Akershus or 1900 Park Fare Breakfast?

[summerlady]

I bet this has been asked a million times.
DGD9 will be just about at the end of her princess appreciation days, she'll be 10 during our November trip, and she also loves Alice, so I'm sure she'll love either restaurant. I'm mainly wondering which breakfast serves the best food and which has the best character interaction and is Alice always present during the Park Fare breakfast? Would it be best to take a taxi in the morning from POFQ? And, would it be appropriate for DGD to wear her Alice costume if she wants to? Questions, questions! TIA.

 

[jwfla422]

I bet this has been asked a million times.
DGD9 will be just about at the end of her princess appreciation days, she'll be 10 during our November trip, and she also loves Alice, so I'm sure she'll love either restaurant. I'm mainly wondering which breakfast serves the best food and which has the best character interaction and is Alice always present during the Park Fare breakfast? Would it be best to take a taxi in the morning from POFQ? And, would it be appropriate for DGD to wear her Alice costume if she wants to? Questions, questions! TIA.

If you want to go where the best food is then definitely go to 1900 Pk Fare. The characters are also fun but they aren't princesses. I know by the time my DD was 9 she outgrew them and enjoyed Alice, The Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Pooh and Tigger more than the princesses.

It would be absolutely fine for her to wear her Alice costume if she likes to either breakfast although I'm sure ALICE whose at Pk Fare would be quite happy to see her in the same outfit.

Akershus is an "all you can eat" breakfast where they bring you more food. You are pretty much stuck in your seat the whole time (we were there a few times and waited 30 minutes one of those times for someone to show up-then it was 1-2-3 all came through one after another too quickly). Some may love this breakfast. After going 3x we gave up because none of those times were anything to write home about.

I have a review from Park Fare from some months back. I highly recommend this breakfast buffet as it definitely has the best selection of all the buffets in WDW. And the character interaction is enjoyable.

www.disneydiningreviews.com/1900-pk-fare-grand-floridian.htm

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

I didn't care for the family style breakfast at Akershus and didn't think the food was that great. My DD was only 10 months at the time and didn't like the princesses. I haven't tried 1900 Park Fare but it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm doing away with character meals until DD can enjoy it..too expensive to have to rush just to get out and not enjoy the experience.

 

[newdrama12]

1900 Park Fare, definitely!!

 

[summerlady]

If you want to go where the best food is then definitely go to 1900 Pk Fare. The characters are also fun but they aren't princesses. I know by the time my DD was 9 she outgrew them and enjoyed Alice, The Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Pooh and Tigger more than the princesses.

It would be absolutely fine for her to wear her Alice costume if she likes to either breakfast although I'm sure ALICE whose at Pk Fare would be quite happy to see her in the same outfit.

Akershus is an "all you can eat" breakfast where they bring you more food. You are pretty much stuck in your seat the whole time (we were there a few times and waited 30 minutes one of those times for someone to show up-then it was 1-2-3 all came through one after another too quickly). Some may love this breakfast. After going 3x we gave up because none of those times were anything to write home about.

I have a review from Park Fare from some months back. I highly recommend this breakfast buffet as it definitely has the best selection of all the buffets in WDW. And the character interaction is enjoyable.

www.disneydiningreviews.com/1900-pk-fare-grand-floridian.htm

Wow, great review, thanks so much! Looks like it's going to be Park Fare for us in November, I know DGD will love it.

 

[summerlady]

I didn't care for the family style breakfast at Akershus and didn't think the food was that great. My DD was only 10 months at the time and didn't like the princesses. I haven't tried 1900 Park Fare but it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm doing away with character meals until DD can enjoy it..too expensive to have to rush just to get out and not enjoy the experience.

Yep, good idea to wait until your little one is a bit older. Thanks for your view on Akershus, looks like we're going to Park Fare instead.

 

[summerlady]

1900 Park Fare, definitely!!

Thank you! After reading reviews and the menu, it will be Park Fare for us.

 

[zgirls]

We have been to both bfast places and to be honest I do not feel that they can be compared.
My 2 DDs are princess girls - their favorites being Ariel, Belle and Aurora, therefore Akershus is awesome. We have been every time we go(which is minimum once a year) and sometimes get lucky with Ariel being there.

I disagree with the amount of time you get with each princess, compared to Cinderellas bfast, you get a lot of time with each princess. In our visits, we have always been lucky to get at least 2 questions answered for each girl by each princess.

The food is good - scrambled eggs, awesome potatoes, and a fresh fruit/salmon/pastry buffet bar. Service is average.

As for ParkFare, it is a completely different style - total buffet - and we like it just as much, sometimes more. Although we do not go every year, it is a character choice right now.

You can never go wrong with wearing an outfit to a character meal.

 

[summerlady]

We have been to both bfast places and to be honest I do not feel that they can be compared.
My 2 DDs are princess girls - their favorites being Ariel, Belle and Aurora, therefore Akershus is awesome. We have been every time we go(which is minimum once a year) and sometimes get lucky with Ariel being there.

