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Cinderella’s Royal Table – Is It Worth It?

June 27, 2009 By Alison 6 Comments

Want a Place at Cinderella's Royal Table?
Have you ever wondered what Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant is really like? Located inside Disney’s Magic Kingdom castle it is the most popular restaurant in the whole of Walt Disney World. But does it really deserve to be that popular?

Anyone who has tried to make Advance Dining Reservations for Cinderella’s Royal Table will know that sometimes it feels as though you have embarked on Mission Impossible! Unless you call right at the first minute of the first day you can make ADRs (90 days ahead for everyone, and up to 100 days ahead for Disney resort guests) then you will most likely be told that there are no tables left. So we know it is very popular!

What if you don’t manage to get Advance Dining Reservations for Cinderella’s Royal Table. Try again. Sometimes there are cancellations and you will strike it lucky.

Do remember though that there is a 24 hour cancellation policy. When you make your ADRs you will be asked for your credit card details – and they will be charged unless you cancel within the 24 hours before you are set to dine.

But does the Cinderella dining experience live up to the expectation? Of course it gives you a chance to actually get inside Cinderella’s Castle. And for this alone it is worth it for many Disney World visitors. The interior of the restaurant is very well done. Just as you would expect the inside of the castle to look – lots of stained glass,stone work and wood. It is also much smaller than most people imagine – another reason why it is so difficult to get in!

It is pretty pricey. At $42.99 for dinner for adults with tax and gratuity as extra this is not an inexpensive dining option.

Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant is what is known as a photo package experience. What does this mean? The price of the meal also includes a photo with one of the characters.

Many people love the fact that a photo is included with the meal. The photo package is four 4×6 prints and one 6×8 print of your photo, as well as one 6×8 print of Cinderella Castle in a Cinderella photo holder. Each party of 1 to 4 guests will get one photo package,5 to 8 guests will receive two packages.

For me and for many other guests though the feeling is that it would be better if the price was lower and the photograph was not included. Personally I do not like to have to wait in line to have a picture taken (and this is what often happens). This may be because I have hundreds of pictures already of myself and my family with Disney characters! But I would prefer to be able to skip this part.

Disney Princess Cinderella

The time with the characters is good for a Disney character dining experience. The restaurant is small so when I have been there we have had plenty of time with the characters. Who will be there? As with all Disney character dining restaurants the list can, and does, change so don’t promise your little ones (or yourself) a special character. But the ones you are likely to find are Cinderella, The Fairy Godmother, Princess Belle, Princess Aurora and Snow White.

So what is the food like at Cinderella’s Royal Table? Not great but not bad either. For that price I would expect a higher standard. But with this Disney restaurant you are going there for the experience of dining in Cinderella’s Castle. The food is fine, but nothing to get that excited about. There are plenty of choices including a Children’s menu. Some guests do report feeling rushed but I have never really found this to be so.

So is Cinderella’s Royal Table really worth it? I would certainly say it is somewhere you should experience at least once. The unique quality of being located inside Cinderella’s Castle really is a lot of fun.

Have an expectation that the food will be fine but nothing that special. If you want to dine with Cinderella and have great food then try out dinner at 1900 Park Fare in Disney’s Grand Floridian. Overall Cinderella’s Royal Table is a good Disney experience though – if you can get in then you should give it a try.

Want to know even more including finding out what exactly is on the menu and even get a peek inside to see what the restaurant looks like? I have written a free guide for you here:

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Photos used under Creative Commons from armadillo444

Filed Under: Cruises, Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney Parks, Disney World Dining, Disneyland, EPCOT Tagged With: , , ,

Disney Cinderella Castle

March 26, 2009 By Alison 3 Comments

Cinderella Castle

Cinderella’s Castle is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the World. But have you ever wondered what is inside those famous Disney Castle walls? Built in 1971 it stands 189 feet tall and was inspired by the historic castles of France. How many bricks were used to build it? A trick question as the answer is none – it is made out of concrete and fiberglass over a steel structure.

What most Disney guests are really interested in finding out is if they can spend the night in Cinderella’s Castle. Inside you will find Cinderella’s Castle Suite, but only the select few have ever stayed there and no amount of money will buy the privilege. The only way to stay in the Castle is to win a night as a prize.

Originally Cinderella’s Castle was to have a suite for Walt Disney and his family to stay. Sadly Walt never saw his iconic castle completed as he died in 1966, some 5 years before the opening of Disney World. So the suite was never created. Over the years the inside of the Castle was used for various things including housing the Disney telephone operators but for much of it’s history it was just empty space.

