shan23877
I make lists about my lists
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- Jul 9, 2011
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The One With Cinderella’s Royal Table
I have to preface this by saying that I’ve been absolutely dreading writing this review. I struggled with glossing over it or skipping it all together, but in the end I decided that I’m going to post the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here goes…
Those of you that followed my PTR will know that Bryan and I held a tournament asking those participating in the PTR to choose restaurants paired up bracket style against one another. At the end of 10 long weeks CRT emerged the victor, chosen overwhelmingly as the favorite WDW restaurant of my DIS friends. While I did not vote, my family has enjoyed immensely our 2 previous visits to CRT (breakfast and dinner)and our last stood out as one of our favorite meals of that trip to mostly to exemplary service. We’ve been lucky to have been taken care of by amazing CMs who called Maddie princess and made her feel incredibly special. They’ve always gone above and beyond to make dining in the castle a magical and memorable experience. The food has always been good, but not great. It’s been the service over and over that wowed us. We’ve had nothing but wonderful memories in the castle---until now.
We arrived at the check in desk of CRT at 6:45 to find a mob scene of folks trying to escape the rain, trying to get into the restaurant without reservations, and trying to get in early despite reservations for much later in the evening. Bryan made his way through the crowd to check us in only to be told rather curtly that we couldn’t check in until 5 minutes before our ADR. Knowing that Disney’s policy was for guests to check in 15 minutes early that didn’t sit well with us, but there was nothing for us to do but retreat into the crowd and wait.
Promptly at 6:55 Bryan once again approached the desk and this time was allowed to give our name. 10 minutes later we were called into the lobby.
The line for photos with Cinderella was long, but it usually is. It moved quickly and Cindy was quite lovely. I really enjoyed the addition of special restaurant borders that PP offered this year.
We were lucky to find a seat in the crowded lobby-it made the scene outside look calm-where we waited about 35 minutes to be called upstairs. The masses in the lobby, most of whom has spent the afternoon in wet clothes and ponchos, made for a very humid and uncomfortable waiting area. By the time we went upstairs we were all sweaty and tired.
The ceiling in the lobby
We were shown to a table on the upper tier closest to the staircase, just one table away from where everyone enters and exits the dining room. It wasn’t a great location, but as we settled in we were all eager for the evening of magic we’ve come to expect from CRT.
As we waited I saw another family (2 adults and 2 grown children) being seated right next to us. A server quickly approached them and took their drink orders. Since it had been a while since we’d stopped for beverages we looked on longingly as they quickly received their beverages and then their dinner rolls.
We busied ourselves admiring Maddie’s magic wand and wishing star and taking photos, but not until about 10 minutes after we sat down- while we were considering flagging down the next server to happen by and beg him to bring us some cokes- our waiter appeared.
I’ve waited tables for a very, very long time. I understand that anyone can have a bad day and be in a bad mood. While I do not forgive our server for the way he treated us that evening, I also don’t think it’s fair to post his name on the internet. We’ll call him Joe.
Joe approached us and quickly set the tone for our evening. He very snidely and hurriedly asked what we wanted to drink. In one sentence he managed to make sure we knew he did not have time for the likes of us.
Maddie asked for Sprite and a glass of water, I requested Coke and a water, and Bryan asked for a Diet Coke and a water. Joe heaved a big sigh and told us that the water there isn’t filtered, but he’d bring it if we really wanted it. Now, I understand that CRT has reached signature status simply because of the characters and exclusive access to the interior of the castle and I try really hard not to dwell on costs at WDW, but when was the last time any of you sat down at a meal that cost $70 a head and weren’t given water automatically? And since we’d been treated so sweetly by the server at the Plaza (a sandwich shop) a few days prior when making the same request, his response was even more shocking.
We assured him that we still wanted the water and went ahead and placed our orders. For starters Maddie was to receive the standard child’s cheese cubes and grapes. Bryan chose the cheese plate that he’d so enjoyed the year before, and I selected the soup du jour having loved the soup I’d had there prior.
While we waited for our first course Bryan saw our beloved server from last year, and we watched wistfully as he smiled, joked, and bowed to the guests in his station.
Joe returned with our first course, tossed it down in front of us and was ready to hustle off when Maddie stopped him. You see, last year our server had given both Maddie and I wands and had presented Bryan with a sword as well. Clearly this wasn’t really something affected Bryan or I much, but it was one of Maddie’s favorite memories. So, Mads took it upon herself to ask Grumpy Joe if he wouldn’t mind bringing a wand for her mommy and a sword for her daddy. Joe shot us a look that said “you allow your child to ask such things of me?” and told her no, that they were only for kids and walked away. As we assured Maddie that we were perfectly happy without them, it did not escape our attention that the twenty-something daughters of Joe’s table next door had wands of their own.
Maddie loved her cheese and grapes-two of her favorite foods, but I wasn’t wild about my soup. To be fair the soup of the day was a rather boring sounding vegetable, but based on past experiences I went with it. Bryan’s cheese plate was the major disappointment of the course. I compared pictures of last year’s offering and it looks very similar, but this one was much lower quality. In fact Bryan asked me to try what appeared to be goat cheese (Mr. Personality certainly didn’t bother to explain the offerings) tasted EXACTLY like cream cheese. As Joe cleared our mostly full plates he sort of aggressively asked if we hadn’t enjoyed it, we decided not to engage told him it was ok.
Cheese Plate
Soup
Enjoying her cheese and grapes
Soup
Enjoying her cheese and grapes
Sometime after the first course was cleared, the wishing ceremony occurred. While I didn’t capture the moment in photos as well as I did last year, Maddie still found it quite magical. She told us that her wishes had already come true.
