Talk me in or out of CRT

[jenhum]

My parents, my DD (4) and I are going to WDW in April for DD's first trip (yay!). I have an ADR at CRT for 8:20 breakfast our first full day there. I'm a little on the fence on whether its worth the price. As far as Disney characters go, DD's #1 loves are Lion King characters, #2 Toy Story characters, and #3 princesses (favorites prob Snow White and Belle).

Obviously there are no Lion King or Toy Story CMs, so that's why I chose CRT. Only doing a half day at Epcot, so Akershus is out. I think she will love meeting the princesses, and dining inside the castle...but it's just so pricey, lol! She loves characters in general too, and is very friendly. Anyone else have a non-princess obsessed kid that loved (or hated!) CRT?

 

[tink2]

ok- this may not help much bc my DD has always loved the princesses- yeah- obsessed at 4. Putting that aside though- I say if she is 4 yrs old- DO IT!!! Nothing is more magical than eating in THE castle. Yes- it is crazy expensive. But, she will only be 4 yrs old once. We usually travel with my whole family- parents, brothers & fams, etc. We have our DD who is now 13 and nieces who are now 16 and 19. All 3 still think the castle is a 'must'. My niece who is a sophomore in college is taking her roommate who has never been to WDW for a day during Spring Break. First thing she asked her dad was- can you make us a ressie in the castle- everyone should do that once! and I agree- if you go to WDW- splurge at least once if you have a daughter. And I must say- 4 yrs old is such a magical age- I really think any 4 yr old little girl would love it. My DD at that age was convinced that Cinderella's bedroom was upstairs and she had her princess friends eat with her daily. It was so cool. Nothing compares to the magic of CRT. Is it ridiculously overpriced? Yes. But what isn't in WDW? If my daughter were 4 yrs old again- I wouldn't hesitate. Heck, we are considering another family trip next year with all teen girls- yes- I feel very sure they will all 3 beg to eat in the castle again. And I'm sure we'll probably suck it up and pay it again..... lol
My daughter's eyes were so bright and wide eating in the castle at 4 yrs old...... you couldn't put a price on those memories.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Well, she CAN meet snow white at epcot and Belle in MK. I personally dont feel its worth the price. We did it once, and honestly I had a princess obsessed 4 YO, and still think it wasn't worth the price. She liked 1900PF just as much for half the price. You can do TWO others for the same price. Just my opinion though

 

[pixarmom]

My parents, my DD (4) and I are going to WDW in April for DD's first trip (yay!). I have an ADR at CRT for 8:20 breakfast our first full day there. I'm a little on the fence on whether its worth the price. As far as Disney characters go, DD's #1 loves are Lion King characters, #2 Toy Story characters, and #3 princesses (favorites prob Snow White and Belle).

Obviously there are no Lion King or Toy Story CMs, so that's why I chose CRT. Only doing a half day at Epcot, so Akershus is out. I think she will love meeting the princesses, and dining inside the castle...but it's just so pricey, lol! She loves characters in general too, and is very friendly. Anyone else have a non-princess obsessed kid that loved (or hated!) CRT?

I think it's worth doing once. I'm a mom of three boys, I've never been into princesses myself (always a Minnie girl!) and I loved dinner in the castle long ago before dinner was a princess meal. But our youngest son went through a princess phase right before he turned four years old and asked to go to Akershus and CRT during his birthday trip. So we did - for breakfast. I definitely prefer Akershus for the character interaction and calm atmosphere, but that's because I've loved Akershus since childhood and have already been to both several times. If you and your kids have never been to CRT, I'd suggest keeping the reservation for the in-castle experience. I really wish they still offered one non-princess meal in the castle, but I can understand why that's no longer a wise business decision!

 

[Mommyof3inVA]

Well, she CAN meet snow white at epcot and Belle in MK. I personally dont feel its worth the price. We did it once, and honestly I had a princess obsessed 4 YO, and still think it wasn't worth the price. She liked 1900PF just as much for half the price. You can do TWO others for the same price. Just my opinion though

I 100% agree. My daughter was 5 years old when we went last year, we debated on eating at the Castle and decided against it. We ate at 1900 Park Fare and then did the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique for the price that it would have cost us to eat the Castle. The BBB was SO amazing and memorable. I would recommend you skip the Castle and save your money.

