Cinderella’s Royal Table Restaurant Review
Cinderella’s Royal Table is a table service princess character meal inside Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. This Walt Disney World dining review features food photos, our thoughts on lunch & dinner at the restaurant, and whether the experience is worth the money. (Updated February 28, 2023.)
The menu consists of American cuisine that is almost fine-dining caliber. Between the menu and the dining inside the castle, Cinderella’s Royal Table is arguably the flagship restaurant in the Magic Kingdom (only Be Our Guest Restaurant surpasses it in popularity), and one of the most unique restaurants in all of Walt Disney World. Aside from spending a night in the Cinderella Castle Royal Suite, it’s your best chance at entering the park’s icon.
As Walt Disney World’s prolonged phased reopening continues, things continue getting back to normal. Traditional meet & greets have returned with autographs, hugs, and high fives. After a very lengthy delay, this is also finally true at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Let’s start with an update on the latest good and bad changes at this restaurant as of 2023…
February 28, 2023 Update: First, the good news. The Disney princesses have officially returned to the dining room at Cinderella’s Royal Table for the first time since pre-closure. Unlike Breakfast à la Art at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera and Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White (our two favorite character meals at Walt Disney World right now), Cinderella’s Royal Table had not returned to normal…until today! Per Walt Disney World, the princesses had been “taking a break from their royal duties greeting guests.”
As of today, princesses are now back at Cinderella’s Royal Table. For those who are unfamiliar with how this character dining experience operates, Cinderella greets guests downstairs and a few other visiting princesses roam the main dining room, making the rounds for photos. Cinderella had previously returned downstairs (unofficially and not guaranteed), but now all of the other princess performers are back, too.
The bad news is that, with the character component at Cinderella’s Royal Table restored, the price has increased. As of yesterday, the cost was $67 per adult and $39 per child at lunch or dinner, and $45 per adult and $29 per child for breakfast. These breakfast and lunch/dinner prices were after multiple price increases during the phased reopening.
As of today, the cost of breakfast is up by $20, and lunch/dinner have both increased by $12. Breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table now costs $65 per adults and $39 per child. Dining with the princesses inside Cinderella Castle now costs $79 per adult and $47 per kid.
That’s hefty fee for dining with royalty! Or is it?!
Throughout our reporting on Cinderella’s Royal Table, we’ve pointed out that the price actually decreased when the restaurant reopened without princesses, while also warning that the cost would shoot up when characters returned to the dining room. Although the $12 or $20 price increase sounds extreme, when compared with March 2020, these prices are only up $2 to $4 per person.
Cinderella’s Royal Table has always been expensive, and we certainly wouldn’t argue otherwise with anyone. However, Disney has had no trouble filling restaurants at absurd price points. Not only that, but a $2 to $4 price increase over the course of 3 years–especially in light of food inflation since then–hardly sounds extreme.
Whether it’s overpriced is subjective; for many young kids, eating inside a castle with royalty is a priceless experience. But it’s probably fair to say that if you it’s overpriced now, it also was before–and vice versa. If anything, the increase here is less steep than what other character meals around Walt Disney World have seen in the last 3 years. (Which is precisely why we predicted even higher prices at Cinderella’s Royal Table upon princesses returning!)
One thing that has not changed is that Cinderella’s Royal Table requires prepayment in full for secure an Advance Dining Reservation.
It’s a bit surprising that this policy is still in effect, which previously discouraged ADR-hoarding, as the popularity of Cinderella’s Royal Table is not what it once was with Be Our Guest Restaurant now being the top draw in Magic Kingdom.
The big question right now is whether Cinderella’s Royal Table is worth the reduced cost given the atmosphere and food alone for those who are not interested in character dining.
We’ll try to answer those questions first, and then turn to the normal “Fairytale Dining Experience” for families considering Walt Disney World trips in 2023, now that the princesses have returned and Cinderella’s Royal Table is back to normal…
I can still remember looking in the Walt Disney World book I had as a kid and seeing the star-filter enhanced photo of King Stefan’s Banquet Hall, and thinking how awesome it would be to eat inside Cinderella Castle. On that basis alone, we convinced ourselves to give it a try anyway.
Suffice to say, we were downright shocked by Cinderella’s Royal Table…
In terms of ambiance, Cinderella’s Royal Table is spectacular. It looked like it had been fairly unchanged since it was King Stefan’s Banquet Hall, and I honestly think that is probably for the best. The restaurant is still in great condition, from the carpet to the intricate details to the flags overhead.
