Cinderella's Royal Table Dinner

[MareQ]

We are considering just getting 1 adult and 1 child dinner and splitting it so we won't burn so many TS punches
I doubt if you can do that. ALOT of the reason for 2 tickets is the photo package.

When we were there, there was a couple with a young child sitting next to us. The child ate - the parents did not as they only paid for their daughter. I found it very odd that they even allowed that...

 

[intrep93]

If you think about it, though - the photo package is paid for with the 1st person. They give you one photo pkg per party of 1-4 people, 2 photo pkgs with 5-8 people, etc. So as long as you are getting 1 meal, the pkg is paid for. Anyway, we are at about 175 days out, but I called the afternoon to see if they had any breakfast openings on the day there is early entry to the MK, which is when we will be in that park. I figured I would be out of luck as I know you are supposed to call 1st thing in the morning for that, but she actually had quite a few openings over about a 2 hour time span. So I made my ressie for 10:00. Now we can go in at 8:00, play for a couple of hours and then go eat with the princesses. I feel much better about using the TS punches for french toast, eggs, sausage, bacon etc, than for macaroni w/mozzarell!!! Does anyone know if they still open the parks earlier than the posted times? Used to be if reg hours said 9 they would open around 8:30 and if early open was 8 they would let you in around 7:30 - just wondering.

 

[intrep93]

And I wouldn't spend 2 TS for it. I'd pay OOP if we were going to do it.

I would definitely NOT pay OOP for it. I'd go ahead and use my Dining Plan and then go to Tony's or someplace with much better food choices and pay $5 - $10 OOP for their kids menu before I'd pay $24.99 for chicken tenders w/mashed potatoes at CRT!!!!

 

[boatboatboat]

If you think about it, though - the photo package is paid for with the 1st person. They give you one photo pkg per party of 1-4 people, 2 photo pkgs with 5-8 people, etc. So as long as you are getting 1 meal, the pkg is paid for

while the pics may be paid for, what is NOT PAID for is the lost dollars each chair can generate.

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

Does anyone know if you can get in and take a peek upstairs in the resteraunt without actually eating there? We were going to go for dinner as our 2 kids have never been there, but I'm not at all happy about having to pay $25 each for them to get chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes, mini hot dogs in pretzel buns, or macaroni with melted mozzarella - non of that even sounds the least bit good! We have the dining plan, but don't really want to use 2 punches on that!!! We are considering just getting 1 adult and 1 child dinner and splitting it so we won't burn so many TS punches. My 9 year old daughter says she couldn't care less about actually going into the castle, but my 6 year old son is another story. I HATE that they changed this and am hoping they will have so many complaints by Sept. when we go that they will have changed it back!!! Cross your fingers!!

We called about this and were told that the CRT management had decided to make the change to 2 TS. Given the high demand for eating at CRT, it doesn't surprise me. Any changes will likely come next year, but with demand so high, it may not.

 

[jwfla422]

CRT's has become one big "business" deal for WDW as far as I'm concerned. It's an absolute disgrace!! It just disgusts me what they've done with the breakfast.

I never thought the food was that great even a few years back but I was willing to go because of my dd. But, in reality the princesses never spent more than 30 seconds at the table since dd is shy and didn't make much conversation they'd say hi, sign her book, pose for a photo and leave. This is the same thing they do in Toontown without paying all that extra $$$$.

If everyone claims it's the "atmosphere" and not the food then maybe we should rally WDW to do away with the food and make it one big meet and greet with the princesses and charge admission to the castle!

And if the castle is WDW's symbolism, it's seems to be becoming a symbol of "greed" if you ask me. WDW should be a shamed of themselves. And, as far as "losing $$" for the chairs that have people sitting in them that aren't PAYING & EATING the breakfast, give me a break. I'm sure they are making up for that 10x over with the outrageous prices the people who are eating are paying!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

CRT's has become one big "business" deal for WDW as far as I'm concerned. It's an absolute disgrace!! It just disgusts me what they've done with the breakfast.

I never thought the food was that great even a few years back but I was willing to go because of my dd. But, in reality the princesses never spent more than 30 seconds at the table since dd is shy and didn't make much conversation they'd say hi, sign her book, pose for a photo and leave. This is the same thing they do in Toontown without paying all that extra $$$$.

If everyone claims it's the "atmosphere" and not the food then maybe we should rally WDW to do away with the food and make it one big meet and greet with the princesses and charge admission to the castle!

And if the castle is WDW's symbolism, it's seems to be becoming a symbol of "greed" if you ask me. WDW should be a shamed of themselves. And, as far as "losing $$" for the chairs that have people sitting in them that aren't PAYING & EATING the breakfast, give me a break. I'm sure they are making up for that 10x over with the outrageous prices the people who are eating are paying!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[diannaneglia]

Well I am so glad I decided not to do Cindy's castle! I was planning on it since this is our first real trip to Disney...even though my kids are older I thought it would be cool to eat in the castle but when they told me dinner was now a character dinning and the price for it, I said 'Never mind"...I am not going to pay that kind of money just cause the fairy god mother is there for intertainment...and I am so glad now after reading all this, that I bailed out...thanks for your reassurance and comments but sorry things weren't better for you.

 

[boatboatboat]

I'm sure they are making up for that 10x over with the outrageous prices the people who are eating are paying


I agree. So it could be said that maybe people who don't eat, but just sit, cause the price to be higher for parties where everyone eats?