 

[livie1205]

We have done it a few times, the last time a few weeks ago and it was the LAST, there is only so much bad food you can overlook just to be in the castle.Belle is no longer there because of course she is in fantasyland and she cant be at both places.They changed te cheese plate and the new one is horrid! Lol I am a cheese lover and could not stand it ( ick) and the other dishes were very limited and just tasted awful.I can see if you want to take a child one time to " eat in the castle" but after that.... Uuugggg. Now remember this is just my opinion but unless your on the meal plan I cant see paying the cost.

 

[amypetecar]

My vote is try it once and check it off your bucket list. We took our daughter when she was 5 and she liked it........ Turns out my wife was the one who loved it! That said, i cant bring myself to pay the cash to do it again......

 

[disneydreamkate]

We ate at the castle once and it was the trip we had the DDP. My kids were 12, 15, and 4. I think a meal in the castle is a "must do." That said, I think once is enough and I wouldn't bother again. It is a very magical experience though and would probably splurge on it-especially with a little girl!

 

[North of Mouse]

My parents, my DD (4) and I are going to WDW in April for DD's first trip (yay!). I have an ADR at CRT for 8:20 breakfast our first full day there. I'm a little on the fence on whether its worth the price. As far as Disney characters go, DD's #1 loves are Lion King characters, #2 Toy Story characters, and #3 princesses (favorites prob Snow White and Belle).

Obviously there are no Lion King or Toy Story CMs, so that's why I chose CRT. Only doing a half day at Epcot, so Akershus is out. I think she will love meeting the princesses, and dining inside the castle...but it's just so pricey, lol! She loves characters in general too, and is very friendly. Anyone else have a non-princess obsessed kid that loved (or hated!) CRT?

Yes, it is *very* pricey, but we went twice when our children were small, and it was well worth the $$$'s.

You aren't just paying for your meal, it's mainly the experience of eating in a castle and seeing Cinderella. My DH & I enjoyed it as much as the kids did

We have no plans to ever do it again, but have no regrets eating there and experiencing the castle ambiance and Cinderella when we did.

 

[FiggieFan]

I have been torn myself about CRT because of the food reviews and cost, although the photo package balances it out a bit for me. I would do breakfast over lunch or dinner after reviewing the menus. I figure we will do it once for the experience. I also agree about 1900 Park Faire - it is a quick trip from the MK (monorail to the Grand Floridian). It is a buffet so it should have something for everyone and is 1 TS credit. Dinner and breakfast characters are different. Dinner is Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and the 2 step sisters. Lady Tremaine and the step sisters have great reviews and are the hit of the meal - ask the step sisters to sing!

 

[CLEO Z]

If you will be returning again before she is 7, then wait. She'll remember it more and possibly be more into the princesses. If you won't be back by then, DO IT! You will regret it if you don't. It is so beatiful and magical in the morning. Breakfast is yummy. Take lots of pics!

I wish my DD was still into the princesses and I could justify the cost. Alas, she is 11 and my time has passed. Until I'm a grandma someday!!

 

[GusGus77]

We did CRT when dd was 3 AND 4. (We weren't planning on going back to WDW so soon, but what can I say!) She LOVED it both times. (So did I.....and so did DH and DS, 2.) I thought the atmosphere was excellent. Definitely something worth experiencing once. And you do get the free picture package (a large pic and 4 reg. sized photos) and the price includes tip. So keep that in mind with the cost. We found the food to be decent (not excellent, but not awful.) It was on par with food from other character meals.

I think 1900 Park Faire is a totally different experience. It was nice, but DD didn't enjoy it as much nor did the rest of us although we still enjoyed it.

