A 30th Birthday Lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table
by London Diva
Lunch inside Cinderella’s Castle is literally a dream come true. Stone archways welcome you into the huge entrance hall where glass windows fill the space with colour and light. Great food and more Princesses than you can shake a leg at makes Cinderella’s Royal Table my favourite Magic Kingdom dining option.
Snagging an ADR (Advance dining reservation) here can be hard work and booking 180 days ahead is definitely recommended. Booking opens up at 7am Eastern time on the Disney World website and phone lines.
A reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table requires full payment upfront. Cost per adult ranges from $45.00 – $85.00 and can vary throughout the year. Our Lunch for 2 in November 2016 cost $121.00 including all taxes and gratuity.
Waiting in line
On arrival at the castle you will be taken through to a waiting area. It can take anywhere from 15-45 minutes to pass through before being seated depending on the time of year. But this is no ordinary waiting area. This Grand Hall not only gives you the most amazing area to put your feet up before your meal, you are also able to meet Cinderella before entering the dining hall.
Cinderella will sign autographs and converse with guests. We had a lovely conversation about the mice of the castle!
After your meeting, you head straight up the most beautiful, spiral staircase and are shown straight to your table. Although altogether this wait can exceed 30 minutes, the attention to detail during the time means it passes very quickly. Guests are spread out ensuring as soon as you ascend the staircase, your table is waiting.
Food and Drinks
The Cinderella’s Royal Table menu is fixed and you are given a number of choices for each course. Menus can change periodically but at the time of writing this post, the below options were still available.
Everyone receives the Chef’s tasting plate. This includes Cured meats, Cheeses, dips and other specialty selections.
You’re then given a choice of Entrees Royale. Unfortunately for this review, 9 times out of 10 my partner and I choose the same options (hashtag couple goals) so I’m only able to share one meal option.
We both chose the Beef and Shrimp, which neither of us regretted at all! Grilled beef tenderloin with crushed fingerling potato confit, shrimp, and seasonal vegetables. It was divine!!
For dessert (Finales) we chose Bruno’s Favourite Dessert – Pinapple carrot cake, mascarpone cheese, pineapple ginger sauce and pecan brittle. (my partner received a free birthday cupcake, my dessert came minus the extra deliciousness 🙁 ) This too was a dream!
Having read reviews about the food at Cinderella’s Royal Table not living up to the price tag, I can confirm our meal was well worth the money.
Also included in the price are all non-alcoholic hot and cold drinks.
Character Dining
During your meal, Princesses circle the room, spending time at each and every table. This is such a great way to meet characters. Rather than spending 60 minutes plus waiting in line for a regular meet, Cinderella’s Royal Table lets the princesses come to you! You are guaranteed to meet at least 5 characters. On our visit we met Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White. I have read that meals can also include Belle and even the Fairy Godmother!
Although I’m sure children will be in their complete element, as 2 adults we thoroughly enjoyed meeting the princesses. Each one offered interaction relevant to our occasion and we couldn’t have asked for more from them.
Celebrate
As we were celebrating a 30th birthday my partner was given a free birthday cupcake with his dessert. The princesses made a good fuss of him when they came to our table and all signed a birthday card for him. I had brought a card with us from London which is now a great memento from our trip. We also received a free wand and sword (usually only given to younger guests) to mark the occasion.
Disney Diva Tip – Making an early breakfast reservation inside any park will give you access to the park before official opening. This is a great time to see the park without huge crowds and take some great photos.
Fun fact – When the restaurant was first built in 1971, it opened as “King Stefan’s Banquet Hall”. Due to Cinderella’s father not being mentioned in the film, Imagineers used some creativity and named the restaurant after Sleeping Beauty’s father King Stefan. The restaurant was later changed to Cinderella’s Royal Table in 1997 when the restaurant began offering Character Dining.
Cinderella’s Royal Table lived up to all my expectations and I can completely recommend adding this to your next trip.
If you need further help picking the best Character Dining option for you check out this post comparing Cinderella’s Royal Table to Be Our Guest, or for Disneyland Character Dining, click here.
Looking for information on planning your trip to Disney World? Check out my planning guide here!
And if you’re ready to book your next vacation, be sure to contact Patricia at All for Dreams Travel here.
I’m planning on going with my husband and BIL for their 30th birthday in August. Did you make a note on your reservations in regards to the occasion or when you were at the restaurant?
You can always note any special occasion you are celebrating on your reservation! Grab a birthday pin from your resort Front Desk, the park entrance or Guest Services as well. Enjoy your birthday celebration.
We are planning at eating dinner here for my daughters 18th burthday and I was wondering if you can order a birthday cake or birthday celebration?
Hi! Yes – Magic Kingdom has specialty desserts you are able to order. See Pixie Dusted Diva’s article here: http://www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com/2017/05/29/specialty-desserts-magic-kingdom/