Review: Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner

If you read my previous blog post, then you know that character dining is something that even this frugal girl is willing to splurge on at Disney World! I say "splurge" because admittedly character dining is an investment. That's why I think it's helpful to know as much as you can about the various character meals that are offered so that you can choose the ones that will be the best fit for your family. So, in order to help with that, I'm going to be sharing my honest reviews of the most recent character meals that I've done at Disney World. If this topic is something that you're interested in, check back over the next couple weeks for updates!

The first character meal I'll be reviewing in this series is one that, as a Disney princess enthusiast, I was very excited about! I loved Cinderella when I was a little girl, so attending Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare was definitely a Disney dream come true for me. 1900 Park Fare is located in Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, so guests can enjoy this character meal even if they don't have theme park tickets. Also, guests don't have to be staying at the Grand Floridian to eat at 1900 Park Fare: it's open to anyone! In this review, I'll be evaluating several elements of the dining experience at Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner: atmosphere, characters, food quality, service, and overall value. I'll be ranking each element on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being "so great it blew my socks off" and 1 being "I'll never eat here again." Let's get started!

The Grand Floridian is a beautiful deluxe resort on the monorail line near Magic Kingdom.

The grand lobby is stunning!

Atmosphere
Disney's Grand Floridian is an absolutely beautiful resort themed after the grand hotels of the Victorian era. Before our dinner reservation, my husband and I spent some time hanging out in comfy chairs in the grand lobby listening to the jazz band play. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing experience. The overall atmosphere of the Grand Floridian really couldn't be better. The atmosphere of 1900 Park Fare itself was less impressive. I'm someone who really likes natural light, and there are no windows in 1900 Park Fare so that was a bit of a strike against it for me. However, it is decorated very nicely in a way that is reminiscent of a Victorian carousel. Even though 1900 Park Fare is a larger restaurant, it felt cozy; and even though it was crowded, it didn't feel cramped. Altogether, I would give the atmosphere of Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner a 7 out of 10.

Characters
Characters at any character dining experience are always subject to change and we experienced that first hand the night we dined at 1900 Park Fare. We were expecting to meet Cinderella, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drizella, and Prince Charming. However, Prince Charming had some very important royal paperwork that kept him from being able to attend, so that was a little bit of a bummer. But, the characters that were able to make it to the dinner were absolutely fabulous. Lady Tremaine was stoic without being at all scary for the little ones. Anastasia and Drizella were hilarious and would yell back and forth to each other during the dinner. Cinderella herself was as sweet and kind as she is on screen. Each of the characters took their time with us and were very gracious to take pictures. As we left for the evening, we even got to have our picture taken with one of Cinderella's mouse friends! I give the character experience at Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner a 9 out of 10, simply due to the fact that Prince Charming was unable to be there. If he had finished his paperwork in time to join us, it would have been a perfect 10 out of 10!

Lady Tremaine

Anastasia

Drizella

Cinderella and my Prince Charming

Suzy

Food Quality
Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner is a buffet meal, which for some people is a mark for it and for others is a mark against it. Personally, I prefer character meals that are a la carte or served family style. The positive aspects of the buffet were that there were several options, many of which were kid friendly, and they were well-monitored and efficiently refilled when necessary. The dessert options were also particularly good and served in portions that didn't make you feel like a glutton for trying more than one thing. The negative aspects of the buffet were that the food wasn't as hot and fresh as it would be if it were cooked to order. You could tell that some of the entrees had been on the warmer for a while. Also, the only selections that were offered were things that can do well on a warmer for long periods of time: pasta, a carving station, bread, etc. There was a great selection of fresh fruit and there was one particular pasta option--a cheese tortellini with a lemon cream sauce--that was pretty amazing. But otherwise the food here was forgettable. I give it a 5 out of 10.

Service
I have no complaints about the service we received at Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner. We had to wait about 10 minutes for our table once we checked in for our reservation, and we were provided with water and comfortable benches to sit on while we waited. Once seated, our waitress was quick to visit us and get our drink orders. She explained how the buffet worked and gave us tips as to how to not miss the characters as they were coming around. She also checked on us several times throughout the evening, kept our sodas refilled, and promptly cleared our empty plates off the table. Service was a solid 10 out of 10, which is exactly what I expect from Disney!

Overall Value
For me, the value of a character meal comes from the character interactions. In that respect Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner is a great value because you get to meet one of the most iconic Disney princesses there is, along with other characters who you're typically not going to find in the parks. For Cinderella enthusiasts or autograph hunters, this is a great option. It's also great for those who don't have park tickets but still want to do a character meal. Looking at it through the lens of simple dollars and cents, I will say that I believe Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner is a better value for those who are on the Disney Dining Plan than it is for those who are paying out of pocket. If you're on the Disney Dining Plan, using a table service credit for lunch or dinner rather than breakfast is always the way to go. Using your table service credits for character dining at lunch or dinner gives you even more bang for your buck. For those paying out of pocket, though, I would recommend a character breakfast instead of Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner. You're going to pay less (and in my experience get better food) and still have a great character interaction! Overall, I'll give the value of Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner a 7 out of 10 for those paying out of pocket and an 8 out of 10 for those on the Disney Dining Plan.

So, there you have it: my honest review of Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at the Grand Floridian! Check back next week for another character meal review. If you'd like to see a video of our experience at Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner, you can watch it on YouTube here. And, if you're wondering why this character dinner is a better value for those on the Disney Dining Plan than it is for those paying out of pocket, check out my YouTube video all about the Disney Dining Plan and whether or not it's worth it for your family!