I hope Disney’s Imagineers never change the look or feel of the restaurant, because it feels very regal, beautifully designed, and most of all, like an authentic European castle. I trust in the Imagineers, but I really hope they don’t opt for a “modern” refresh, as that’s totally unnecessary here.
The guest ambiance was also surprisingly good. Now, this definitely is a ‘your mileage may vary situation’, but there were no crying children, and the restaurant overall was not loud like we expected. We’ve been to some chaotic character meals, and this didn’t have that feeling at all.
It wasn’t peaceful or subdued like a fine dining experience late at night can be, but it was shockingly relaxed. Perhaps Disney has utilized fabrics and other sound-dampening techniques, or maybe we just got lucky. Regardless of why, we were stunned and impressed.
On to the food. Note that Cinderella’s Royal Table is not all you can eat. You order off of a prix fixe menu, with a variety of appetizer, entree, and dessert options. (Note that the menu has changed somewhat since our last meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table.)
Dinner started out with bread service. This was rather pedestrian.
I started with the Crawfish and Shrimp with Grits. This consists of crawfish and shrimp in a New Orleans-style barbecue sauce with goat cheese grits.
I loved this appetizer, which had a really unique flavor (different than standard shrimp and grits). The seafood in it was good, and wasn’t rubbery as is often the case when it’s mixed in a concoction like this.
Sarah had the Strawberry Salad for her appetizer. This consists of strawberries, feta cheese, arugula, almonds, balsamic glaze, and olive oil.
She found the quality of the salad to be very high with a great mix of complimentary ingredients, and a refreshing taste.
We ‘fought’ over who got to order the Beef Tenderloin. Since we always order different foods for the sake of reviews, we couldn’t both order it.
I “won” this time, but don’t feel sorry for Sarah…she usually wins.
Wow is all I can say about this.
Cooked medium-rare to perfection, the meat was almost tender enough to cut with a fork, the cut of meat was excellent, and the glaze gave it a rich flavor. The potatoes were similarly out of this world.
Sarah instead opted for the Slow-roasted Bone-In Pork, which is served on a couscous medley. She was surprised at how flavorful, tender, and juicy the cut of meat was.
I tried it, and I was similarly surprised–especially about the juciness. I think Sarah could have gone for a slightly leaner cut, but I thought it was the perfect amount of lean meat versus fat.
For dessert, Sarah ordered the ‘Clock Strikes Twelve.’ Awesome presentation, but I can’t say it really wowed either of us. Really rich, and that was really the dominating “flavor.”
It wasn’t bad–and maybe it just wasn’t for us.
I had the Chef’s Dessert Trio.
Same deal–awesome presentation, sort of ‘meh’ desserts. I really did like the pistachio dessert in the middle. The others were sort of lackluster.
Finally, let’s wrap this up with a quick look at the princesses for those planning a Walt Disney World vacation and debating a meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Cinderella greets guests downstairs with a dedicated photo backdrop while Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, and Rapunzel meet guests upstairs in the dining room.
I’m not a big fan of meeting face characters. It also feels like an awkward experience, and while I’m comfortable cheesing it up with fur characters, I don’t have that comfort level meeting real people.
But, that’s my problem. These characters were great, and Sarah had a lot of fun with them.
She especially liked Snow White, who had a bit of sharp wit about her, without breaking character.
In fact, I enjoyed watching her character interactions with each of the princesses. Most did a really good job, and were pretty good representations of the characters depicted.
The real “dessert” or happy ending to our meal was the fireworks (another thing you won’t experience during the phased reopening). In our Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Guide, I wrote that I don’t care for locations outside of Main Street for viewing the fireworks.
While I still prefer those locations, and would absolutely recommend those spots for a first time visitor or someone who will only see the fireworks once during their trip, for us, seeing them from inside Cinderella Castle was pretty special.
The problem for viewing the fireworks from inside Cinderella Castle for a first timer is that you’re not even getting close to the full experience of Disney Enchantment nighttime spectacular. You’re missing the projections, soundtrack, the near bursts, and more.
However, it’s a pretty cool experience if you’ve already seen Magic Kingdom’s fireworks a couple–or a couple dozen–times. The way the different pyro bursts illuminate the inside of the restaurant, basking everyone in different colors throughout the meal is something special. The beautiful gothic architecture of the interior plus the glow of the fireworks was pure Disney magic. Putting aside the characters and even the better than expected food, this alone made the high price “worth it” for us.
