CRT Surprise for My DW? or No?

[Lightnin McQueen]

Hi All,

I'd like to get your feelings on surprising my wonderful DW with breakfast at CRT and here's why . . .

Week after week, my DW works her socks off running her own business whilst keeping our home in good order (with a little help from me and DS . . . of course). She is just the most wonderful life partner and best friend a lucky guy like me could dream of being married to . . . oh . . . and she is also a fantastic mother to our DS who is 15 and at that wonderful stage in his development when, from time to time, he thinks he is 21 and pays all of the bills, owns the TV remote and could try the patients of his holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet :funny: ah don't you just love hormones . . . of course he is our most wonderful achievement in life and we are very proud of him, he truly is a fine youg man.

Anyways I'm thinking of using 6 x TS credits from our DDP on a CRT breakfast ADR at 8am for the 3 of us so that . . .

1/ I can do something that's special and memorable for my DW because on top of all of the stuff at the top of this thread, is kind enough not to protest (too much) about being dragged on all of the rides that us 2 big kids (DS & Me of course) just have to go on during our 2 week vacation and . . .

2/ we can all get in the park an hour before the crowds and enjoy the unique experience of an empty Main Street and magical, crowd free view of the Castle.

I guess I'm just a little conscious of the fact that Mom, Dad and a 15 yr old teen may look and feel a little out of place at a CRT character breakfast. Is it mainly parents with young daughters that choose this dining experience? Is it worth 6 x TS credits? What do you think?

Thanks,

Lightnin :thumbsup:

[tink179]

If your wife could see all the wonderful things you just said about her! :mickey:Of course you should take your family! :party: Your DW will love itl! There are a lot of families with little one's there, but there's also people there without children enjoying the experience. My family went this past Jan and we just could not believe everything you got with the price. It's a wonderful breakfast. We will be dining there again in January. If it were just my DH and myself, we would still go. :secret: It's an awesome experience that i don't think should be missed. I hope this helped!

[wendy*darling]

I agree- she should see what you have said about her! :mickey:

Does she love the princesses?
Or do you just want to treat her like the princess she is for a magical morning?
If so- the CRT breakfast would be very nice, and I am sure she would feel very special there.

On the other hand- if she is really not "into" the princesses as much, I would consider a different 2TS meal- any one of them really, for a special dinner.

Or, if you really want to get into MK 1 hour earlier, consider Crystal Palace for a very nice character breakfast, and then another venue for a special dinner.

If it were me, the CRT experience would not be on my list. But... dinner at Jiko, Flying Fish or California Grill would!
And we love arriving at MK early, so we do Crystal Palace nearly every vacation for some good food and time with Tigger, Pooh, etc.

Consider what your wife would enjoy the most- is it Cinderella? or something else?

Wonderful idea! :thumbsup:

[tinksmom02]

I agree with everything Linda said.

I also think you should print out your post with all those lovely things you said about your wife, and give it to her. What beautiful sentiments!

[r4kids]

I think your words are beautiful. I also think making here fell like a princess and to receive the "royal treatment" is great. It's great to let go sometimes and not have to worry if it is ok for 2 adults and a teenage boy are ok to eat in CRT. We love CRT and our 4 kids enjoy it very much. Well, ok maybe not DS10 as much as the girls but he is a good sport. Go and enjoy you breakfast! I also think you should pay OOP beacuse it isn't really worth 6 TS credits. Save them for a romantic dinner for the two of you and then DS to pick his favorite place to eat.:mickey:

[irish1967]

I guess it really depends on your wife.

Is CRT worth 2 TS? Maybe. Maybe not. I've never been to the CRT for a meal (I have boys :mickey:) but according to my SIL, you are definitely paying for the princess interaction and the atmosphere with the 2nd TS credit - not for the food!) If your wife is a huge princess fan, then it probably would be worth it. If not, I would consider other options.

Here are a few that come to mind:

Food - there are ton of restaurants that do have wonderful food. If your wife is a foodie - then you might want to consider one of the top of the line restaurants for a meal (V&A's, Cali Grille, etc)

Pampering - my DH surprised me with a reservation at the GF Spa a few years ago. It was great (and I am not typically a spa-type person.)

Fireworks cruise?

