Bonjour Michael and welcome to planDisney!
Take it from a Prince, any time you get the chance to dine inside a castle it's bound to be an exquisite experience to eat in elaborately-decorated surroundings and it's been so great to be able to put their service to the test at every
Be Our Guest Restaurant experience that we've had over the years. I was able to snag a late reservation around 9:00 p.m. EST on a recent visit and am happy to provide a bit of royal knowledge about my experience dining during a nighttime spectacular:
- All of the tables in each of the seating areas - the West Wing, the Ballroom and the Rose Gallery - are indoors and completely enclosed within the walls of the Beast's castle. While you may be able to see a view of snow softly falling though the ballroom windows, there is no way to see Cinderella's castle nor any outside part of Magic Kingdom Park from within the restaurant itself.
- We noticed some guests briefly step out to observe Happily Ever After from the entranceway bridge, which is a great chance to experience being surrounded by fireworks going off on all sides at select moments during the show. (Bear in mind that this view from the bridge will miss all of the projections on the front face of Cinderella Castle and I wouldn't linger outside for too long; chances are that the Cast Member serving you might not be thrilled if you disappeared from dinner for a full 18 minutes!)
- We were fortunate enough to speak directly with the Cast Members checking in guests early and they let us know that there may be spots that tend to open up directly after the fireworks as families cancel or abandon their reservations after a long day at Magic Kingdom Park. On two occasions, we were able to shift our dining reservations for a time directly after the fireworks so we wouldn't miss anything!
Did you know that Tokyo Disneyland has a very similar location (with a significantly larger version of Beast's Castle) found at the
Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast attraction? Instead of sitting down to for a dining experience, you'll instead be sitting in the tableware as you experience the classic Tale as Old as Time and witness the
most impressive next-generation audio-animatronics I've ever seen in a Disney ride! If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend heading out to the Disney Destinations in Japan; until then, please
come back to planDisney again for any more answers ahead of your next adventure!
Here's to a pleasant visit to the Beast's castle and Bon appétit - be sure to say hi to the Master for me if you see him!
Prince