In normal times, Walt Disney World considers Cinderella’s Royal Table a “Fairytale Dining Experience.” which I think just refers to the fact that you can meet Cinderella and other visiting princesses here. The meal also includes a photo of your party and Cinderella taken by PhotoPass photographers.
Also normally, Cinderella’s Royal Table participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a 2-credit Signature meal. Due to it requiring two credits, it is not a good choice if you’re trying to maximize your value on the Disney Dining Plan. However, the Disney Dining Plan is still temporarily suspended, and it’s entirely unclear whether it’ll return in 2023…or at all.Â
Ultimately, I’m of two minds about Cinderella’s Royal Table. While the food is surprisingly good, it’s overpriced even by Walt Disney World standards. However, you’re obviously not paying for just the food when you dine here. Just as much a part of the meal as the food is the fact that you’re dining inside Cinderella Castle and potentially meeting princesses.
If neither of these things matter to you, there is simply no reason for you to dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Even given our praise for the food in this review, you can get better food for less money elsewhere. However, if princess dining and/or a meal in Cinderella Castle is appealing, it might be easier for you to justify this restaurant as a splurge. In the end, it really comes down to whether you’re comfortable spending this much on a meal that I’d peg at just a rung below fine dining.
If you are a family looking for a “fine family dining experience” and are willing to pay accordingly, Cinderella’s Royal Table is the Walt Disney World restaurant for you. If you’re a couple looking for a romantic restaurant were cuisine is paramount, you might want to look for one of the Signature Restaurants in the Magic Kingdom resorts.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you done Cinderella’s Royal Table at Walt Disney World? What did you think? Worthwhile for the characters, ambiance, food, or all of the above? Is this meal something you’d like to try? Any specific recommendations? If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments. We love hearing from readers!
How do I make a reservation for lunch for 3 adults at Cinderellla’s castle for Feb 9 ?
We just experienced the breakfast there and it was very disappointing. Save your money and go to Ohanas or 1900 park fare if you want a character experience for breakfast. The food was minimal and lacked imagination and taste, all that you would associate for $50 a head.
It’s so sad that the deserts are bad now. I worked here in 2006 and I can tell you that to this day the best dessert I have ever had came from this restaurant. It was called a blueberry buckle. It was a warm blueberry muffin with strudel top, with a lemon cream cheese center and lemon ice cream. I want to cry just thinking of it. Then cry more for its absence. =/
Hi! My family of five enjoyed lunch at CRT back in October, we are all very pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere as well as the food. My husband said he was expecting cartoon-y murals and lots of pink and/or glitter, instead we were amazed at the overall feeling of being in a real castle.
I enjoyed the “original” looking Cinderella stained glass heading up the spiral staircase.
I wanted to note that all my children, 11 and 10 years old girls as well as my 5 year old son enjoyed the experience. For readers attending CRT with boys-instead of a magic wand the boys are given a sword, adorned with a gold “CRT”, for the special wishing ceremony. Just as a side note-we also dined at BOG for lunch, and although we all enjoyed this ( we even scored the west wing) My kids gave a unanimous vote for CRT if we had to pick one or the other castle next time.
(As a lazy post script-lazy bc I really should head over to the BOG review for this ps-I think unfortunately that the illusion of eating inside the beasts castle just doesn’t quite work perhaps. My five year old son kept asking questions like-but his castle is so small how does all this fit? Maybe the forced perspective wasn’t as successful here? I tried to tell him-um it’s magic-but kids these days are too smart-he wasn’t buying it!)
I have an 11 year old girl and want to take her to CRT with my wife. I also have to budget the trip. Were you charged adult prices for your similarly aged children?
Have gone year after year myself and try to do no less than 1 character experience with our kids or just my wife and myself. Of all the ones we’ve done I felt CTR was more of a rip off.
Granted… take into consideration that any character experience you are easily going to pay 3-4 times more. You are after all paying for an experience. To that extent, it was great.
My complaint comes from the food. The food itself was great but the portions were horrendous. The kids meal was barely a spoonful of scrambled eggs, 2 french toast sticks (the kind one can buy a box of 36 from a store for $5) and a single sausage link. My wife’s omlette I would be lucky to say it might have taken up even a quarter of the plate, and my meal was a fancy Apple Carmel French Toast which was pretty much double sized muffin.