Although, personally, I think the best gift you could give your wife would be to simply show her your post!

Have a magicl trip and let us know what you decide.

[mom2morgan]

What a lucky gal your wife is! But anyway ... I think EVERY little girl should have lunch with Cinderella at least once. yeah, I've heard the food isn't exceptional, that it is overpriced, that there are better more "adult" ways to pamper myself...but I've been dreaming about the royal castle since I was 6. I'm finally doing it on my December trip, and I'll be 42! I don't think you'll look out of place, and hopefully your son has a sense of humour. I just finished posting in a different thread that MY 15 year old son got a big kick out of the princess breakfast at Akershus (mind you, he "could" blame it on having a 7 year old sister, LOL). HOWEVER...I'd even suggest something like making her a button or t-shirt that says "Queen for a day" and really having some fun with it, the two of you being her humble courtiers ;-) At least then you are "going with" the theme, and not just feeling silly at a lunch filled with dozens of LITTLE princesses!


Hi All,

I'd like to get your feelings on surprising my wonderful DW with breakfast at CRT and here's why . . .

Week after week, my DW works her socks off running her own business whilst keeping our home in good order (with a little help from me and DS . . . of course). She is just the most wonderful life partner and best friend a lucky guy like me could dream of being married to . . . oh . . . and she is also a fantastic mother to our DS who is 15 and at that wonderful stage in his development when, from time to time, he thinks he is 21 and pays all of the bills, owns the TV remote and could try the patients of his holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet :funny: ah don't you just love hormones . . . of course he is our most wonderful achievement in life and we are very proud of him, he truly is a fine youg man.

Anyways I'm thinking of using 6 x TS credits from our DDP on a CRT breakfast ADR at 8am for the 3 of us so that . . .

1/ I can do something that's special and memorable for my DW because on top of all of the stuff at the top of this thread, is kind enough not to protest (too much) about being dragged on all of the rides that us 2 big kids (DS & Me of course) just have to go on during our 2 week vacation and . . .

2/ we can all get in the park an hour before the crowds and enjoy the unique experience of an empty Main Street and magical, crowd free view of the Castle.

I guess I'm just a little conscious of the fact that Mom, Dad and a 15 yr old teen may look and feel a little out of place at a CRT character breakfast. Is it mainly parents with young daughters that choose this dining experience? Is it worth 6 x TS credits? What do you think?

Thanks,

Lightnin :thumbsup:

[Kairi_7378]

What a thoughtful husband you are!

I agree with Wendy that a breakfast at CRT wouldn't be on my pamper list... but some people love it. A night at the CA Grill or Narcosse's with a great glass of wine while I watch Wishes is more my style.

I'm a little concerned about your timing though. Your sig says that your trip is in August 2008. CRT is one of the hottest (if not THE hottest) ADR in WDW. People called 180 days ago to get this reservation. So you may have to call several times at 7 AM EST in order to get this ADR. Some of the Signature restaurants or spa treatments may be easier to book. Crystal Palace may have openings as well, which will let you get into the park early. Good luck!

[OhToodles!]

Or...if you want the castle, but not all the princesses why not try CRT for dinner? DH & I had dinner there 2 years ago and it was great. Still got to see Cinderella in the waiting room, but not at dinner; although I hear the Fairy Godmother may make an appearance now.

[Mickey91]

I'm a 37 year old DW and would love to be surprised with any meal at the Castle!!!:mickey:

[Lightnin McQueen]

Hello again,

Firstly, thanks for your kind words and sentiments about my post. Truth is my DW is the reason for everything I do. Each day, in everyday life, I do my best to make those 'special moments' that are rich with smiles and happiness so why stop when we're on vacation.

Your posts were great. Firstly Laura (Kaira), you were right, an ADR at CRT is THE hottest ADR in WDW, no doubt. I've been calling all week, I even contacted concierge at WL to see if they could help but without success I'm afraid.

I sat down last night and had a re-think, referring to your posts above. Linda (wendy*darling), you got me thinking with your question . . .

"Does she love the princesses?
Or do you just want to treat her like the princess she is for a magical morning?"

I decided that I'd considered breakfast at CRT because I wanted to treat her like a princess. I'm sure she would absolutely love meeting the Princesses in the castle but you see, thinking about it, she's more of a Minnie Mouse girl if you know what I mean.

