Cinderella’s Royal Table - What say you?

[Phonedave]

It has been a while since I have been in there, but I have done both breakfast and dinner when my kids were younger.

I thought it was nice to do once, just to say you did it (clearly we did it more than once, because my kids liked it). The food was OK, not great, but not horrible. I found it to be a bit of a cramped dining room. It is expensive, especially for the food you get. If meeting princesses or eating in the castle is a huge thrill for you, then would say go, otherwise pass.

 

[eliza61nyc]

It's been over 10 years since we did it. We had breakfast there and it is one of those things at Disney that I describe as "one and done". It is really one of the few places where I say you go for the event not the food.
Breakfast was ok, but definitely not worth 200 bucks

 

[JIMINYCR]

CRT dining is probably 95% desired because of the fascination and experience of dining inside the castle. The atmosphere and the character M&G once inside are what your high price is mostly getting you. I doubt most guests are making the ADR's based on the food. Weve dined both breakfast and dinners. The food quality and the amount served is not spectacular but they are decent meals. We first dined there on our first couple of trips for the unique experience and now go back when we have friends with us who want to experience the castle dining for their first times. If you have the funds and have never been its worth booking to say youve dined there. The castle interior has many great photo opportunities.

 

[Weather_Lady]

It's worth it as a "one and done" if you really want to do it, or have a child celebrating a special occasion who really wants to do it. Otherwise, your money would be spent far better elsewhere.

We had dinner there for my daughter's 6th birthday. The pace of the meal is a giant hassle (the long wait for the photo with Cinderella after you've checked in, the long wait to be seated after the photo is taken, the long wait for the princesses to arrive and circulate, the long wait for the bill) and the food is good-but-not-great. (The quality of CRT's prix fixe menu is no better than you'd find at Liberty Tree Tavern or Crystal Palace, but unlike those places, CRT is not all-you-care-to-enjoy.) The atmosphere is lovely, but don't expect to have a great view of the MK: even if you're seated close to a window, the period-appropriate "bubbled" glass windowpanes make it impossible to see anything outside very clearly.

I suppose another thing that colors my view is that my family ate there back in the early 90s when it was King Stefan's Banquet Hall (before the dining plan simplified the menu, and before it became a boisterous character meal), and had one of the best dinners I've ever had on Disney property. In comparison to that lovely venue, the CRT of today feels like a low-priced wedding reception hall that's been overtaken by shrieking sorority girls in princess dresses, all in various stages of physical and intellectual development. (That being said, my 6-year-old loved it, which was the point of our being there...) If a princess meal is the real goal, you might also consider Akershus in Epcot, which is a nice alternative that will give you a similar vibe for a smaller price, also with a pre-meal photo (Belle), equal-or-better food (including an all-you-care-to-enjoy cold buffet of starters and salads), a more relaxed atmosphere, and more efficient character rotation.

 

[LAKid53]

We've done both breakfast and dinner. I agree with @KBLovesDisney, breakfast is sad. Dinner is okay, food wise.

 

[angela02]

After 19 trips we finally went this past summer. The inside is beautiful but our experience was not very good and most certainly not worth double table service credits. The food and service were terrible but our daughter enjoyed herself so that was all that mattered to us. I am glad we went but I can say that we never intend to visit CRT ever again.

It was not for us but there are others who truly enjoy it and it is a must do on their list every trip.

 

[Phonedave]

The atmosphere is lovely, but don't expect to have a great view of the MK: even if you're seated close to a window, the period-appropriate "bubbled" glass windowpanes make it impossible to see anything outside very clearly.

I suspect a good part of the reason for that glass is so nobody can see in either. Aside from the "normal" concern of spoiling the outside view of the castle by seeing people inside eating, I suspect somebody somewhere thought of "what if one of the diner starts giving people the finger through the window". I don't think that would go over well with all of the castle pictures.

 

[horizons82]

As the son of a CM I've been to the parks many, many, many times, enjoying going both as a child and as an adult.

But in all those years I had never been to CRT (I'm in my mid-40s), and while my wife and I were APs a few years ago I figured it was finally time to give it a try.

