1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian has been closed since the shutdowns from the pandemic. This character dining experience was always my favorite and I couldn’t wait for it to be open again. Yesterday was finally that day, my favorite place to dine at Disney came back and we headed over for dinner. Yes, it’s back but not like it was before. There are positives and negatives, so I want to be honest and talk about both.
The restaurant itself is decorated a bit differently. The premise of the dinner is celebrating wishes and there are various paintings of some of our favorite dreamers and those who wish upon stars, with princesses at the forefront. Some decor stayed the same as before, which was also nice.
We were given a “wish” card when we got to the table, with autographs from the new characters on the scene. Tiana, Cinderella, Aladdin and Mirabel. Previously, it was Cinderella and the Prince, plus Lady Tremaine and the step sisters. So before, we had characters that went together from the same story, now it’s more of a hodgepodge.
The characters themselves were fantastic with guests. Each spent a decent amount of time at our table and were very sweet and chatty. Tiana was wearing her new outfit which will be seen in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when it opens this summer. Loved her!
Now let’s move on to the food. I’m just going to rip the bandaid off and say that the food was better before it closed. This dinner was my absolute favorite because of the variety of choices it offered, even for us picky eaters. Now, there are less food items to choose from, and if you like more basic food, it’s a hard sell. Dishes like Tiana’s Gumbo & Curry Chicken were new, roasted garlic sausage & cabbage, salmon & a carving station were all options. Side dishes, I had better luck with- mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rice, vegetables plus a salad bar.
Dessert was much better as far as variety, plus their famous strawberry soup is back.
Ok, now let’s get real and chat about what I observed and thought about this dining experience. Like I said above, 1900 Park Fare was much better before it closed. We always went for my birthday and Mother’s Day previously, which I loved. What was my favorite dinner on property probably isn’t anymore. There just wasn’t enough variety when it came to food. If you’re a more adventurous eater you’re good, however I’d have been better off going to the kids section of the buffet. I ended up eating potatoes, rolls and rice for dinner. The salad bar was really good though. The desserts were delicious! They had blueberry lemon cheesecake & little chocolate lava cakes among other sweets.
The characters themselves did a wonderful job, I was impressed with them. Previously we had characters that went together. Cinderella had her family, so to speak, with her. The step sisters were hysterical and definitely a fan favorite, not to mention Lady Tremaine was intimidating while being amazing at the same time. It’s just different now. Not to mention, it’s the same characters at breakfast time as well. Previously breakfast featured Alice & the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins and more. Honestly, I think they could have done a full Princess and the Frog ensemble. Tiana has enough friends to accommodate guests and with the new ride opening, it could work. I know the premise of the new 1900 Park Fare is about characters who make wishes, but it just missed mark for some reason. Again, the characters at our dinner did a great job, you’ll enjoy meeting them.
When dinner was done and our bill came, it was pretty expensive. Our server told our group that 1900 Park Fare was NOT accepting any discounts whatsoever for one full year. A bit disappointing that we couldn’t use our Annual Passholder discount, that would have helped make the cost a little easier.
In conclusion, I wasn’t super impressed with the changes. Mostly because of the food. Please keep in mind that I’m not a fan of these types of foods so there wasn’t much for me to eat. I’m more of a grilled chicken, veggies or pasta kind of girl. If you have a more extensive palate you might have better luck. I would be willing to try their breakfast though, I haven’t had a breakfast on Disney property that I didn’t like!
I hope this review was helpful, I wanted to be as truthful as possible with my opinions. You may feel completely different when you visit! You can see the new menu for 1900 Park Fare on Disney’s MDE app now! Thanks for reading! -M
Check out the video below for a better look!
Reopening of 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian
You may also enjoy: Disney Eats: 1900 Park Fare Foodie Guide, Reservations Now Open
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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