Linda and Laura, you both mentioned CP for breakfast and early access to the parks. As we've never eaten at CP or had early access to MK (other than EMH's) this really appealed to me so I rang reservations yesterday and managed to make an 8:10am ADR at CP. I'm sure we will all love this new experience.

Now as for Romance, I'm going to use the 2TS credits we would have used at CRT on a table for 2 at a signature restaurant for DW and I.

'r4kids' made a great suggestion that in addition to a romantic meal for DW and I, we let DS choose his favourite place to eat and go there also. We'll be doing this.

Again thanks to you all for your help. ALL of the posts were great and helped me with this part of our vacation planning, you are all wonderful people.

I need to do some more research on menu's, locations and times for our meal for 2 and once I've decided. I'll let you know.

:thanks:

Andy.

[Kairi_7378]

I'm sorry that you weren't able to get into Cindy's but it sounds like you've got some wonderful plans to pamper your wife on your vacation. I think that it is cool that you've planned some "family stuff" as well as a special night for the two of you. I hope that you have a great time at Crystal Palace! I don't think you can go wrong with any of the signature restaurant experiences... although if you have any questions about them this is a good place to ask them.

[RALPH]

"to our DS who is 15 and at that wonderful stage in his development when, from time to time, he thinks he is 21 and pays all of the bills, owns the TV remote and could try the patients of his holiness..."

Oh snap...you got one of them too! I thought I was the only one cursed. I don't feel so bad now. Our upcoming trip is going to be interesting with our DS and his 15 yr old friend. Like you we are very proud.

He has already said he is going to own the pool and arcade when he and his friend arrive in August. I pity the poor teen girls who are there as the kid looks good and is cut! He obviously got those good looks from by beautiful wife, not me.

Your description of your feelings to your wife are wonderfull. You both are lucky. I would feel your wife out and toss different things her way. Then pick what you think excites her the most. Depending on DS's attitude he might not like it. Would DW like a finer dining experience instead of the princess breakfast? How about a facial, massage on the property while you guys do some boy things. She can relax and get the pampering you so want her to have. My DW did that a couple of times. It was a nice treat.

[disney323]

Can you please come over and rub some of your romance off on my husband! Wow, you are such a thoughful and loving husband. I hope you all enjoy CP (we love it!) and have a wonderful trip!

[Texas Tinkerbell Too]

How sweet ...Sounds like your DW is pretty blessed to have you, too!

Sorry you were unable to get CRT.

In answer to your original question (in case someone else was wondering)...My family of four, which includes DS9 and DS5, ate at the CRT one year for breakfast. I originally thought the same as you. I wondered if people would look at us like we were crazy bringing 2 little boys to a princess meal? They might not have known that at that moment I was the little girl (trapped in a grown up body) who always wanted to meet those princesses. And while the food was really not that great...the atmosphere made it truly a magical moment for me. I really enjoyed the princesses kissing all over my boys! We have awesome pictures from this experience, including one with my FIL smiling really big with Sleeping Beauty. :D

Remember...It's your Disney vacation, there are no rules.

[TammiMcMan]

Linda and Laura, you both mentioned CP for breakfast and early access to the parks. As we've never eaten at CP or had early access to MK (other than EMH's) this really appealed to me so I rang reservations yesterday and managed to make an 8:10am ADR at CP. I'm sure we will all love this new experience.I agree that this is a much better choice for you guys. Personally, I think the food is better and there's a bigger selection.


Now as for Romance, I'm going to use the 2TS credits we would have used at CRT on a table for 2 at a signature restaurant for DW and I.Excellent idea. I know some were mentioned previously, but Jiko's, California Grill, Artist Point and Yachtsman Steakhouse would be at the top of my wish list.


I need to do some more research on menu's, locations and times for our meal for 2 and once I've decided. I'll let you know.This menu link might help, http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/dining/menus/default.asp . Select a few options. Because you're calling for ADR's a little late, you might not get your first choice or you may need to be a little more flexible with your dates and dining times.

As you mentioned concierge at the WL, take advantage of their services. They can help you with spa appointments, having something special sent to the room, a beautiful private dining experience for the 3 of you, pretty much anything you want depending on your budget.