If you saw my last few posts about Our Second Magic Kingdom Day (including the side trip to First Aid with the oldest kid, and the trip back to the hotel that night) you know that was a pretty crazy day for us, with plenty of good mixed with some not-so-fun. Once we made it out of First Aid, we went straight over to Crystal Palace for our dinner reservation. We arrived right as Enchantment was beginning, and were seated near the door. Since it was getting late and the fireworks had started, the restaurant was pretty empty, and that worked out well for us.
One other thing to note here: this was the only table service meal we had that we had absolutely no Special Diets involvement for. (‘Ohana dinner was moved up by one day, but officially we had an SDR form in with them, too, for the next night.) We didn’t decide to do this meal until just a few hours before the reservation, and kind of decided to wing it, with the understanding that there may not be many options for me. I am so glad we did make this choice, because the way the day went, it was the low-key wind-down but still magical moment we needed after the “excitement” of the first aid visit that happened between booking the reservation and actually eating.
Mobility Devices: I parked my ECV outside here with the stroller. I would have taken the rollator in for sure, but the ECV wasn’t going to make it through the crowds gathering on the porch of the restaurant for the fireworks. (I’m also not sure that it would have been allowed.) Wheelchairs are fine though, and our oldest kid remained in the park wheelchair we were given for the trip to first aid throughout the meal.
Fat Accessibility: We had armless chairs here, so I was pretty comfortable.
The Experience: When we were seated, we let our server know we needed the chef right away. He came over really quickly – probably because the restaurant was winding down for the night, and fewer guests were going to need consults. The chef here was pretty funny. We went through the menu offerings that were safe for me, and he asked if I worry about cross-contact with the buffet (emphatic YES). He asked if I’d like something specific or just a little of everything. I’m very much a “a bite or two of a lot of different things” kind of person, so I went with that.
The chef was coming out with my food as I was standing near the buffet supervising my middle kid getting his dinner. I wont go all the way to the buffet for contact reasons, but I have no issue standing back a few feet to talk my bigger kids through their options. He cracked a joke about me being hard to find, and met me back at the table.
Here’s what I ended up eating: Allergy rolls, Green Beans with Bacon and Onions, Oven-Roasted Chicken, Roasted Marble Potatoes, Italian Sausage with Roasted Peppers and Onions, Prime Rib & Pork Loin. If I had to choose, the pork loin, potatoes, and sausage with peppers and onions were my favorite parts of the meal, though it was all very good.
The characters here were Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. Interaction at the table with Piglet and Tigger felt a little rushed, but Pooh and Eeyore were awesome. Eeyore was playing peek-a-boo with the toddler with his ears. The interaction between the characters here was pretty fun too – they were playing hide and seek across the restaurant.
The only downside to this experience is something I touched on in the Trip Report post – I did have a mild reaction to something that I ate here. The caveat is that I have no idea what it was, but I don’t think it was one of my known allergens. (The testing that my doctors did allowed us to eliminate the majority of my symptoms, but I do still have reactions from time to time for which we haven’t been able to nail down the culprit. I’m working on trying to food journal to figure it out, but haven’t had much luck yet.) I’m honestly just grateful that the symptoms I had were relatively mild and didn’t require epinephrine.
As for my wife, to be honest, I actually don’t remember what she ate. Sorry! That night was kind of a blur, and we totally forgot to take photos of her meal.
Access the Mouse 