Is Cinderella’s Royal Table Worth It? My Honest Review of Dining Inside Cinderella Castle
Cinderella’s Royal Table is worth it if:
• You want the once-in-a-lifetime experience of dining inside Cinderella Castle
• Meeting several Disney princesses is important to you
• You love the atmosphere and storytelling of Disney dining
It may not be worth it if:
• You’re primarily focused on food quality
• You want a lower-cost princess character meal
• You’re travelling with dietary restrictions (menu options are limited)
Bottom line: The food is good, but the experience of dining inside the castle is what makes this restaurant special.
Read my full review below for details.
My Experience Dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table
I’m often asked about my favourite dining locations in the Magic Kingdom and inevitably the question “is dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table worth the price?” comes up. I always struggled to answer because it had been years since I dined there myself, actually more than a few years. I was five or six years old the last time I ate there.
Over the years I thought of going back to experience it again, but getting a reservation was always a challenge and I really struggled to justify the price of the meal to myself. With breakfast running around $75 per adult and dinner about $90 USD, it felt like a big splurge for this Canadian gal once the exchange rate was added in, so I kept putting it off.
I finally decided that I needed to have an opinion about it since so many people ask me. While many people told me it was overrated, it was important for me to try it myself as an adult and do my own Cinderella’s Royal Table review.
Where you meet Cinderella and wait for your table.
Getting reservations for Cinderella’s Royal Table is never easy. It is incredibly popular, but it’s also very small – there simply aren’t many tables inside the castle, so reservations book up quickly. That being said, with all Disney dining reservations, if you don’t get what you want then keep trying! Disney dining availability changes every day, and that’s exactly how I managed to snag mine.
One important thing to note is that for Cinderella’s Royal Table you must pre-pay your meal in advance. You are charged the entire price when you make the reservation, so it becomes especially important to cancel in advance if your plans change and you can’t make it.
What happens if you have Disney discounts or the Disney Dining Plan and you want to dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table? You still pre-pay on your credit card when you make the reservation. When you dine at the restaurant they adjust the final bill accordingly. This means any additional charges (for specialty cocktails, alcohol etc) are applied to the bill and then discounts and dining credits are taken. Any remaining balance is either refunded or charged to your credit card. At the end of our meal I got a refund equivalent to my Annual Pass discount.
I was really excited for this experience and was going with my sister and 2 friends. Before the trip I had found an old home movie of myself coming down the castle stairs after we had eaten there. The footage is so grainy, but I remember being there so clearly. I decided that I was going to re-create that video of me coming down the stairs, sort of a “then and now” video at the end of our meal.
When we arrived and walked into the castle we were given a little slip of paper with our table number and were escorted over to meet Cinderella and have our pictures taken.
After the pictures we waited for them to call us to the table. You need to climb stairs to the second floor, but given my sister’s mobility challenges they took us to the elevator so she didn’t have to walk the stairs.
When the elevator door opened in the restaurant, it was absolutely stunning. I was surprised at how small it was, I don’t remember it being that small but of course when you’re little everything seems bigger. The stained glass windows looking out over the park were just majestic, and the chandeliers were equally impressive. I’m so glad it was light out when we got there so I could appreciate it all with the sunlight streaming through the windows.
They led us to our table, practically right in the middle of the restaurant, which gave us a great view of the entire dining room. Unfortunately, there was water dripping on me. When I mentioned it to my server, she said it was the exhaust from the air conditioner and it happened sometimes. I didn’t make a fuss, it was a little bit of water that dripped periodically throughout the meal, it really didn’t bother me. I just thought it was funny because as I thought about all of the infrastructure inside of that castle, I realized that it was over 50 years old. And while there have been renovations over the years, the bones are probably still the original ones.
We looked at the menu to make our selections, Since we all have different tastes and one of my friends is vegan, we were curious to see what options were available. With the fixed price menu you get your appetizer, entrée and dessert. It’s important to check the menu before you go as the selections are limited and the menu can change from what I’m describing here.
Because there were four of us, we each got one of the appetizers. Everyone was happy with what they got, and I decided I was going to try the pork belly. I’ve never tried pork belly before and figured it was a good time to be adventurous. It was delicious.
For the entrées, there were five different choices. The food was good, and we enjoyed it. At our table we ended up choosing the catch of the day, the pan-roasted cauliflower and the filet mignon (that was mine of course!).
Once the princesses started coming out, it was fun to watch all of the kids in the restaurant get so excited. During our dinner we were treated to meeting Merida, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine. My sister was super excited to see Aurora because she has always been her favourite princess. I had my picture taken with each one, and they were all so lovely. I always enjoy meeting Merida too!
I know that some adults wonder if they should do a character meal if they don’t have kids with them, and my answer is always yes! Absolutely do it! It’s always fun, and let’s be honest, we’re all just big kids at Disney anyway, right?
Our meals were good, but nothing particularly memorable, but when it was time for dessert I was impressed. My dessert was beautifully plated and so creative! I ordered the cheesecake and couldn’t believe how cute it was, it looked exactly like two pieces of cheese. It was delicious and I quite enjoyed it.
Everyone really enjoyed their desserts, and as they did, the Wish Ceremony started. This is a fun little interactive moment that everyone can participate in. I won’t spoil the surprise, but you do get a small souvenir.
We decided it was time to leave so that we could get outside before they closed access to the area for the fireworks. This is a big consideration when choosing the time of your reservation, because around the time of the fireworks you can’t exit the castle area. Guests must wait until after the fireworks before they can leave. It is such a different look inside when the sun has set.
As we got back out to the stairs to leave, there was our group there. My friends went down ahead of me so that they could take my picture standing at the top just as I had done almost 50 years ago. It was bittersweet to stand there, and it brought back so many great memories. You can see my YouTube short below.
We ended the night watching the fireworks from just behind the carousel, it seemed fitting to end the night that way.
So here’s the big question, was Cinderella’s Royal Table worth the price? If you want the experience of dining inside Cinderella Castle, that’s really what you are paying for. It IS a magical experience. If you just want to meet the princesses, you could meet them in the parks, or at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot. The price difference between the two meals can be substantial if you have a few people in your party.
Am I glad I did it? Absolutely!!
My friends and I joked as we looked back on the price of the meal (with our 1.35 Canadian exchange rate!) versus what we got. The food was good, but was it worth the price tag? I’m not convinced, especially if you’re a vegan, it’s a pretty expensive cauliflower steak! But you’re paying for the experience and location, and that part is truly special.
If you haven’t eaten at Akershus in Epcot, read my review!
