For many years, guests visiting Walt Disney World have had dining inside Cinderella Castle on their bucket list of must-do Disney World things.
You truly can’t get more iconic than a meal there, but how does it look now that it has reopened?
Here’s what we found:
Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Location: Magic Kingdom
- Meals available: lunch & dinner
- Price: Adults (ages 10 and up) $62.00 / Child (ages 3-9) $37.00
- Characters: Cinderella
- Link to menu
Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table
You truly can’t get more Disney-iconic than Cinderella Castle. Not only is it the centerpiece of Magic Kingdom, but it also houses one of the park’s most beloved (and expensive!) restaurants: Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Before the extended closure, frequent visitors know that you could dine there amongst lots of royalty like Ariel, Aurora, and Snow White.
However, it is currently not being marketed as a “character meal” because aside from the namesake, there aren’t any characters here right now.
Reservations
Reservations are required for Cinderella’s Royal Table – for the restaurant AND for the park. Both are required.
Restaurant reservations can be made 60 days out (either online or in the My Disney Experience app).
Note: Although this reservation used to be extremely difficult to get, it is a lot easier now that all the princesses aren’t here.
Menu
One of the highlights of this experience is definitely the food.
Both lunch and dinner are the same prix fixe, 3-course menu.
You get to choose one item from each category below:
Appetizers of the Court:
- Soup of the Day
- Castle Salad
- Charcuterie
Entrées Royale:
- Chickpea Panisse (Crispy Chickpeas Panisse, Tomato Jam, Roasted Carrots, Chermoula-spiced Garbanzos, and Chive Powder (Plant-based))
- Tenderloin of Beef (Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Celery Root Mash, Seasonal Vegetables, and Sauce Bordelaise)
- Braised Lamb Shank (Cannellini Bean Ragoût, Caramelized Pickled Shallots, and Herbed Panko Breadcrumbs)
- Roasted All-Natural Chicken Breast (Pan-roasted Chicken and Fingerling Potatoes with Haricot Verts and Spinach in a Leek-Mustard Cream Sauce)
- Chef’s Fish of the Day
Finales
- Jaq & Gus (Whipped Cheesecake with Seasonal Flavors and Garnishes)
- Coffee Pots de Crème (Coffee-infused Coconut ‘Custard’, Passion Fruit Gelée, and Crumbled Chocolate-Espresso Beans (Plant-based))
- The Clock Strikes Twelve (Dark Chocolate Mousse with a Dark Chocolate Ganache served with a Raspberry Coulis)
What we liked
The food here is some of our favorite. It is consistently good, and although the menu isn’t very adventurous, it is still tasty.
We are suckers for a fancy presentation, which we are happy to say this restaurant provides.
And, we also find the portion sizes to be more our style.
What we didn’t like
While we loved the food, there were a couple of things that we didn’t enjoy.
First, it isn’t unusual for the vents/ceiling to drip when the humidity is high. It isn’t our favorite, but we chalked it up to Disney trying to add that ancient castle authenticity.
And, the price is also something that continues to give us pause. $62 per adult is pricey, especially if you have a large group/family.
Characters
It feels very odd to dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table without the characters visiting your table.
In fact, out of all the character meals that have returned, this one feels the least “special” since only one of the many princesses is back – and she can only step a few feet into the room.
To be fair, that has to do with the health and safety measures that are in place.
It simply isn’t safe to have non-masked characters roaming through a restaurant full of unmasked diners right now.
We were in a decent spot where we could see rather clearly.
But, guests seated along the windows or in the corners of the room may have restricted views.
Autographs
Since characters are not signing autographs at this time, diners receive one of the little pre-printed postcards that have been introduced across all character meals.
Final thoughts
In the past, we loved Cinderella’s Royal Table as a special meal or treat. And because we felt like it had a lot to offer, we could totally justify the price for special occasions considering you could see so many princesses at once.
But now, that high price is basically just buying you the opportunity to dine in the castle, and many of the things that made it special (like PhotoPass photos and multiple princesses) aren’t there.
So, if you’re considering snagging a reservation, you really need to decide if the high cost is worth it for the good food and location alone.
Check Out Our Other Character Meal Reviews:
- Be Our Guest Review
- Topolino’s Terrace Review
- Garden Grill Review
- Chef Mickey’s Review
- Ravello’s Review
- Hollywood and Vine Review
Video
https://youtu.be/P4S34E1CWfg