Rapunzel’s Royal Table aboard the Disney Magic carries guests to Corona on an evening celebrating the anniversary of the princess’ birthday. Replacing the location previously known as Cariocas and before that Parrot Cay, the new dining experience is hosted by a few of the Snuggly Duckling thugs, along with Tangled’s hero and heroine, Flynn Rider and the birthday girl, Rapunzel.
The Restaurant
Entering the venue, guests are greeted by the thugs — Hook Hand, Vladimir & Attila — while lively music from a live trio of flutes and stringed instruments fills the air. Glowing lanterns hang across the ceiling over the dozens of tables encircled by regal purple chairs with Corona’s sun icon prominently displayed throughout the fabric and atop the chair back. Murals retelling the Tangled story encircle each of the room’s large portholes along the walls.
The Food
For more info, the Disney Cruise Line Blog has the complete Rapunzels’ Royal Table menu.
At the tables, the kids menu features various Tangled-themed activities alongside the food items. Under the header Maximus’ Starters were soup or salad while Rapunzel’s Main Event featured Salmon, Mac & Cheese or Pizza. Additionally, Arianna’s (Rapunzel’s bio-mom if you don’t recall) Desserts included the usual Mickey Bar and ice cream scoops but also chocolate fudge celebration cake with ice cream. There was also Turkey Breast and Whole Wheat Penne in Tomato Sauce under the Mickey Check options. Flip the kids menu over to decorate your own Corona lantern. The restaurant also offers a light-up lantern cup for purchase. The cup has a Corona sun decal on one side and Disney Cruise Line on the opposite. It can either be illuminated with a golden hue or a fade between a rainbow of colors.
Adult menu items reflected a regal banquet theme. Appetizers included Ravioli “Tiroler” — a pair of large ravioli filled with hearty portobello & pulled beef in a red wine thyme reduction with roasted carrots and pearl onions — a shrimp dish, a tuna tartar and the Snuggly Duckling platter featuring a selection of charcuterie with pumpernickel and mustard. I enjoyed Captain of the Guards Roasted Prime Rib of Beef along with double-baked potato, broccoli and roasted carrots. These were very large portion and cooked perfectly. My husband dined on the Chili-Spiced Tofu Ramen, which he said was much better than he expected. Other entrees included the Flynn Rider Platter, a grilled smoked pork loin served with pork belly bockwurst, red cabbage with a potato dumpling and Tangled Pasta, a twisted angel hair pasta in a basil pesto accompanied by caramelized sea scallops, roasted tomatoes along with sun-dried tapenade served with roasted meyer lemon.
All the diners at our table enjoyed their desserts. Sampled at our table were the Braided Apple Strudel served warm with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream topped with vanilla sauce as well as the Creme Brulee Cheesecake based on the recommendation of a server during our lunch. She was correct as it was a delightfully creamy cheesecake with a caramelized creme brulee layer. The Gothel Blackforest Tower, a chocolate cake with cherry compote and chocolate creme, was recommended by our server and he didn’t mislead us. The birthday cupcake sundae delighted one our younger tablemates. It was immediately appealing upon arrival, served in a tall glass with layers of butter cupcake, strawberry compote, birthday cake ice cream whipped cream and an edible bright blue candle topper. Rapunzel’s Fry Pan Sweet Bread was offered up in a fry pan like Rapunzel wielded throughout her adventures. It would have been tastier warmer but it was quite satisfactory at room temp with powdered sugar, chocolate-hazelnut sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
The Entertainment
Throughout the meal the entertainment alternates between performances of popular Tangled songs by the film’s characters and the melodies from the live musicians. Although key performances such as “I’ve Got a Dream” and “I See The Light” occur on the room’s main stage and its center aisle, the performers do make their way throughout the room so guests are afforded good views of them at some point. Our dining rotation found us in Rapunzel’s the same evening the ship was presenting Tangled the Musical so we had just experienced this story through song. As is often the case with dinner theater, the level of guests’ focus on the performances varied between the tables so there was a consistent level of dining room noise throughout the evening. However, the performances were easily heard over it.
When not performing musical numbers, the entertainers weave their way throughout the dining room, interacting with diners as the live musicians play. Rapunzel and Hook Hand visited with us and not only posed for a photo but also actively engaged the children at the table in brief conversations. It didn’t appear that all of the five characters made their way around the entire room as those two were only one to stop by our table. Since the Snuggly Duckling thugs are mingling from the time seating opens, they are the easiest to encounter, while Flynn and Rapunzel show up later in the seating. After concluding their performances, the characters and performers made their out of the restaurant and weren’t available for further interactions that evening, so all interactions with the guests occur during the dining period.
As for the musical numbers, the rousing “I Have a Dream” offered high kicks and high energy performances from Hook Hand, Vladimir and Attilla while Tangled’s signature tune, the beautiful “I See The Light” was beautifully executed. The sequence initially focuses on Rapunzel and Flynn at the center stage. As they sing Rapunzel releases an illuminated lantern that is held aloft by a dining server. Slowly and surprisingly gently, dozens and dozens of servers begin to wander the room carrying the lanterns. They “float” above and around the diners until the room is full. Ethereal and beautiful.
Towards the end of dinner service, in celebration of the princess’ birthday, all are invited to get up and participate in a dance around the dining hall an oft-used activity to finish a dining room experience during a Disney cruise. Young and old, gathered along the aisle ways, began to dance in a ring around the seating area. Flynn leads the diners around the starboard side of the room while Rapunzel led everyone around the port side. The thugs cheered all participants as passed by the stage. I hope they kept a sharp eye open as they were dancing around because Pascal can be found hiding in various spots throughout the restaurant.
The Little Details
Rapunzel’s Royal Table proved to be the highlight of evening dining experiences aboard the Disney Magic. The venue, the entertainment and the food were all incredibly enjoyable to our entire family.