 

[Deesknee]

We did it this past Nov. with our DD9. She loved it and we found the princess spent a lot of time with her. We have also done the Akersaus, but that was in June. We found the waiter was more pleasant and took more time with our table than the princess' at Akersaus. So, honestly in my opinion, the time the characters spend depends on the crowds. I just asked my daughter what her favorite memory of our recent trip was. (and there were plenty, a private dessert party, BBB, Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace, CRT, MVMCP) 1st place BBB, followed by CRT. So... I say do it. We went for Breakfast, 8:20 ADR. We all agreed the food was good. Overpriced? yes, but ... DD's 2nd favorite memory... priceless.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I would keep the ADR...especially since princesses are in her top 3 and her 1 and 2 choices aren't in any of the character meals.

We've done breakfast, lunch and dinner at CRT and Akershus ... breakfast at both last month ... and if I had to pick the superior princess breakfast based on our experiences it would be CRT as the solid winner. The new menu is quite tasty. Even DH raved about it.

I also like eating in the castle...it feels special to me. And while 8:20a is a good time, if you're able to snag an 8:05a you'll almost definitely be out in time for park opening.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Heck--I don't even HAVE kids and I enjoyed breakfast at the castle. Got my pic with 4 princesses and Cinderella!!

Worth doing at least once and breakfast is best.

 

[MrRomance]

Our DD was 7 when we took her to CRT. She is absolutely NOT a princess kind of kid. She loves Cars and Toy Story and doesn't care much for the Princesses at all. Our theory was, she'd like to eat in the castle, the food looked really good and we wanted to give her the experience. She absolutely LOVED it!

Is it expensive? Yes, it isn't a cheap option at all. However, you're getting more than just the Princesses. In our experience, the Princesses spent a good amount of time at each table. Belle sat talking to our DD about reading books (one of our DD's favourite things in the world!) and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

The experience of eating in the castle was something in and of itself and although we went for dinner not breakfast, the food was exceptional. You also get the photo package, the kids get a wand and wishing stars and the CM's were fantastic. Our Server that night saw us in Epcot a few days later with her family and she made a point of coming up to our DD and said "Hi Katie, it's nice to see you again, did you enjoy seeing the princesses?"

I think, like a lot of things, it is worth what you're paying even if it seems really expensive. Another great example of that is Discovery Cove. I hear so many people struggling with whether or not to go because it's an expensive day and I too was on the fence with both CRT and DC but having taken the plunge, I don't regret either and will do both again on my next trip.

 

[jenhum]

Thanks so much for all of the advice! I think we are going to keep the reservation. We most likely won't be coming back until DD is 10-12, so it will be fun to do it once while she is little. I thought about doing the Pirates and Pals cruise instead, bc that sounds awesome and I know she'd love that (and me too! haha) but Wishes isn't until 10 when we're there, and even though she is a pretty flexible kid, that's a long time to stay up after bedtime after an exciting, exhausting day. So it looks like CRT will be our pick!

 

[princessallegra]

I would do it! Breakfast is the best meal I've heard. We did dinner there two years ago and it was not good at all. We want to do the breakfast next time.

 

[shopgirl78]

I had a princess obsessed 4 year old when we went in 2009. I wish we would have went to CRT then, we didn't, but we did Askurus (sp) which the breakfast was awesome as well as the princesses. We did CRT when DD was 6 and she was at the tail end of the princess phase. The food was eh, but the atmosphere was AMAZING as well as the princesses. We did lunch after BBB.

I think its a gotta do one time. When will you go again? If its before she turns 6, then maybe wait. If it will be a while, go and get it off the bucket list.

 

[partigus]

Yes, darn expensive plate of eggs!We've done dinner there twice- enjoyed both, both the first was better (the initial experience, plus the food was higher quality). one nice thing about an inpark character bfast is early entrance- us it to get pictures you'll never be able to otherwise get (ie no other people in them)

Now, you say, epcot is only a half day so Norway is out...why? you could book dinner there? That said, dinner is expensive if payog oop. Last year we werent on thr DP and it happened to start pouring down rain around dinner time. We were planning on CS in Mexico- but seeing no li ne, gotr the family into Norway. I'm used to thinking of it as a "bargain" as a 1 credit meal...After sitting down, I realized why it IS a bargain for a 1 credit meal....dinner for our family of 5 set me back about $250 with tip..