Cinderella's Royal Table

[jdvinson]

We are scheduled to have dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table on Dec 30th for my daughters 5th bday. With that being said I have just finished reading a review of the restuarant and am now less than enthused.

What have your experiences been there with the food, the atmosphere, the overall experience. Is there another suggestion that would make my little princess have the best bday dinner ever?

Thanks for the help, this is our families first trip to WDW.

 

[BabyRN]

My daughter turned 5 a week before we went. She absolutely loved it. We met Cinderella as we walked in the door and had our photo op. They provided 2 different 5 x7 photos. They gave us one of the whole family with Cinderella, then one of just our daughter with her. I think we even got a couple 2 x 3's with them. Then we went upstairs to the restaurant. The servers were excellent. The princesses all came to each and every table and talked to all of my children, and they also took the time to let me take pictures of them with my daughter. The experience itself was great for her. The food on the other hand was less to be desired for my husband and I. It was very limited and we didn't really care for it.

 

[Luv4Disney]

DH and I love to go there for lunch! We love the Major Domo's! We think it's great! The past few times we were lucky enough to get the center table right at the window. We don't do it every time because of the cost, but we like to do it as much as we are able to!

 

[PrincessMonkey]

As long as you do not have your heart set to meet the characters or get autographs that perform at the dinner, you and your daughter will probably love this experience.

My first visit to Cinderella's Royal Table was last month, and I am not ashamed to say that I cried happy tears twice during dinner. The Fairy Godmother, Suzy and Perla did a short performance, and without giving it all away, it was a magical experience that felt very special.

The Fairy Godmother, Suzy and Perla did stop by our tables (very briefly) for pictures with us after the performance. Others on DIS have reported that they did not stop by, so please don't set up expectations that they will definitely do this. There is no way to know.

The food was delicious. The pretzel bread was amazing, and the salads were interesting; we had one of each salad from the menu, and we enjoyed them. The entrees were very good, although I might suggest that some should avoid the pasta since it looked a little watery at the bottom?

The dinner in the castle, with the sun setting on Fantasyland in the background, through the stained glass windows, is just beautiful. I loved having dinner here, and we felt like VIP. In my opinion, this is a tiny restaurant, and unless you are facing a wall or corner, just about every table is a good table! After we settled the bill, it was perfect timing to catch "Spectromagic" from the castle's balcony, right behind the Dream Along with Mickey stage... Only CRT guests are allowed to stand at the castle, so that was also a special memory for us.

It's a must-do at least once.

 

[World Bouncer]

Our experience in summary:

Good Food
Less than average service
Loud, Crowded, Chaotic
Not at all personal

We will not go back!

You may enjoy it, and have a great experience? If you stick with your plans, I hope it is magical for your whole family!

Many people choose 1900 Park Fare as an alternative.... we had a wonderful breakfast there, but have not had dinner there, I have heard it is a pretty good experience.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Here's my take on it -- you have to do it once. I've been there a handful of times. The only reason we went last time was because my mom hadn't been there since 1980, so we really went for her. The food is okay, nothing spectacular. The service again is hit or miss. But you absolutely cannot beat the fact that you can meet so many characters in one place and the theming is beautiful. I'd say definitely go once, especially with smaller children.

 

[jdvinson]

Thanks so much for the input. I think we will take our chances, and hope it is a magical experience.

 

[memy26]

We took our dd there for her 8th birthday this summer and I must say I don't regret a second of it.

My dd was thrilled! We were there for breakfast and I must say the food was pretty good, but the experience was priceless

I say its a must do at least once

 

[Fantasmiss]

I LOVE it!! I recon it's DEFINITELY the right place and she's going to LOVE it too

I didn't like dining in the castle before they changed it to a character meal (snotty waiters and overpriced not great food..) But CRT is magical! It's in the castle, I got the best food EVER there, the waiter was lovely, it was probably the best food+dining experience EVER! (Although I also love Chef Mickey's! I like princesses, but definitly prefer Mickey and the gang!)

 

[playswithstars]

We are scheduled to have dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table on Dec 30th for my daughters 5th bday. With that being said I have just finished reading a review of the restuarant and am now less than enthused.

What have your experiences been there with the food, the atmosphere, the overall experience. Is there another suggestion that would make my little princess have the best bday dinner ever?

Thanks for the help, this is our families first trip to WDW.

I've waited forever to be able to eat in castle. Last vacation when I was twenty due to the DP our family could do it. The food is nothing special but the atmosphere alone was enough to make it worth it to me. I would expect that a five year old would enjoy it just as much. For the younger kids they have plastic wands and swords souvenir type of things that say Cinderella's Royal Table on them.

We had an amazing waiter and very good service. He even sneaked me one of the plastic wands for a souvenir and said to hide it until we left because they are only supposed to be handed out to little kids. The only thing at you might not realize is at dinner time it's the fairy godmother and the mice not Cinderella and other characters like at lunch.

 

[momof1+1+2]

We just ate there last week and it was an excellent meal with outstanding service. We ate there 3 years ago and I feel it has gotten even better. The dinner show is very nice. I was concerned since it wasn't the princess one but it was better than I had anticipated. As stated before, the Fairy Godmother does a great job. Be sure to let them know on your ressie that it is her birthday and ask if they can bring her a birthday cupcake. We ordered the chocolate cinderella slipper in advance for my mom's birthday and it was so yummy ($15). Also, as a side note, when you enter the park (any park) go to guest relations and get her a free birthday button. All the workers will notice and wish her a happy birthday. It'll really be special for her. Enjoy!

 

[PE_TCR]

I have nothing but great things to say about CRT. My fieance and I got engaged there and if anyone is thinking about the engagement package- it is a bit costly- but worth every cent. The cast there was amazing. They did all the work and all I had to do was excuse myself after I ordered to slip the ring to the manager and they took over from there. The food was good. I had the prime rib and my fieance had the salmon. The soup was tasty. The desert was amazing but we had the special desert that comes with the enaggement package. It was a white chocolate slipper on top of anglefood cake drizzled with chocolate and covered in berries.
We are going on the land and sea vacation for our honeymoon and are going to CRT again. The food is good but the atmosphere and memories put it over the top.

 

[Lehuaann]

We dined at CRT for both dinner (our second time) and breakfast (first) in Sep and although we enjoyed both, we still love dinner. The experience is magical.