CINDERELLA'S ROYAL TABLE DINNER:
I was really wary of this one. Have read bad reviews, the menu is pretty limited, and it's hard to get an ADR. However with 4 daughters, including 2 who are obsessed with princesses, I decided we really needed to try it at least once. What better time than when on the DxDDP.
Our ADR was at 8:30. This was the earliest time I could snag despite booking at 5am
180 days out and checking the website constantly for cancellations. As it turned out this was the PERFECT time to dine - more in that in a minute.
Note that there is a very regimented process to checking in here - you will stand in a certain spot and they will not begin checking in your time slot until 5 minutes beforehand. So we got checked in at 8:25, had our photo op with Cinderella in the lobby, and then waited another 10 minutes to be seated upstairs.
We finally made it to our table and let me tell you, you truly feel like you are inside a castle. The atmosphere and decor is so unique. They do serve wine and champagne here if you are so inclined. The little princess had been begging for a light up Tinkerbell drink ever since she saw one on display at Garden Grill so I promised we would get her one tonight. Except lo and behold, CRT doesn't offer it!!!! Well the bottom lip began to tremble, the eyes welled with tears and Christopher our AMAZING server was on it!! He had his manager calling all over the Magic Kingdom until they found one at another restaurant. It wasn't Tink, it was Ariel. But it was still so very appreciated and the perfect example of how Disney goes above and beyond for their guests. She was thrilled as were we! Here she is with her light up Ariel (and the Tink she got the next day) which ended up being her favorite souvenirs.
The menu is not very big here. The 3 teenagers got the Charcuterie plate which they enjoyed, DH got the dinner salad and I got the soup of the day, Beef Tortilla. All very tasty. The little princess got a bowl of grapes and cheese cubes - perfect for her.
For entrees the 3 oldest all went with the Pork Tenderloin, DH and I chose the Beef Tenderloin, and the little one had the obligatory nasty Mac and cheese.
We LOVED the food here! The pork was perfectly cooked (not too dry or overdone), all 3 girls raved over it. DH and I are steak snobs, I will admit. We have eaten at steakhouses all over the World and are quite picky about our steaks. This one was absolutely superb! Cooked to perfection, perfectly seasoned. We truly could not believe we found such a great steak in the middle of Cinderella's castle, of all places! Dessert was delicious, some of us got the cheesecake thingy and some of us got the chocolate thingy, lol. During our meal we got to meet Jasmine, Ariel, Snow White and Aurora. We even got to see a marriage proposal which was AMAZING!!!
The true highlight of this meal, however, was the Happily Ever After fireworks. They began at 9pm and since our ADR was at 8:30 we had prime seats! If you have never seen the fireworks from inside the castle, it is truly a unique and amazing experience! They dim the lights and play the music, and it's just truly magical. The look on the little princess's face made this meal ENTIRELY worth 2 credits!
Do it at least once - you won't regret it! We loved it so much we hope to do it again next time.