From the standpoint of two adults, it was sort of a one-and-done for us, especially given the cost.

Experience-wise it was pretty neat...there's definitely a high novelty factor to dining IN the castle. When we went we got a kick out of how they would play the chimes and announce the party when being officially checked-in (don't know if they still do this or not).

The atmosphere is fairly regal-looking with high ceilings, flags, etc. It was loud but we got a two-top by the window with a nice view out to the park. The interaction with the "princesses" was unique and fun as they came around to the tables. (My favorite was telling Snow White my wife and I met online, and she responded by asking, "Oh, you met each other while waiting in line?"). Duh, of course Snow White has no clue what Internet is! It was funny and cute.

We were there for dinner and unfortunately the food was by far the weakest part of the meal. At the time I believe it was listed as a "signature dining" experience (and still is?), but food-wise it was very, very average in quality. I think the desserts might have been the highlight of an otherwise "just OK" meal. By that time we had enjoyed dining at many of the signature restaurants on property, and from a cuisine point of view CRT didn't come close to any of the other signature restaurants; it was disappointing in this respect.

I'd say it's probably very exciting for kids or even just as adults looking for the novelty of dining in the castle. But unless something has changed, I would not go in with high expectations for the food itself, and given the price point that is the main reason it was a one-and-done for us. While part of me is glad to have had the experience, if we had known in advance how the food was going to be I'm not sure of we still would have gone.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

As @Phonedave said, the glass was designed that way, to be historically accurate. It's that way too in Liberty Tree Tavern. As far as CRT goes, YES< it's worth going, sort of a WDW bucket list, especially with kids. We did a dinner and B'fast and IMHO, the dinner was better, but it now goes into the "been there, done that" category.

 

[Jon81uk]

We were there for dinner and unfortunately the food was by far the weakest part of the meal. At the time I believe it was listed as a "signature dining" experience (and still is?), but food-wise it was very, very average in quality. I think the desserts might have been the highlight of an otherwise "just OK" meal. By that time we had enjoyed dining at many of the signature restaurants on property, and from a cuisine point of view CRT didn't come close to any of the other signature restaurants; it was disappointing in this respect.

I've never seen CRT listed as a signature, it just needs two credits on the dining plan.

Personally the food was fine, we went about 10 years ago and the food was better than I expected and was perfectly good. Maybe not worth the money just for the food, but the high price reflects the experience. I found the service good, the princesses great (even if Belle called us Beasts!), and the experience fun.

I suspect a good part of the reason for that glass is so nobody can see in either. Aside from the "normal" concern of spoiling the outside view of the castle by seeing people inside eating, I suspect somebody somewhere thought of "what if one of the diner starts giving people the finger through the window". I don't think that would go over well with all of the castle pictures.

I don't think people are taking photos of the back of the castle anyway ;-)

 

[horizons82]

I've never seen CRT listed as a signature, it just needs two credits on the dining plan.

I've never used the DDP so I wasn't basing calling it a signature restaurant on that, but when you go to the Disney site and select "All Dining" and then filter by "Dining Experience" and select "Fine/Signature" dining, CRT does indeed show up on that list.

Under its listing it is listed as: "Character Dining, Fine/Signature Dining", the latter of which I definitely don't agree with as a classification. Character Dining and Unique Dining for sure, but not Fine/Signature IMHO.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

In all my visits to WDW, I’ve never once tried Cinderella’s Royal Table. Thinking of giving it a shot on my next trip, so I was hoping for a little guidance.

Is the food any good? What’s the overall experience like? Do you consider it a worthwhile place to eat? Anything else you would add about this restaurant?

Thanks so much in advance!

If you go during a hot month, it is a wonderful place to spend an hour or so in. Nice aircon, decent food, and nice serene scene

 

[Phonedave]

I don't think people are taking photos of the back of the castle anyway ;-)

You would be surprised. While clearly the front gets more, there are quite a few people back there taking pictures. 20 years ago, when you were burning film, I would say no. But once things went digital, people take pictures of anything.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

You would be surprised. While clearly the front gets more, there are quite a few people back there taking pictures. 20 years ago, when you were burning film, I would say no. But once things went digital, people take pictures of anything.

