When you walk into Magic Kingdom [1] at Walt Disney World, the first thing you'll see is Cinderella's Castle at the end of Main Street U.S.A. But did you know inside the park icon is a restaurant where everyone is considered royalty and the magic is truly endless? Cinderella's Royal Table [2] is the place to be for any type of celebration, and while Cinderella has her Fairy Godmother to create a little magic, guests at Cinderella's Royal Table have Debbi Sacleux for all the magic they could want during their meal! POPSUGAR sat down with Debbi to hear more about her dream job, so keep reading to learn all about this Magic Kingdom magic maker.
Debbi started her Disney career at an international park.
Debbi's Disney journey started when she moved to France. She worked her way from a guest services manager and was soon promoted to "It's a Small World" manager with the reorganisation from EuroDisney to Disneyland Paris [3].
She's worked with The Walt Disney Company for more than 25 years.
With so many years under her magic wand, Debbi has been awarded with the Walt Disney World Legacy Award. This award is the highest honour that cast, crew, and Imagineers [4] can achieve with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
She's been able to work at multiple locations.
Outside of her roles at Disneyland Paris, Debbi has had multiple locations on her journey working at Walt Disney World! Some of them include Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort, the Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot, Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios, Out Door foods at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and now at Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom.
Debbi considers every guest a cherished friend.
Everyone who walks into Cinderella's Royal Table is considered a cherished friend by Debbi, whether it's your first time at the restaurant or your 100th time. The moment you walk up the grand staircase, you'll understand why that term is perfect! You walk in and are instantly greeted with warmth and excitement from the cast who work there.
Seeing kids' faces light up is a priceless moment of her role.
When young princesses and princes see Disney royalty walk into the room and their faces light up with sheer joy, that's the moment Debbi says is priceless about her job. Many times this is the moment parents and grandparents are seeing Disney through the eyes of a child [5] for the first time.
One of her most cherished memories happened at Epcot's Coral Reef Restaurant.
When POPSUGAR asked Debbi about one of her most cherished memories, she recounted the story of a young man wanting to plan a surprise proposal for his girlfriend at the Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot. Without knowing what her boyfriend had set up, the young lady set up a surprise birthday celebration for him.
Coral Reef has huge floor-to-ceiling aquarium tanks thanks to being located in The Living Seas Pavilion. When the diver swam over to the window with a sign that said "Happy Birthday," the young man was surprised, not only because he thought the restaurant had gotten his message wrong, but also because he quickly remembered it actually was his birthday and graciously took the celebratory message. Then the diver flipped the sign over to say "Will you marry me?" and the surprise was turned on the girlfriend.
Her coworkers are "tools for magic."
Debbi calls her team of cast members [6] "tools for magic," and we have to side with her on this one! Some of the cast who work at Cinderella's Royal Table have been there for more than 40 years creating magic for guests, and they have become living legends at the restaurant.
What's next for Debbi?
We asked Debbi where she saw herself in the future at The Walt Disney Company, and she loves Cinderella's Royal Table too much to leave. She's found her Disney home, where she's able to build strong relationships with her fellow cast and guests and make magical memories for guests each day!