Cinderella’s Royal Table: Worth the Price?

The most popular princess dining experience is inside Cinderella’s Castle  in the Magic Kingdom. Cinderella’s Royal Table is a signature dining experience, which means that it will cost you two table-service credits or around $55 for ages 10 and up for lunch and dinner and $35 for ages 10 and up for breakfast.  For that price, you’ll get your meal and a Cinderella photo opportunity in the lobby and a meet and greet from Cinderella’s friends while you dine.

Your photo with Cinderella (taken in the lobby of the restaurant-on the main level) is included with your meal package and includes (1) 6×8 photo with Cinderella (1) 6×8 photo of the Castle and (4) 4×6 prints; all in a Cinderella themed photo holder.

This signature dining experience requires a credit card guarantee, even though two dining plan credits can be used to “pay” for your meal. It’s clearly expensive, but this doesn’t stop the restaurant from being one of the hardest reservations to get.  You’ll want to call Disney first thing in the morning at your 180-day mark to get your spot.

Offering three meals a day, it’s hard to decide which meal to target when you’re preparing to make your ADR’s:  Breakfast, lunch or dinner?

The solution for this is simple: check the menus. The meals are all a price fixe or set menu so find the selection that suits your tastes and go from there.

Breakfast has two options:

1. A traditional family breakfast, pre-plated with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese danish, fresh fruit, breakfast breads, potato casserole, juice and coffee.

2. Muesli served with fresh fruit and yogurt. Also includes an assortment of juice, coffee and milk.

Lunch-a three course meal off a set menu:

Appetizer: The appetizer is pre-plated and made to share. Offerings include grapes and cheeses; other items vary.

Entrees to choose from: vegetarian cassoulet, catch of the day, pork three ways, nicoise salad, Major Domos short rib or fried chicken.

Desserts: Valrhona chocolate mousse, almond cheesecake or raspberry no sugar added sorbet with berries

Dinner-a three course meal off a set menu:

Appetizer-Your choice of: rock shrimp cocktail, castle salad, roasted beet salad, tasting of cheese, soup of the day

Entrees to choose from: stuffed chicken breast, seafood pasta, catch of the day, pork three ways, vegetarian cassoulet, roasted beef tenderloin

Desserts: Chef’s Dessert Trip, valrhona chocolate mousse, almond cheesecake, raspberry no sugar added sorbet with berries

My review:

I’ve experienced all three meals at Cinderella’s Royal Table multiple times and have seen several menu changes. The major problem I have with this dining experience is that as soon as I find something I enjoy eating, they take it off the menu. I’ve been eating at Cinderella’s Royal Table for over 12 years and I’m sad to say, I wish it were still as good as it was 12 years ago. Before the princesses arrived, the Castle was a must do on our dining list. Beef barely soup made with prime rib was the best I’ve ever tasted, the prime rib was wrapped with a peppercorn bacon “crust” and cooked to perfection and the garlic smashed potatoes were a delicious compliment. Your cobalt crystal goblet was happily refilled without asking and your server not only referred to you as “lord” and “lady” but treated you as such.

In my opinion the decline began when it became a signature experience with the princesses. Instead of a leisurely meal with excellent service and food it’s now a venue with so-so quality food and even worse service. I would gladly forgo the photo with Cinderella to have my beef barely soup back and I’d prefer to not see the princesses and allow my server to be at the table when they need to be.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy character dining and I think it’s the best way to experience the characters; however, I’d rather have the focus in the Castle back on quality, not quantity.  And for crying out loud, bring back the beef barley soup and Major Domo’s Shephard’s Pie!

Disney Food Report Tip:   Even if you’re on the dining plan, consider having breakfast at this location and paying out of pocket. You’ll get more out of dinner at a two-credit restaurant and since the food here isn’t up to the quality of a restaurant like Citricos or Yachtsman, consider saving those precious credits for dinner (the most expensive meal of the day) at a location that’s worth it.