I would not do this one every again. Instead I’ll take my kids back to the one at Epcot in Norway. They offer a Princess character meal there too. Same number characters (though I think Cinderella was missing in that one) but the food options were much larger and the all you could eat portions left one to feel like they had a better value.
While this review is a few years old, I have to agree with you. Folks… you are paying over $50.00 for something you would be getting at a hometown diner for $12.99. You are paying around $37.00 for the location and the characters that are SUPPOSED to be part of your magic Kingdom admission. I know that for so many of you this is how you guarantee pics with certain characters, but basically this is extortion on behalf of Disney. They need to have MORE characters around the parks. haven’t you noticed that there aren’t as many as in the past??? This is so they can charge you under the guise of a “character meal”. Buffets are one thing, you can eat a lot if you are so inclined, but now, plated meals??? And No ONE calls them out on it??? Instead of lowering the price (after all… they are saving money for not having to do a buffet) why did the prices go up???
if you want your family to see characters, voice your opinions through phone calls and letters, etc. Don’t just let Disney keep on raising prices. Soon there will be NO characters walking around and you’ll have to pay to take pics like at a comic convention. Opinion Over! BTW… I am a big kid who was , like so many of you, weened on Disney on TV.
OK! Perhaps this is an appropriate place to provoke you into providing a few words on the film Cinderella? I am so hoping you allowed yourself to receive the visual feast with great pleasure. It isn’t strictly within the domain of tourism, yet since you are somewhat of a moderator between the worlds of Disney and your devoted readers, why not share your experience of related events outside the gates?
HI there!
I was wondering if you can help me with my couple of questions…
1.I booked a Cinderella’s Royal Table Lunch at 1:20pm. Will we have enough time for all activities inside the castle, the lunch & be On time outside at the right position/place for the 3pm Parade?
Should I try to book the lunch earlier?
2. What’s the main difference btw the Breakfast/the Lunch/the Dinner(not talking about the menu)at the Castle?
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for this review!!! We are going for the first time in May and I’ve been going crazy over finding the “perfect” time for our reservation cor CRT. I was able to get a 9:25pm dinner reservation because i was hoping to see the fireworks from inside the castle on our last night. We are going to MK 3 days so the last night i planned to have dinner in CRT and watch the fireworks from within. I’ve had people tell me that this is a bad idea because the windows don’t allow for a clear view of the display. I was so happy to read your review and see the pictures you provided! Thanks again for this information you have put my mind at ease!!! LOL
Any idea what the refurbs are going to entail? I have read a few places the photo op will not longer be available.
Hi!! We are trying to decide between akershus and CRT. I have heard mixed reviews. I am also wondering if they have a completion date (or estimation) of when the renovation is going to be finished for CRT. I want to be sure it will be open when we are there! It is a really tough decistion between the 2 and would love any advice out there!! Thanks!!!
We ate at both on our visit a couple of weeks ago, and I would highly recommend both. We ate at Akershus for breakfast and CRT for dinner. Akershus was probably our best breakfast experience (meal plus characters plus setting), and CRT was easily our best dinner experience. So far as the food, CRT is better, but also about twice the price (or costs two meals on a dining plan). Akershus was very good, and had the same princesses save one difference: CRT had Jasmine but not Belle. I like to try the cultural foods in World Showcase, and Akershus offers some of that, which you don’t get at CRT.
We’ve eaten at both restaurants on previous trips as well, but we’ve always had breakfast at Akershus and dinner at CRT. I can’t speak to the experience for other meals at either location.
We had reservations on a busy night right at 7, so they were running slightly behind, but honestly, it was worth the wait. We have two little girls, 8 and 5, and this was the first time that the youngest was old enough to remember the visit. To say she enjoyed the experience would be an understatement. Her reaction was worth the trip alone.
So far as food was concerned, I thought it was the best meal we had all trip. I had the shrimp and grits reviewed above, and I really enjoyed it. They must have had more complaints about the presentation, because it didn’t look like the above picture. It looked very appetizing. My wife phoned it in with a caesar, which she said was “good.”
We rarely both get the same thing for dinner, but we each ordered the steak and shrimp entree. She likes her steak cooked medium well, and I like mine dragged-over-the-grill rare. BOTH were cooked perfectly. The accompanying shrimp were very good (and big) as were the carrots. We both could have eaten five helpings of the mashed potatoes too. We won clean plate awards.