So true, I kinda miss those days, people were living in the moment instead of trying to capture it all the time and missing what it really is

 

[Demarke]

It's worth it as a "one and done" if you really want to do it, or have a child celebrating a special occasion who really wants to do it. Otherwise, your money would be spent far better elsewhere.

We had dinner there for my daughter's 6th birthday. The pace of the meal is a giant hassle (the long wait for the photo with Cinderella after you've checked in, the long wait to be seated after the photo is taken, the long wait for the princesses to arrive and circulate, the long wait for the bill) and the food is good-but-not-great. (The quality of CRT's prix fixe menu is no better than you'd find at Liberty Tree Tavern or Crystal Palace, but unlike those places, CRT is not all-you-care-to-enjoy.) The atmosphere is lovely, but don't expect to have a great view of the MK: even if you're seated close to a window, the period-appropriate "bubbled" glass windowpanes make it impossible to see anything outside very clearly.

I suppose another thing that colors my view is that my family ate there back in the early 90s when it was King Stefan's Banquet Hall (before the dining plan simplified the menu, and before it became a boisterous character meal), and had one of the best dinners I've ever had on Disney property. In comparison to that lovely venue, the CRT of today feels like a low-priced wedding reception hall that's been overtaken by shrieking sorority girls in princess dresses, all in various stages of physical and intellectual development. (That being said, my 6-year-old loved it, which was the point of our being there...) If a princess meal is the real goal, you might also consider Akershus in Epcot, which is a nice alternative that will give you a similar vibe for a smaller price, also with a pre-meal photo (Belle), equal-or-better food (including an all-you-care-to-enjoy cold buffet of starters and salads), a more relaxed atmosphere, and more efficient character rotation.

I've been twice, both were in the first wave of seating once the fireworks are over (booking a seating time for as early as possible after the show has started and the entrance to the castle is blocked off, but don't worry, that just means you'll be first to be seated once they take down the ropes after the fireworks show). I'm starting to think that may be the sweet spot because the restaurant has essentially stopped seating people for thirty minutes or so for the fireworks and everything has a chance to reset. Both times, I had little to no wait on the Cinderella photo and, including the photo, didn't wait more than five minutes total to be called to be seated. Once inside, the pace can be about as fast or slow as you want it at that time, but the princesses came out fairly quickly each time and 3-4 were circulating at a time. Since the kitchen hasn't had new orders for a small time due to the fireworks, they are basically caught up and reset and you are not likely to have a significant delay waiting on food preparation as a result. I personally thought the food was good and had good servers each time. The second time, I told my server I was looking for more of a quick trip because I mainly booked it to try the other entree I had my eye on that I didn't get the first time and was able to have an efficient and pleasant (not rushed) dinner in about 45 minutes or so from entry into the building.

Long story short, a good time to go to avoid excessive wait times is in the first wave after the take down the ropes after the firework show.

 

[mimitchi33]

From what my mom remembers, the food there was horrible.

 

[MAGICFLOP]

I haven't been there in about 10 years, but took the the wife & kids(6ish and 11ish) there and to we all felt cramped and the was just OK. As a family, we ate a lot of sit down meals in WDW, my kids liked Crystal palace most, but would also request liberty tree Tavern, In EPCOT, Germany was always their preferred.. They never asked about Cinderella again, not even the slightest consideration..

 

[Seeshark]

I'm very glad I went, as I liked the atmosphere and the experience, but I think I'm one and done for CRT. My daughter was never huge into the whole princess thing, so while she enjoyed meeting everyone, it wasn't earth-moving for her. The food was good, not out of this world. We went before they started serving alcohol at the different restaurants in MK - that might have helped. Overall it was cool and we've "checked that box."

 

[DznyGrlSD]

no. food was better when it was king steffans. Has been wal-marted since it became princess dining. not worth $$$

 

[JTT]

We went for the experience and characters. We enjoyed it but the food was so-so. We will not go back.

I would look into the new Snow White Character Dining at Disney World's Artist Point. You get some rare characters and according to the Disney Food Blog, the food is good.