what it’s like today. I have heard it’s about like everything else – good enough but won’t blow your socks off.… Read more »