To be honest, I had to take some time off from the interwebs. Sean was taking off for a work trip, so my mom and I had planned to take the kids to Disney for the weekend. WIth it being the first time we have gone ANYWHERE for an an overnight (let alone a couple of nights) without Sean. There were a lot of moving pieces in making sure that I had everything so to avoid the ‘you didn’t bring that look.’ and to make sure that Sean himself was ready to go. Then, the shooting at Uvalde happened and it broke me and it just felt silly writing about packing and Disney when there were children that were never going to experience what mine were about too. Children who were not going to get their goodnight story, or smothered with kisses before bed, or be able to tell their parents about their day at school and all the trials and tribulations that elementary students face. The teachers husband who was so heartbroken that he had a heart attack and passed too, was the absolute nail for me. I just donated where I could and spent the time smothering my two littles with as much affection as they would allow and soak them all in since time is never guarenteed. I have never been more grateful as having the opportunity to homeschool our kids then I was at this moment. For all the parentals that are facing this fear, my heart is with you every single day. For those that might say that my kids will be lacking social interation, 1. you obviously do not know my toddlers and 2. buckleup for the the pictures of her and Cindy (her name when you become fast friends) where animated EV is telling her our entire family history.
I joke about my mom a lot but hells bells, does she do a lot for us. She had used her Marriott points for two nights at the Dolphin Hotel ( which will always be my absolute favorite because #Epcotforlife) and even when Sean’s flight got canceled (long story) she offered to stay at a neighboring hotel and offered to let Sean come stay with us. He of course declined because he hasn’t had alone time in over five years LOL. Anywho, we wanted to be able to take her somewhere really nice for dinner as a thank you. Originally, it was Todd English Blue Zoo, because it is literally one of my favorite restaurants on property and it was in our hotel which would make it really easy with the kids, but last minute reservations popped up for Cinderella’s Royal Table and because you do not have a moment to pause on this or have a trigger finger, you just need to accept the reservation and I did.
I was super excited because completely unrelated I had brought one of EV’s Taylor Joelle dresses which was Snow White and packed a Prince Charming shirt for the Commodore so it ended up being perfect for dinner. I never pack Princess dresses as I normally take the Star Wars so it was a really nice surprise to be able to dress EV up in something Princess related for a castle dinner and she just loved it.
Now onto the important stuff:
A couple of things to keep in mind; because this restaurant is actually in Cinderella’s Castle and is a pretty coveted reservation, you do have to pay for your reservation as you are booking it and it can be pretty pricey. However if you look at Be Our Guest, Le Cellier, any one of the Disney Character restaurants, the price is actually comparable.
I am not including Space 220, because I have said it before that it is a 100% worth the experience at least once and there is nothing else like it.
For the Royal Table, The Commodore was free (under three), but for myself, my mom and I, I had to pay the $200 pricetag in advance. So make REALLY sure that you are committed to this. Also, pay attention to the time. I was able to snag 8:45pm reservations. One of the reasons why I didn’t even hesitate about paying for the reservation is that I knew that the fireworks started at 9pm and because I have seen them a thousand times over, missing them, but seeing them from the castle, was a hundred times worth it and a completely new experience not just for the kids, but for me as well. I absolutely loved the check in at this time too. EVERYTHING was roped off because of the fireworks so you check in by the carousel and then are admitted in. There was something magical about the kids running up to the castle all lit up at night with no one around.
All the blurry happiness!
I highly suggest getting your camera out and telling the kids to run…I might have teared up a little bit it was so magical.
I was also able to get an epic staring wistfully at the castle picture from this side as well. I literally yelled at the kids that I wanted a picture and automatically they plopped down and did this. Do they know their mama or what?!
Even though the My Disney Experience app will tell you there is no Character interaction, there most definitely is. We were lead inside the castle and told that we would get to meet with Cinderella and that it was completely leisurely and you could take all the time you wanted with her. Because I was not expecting I might have teared up. Make sure again to be camera ready as there is no Photopass Photographer here, but the lovely Cast Member assisting Cinderella will take all the photos. I couldn’t believe it was happening and was thrilled at how much EV loved it (this is where she proceeds to tell Cindy our lifestory) and surprised at how much the Commodore did not…case in point below.
Cinderella was an amazing sport considering how mortified I was LOL.
Excuse all the blurry, I had the worst time shutting off night mode and it staying off.
You are then led up the biggest winding staircase of life that my short legged children insisted on walking up themselves, so eight hours later we arrived at our table. At least there are interesting things to take pictures of as you are walking upstairs and it involved a lot of apologizing to the host every ten stairs regarding how long it was taking.
And then you make it to the top….so worth it!
Everyone in your party gets a wishing star that you are able to keep and they make a big production of wishing on the star which my kiddos and I loved.
The kids are HUGE fireworks fans and loved being able to see them from dinner.
For everything up until this moment it was a 100% worth the cost and everything that followed was just an amazing bonus. Much like many of the restaurants like this on property, there is a prix fixe menu, so you choose an appetizer, entree and a dessert. The kids menu had a TON of options and because the Commodore’s was free, the only difference because it is considered an ‘infant’ menu was that he did not get dessert. However, our amazing waiter suggested that I get EV the ‘build your own cupcakes’ because they are mini and there are two. EV and the Commodore are salty kids over sweet, so it was perfect that they each got to have one. The food was absolutely delish and my beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly. There is a lot that can be said for paying the price when the food is equally as good as the experience.
Mussels in Coconut Broth and My Beef Tenderloin.
I loved the smackerel of potatoes so not to overwhelm the dish with a starch.
My mom’s Tangled inspired dinner was positively beautiful and in a frying pan to boot. My mom said it was the perfect amount of everything and that the pesto sauce was incredible without it being overpowering or too much.
EV just loved decorating the cupcake…ate a couple of mouthfuls of frosting with the decorating spatula…and then proceeded to eat said cupcake. A mini cupcake was just perfect for her. I thought it was a super cute way for the kids to end dinner. I did let them have a little tablet time so that my mom and I could comfortably finish dinner, but that was it. I would definitely bring something to occupy them as this can be a lengthy experience for super littles, but for the price you definitely want the time to soak it all in without worrying about a breakdown due to boredom.
At the end of dinner…once again, the Commodore insisted on walking down all the way by ‘hisself’ and the lovely custodian behind thankfully thought it was adorable and refused to go around him because he didn’t want him to feel rushed. Thank goodness for the kindness of Cast Members.
I have no idea why I didn’t take a picture of this, but once back outside the castle, there are two barrels full of super cute plastic wands and swords (I say plastic, but they are still really nicely made) that the kids can take. My mom and I each took one too so that we had extras. This was seriously icing on the cake (how many times can I say that).
I will say that I was suprised that although the park had been closed for quite some time, it was still busy. I was hoping to get a lot of shots of the kids through the castle sans people, but that was not the case, although we did get quite a few…
So in the answer to the above, is Cinderella’s Royal Table worth the pricetag that it comes with?! Unequivocally yes! Especially if you can grab a reservation during the fireworks.
What is your favorite splurge restaurant at the parks that you never bat an eyelash for? I think my second one for sure would be the Hoop-De-Doo-Revue at the Fort Wilderness Campsite. If you can get this reservation during the holidays with the campers all lit up and decorated, you can boat it to a park during the day, have dinner…a little unlimited Sangria (you read right) and walk around to enjoy the fesitivities. Do it and do not second guess your decision for a second or else the reservation much like the Royal Table will be snatched up!