The Disney hit upon a great idea. In 2007 Disney World Launched the Year of a Million Dreams. And what better as one of the most coveted prizes than a stay in Cinderella’s Castle. So each day a winner was chosen who with up to 5 guests could stay in the Cinderella Suite.

The inside of the Cinderella Castle Suite has the kind of detailing that you would expect from the Disney Imagineers. The Suite is intended to make you feel not just that you are inside the Castle but that you are immersed in the whole Disney experience. It is surprisingly small at 650 square feet but is large enough to sleep 5 people in absolute Disney luxury.

How do you get to stay in Cinderella’s Castle Suite? The Year of a Million Dreams is of course now over but Disney has announced that it will still keep the Cinderella Castle Suite as a prize and not open it up to fee paying guests. Or you could become a Disney superstar like Kevin Jonas, who stayed their with his wife for their first wedding anniversary!

There is a much easier way to get inside Cinderella’s Castle. You can make a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Yes I did say easier – but this is Disney World’s most popular restaurant so you do need to make reservations as soon as you can by calling 407 WDW DINE. Reservations are taken up to 90 days ahead and Disney resort hotel guests have the advantage that they can book up to 10 days of their stay. Make sure that you call on the first day possible as soon as the lines open. What if you don’t get a reservation first time? You can try calling to see if there are any cancellations.

You can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table. The food is certainly not the best at Disney World but of course the big attraction is eating inside that famous Castle and meeting the characters. As with all Disney character meals you can never guarantee who you will meet but the usual favorites are Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Belle, Aurora, and Snow White. Is Cinderella’s Royal Table worth it? Well I personally wouldn’t go for the food quality, but the experience of eating in Cinderella’s Castle is perhaps something you just have to do!

If you want to learn more about the Disney World Castle and even see some pictures inside the Castle Suite then visit my new guide at
Cinderella Castle.

Photos used under Creative Commons from expressmonorail

Filed Under: Disney Parks Tagged With: , ,

Disney World Character Dining

July 6, 2008 By Alison 1 Comment

Want to have a meal with Mickey Mouse or dine with a Disney Princess? Well there are many Disney character dining choices at Disney World.

But how do you choose which Disney World character dining experience is for you? One of the most popular Disney dining experiences is Cinderella’s Royal Table. And many of the Disney guides will tell you just how difficult it is to get a table at this Disney World restaurant. Why is Cinderella’s Royal Table so popular? Because it is right inside Disney World’s Cinderella Castle and of course you meet the Princess herself – but it has to be said only briefly! So if you want to dine in the Disney World castle be sure to make Advance Dining Reservations way ahead of time.

There are many other Disney character dining choices both inside the theme parks and also in the Disney hotels. Buffet dining is the most popular type of dining for a character meal but some meals are also served ‘family style’ meaning that a selection of food is brought to your table.

So how do you decide which Disney World character dining experience to choose? Well, firstly ask yourself if there is any particular character that you would like to meet. Would you prefer to dine with a Disney Princess? Or perhaps you want to spend more time with Mickey Mouse, or Winnie the Pooh.
Then think about whether you would prefer to dine inside the theme park or if dining in a Disney World hotel would be a better use of your time. Then think about your budget. Breakfast is usually the best deal. With buffet breakfast style dining you usually skip lunch so in terms of value you may want to factor this in to your Disney dining choice.

What about the quality of the food? Well we are not talking gourmet dining here but the quality at some of the restaurants is pretty high. One of my own favorites is the buffets at 1900 Park Fayre at the Grand Floridian. Whether it is breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and Friends or dinner with Cinderella the food here is excellent. And a great value.

Will your child love the Disney character meal? Well you have to think about how they are going to react to the characters. Generally it is much easier to predict a child’s reaction to a Disney Princess than it is to think how they will react to a less ‘life like’ character such as Winnie the Pooh. Suddenly being confronted with a large ( and some of them seem huge to a small child) Disney character may be too much for your younger child. But the Disney characters are brilliant. They can win over all but the most reluctant of kids, and they know exactly when to walk away when it just isn’t going to work.

Disney World character dining really does bring the magic of Disney right into your vacation. If you would like even more information including reviews, prices and a comprehensive guide to all the Disney World character dining experiences then explore my Disney World Character Dining Guide

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Disney World Dining Tagged With: , , , , , ,

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