Everything You Need to Know About Cinderella’s Royal Table
Hear ye, hear ye! Cinderella formally invites you and your party to dine with her and her royal friends in her banquet hall, situated high in the turrets of Cinderella castle in Magic Kingdom! Cross the moat, pass through the castle breezeway (but not too quickly, as you don’t want to miss the gorgeous, gold-leaf embellished tile work telling Cinderella’s classic story), and arrive at the entrance to Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Before I begin my review of the restaurant, you should know this: Cinderella’s Royal Table is the most difficult reservation to secure in all of Walt Disney World Resort. I am not exaggerating even a little, but does it really come as a surprise? The restaurant has features that make it incomparable to any other restaurant in all of Walt Disney World Resort, which I’ll get to in the following review. Is it worth the hype? You be the judge after reading this in-depth review of Cinderella’s Royal Table!
The Reservation
My journey to the castle began 180 days before my meal, and yours should too if you want a chance at getting a reservation. You absolutely must make your reservation for the mealtime of your choosing 180 days in advance, which is the earliest you can possibly book a reservation for a Disney restaurant. Be warned: I was unsuccessful at securing a reservation the first three times I tried. Just because you try as early as you can does not guarantee you will get a reservation, so my tip to you is do not promise any young guests in your travel party that you’ll be eating in the castle until you have that reservation! Your friends at MickeyTravels can help with your reservations too!
Step Into the Glass Slippers
Now, onto the review! When you first check in at the desk located in Cinderella castle breezeway, you and your party will wait until your name is called before being escorted into the castle by a royal squire. I don’t know that I’ve ever smiled a bigger smile than when I stepped past the threshold of the door and into Cinderella castle for the first time. I had looked at the castle from Main Street and walked through the beautiful breezeway all my life, but actually getting to GO INSIDE was a moment I’ll never forget!
Cinderella is waiting to welcome you as soon as you step inside, and is photo-ready in her famous blue ball gown. Immediately, the décor and architecture take center stage. The theming is, of course, impeccable. Everywhere you look, there is beautiful white marble, tapestries, and stained oak embellishments making the room feel warm and welcoming. Huge white marble pillars adorned with carvings stretch from the floor to the domed ceiling. Awaiting you under one of the archways is Cinderella herself. Once you have said hello to the hostess and snagged an autograph or photo, you will be escorted upstairs.
Again, I was immediately taken by the architecture when I entered the banquet room. The marble/stained oak décor continues, but the real draw here is the incredibly high ceiling and the stained glass windows! Next time you’re on the carousel, take a look up at the stained glass windows in the restaurant. Now imagine looking out from the other side, over Fantasyland in all its glory! That’s just the view you’ll be treated to inside the banquet room. The high, domed ceiling is adorned with colorful flags.
Food Fit for a Princess….? I think not
As I sat down to enjoy my meal, I was given a plastic Fairy Godmother wand with the name of the restaurant on its handle. The ‘prince’ in my party received a sword.
You are presented with a menu outlining the options you have to choose from for dinner and a basket of dinner rolls. The rolls were served warm with butter and were tasty. Hey, I’m a sucker for good bread. I got a salad as my first course. The greens were fresh and the goat cheese crumbles were a creamy, bitter contrast to the maple vinaigrette dressing. For my main course, I ordered the pan-seared all- natural chicken, and chose the clock strikes twelve as my dessert. My entrée…was alright. The chicken tasted like any other basic pan-fried chicken you can get pretty much anywhere. The smashed fingerling potatoes were good, the seasonal vegetables were slightly overcooked for my taste and could have done with less butter. The portion size was good, but if you have someone in your party with a hearty appetite, they may leave slightly unsatisfied. My favorite part of the meal was definitely the dessert. The clock strikes twelve was very, very chocolaty and a nice- yet very sweet- finisher! Would I have preferred something different? Yes, but of the options that are on the menu, it sounded the best. Overall, the food was okay. But let’s be honest with each other, no one goes to this restaurant for the food.
The Royal Party
Once the food came, the real magic began. The princesses, of course! One by one, an announcement could be heard throughout the banquet hall as each princess’ theme music and a brief retelling of their story preceded their big entrances. Each princess was greeted with thunderous applause and cheers she appeared. The princesses can rotate depending on when you dine. I got to meet Jasmine, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. Like all character dining experiences, the princesses made their way around to each table, stopping for photos, autographs, and to have a little chat with each table!
When the princesses were finished making their rounds and the meal was wrapping up, a man seated in the stained-glass window oriel got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, right there inside overlooking Fantasyland. She of course said yes- who wouldn’t in that location??- which served as a really sweet finish to our already awe-inspiring time inside the castle.
Yay or Nay?
I would absolutely recommend this restaurant solely based on the fact that you get to go inside Cinderella castle! Have I mentioned that? The architecture is incredible, the banquet room is truly, truly beautiful, the view out the window is unmatched, and seeing the princesses roam around while you enjoy your meal is the quintessential Disney experience everyone dreams of when they think of Disney World. If you’re traveling with a young boy- or girl- who isn’t too keen on princesses, I would suggest splitting up the family for this one meal. As you can imagine, it is not inexpensive to dine with royalty, and most of the boys in the room were visibly bored. If you’re traveling with more than one adult, send them and whoever isn’t dead-set on the restaurant to another dining location like Pecos Bill’s for a great toppings bar, or to Cosmic Ray’s for a fun atmosphere and burgers!
Personally, I can’t wait until I have the opportunity to dine in the castle again. Next time, I would choose breakfast, as it is less expensive and features menu items that I think would be prepared in a much simpler, tastier way.
Will you try to snag a reservation for this restaurant on your next vacation? Let me know!
Special thanks to Maria Salerno for writing this article: Hiya pal! I am a NYC-based writer/musician thrilled to be bringing you all things Disney! I’m a WDW Annual Passholder, so you can find me in the parks regularly throughout the year. In addition to being a Disney Parks loving girl, I’m also a Disney toy and merchandise collector, a runDisney enthusiast, and Disney music and movie aficionado. You can follow me on Instagram: NYCtoAP and find me on YouTube: NYCtoAP. Thanks for reading, hope to see ya real soon!