Since I highlighted a breakfast experience last week, I figured I'd move to a dinner for this latest post! Much like 'Ohana, this week's restaurant features different dining experiences during different times of the day. 1900 Park Fare, located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, serves breakfast and dinner on a daily basis, and both are fantastic! I know, I know...I say every restaurant is fantastic, and I genuinely mean it! What I also know, however, is that every restaurant may not be fantastic for every family, and I firmly believe that one of the biggest perks of working with a Vacation Planner is having the ability to tease out which experiences would be the best fit. It's one of my favorite parts of the job!
Anyway, back to 1900 Park Fare...
Visiting (or staying at) Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is an experience all on its own. The Grand Floridian is sprawling, beautiful, and the epitome of all things "royal." We always enjoy having the opportunity to walk the property, meander around the grand lobby, and simply enjoy the scenery. (And I'm thankful that while The Grand Floridian definitely meets our definition of "fancy," it's also reasonable. Families are moving through the resort on their way to & from the parks constantly, so while "dressing up" just a bit is perfectly appropriately, so is showing up in matching t-shirts and shorts.)
And no matter where you are at Disney, kids can always be kids!
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is located on the monorail, and Magic Kingdom is also easily accessible via a quick boat ride, so 1900 Park Fare is another great place to dine when visiting the Magic Kingdom (and/or on an "off park" day).
And while the buffet is outstanding (there is seriously something for everyone, and the dessert bar includes gummy bears!), the main draw of this dinner experience is the character interaction.
Guests basically get to meet the cast of the animated movie, "Cinderella." Cinderella is present, of course, but so are Prince Charming, the Evil Stepmother, and the Evil Stepsisters, Anastasia & Drizella (most of the time). When we last dined at 1900 Park Fare (back in June 2016), the stepsisters were "grounded" and unable to attend dinner, so were were able to meet one of the mice instead!
Our crew LOVED heckling the stepmother. (They are posing with their best "evil" faces in the picture below.) In fact, by the end of the meal, the older boys had devised a plan (with the help of Prince Charming, of course) to have Darth Vader become Cinderella's new stepfather. It was quite entertaining--and neither Cinderella nor her stepmother were thrilled.
It's always fun to see the classic, costumed characters, but the "human" characters are so much more interactive! The stepsisters have even been known to scope out and pursue any and every "eligible suitor" in attendance!
We dined with friends on this particular night, and the restaurant was easily able to accommodate our party (a total of 11). Reservations for larger groups can often be harder to come by, and due to the popularity of this particular experience, I definitely recommend making reservations as soon as possible (180 days in advance)!
Since our visit last June, things have changed just a bit. Cinderella now greets guests at the end of the meal, just outside the main dining room. While she is no longer part of the character banter during dinner, her new set up is quite nice and allows for some fantastic photographs (she's even accompanied by a PhotoPass photographer and the pictures become part of the Memory Maker package).
Prior to her move, PhotoPass photographers took family shots on the way into the dining room. We've always appreciated the patience of (most of!) the photographers we run into on property and their willingness to always encourage multiple pictures. :)
If you've been looking for the quintessential Cinderella experience, I'd be willing to argue that you just might have a better time at 1900 Park Fare than at Cinderella's Royal Table (her castle) itself! Dinner at 1900 Park Fare costs about $55/adult and $30/child (ages 3-9), but does vary by season. It is a total of 1 table service credit (on the dining plan) per person regardless of the time of year, however.
It's an experience your family won't soon forget!
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