When we booked Cinderella’s Royal Table for our trip we were expecting to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine. Imagine our surprise when we realized a NEW princess is now appearing in the place of one of these. Check out which five princesses we met on our recent visit.
Cinderella’s Royal Table Characters
Before the park closures in 2020, Cinderella’s Royal Table was one of the most popular characters meals where guests could dine inside the castle in an intimate and beautiful dining hall with flying buttresses, stained glass, candles and medieval banners and shields. You can read a breakfast review from 2019 here.
While character appearances are always subject to change at Disney World, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine have been the princesses in residence for several years. Cinderella has traditionally posed for photos in the lobby while the other princesses come around to tables in the dining hall.
After the parks reopened it took Cinderella’s Royal Table a long time to return to normal. For awhile it was a meal without any princesses at all. You can read a review of that experience here. Then Cinderella met socially distanced in the dining hall and eventually started posing for photos with guests again.
The other princesses finally returned to the dining hall on February 28th, 2023. And finally PhotoPass photographers returned for Cinderella’s meet and greet in the lobby in March 2023.
A NEW princess
On October 1st, I (Ashley) visited Cinderella’s Royal Table for lunch with my husband and one year old daughter. After taking our picture with Cinderella downstairs and being seated upstairs we were handed a signature card with a beautiful mosaic of Cinderella receiving her ball gown from the fairy godmother. While all guests receive a signature card, characters WILL also still sign autograph books!
When I turned the card over I noticed something surprising. In addition to Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, and Jasmine, I saw MERIDA!
And sure enough when characters started entering the dining room Merida was one of them! Everyone began applauding when she came in and her spunky energy was such a fun addition to the character meal.
I asked our server when she started appearing there and she said that it was Merida’s first day and that she would be replacing Snow White!
I think this is a wonderful change since Merida recently lost her dedicated meet and greet location in the Magic Kingdom to Mirabel. My daughter absolutely loved her and I think she may have been the first character to make her smile!
We really enjoyed our meal. The setting is beautiful, the food was delicious and character interactions were wonderful. Being there for Merida’s first day was a pleasant surprise that made the experience all the more special!
Where Can You Meet Snow White Now?
While the gain of Merida means the loss of Snow White, you can still meet Snow White at TWO other character meals. Storybook Dining at the Wilderness Lodge features Snow White, the Evil Queen, Dopey and Grumpy.
Snow White also appears at Akershus in Epcot along with Jasmine, Belle (Gold Dress), Tiana, Aurora, Ariel (Blue Gown), and Mulan. However, characters here rotate so Snow White is not guaranteed every day.
You can read a head-to-head comparison of Cinderella’s Royal Table and Akershus here. Snow White also has a meet and greet location in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion and up by Town Square in Magic Kingdom.
What do you think of Merida replacing Snow White at Cinderella’s Royal Table? Let us know in the comments below, and share this post with a friend.
Ashley Beckwith McKellar
Follow me on Instagram: @disneyparksmom
Discover more from KennythePirate.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
What do you think?