Friday Food - Cinderella's Royal Table

Welcome to our first post on Friday Food!  Who doesn't love food?  I know I do.  Disney has become more of a foodie destination for me with every passing trip.  There are websites and blogs dedicated entirely to just Disney food.  With that said, we're going to start out with a restaurant that you may not have thought even existed.  Guess where it's located?  INSIDE the CASTLE!!!  Yes!  I know!  You're saying "Really, you can go inside the castle?"  You can!  Some people will argue that the price is a bit high but look what you're getting to do.  You get to eat INSIDE the iconic castle AND you don't eat alone.  You have the wonderful company of the Disney princesses to keep you busy.  So let's get on with the details.

Restaurant: Cinderella's Royal Table (better known to some as CRT)
Location: Center of the Magic Kingdom inside the castle
Character Meal? Yes, Disney princesses will walk from table to table for pictures and autographs
Meals Served: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Price Range: Adults $52.07-$71.83 Children $33.47-$43.24
Dining Credits: 2 Tableservice credits per person
Difficulty to Reserve: VERY.  If you want a before park opening reservation you will need to most likely make reservations right at the 180 day mark (hence why it's so nice to have a Disney Travel Specialist such as myself to do all the work for you).
Perks? Before entering the dining area, you will get pictures taken with Cinderella.  They will give you a print out in a cardboard frame for your keeping along with a few extra copies.  Children will also receive a wishing star (to be used during their wishing ceremony that takes place every hour) while seated along with a sword for boys and a wand for girls.  These are all of no cost to you and are included in your price for dining at Cinderella's Royal Table.  Tax & gratuity are also included in your price so no need to factor those extras in.
Why so special?  CRT is one of two restaurants in Magic Kingdom that will take reservations for up to an hour before park opening.  If you are lucky enough to snag one of these hard to get ADR's (advanced dining reservations), you will be able to enter a virtually empty Magic Kingdom.  There are Photopass photographers available to take your picture on an empty Main Street USA.  This is a rarity and can really make for some beautiful pictures of you and your family.  It's also really nice to have eaten a good meal and be waiting by the ropes when the park opens to take advantage of low wait times. 
Personal Experience: I have dined three times in Cinderella's Royal Table.  Twice for breakfast and once for dinner. 
My first time was for breakfast before park opening.  The breakfast was a preplated family style meal back then and the menu has since been changed. 
For dinner in May 2012 I ordered the "Rock Shrimp Cocktail - rock shrimp with tomato marmalade, Roasted Beef Tenderloin - Sliced Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Duchess Potatoes, Asparagus, and a Chasseur Sauce & Chef's Dessert Trio - Cinderella sent her Chefs around the world to discover new desserts. They are happy to share three of their favorites with you."  This meal was fantastic.  I enjoyed every bit of it.  The roasted beef was so tender and able to be cut with a spoon! 
For breakfast in October 2012 I ordered the "Lobster and Crab Crepes - warm cheese-filled crepes topped with spinach, sauteed lobster, and blue crab meat with a poached egg perched on top and draped in Hollandaise sauce."  This was amazing.  It was very, VERY good.  I am a big seafood fan and how can you go wrong with lobster for breakfast?
Now onto the pictures...

This is what an empty Magic Kingdom looks like (a great perk to scheduling a before park opening breakfast!):

It is the perfect picture opportunity!

Picture with Cinderella before meal time:

Then you head upstairs through the winding staircase to the dining room.

 

Here are some food pictures to drool over... first breakfast:

then dinner:

Off the Kids' Menu:

Make Your Own Cupcake

Make Your Own Sundae

Of course, we couldn't leave out the wonderful princesses that make this meal so enjoyable:

Snow White

Ariel, the Little Mermaid

Belle

Aurora, Sleeping Beauty

And that concludes our first "Friday Food" post.  I hope you enjoyed it.  If there are any restaurants or counter service places that you would like to see a review or more information on, please leave a comment.  Thanks!!!