I agree with Tom that the dessert is the weakest point of CRT; however, we I would probably have skipped it entirely if we weren’t on the DDP. The meal was so good that dessert wasn’t needed…at least according to the adults.
I felt like the character interaction was fine. Other than Cinderella, we were also visited by Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel and Aurora. If I had any complaint it would be that I feel like Ariel, Cinderella and Aurora were EVERYWHERE while we were there, but to find the current popular princesses (Elsa, Anna and Repunzel) we had the fight the lines, but I guess that has nothing to do with the restaurant itself. CRT is a must for our family when visit.
I loved your review! I love CRT! We took our daughter for the first time in February 2014. I took her to the bathroom and we returned to find Snow White sitting at our table chatting away with my husband and mother in law. We had such an amazing experience. Our 3 year old was dressed as Cinderella, and all of the CM’s and princesses made such a big deal over her.
When I dragged my husband pre kiddo back in 2008, we had the best table in the house. The two top right by the center window. Request that table when you go back! 😉
Just wanted to add we are going back in December. So glad we will get to experience it again pre 2015 refurb!
I’ve been looking forward to this review and I’m really glad you rated this as high as you did. DH and I have ADR’s here in Oct for an anniversary trip. Our honeymoon was a gift given around 100 days in advance. We weren’t able to eat here and it is my one regret from that trip. On our upcoming trip we weren’t able to get BOG reservations at 183 days out so we decided to eat here. I’m been nervous about the quality of the meal and now I’m looking forward to it.
I’m so glad that you did a review on CRT. My husband, 25 yr old daughter and I will be going there in October for breakfast. I’ve only heard great things and when I saw that you were going to do a review – well I was glad to hear it. We are looking forward to entering the park early and having the opportunity to take pictures of the castle without a lot of people around. Interacting with face characters is a bit different and somewhat awkward, but we enjoy it all the same. I can’t wait to experience this and eventually take my little granddaughter to WDW/CRT to see her face light up. Keep up the great work … appreciate it very much!
I’m glad you had such a nice experience. We had breakfast on our first day in May at CRT and it was wonderful. Our 3 year old still talks about it. We thoroughly enjoyed the food as well. I instructed my family not to order the American style breakfast and instead we opted for the beef tenderloin, lobster and crab creped with poached egg, stuffed French Toast, and quiche. To us that seemed very “signature” for breakfast. I know this will be a must-do ADR for us each trip. The free kids meal (child under 3) was appreciated, too!
Good to hear about breakfast. So many restaurants at Walt Disney World really phone it in for breakfast with powdered eggs, rubber bacon, etc., so it’s nice to find something that is actually worthwhile!
We went in 2012 with my almost 3 year old daughter at 8pm reservation. We had a wonderful experience! We were the first table each princess stopped, some twice. Witnessed a couple get engaged. And when we headed downstairs after our meal, Cinderella invited my daughter to sit on her lap to watch the fireworks from her “magical spot”. Priceless!!!
Your daughter’s firework spot … this is what makes Disney priceless.
Great review!!! We are planning on going early summer of 2015. You mentioned a 2015 overhaul of the restaurant. We are planning on going to the Royal Table. Should I be worried that it will be closed for renovations? Do you have any news about the overhaul?
Thanks!!! Love your blog!!
Sally
Jen K. – Disney’s website is reporting this:
Please Pardon Our Royal Dust
Cinderella’s Royal Table will be closed for planned maintenance starting January 5, 2015 and will reopen in the spring of 2015. We beg your pardon for any inconvenience, your Highness.
Great and detailed review. My wife and daughter are going to WDW in October and have reservations for Be Our Guest and are excited. I have been reluctant to try Cinderella’s Royal Table due to the Signature Dinning (2 TSC) not to mention the difficulty getting ADR here. Last time we had breakfast at Akershus and that is a really good option for folks that want to see princesses at a character meal. We also will be eating dinner at 1900 Park Fare, which has Cinderella and is usually easier to book.
We visited CRT in May and we were also there during Wishes. I agree it’s really a great experience. I love the atmosphere too but I have to say our food was not good. My husband had pork that you needed a saw to cut through. Food wise it wasn’t worth the money but the rest of the experience was really great. We will try breakfast next time since my daughter loved the princesses.