 

[jann1033]

not going into the pyramids because the food isn't good.

what's the restaurant like in the pyramids??? it's gotta be better than CRT
jwfla...
"CRT's has become one big "business" deal for WDW as far as I'm concerned. It's an absolute disgrace!! It just disgusts me what they've done with the breakfast."

you nailed this one. all disney saw was $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Micca]

The food in the pyramids is great...if you like...WRAPS

 

[tabrizia]

Honestly I am really glad the evening isn't a princess meal. I don't mind paying the money for it, but I won't if it was a character meal. I was very careful in booking this for dinner, because we did NOT want a character meal on our trip and we did want to eat at the castle again. Reading the basic info about the castle meal it was obvious that the evening wasn't a character meal, which made me very happy.

That being said the food gets iffy reviews, but it is the castle and watching the fireworks from inside the castle is something that hubby and I love to do, so I am really paying for that and not as much the food. I honestly don't have a problem with the price (note we are both adults though so I don't have to spend $25 on chicken nuggets for kids) for dinner and I am thankful it is not a character meal.

I will not however be using the dining plan for this meal, since they charged my credit card when we called for reservation hubby and I decided to let it stand since it is so inexpensive compared to most of the other 2 ticket restaraunts we can go to (in fact it is fairly inexpensive compared to some of the 1 ticket restaraunts) so we are going to Flying Fish with the dining plan credits this will cost and paying the cost for this meal out of pocket because pricewise it really isn't worth two tickets for the dining plan anyways.

 

[TommyTutone]

Not going to CRT in the castle in WDW is like going to Egypt and not going into the pyramids because the food isn't good.

Yes, it is certainly a reasonable comparison to compare a structures that have stood for thousands of years and are homes to kings to a fiberglass thingy that's been around for 50 years.

If Tutenkhamen had died in Tampa, then perhaps they'd get more tourists, but as it stands, it's a bit far off for most folks.

 

[cstraub]

Yes, it is certainly a reasonable comparison to compare a structures that have stood for thousands of years and are homes to kings to a fiberglass thingy that's been around for 50 years.

If Tutenkhamen had died in Tampa, then perhaps they'd get more tourists, but as it stands, it's a bit far off for most folks.

Not sure how it's not the same? Do you not think the castle is sign of our time? Won't it be around for thousands of years as well? How is Walt Disney not as profound a figure in time as Tutenkhamen? I think if you think in terms of the future the castle will forever be symbolic of our era just as the pyramids are of the 3,000's.

 

[DawnaJean]

The food in the pyramids is great...if you like...WRAPS

Great One!!!!!
Dawna

 

[TyRy]

Honestly I am really glad the evening isn't a princess meal. I don't mind paying the money for it, but I won't if it was a character meal. I was very careful in booking this for dinner, because we did NOT want a character meal on our trip and we did want to eat at the castle again. Reading the basic info about the castle meal it was obvious that the evening wasn't a character meal, which made me very happy.

....paying the cost for this meal out of pocket because pricewise it really isn't worth two tickets for the dining plan anyways.

Wow - you took the words right out of my mouth. While we will be doing one character meal (CP breakfast - it's because we I love the atmosphere and being on Main Street with it practically empty!) I was also happy the castle dinner was not a character dinner. On all our previous visits to the castle, Cinderella usually did appear downstairs and it was CRAZY if you wanted a picture with her. So it sounds like not much has changed there. The castle is a MUST do experince for us (just DH and me) and it will continue to be. We will also be paying OOP as it's not worth it to use 2 credits.

 

[TommyTutone]

Not sure how it's not the same? Do you not think the castle is sign of our time? Won't it be around for thousands of years as well? How is Walt Disney not as profound a figure in time as Tutenkhamen? I think if you think in terms of the future the castle will forever be symbolic of our era just as the pyramids are of the 3,000's.

I don't want to continue on too much of a tangent, but it would be shortsighted to expect Cinderella's Castle to be around in the year 4950. I would certainly like to think it will be (unless it is just a tool of crass commercialism like Disney is treating it now with its heartless overpriced meals), but empires rise and crumble over centuries. I would be geniunely surprised if the US is even an ecomonic or military factor in the grand scheme of things in 3000 years let alone maintain the ability to keep Disney and/or the castle around.

Of course, despite that, happy thoughts.

 

[DisOrBust]

Please those who have bad experiences PLEASE write/email. Garden grill changed "back" after horrfici reviews maybe someone can se the light at CRT as well.

 

[La2kw]

Yes, it is certainly a reasonable comparison to compare a structures that have stood for thousands of years and are homes to kings to a fiberglass thingy that's been around for 50 years.

If Tutenkhamen had died in Tampa, then perhaps they'd get more tourists, but as it stands, it's a bit far off for most folks.

The fiberglass castle in Orlando has NOT been around for fifty years, contrary to what WDW marketing wants us to believe. Disneyland's castle has been around fifty years. WDW's castle has only been around 35 years. Those commericals showing Walt Disney giving Disneyland's opening day speech in front of a computer doctored Cinderella's Castle just bother the heck out of me. I think they are extremely misleading. Walt Disney died about 3 years before WDW even opened.

I do agree that comparing a manmade theme park building to the great pyramids is a bit too much.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I do agree that comparing a manmade theme park building to the great pyramids is a bit too much.

Personally, the Castle means more to me than the Pyramids. When I think of the Castle I think of all my family memories, my memories with friends, of all the amazing thoughts and beliefs (magic, hard work, goodness) that fed that amazing dream of building such a beautiful place. When I think of the Pyramids, I think of slaves being forced to build brick by brick in the desert until they died. The Pyramids represent more greed than WDW to me.

Anyway, I think such a great symbol does deserve something great inside. If the restaurant isn't good, it should be updated, changed or replaced with something else.

I have an ADR for August. I was excited, but now I'm a little worried.

All I know is, I would love to sit inside that beautiful structure and look out those majestic windows onto my favorite place in the whole world.