Thanks to Chip and Co. for this guest review of Cindy’s! As it turned out, his family didn’t love the place; but there are some great insights here as a result. Thanks again, Chip!

On paper, this sounded like a great idea. I mean who wouldn’t want to have dinner inside the castle at Walt Disney World?

“Let’s have dinner in Cinderella’s Castle.”
“That sounds great. It will be so magical!”
“It will cost us 2 dining credits each.”
“Well I am sure it will be really good, then.”

I can still hear the conversation with my wife ringing in my head.

Atmosphere
Cinderella’s Royal Table in Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom theme park offers a Character Dining experience in a mythical, medieval setting. The entrance is behind the Castle in the Magic Kingdom, and it’s very easy to find. The greeters/hostess are very friendly and informative.

After checking in, you are taken to the first chamber where Cinderella is greeting little ones and posing with families for the free photo. Cinderella is great, and quite striking. Our little one was so nervous, but she loved seeing Cinderella all decked out in her beautiful princess gown. Our daughter was dressed in her Mulan outfit, and most kids were dressed up as Disney Princesses.

Next you are taken up the winding stairs, past the restrooms, to the main chamber. The dining room decor includes medieval royal flags, stained-glass windows, and the ever-present “stone.” While it is cool to be in Cinderella’s castle, I was not really impressed with the overall look of the room. It just seemed plain to me. We were tucked in a corner and did not have a view of the park. Also, sound seemed to bounce off the walls and was kind of loud.

The atmosphere and entertainment is kind of bland, to match the overall look. The Fairy Godmother and some of the mice from Cinderella come out to put on a small show. Normally, I would walk around and take photos, but there is not really anything worth taking a picture of.

Eats
Having taken our seats and ordered our drinks, we munched on the very hard dinner rolls. My wife and I are on the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan and have a 2 year old toddler with us, so I was prepared to have to share or spring for an additional meal for the little one; I was surprised that they give children under 3 a plate of noodles, drink & dessert for free!

Looking over the menu, I was not really impressed with the adult entrees. The options were very limited and did not sound all that appealing. In my life I have dined at some very nice restaurants, and while I am not expecting a 5 Star meal, I expected, for 2 Meal Credits each, that this meal would have a good selection.

After about 15-20 minutes of playing with play doh, our meal came. The appetizer/salad tasted OK — nothing special. Throw in some pears and strawberries, and something to spice it up some. While eating our salad, we attempted to entertain the little one, who is just bored and ready to leave.

I ordered the chicken with potatoes, and it came with some super hard bread. My daughter turned her nose up at the noodles at the top left of the picture below. It was just a Mickey plate of plain noodles. I don’t blame for her for not eating it. Throw some pasta sauce on there — “What’s a matter you?!” My wife ordered the salmon with asparagus and rice.

Again, both meals were very bland and lacked any sort of flavor. We come to Disney for the food and love visiting all the unique restaurants. Each place has flavors and meals that are unique to Walt Disney World. We find ourselves craving the ribs from Boma, Dole Whips from Magic Kingdom, Bread Pudding from ‘Ohana. So far nothing from this meal stands out and makes us want to come back again. Maybe dessert will be better.

I ordered the chocolate cheesecake. I mean, who can mess up chocolate cheesecake? The highlight for me was the edible Celebrate Today wafer on the top of the whipped cream. I did not even finish my dessert. I know that is hard to believe, but it’s true. It was dry, and even with the chocolate sauce, lacked flavor.

My wife ordered the crème brulee, and she ate a few bites more than I did. The only person who seemed to like her dessert was our little one. She loved her chocolate candy crown on vanilla ice cream.

Overall, let me save you money and/or dining credits and just say “skip this meal.” Out of our whole trip, this meal was the worst meal. It was nice to get a photo of your little one with Cinderella, and the thought of eating in the castle sounds cool when you tell people about it; but if you’re foodies like us and love Disney Dining, I would visit some place else.

–Chip from Chip and Co.

Thanks for the guest review, Chip!

If you’ve been to Cinderella’s Royal Table and want to share your story, leave a message in the comments section below!