Someone other than Joe delivered our main courses. Bryan and I had both chosen the Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Scalloped Potatoes and Tomato Butter, and Maddie selected the child’s Beef Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.
I really should have taken the photos with the silver wear next to the food to more accurately show the size of the portions, but believe me when I say that Maddie’s portion of beef was larger than the one served to Bryan and I. I had requested my beef medium and Bryan asked for medium rare, both were served well done. Maddie’s was also cooked through, but she was much less bothered by it. The portion of potatoes appeared to be approximately 2 ounces, and the asparagus was simply sad. It was young baby asparagus, but it had been cooked so aggressively that it was a limp, flavorless mess. It literally curled up on itself when we picked it up.
About 15 minutes after our meal was served, with all of our glasses empty and no Joe in sight, Bryan finally approached one of the hostesses and asked if she might be able to send someone, anyone over to our table. Joe appeared momentarily and snottily asked what we needed.
Bryan is a calm, patient man. Having married someone who carries the fabled Irish Temper he has to be, we can’t both be hot heads! It takes a great deal to make him mad, but Joe’s attitude toward him was the last straw. Bry rather intimidatingly explained that our meat was overcooked, the portions unacceptable, and the asparagus just bad. He said the very least that Joe could do was refill our glasses and go ahead and bring dessert. And bless his heart, he did it all in a tone that would not upset Maddie while I distracted her with princesses sightings (they hadn’t made it to us yet).
Joe did not remove our entrees, but with a sigh on his lips an eye roll in his heart he did return with refills. And was quickly followed by the chef.
Honestly, our biggest problem with the meal was not the poor food. It’s CRT not Peter Luger’s, we get that. It was the service. Mediocre to bad food would have been a minor footnote in our vacation memories if not for the unforgivably rude and condescending way we were treated by our boy Joe. We'd have been laughing about what a great time we had eating bad food if we'd been treated decently!
When the chef appeared, Bryan kindly explained that the food wasn’t great and that the asparagus was kind of gray and flaccid, but that Joe had been the biggest issue throughout the night, and that our every interaction with him had been an unpleasant one. The chef was very nice, listened attentively and offered to prepare all 3 of us new meals. He really did do his best to make the food part of the evening right. My guess is that the kitchen was just having a bad night. I’ve read dining reviews from others dining the month before we visited and the month after that were all favorable and featured photos of food that looked much better than ours. We declined new meals, explaining to the chef that we were just done and would like to move on to the next course. The chef kindly offered to make us any dessert that he could-offering crème brulee (which he said was only for special occasions) or larger portions of menu offerings. Again we declined and said that what we’d ordered would be fine. I can’t say enough about the kindness of the chef. He did go above and beyond to try to make us happy with our food, including having a new portion of lovely asparagus sent to the table. By that point we just wanted to get the meal over with.
Right after the chef apologetically left our table, the princess parade began. We were visited by Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, and Jasmine. Jasmine was the stand out of this trip. She was simply lovely and took lots of time chatting with Maddie and calling her princess.
The man in the photo is not Joe BTW
Our desserts were served sometime during our royal photo sessions. Joe explained that in addition to the dessert trio I'd ordered I was being given the very special crème brulee in honor of my birthday. While laughable after our chat with the chef, it was our most pleasant conversation with Joe of the evening. Bryan ate some of his lemon sorbet, and Maddie enjoyed decorating the sundae she’d ordered. The special brulee tasted ok, and was well executed (we’d clearly been marked, the chef was not taking any chances on us). We asked immediately for the bill to sign, and as soon as Maddie finished with her sundae we left.
Bryan and I were talking tonight as I typed this and both agreed that this was our most memorable meal of the trip, and how much that saddens us both. We’d love to be remembering wonderful meals at the Yachtsman and Narcoossees (spoiler!), or remembering what a lovely time we’d had at CRT despite the food. Instead we’re left with memories of being treated more poorly by a CM than we’ve ever been treated –even in the real world.
I know that I should have made a trip to Guest Services immediately following this meal, but honestly we just wanted to move on (I haven’t done very well at that have I?). It had been such a disappointing experience that I just couldn't bear the idea of standing in line at guest services to recount it.
We needed to find a way to recapture the magic, and I had an idea.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Service – 0
Food – 2 (the willingness of the chef to make things right went a long way)
Would We Return? Well this is a tricky one. If it were up to Bryan and me the answer would be a resounding no. It’s not really up to Bry and I though is it? Maddie was pleased as punch with her princess visits, and still loves the experience of dining in the castle. We’ll be trying lunch on our next visit, and if Joe happens to be assigned to us we’ll politely ask for a different server.
Up Next: Mommy Goes All In To Save the Night
I hope that you will be able to experience a great CRT meal in May to make up for this one. (BTW, that cheese plate is so paltry - Im really shocked by it - surely in a World run by a MOUSE they could do better with the cheese???) Okay, wait, Im still too mad to stop. The sword/wand thing makes my blood boil. That place has a LONG history of handing those out to adults without being asked - a little princess actually asks for something for her parents instead of herself (I mean, come on, its not like that happens every 5 minutes!), and this jerk cant be bothered to walk over to where they are and bring them over???? GAH!!!!
when I was telling you the other night that Willow had decided to make bracelets for the characters. You must have been all, DUH, Roni! 
So glad that they could save the night! I love Tiana - I have never met a Tiana who wasnt totally into being Tiana. She is one of my favorites to meet.
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That's hilarious!
