CRT - lunch or dinner?

[Cinderella2006]

We are getting married in Disney in November; there are 18 of us in total (me 21, Fiancé 31, Step son 8, son 2, aunty 44, uncle 50, dad 43, step mum 33, sis 2, sis 7, bro 8, aunty 41, uncle 44, cousinF 7, cousinF 9, cousinM 15, aunty 34, Nan 67. Long list I know but as you can see there are a variety of ages, gender; do you think CRT would appeal to everyone? I was thinking of having our welcome celebration meal here; for the majority it will be there first time and I would like to do something special. I have heard mixed reviews but what I can’t decide upon is between lunch and dinner; I prefer the dinner menu but I have heard that there is no Cinderella Shall I opt for lunch instead? I know it is expensive but I think it looks unique and I would like to treat them as it has cost £20,000 just to fly all of us from UK to Sanford. Anyone who has eaten here, any feedback would be appreciated as the 180 day mark is on Monday!
Thanks in advance

 

[lisabelll]

I have never been to the castle for either meal, but I will tell you what we decided. From what I understand (and I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong ) that there is a big difference in the character interaction between lunch and dinner. Both have Cinderella downstairs to take pictures and both get a picture package. With lunch you get a sword or wand and with dinner you get a lithograph. The lunch has other princesses that come around to the table and do autographs and such. The dinner is less a character meal then a "magical moment" where the Fairy Godmother and 2 mice do a little show. They do celebrate special occasions at the dinner, but I don't think they do autographs or interaction with the guests.

I had originally planned to do dinner, but after all of the reading that I have done here we decided just to do a late lunch. I have 2 little girls so I think they would much more prefer the wand then a lithograph (if they still do the wands, I haven't heard for sure since the changes that took place). We are also going to be celebrating 5th birthday there and 3rd birthday, so I am hoping that they will make a big deal of them! I read that they do and we told them about them when we made the ADR.

So I guess it is a personal decision. With the age variety you have, I might have opted for the dinner Good luck with your choice! Either way you will get to see Cinderella downstairs for the picture.

 

[DisOrBust]

Personally I think there are better ideas but i am soured on CRT since the price hike. Try the Wedding board. There is an Illumination dessert party you can sometimes book that I think would be more enjoyed by all!

 

[Cinderella2006]

lisabelll - Thanks for your help; I haven’t got a clue what happens now everything has changed. I prefer the dinner menu but I didn’t know the children would have wands/swords at lunch - that’s cool! I should think that’s included in the extraordinary price; hope they are good quality!
Has anyone else been there recently and can inform me on what goes on? I just want to make sure that even though it is expensive that it is an enjoyable meal.

 

[MareQ]

I have never been to the castle for either meal, but I will tell you what we decided. From what I understand (and I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong ) that there is a big difference in the character interaction between lunch and dinner. Both have Cinderella downstairs to take pictures and both get a picture package. With lunch you get a sword or wand and with dinner you get a lithograph. The lunch has other princesses that come around to the table and do autographs and such. The dinner is less a character meal then a "magical moment" where the Fairy Godmother and 2 mice do a little show. They do celebrate special occasions at the dinner, but I don't think they do autographs or interaction with the guests.

This is correct. Personally I felt that with the extra expense of dinner it's ridiculous that they do NOT give out the wands and swords and have the princesses circulating. My kids didn't give a hoot about the lithos or the little "ceremony" although they would have liked it much better if there was actually a table by table visit like you get at lunch and b-fast- others may like it though. IMO - It's a more expensive meal with less "stuff" - I say go for Lunch personally unless you really don't want princesses

 

[Cinderella2006]

Thanks everyone; i think lunch it is unless anyone has any better ideas!?

 

[Cookie Princess]

We would pick lunch - the Major Domo's pie is delicious!

 

[Lizzybee]

We ate lunch at CRT last August when I surprised my kids with a trip. This was before the wands/swords but we really enjoyed this meal. It was so special to eat in the castle and be called "Lord" "Lady" and "Princess". After the price hike I said "well, I'm glad we went because I'm not paying those prices". I have another August trip booked and guess where I'll be celebrating my birthday...CRT Lunch. We have free dining so I'll pay OOP for some other meal and use the 2 credits, at least for my son and I. I may pay OOP for my DD8. I had the major domo pie and it was rich (meat in the sauce), flaky (the crust), creamy (the potatoes), and crisp (the perfectly steamed veggies). It really is a nice dish. My DS11 had the salmon and really enjoyed it. My DD8 had what she had all week long...chicken fingers. She said those were good too.
You might want to also look into 1900 Park Fare, you still have Cinderella with Prince Charming, the Mice Suzy and Perla and sometimes Fairy Godmother. A buffet may be nice for a large group and it's a very nice buffet as well.

 

[Cinderella2006]

Lizzybee - Thanks for your help, it is good to know that people are still going back even though the price has risen dramatically! I know my cousins will love eating at the castle, as for the boys ... they might like the fact of eating in a castle! I am going to book lunch; I don’t want to miss Cinderella!

 

[Lizzybee]

Cinderella2006 it was my DS11's fav dining experience...maybe it's because Jasmin has a bare midriff (you should see the blush in THAT picture). Have a great time, it truly is special.