We booked our trip about 175 days out. In the first discussion (of many) I had with my SIL about our plans she said she really wanted to go to Cinderella's castle. I had too concerns - first my DD was 2 (about to turn 3 when we went) and not really into the princesses. Also, I thought there was no way we would get an ADR at 175 days. Well, I called and they had a table for 8 on Tuesday 4/22 at 10:05. My SIL and I were excited.
From that day on I started indoctrinating DD in princess. I am shameless I know. By the time it was time for our trip she was a full fledged princess devotee.
I made the ADR for 8 thinking that my boys would not be into whole scene so DH and the boys could take a pass and spend the time on rides. Plus I would save a lot of $$ by not bringing the whole crew. It turned out to be a good decision - DD11 got the stomach flu on Monday night so Tuesday morning he was in no shape for the parks. DD9 and DD7 were ready for a break also and they were all happy for a no park morning.
So it was me, DD2, FIL, MIL, SIL, BIL and 2 DNeph.
We got there 15 minutes early and entered the line for a picture with Cinderella. The look on DD's face when Cinderella walked out was priceless. She was soooo excited. Before we even went upstairs to eat I knew it was going to be worth it. After the picture the boys were given plastic swords and DD got a wand. We were called within 10 minutes to go upstairs. We had a great table for 8 in the middle of the room with our back against the wall. We could see the princesses moving around to the various tables.
We met Snow White, Belle (blue dress), Jasmine and Aurora. They were all very nice and spent enough time with us, but still moved pretty quickly. DD was in awe. She had a great time. I think the "face" character aspect made a difference. Whereas I think she knows that Mickey mouse is not a real mouse, I think she truly believed that she was meeting the real Snow White. She just beamed the whole time.
The food was decent. Its a fixed plate, although you can order a "healthy option". We all opted for the standard plate - scrambled eggs, potatoes (really good, similar if not the same as, the Olivias potatoes discussed in a prior post), bacon and sausages. We had two big baskets of bread/danishes and a plate of assorted fruit also. The boys had french toast sticks, bacon and scrambled eggs. DD2 got complementary french toast sticks, even though she was FREE (what a bargain!).
We were done in exactly one hour (including picture and wait time), so it was a little rushed. We had a great time and I would definately do it again. I suspect that the first time at CRT is the best, I wish I could have somehow bottled DD's spontaneous enthusiasm. She may not remember the experience, but I will!
We headed back to OKW to see how DD11 was feeling. Not great but he did not want to miss our planned night at MK. I had promised that we would stay for Spectro and Wishes. We had an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern at 4:35. Review coming soon!