Not all Disney World dining experiences are created equally.

Sure, chances are you can find something for just about anyone, but if you’re looking for the ultimate Magic Kingdom dining experience fit for royalty, there’s really only one place that comes to mind. Complete with Disney Princesses and a meal inside Cinderella Castle, come with us to Cinderella’s Royal Table!

Atmosphere

One thing that hasn’t changed (and we hope never does!) is the atmosphere at Cinderella’s Royal Table. You’re dining inside Cinderella Castle, and it doesn’t get much more “Disney magic” than that. The location is one of the big things (and sometimes one of the only things) that makes this restaurant a must-do.

You’ll find incredible theming and decor throughout the restaurant, making you really feel like you’re inside a castle. The stone walls are adorned with tapestries and art, while the windows feature gorgeous stained glass. If you look up, you’ll notice opulent chandeliers and even more decor.

Even though character dining has returned to “normal” here, you’ll still meet Cinderella before your meal, with a special meet and greet and photo op. Don’t worry — there will be plenty more princesses once you’re seated at your table!

Regarding seating, there are standard tables and chairs here, which are located on various levels and in the various seating spaces within the restaurant. From what we’ve experienced, the tables here can feel a bit squished together sometimes, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Here’s a look at where we were seated, with a stellar view of Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel.  If you can request a table next to the window, it’s definitely worth doing. Those windows will give you some of the most unique views of Magic Kingdom. Of course, Disney might not always be able to accommodate this request, but it never hurts to ask!

Once you find your seat, that’s when the party really gets started!

Characters

Character dining has returned to Cinderella’s Royal Table, which means that during your meal you’ll be visited by princesses and have the opportunity to take photos with them! On our visit, we met Snow White…

…Sleeping Beauty…

…and Jasmine!

We got lots of face time with these ladies, and since we had a pretty late reservation, a Cast Member came over to make sure we had gotten to interact with every princess before they left for the evening.

You may see different princesses on your visit, but there will always be a few different faces you’ll get to visit with.

Menu

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here — and all are served prix fixe, meaning you’ll pay one set price for multiple courses. The price has also increased since the characters returned. We went for dinner, which is now $79 per adult and $47 per child, plus tax and gratuity.

Breakfast is $65 per Adult and $39 per Child. 

This can be a pretty big chunk of your Disney World dining budget, and while we’ve had mediocre meals here in the past, what you’re really paying for is the overall experience, atmosphere, and characters.

This is one of those bucket list Disney dining experiences. Still, if you don’t care about character interactions and dining in the castle, this is a pretty steep price to pay when there are some other incredible restaurants nearby.

Eats

Now, onto the main event! We were dining at dinner, so we started off with the Soup of the Day, which just happened to be a Butternut Squash Soup. This was plant-based and served with a drizzle of plant-based sour cream and croutons.

This had a sweetness thanks to the squash, but there were some excellent savory and herbal flavors too. It was light but so flavorful, and we really loved it. If you’re a fan of squash or pumpkin soups, this is an excellent choice, and a great start to a meal.

Next up, we tried the Braised Beef appetizer. It’s served with carrot and coriander purée, shallot jam, and horseradish gremolata.

This was tasty, but forgettable. The beef reminded us of pot roast, which isn’t a bad thing but nothing we haven’t had before. The shallot jam had great flavor though, with a nice vinegary zing. Horseradish can be pretty aggressive, but that wasn’t the case here. This was a smaller portion, and maybe a bit too heavy for an appetizer.

We also tried the Parisian Gnocchi entrée,  served with seasonal vegetables, celery root purée, and vegetable demi-glace.

The gnocchi is beet-based, which can be off-putting for some — but we didn’t really think it tasted like beets! It had the texture of regular potato gnocchi, but the vegetable demi-glace did have a hint of beet flavor. The celery root purée was more like small little meringue puffs and had a super vegetable-y flavor. There were super complex flavors in this dish, with pickled beets and mushrooms to boot. An unexpected favorite!

Speaking of surprises, we also really enjoyed the Magic Carpet Ride — a spice-crusted pork tenderloin and pork belly, curry couscous, glazed rainbow carrots, and a peppercorn flying carpet.

It’s made with a blend of 17 spices called ros el hanout. Each cut of pork was well-cooked, and the flavors were a bit more on the adventurous side without being too unfamiliar. The couscous was super flavorful and the cauliflower was a nice texture and flavor addition. The pork belly was definitely the best part — it was well-charred and crispy with tons of spices on it.

Moving onto the sweeter side of things, we tried the Coffee Pot de Crème. It’s a coffee-infused coconut custard, passion fruit gelée, and crumbled chocolate espresso beans. This is another plant-based dish, but we didn’t love it as much as the soup or gnocchi!

It was a pretty big miss for us. The consistency was like mousse meets gelatin which was…not our favorite. The coffee flavor was super intense but not sweet, and it was just a lot of strong flavors that didn’t go well together.

The Jaq & Gus cheesecake is served with seasonal flavors and garnishes, and it was a solid, standard cheesecake. You could tell it was freshly made and not frozen, though, so that was a big plus. It’s a bit plain, but a really good cheesecake and if you’re looking for something not too sweet, this might hit the spot.

Can you tell we like dessert?! Our server brought out a plant-based lemon sorbet with blueberries that we much preferred to the coffee pot de crème. It was light and fresh tasting and a pretty generous portion. Again, a little on the plain side but we definitely preferred this over the coffee dessert.

And finally, we had the Clock Strikes Twelve — a dark chocolate mousse with a caramel and crunchy praline center, served with chocolate sauce and hazelnut gelato.

Oh, look, another Disney World mousse. Complaints aside, we did enjoy the mousse and loved the addition of the praline center, but at the end of the day it’s a mousse you’re getting at the end of an $80 per person dinner. The hazelnut gelato was our favorite part, and we wished we could get an even bigger portion of this instead!

Nosh or Not

You should book a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table if…

• You’re looking for a unique dining experience in Cinderella Castle.
• You want to meet a ton of Disney Princesses all at once.
• You’re looking to dine among some stellar views of Magic Kingdom (assuming you can get a table by a window!)

You should skip dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table if…

• You don’t care about Disney Princesses or eating in the castle.
• You don’t want to take a chunk out of your park day for a table service meal.
• You’re trying to stick to a budget and don’t want to spend a lot on your meals.

Overall

Hardly anything can top dining in Cinderella Castle — it’s a magical Disney World experience you won’t get anywhere else, but at a price. This time around, we did enjoy our meal for the most part but that’s a pretty steep price for eats you can get elsewhere in the park or nearby (like at Skipper Canteen or Steakhouse 71.) The princesses are the big draw here, so if you’re looking for a bucket list meal — Cinderella’s Royal Table could be it. But if you want the princesses without the fanfare of the castle, consider Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT instead.

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney restaurant reviews!

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Have you eaten at Cinderella’s Royal Table? Let us know in the comments!

The post REVIEW: We Tried the MOST EXPENSIVE Character Meal in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.