Table service options at the Magic Kingdom are more limited, but tasty!
Not only is the food usually good at the Table Service Meals, but its a great opportunity for you to save some major time. How? Well, if you get the autographs of characters at the meals, you don’t have to stand and wait forever (at the Judges Tent!) to get Mickey’s autograph!!
Like Breakfast you have the option to “brown bag it”
for lunch or dinner on your Magic Kingdom days, or eat back at your resort. Make sure you read all about it on the link that says Breakfast above.
for lunch or dinner on your Magic Kingdom days, or eat back at your resort. Make sure you read all about it on the link that says Breakfast above.
However, there are 5 options for Table Service Meals INSIDE the Magic Kingdom. Crystal Palace (Character Meal), Liberty Tree Tavern (Character Meal), Cinderellas Royal Table (Character Meal), Plaza Restaurant & Tony’s Town Square. Today I’m just going to talk about the Character Meals.
1) Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace features the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Tigger, Pooh, Piglet & Eeyore are all there. For those of you who watch the tv show My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Darby is NOT THERE! (But she is often in the park over by Pooh’s soft-play area in Fantasyland)
The food at Crystal Palace at lunch and dinner is SOOOO yummy. It also has a lot of really “exotic” foods for you to try on the buffet, including Ratatouille (the dish, not the rat I promise!). Go check out the full menu here. However, they do have the old stand by foods for the less adventurous eaters in your group. I was also really impressed with the desert menu and the setting is beautiful.
Make sure you make advanced dining reservations and remember that you have a better chance of getting a reservation if you do an “early” or “late lunch”. Don’t forget that you can make a late breakfast reservation and use it as “lunch” and it will cost you a lot less.
Crystal Palace lunch hours are from 11:30-3:00 and the all you care to eat buffet is $21.00 per adult & $12.00 per kid. This does not include tip or tax.
Dinner brings an even more lush dinner buffet menu. Crystal Palace is open from 4pm-park close for dinner and is $28.00 per adult, $13.00 per kid (again not including tax or tip).
Crystal Palace also has a great kids parade (with FLAGS) every once in a while and some napkin twirling will be involved. Its a fun atmosphere and I doubt you’ll be disappointed in either the food OR the character greetings.
#3. Cinderella’s Royal Table.FIRST, remember what you are paying for here. You’re paying to eat in the castle. It’s $36.00 per adult and $24.00 for each kid. THAT’S $15.00 more per adult than crystal palace. So for a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) its $52.00 MORE THAN CP!!!!
Again, I’ll emphasize that you will see MORE PRINCESSES at Akershus (in Epcot) for less money. Akershus lunch is $25.00 per adult and $14.00 per kid. So, you see the SAME PRINCESSES For $24.00 less for a family of four!!
At any rate…. that’s my opinion.
Lunch is served from 12-noon till 3pm. The menu (your selections are brought to your table) is pretty rich however. Your entree choices include: Pasta al Pomodoro – Pasta tossed in fresh tomato sauce with garden vegetables, Pan-Seared Salmon – Saffron crab risotto, grilled asparagus and lemon beurre blanc, Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin – mustard cheese grits, cabernet sauce and crispy onions, Focaccia Sandwich – ham, turkey, and muenster cheese piled high on focaccia bread, with dijonaise complimented with house-made sweet potato chips, Major Domo’s Favorite Pie – shredded beef simmered in rich cabernet sauce, served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables, crowning a light pastry.
The kids menu includes: Minor Domo – A child-sized version of our most popular entree, Chicken Strips – with Ranch and BBQ dipping sauces and fresh fruit, Pretzel Dogs – with sweet potato chips and garden salad, Baked Pasta Marinara – with garden salad which I’M pretty sure I’d never pay $14.00 for “in real life”.
When you arrive at Cinderella Castle for your reservation,a photographer will be on hand to take pictures of your group in the lobby,before you are seated in the dining room.A package with four 4×6 prints and one 6×8 print of your photo, as well as one 6×8 print of Cinderella Castle,in a Cinderella photo holder.
DINNER DOES NOT HAVE PRINCESSES!!!! YOU TAKE A PHOTO WITH CINDERELLA AND THEN YOU HAVE THE MICE AND GODMOTHER UPSTAIRS. So if the aim is to meet the princesses then you need to make sure you have a breakfast or lunch reservation. The menu is fancy, but if the aim is to see those sweet princesses you will find yourself one ticked off mama if you book a dinner at Royal Table. It’s also even MORE expensive at $41.00 per adult and $26.00 per kid.
And there you have it, the Character meals at Magic KINGDOM.
I’ve just discovered your blog and I really appreciate all the tips. We’ll be booking Akershus for our little princess!
Thanks!
Liberty Tree Inn does NOT have character meals anymore. But the food is great at The Liberty Tree Inn.