I disagree with the amount of time you get with each princess, compared to Cinderellas bfast, you get a lot of time with each princess. In our visits, we have always been lucky to get at least 2 questions answered for each girl by each princess.

The food is good - scrambled eggs, awesome potatoes, and a fresh fruit/salmon/pastry buffet bar. Service is average.

As for ParkFare, it is a completely different style - total buffet - and we like it just as much, sometimes more. Although we do not go every year, it is a character choice right now.

You can never go wrong with wearing an outfit to a character meal.

Thanks so much for your input. I can't make ADRs until June 2, I'll consult further with my little princess and let her make the final decision. On one hand, I hate to have her miss what might well be her last desire to interact with the princesses because she'll be 10 this trip, but she's just so crazy about Alice lately. We shall see...

 

[PoohsFan1]

We LOVE Akershus breakfast, it is our tradition to eat there before the park opens on our first full day. The character interaction is amazing and the food is awesome. One time while eating there, my DD8's favorite princess (Jasmine) came by the table. My DD told her how she was a huge fan of hers so Jasmine got down to her level and started asking her what her favorite part of each of her movies were, then after that she asked my DD to join her and sing "A Whole New World" with her. My DD was so overjoyed at this, it was an awesome start of her day/vacation. Now to be fare, I really can't compare it to 1900 Park Fare's Breakfast because we have never been. We just love everything about Akershus and it is even a request that my DH makes each time I have to make ADRs for our upcoming trips . But whatever you decide will be fine....good luck

 

[familyS]

1900PF!

We really enjoy breakfast with Alice and the Mad Hatter

 

[Dennfamily4]

We were just at Akershus this past Sunday. I guess it really depends on if your daughter wants to see more princesses...honestly I was really disappointed with Akershus and I so wanted to love it from all the reviews.

Yes my 4 year old got to meet Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella and Belle but the rest of us (husband, myself and 3 sons) were super disappointed in the food. We've been to Park before and I prefer that any day to Akershus. Akershus was super packed and was hard to navigate through the tables to get to the cold buffet then the Princesses basically ran through all the tables so we had little interaction time. For the money we paid I guess I just expected more quality food and time.

 

[summerlady]

1900PF!

We really enjoy breakfast with Alice and the Mad Hatter

Thank you! I have a question, do you think it'd be better to take a taxi from POFQ to the Grand Floridian for an early breakfast or try the bus?

 

[summerlady]

We were just at Akershus this past Sunday. I guess it really depends on if your daughter wants to see more princesses...honestly I was really disappointed with Akershus and I so wanted to love it from all the reviews.

Yes my 4 year old got to meet Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella and Belle but the rest of us (husband, myself and 3 sons) were super disappointed in the food. We've been to Park before and I prefer that any day to Akershus. Akershus was super packed and was hard to navigate through the tables to get to the cold buffet then the Princesses basically ran through all the tables so we had little interaction time. For the money we paid I guess I just expected more quality food and time.

Thank you for your review. One of my plans, had we decided on Akershus, was to get a later ADR, around 10:30, and spend the first hour at Epcot riding Soarin' and whatever else before we needed to show up in Norway. But...if we do the Park Fare breakfast, I think I'll be trying for an early ADR and then go to the MK. One plus is that Lauren already has the Alice dress (which may not still fit her by November) vs. having to shell out lotsa $ for a new princess costume!

 

[summerlady]

We LOVE Akershus breakfast, it is our tradition to eat there before the park opens on our first full day. The character interaction is amazing and the food is awesome. One time while eating there, my DD8's favorite princess (Jasmine) came by the table. My DD told her how she was a huge fan of hers so Jasmine got down to her level and started asking her what her favorite part of each of her movies were, then after that she asked my DD to join her and sing "A Whole New World" with her. My DD was so overjoyed at this, it was an awesome start of her day/vacation. Now to be fare, I really can't compare it to 1900 Park Fare's Breakfast because we have never been. We just love everything about Akershus and it is even a request that my DH makes each time I have to make ADRs for our upcoming trips . But whatever you decide will be fine....good luck

What a charming and memorable experience for your DD (and you)! If it were just she and I going, I'd do some sort of character/princess meal every day, but since we're gong to have a crabby DH with us, I guess I'll have to plan on other dining experiences as well.

Thanks for your review and good wishes.

 

[Greg K.]

I don't think you can ever go wrong with 1900 PF! We go there every trip at least once -- and you can't beat the food (****!) or the proximity to the MK. (Try the incredible Strawberry Soup!)

The atmosphere can be a little nutty -- but that seems true for all character meals, where the noise level and INCREDIBLY excited children can combine to create a jolt more jarring that your morning java

But I do think the food quality and character interaction far outclasses the wandering princesses in Epcot.

 

[summerlady]

I don't think you can ever go wrong with 1900 PF! We go there every trip at least once -- and you can't beat the food (****!) or the proximity to the MK. (Try the incredible Strawberry Soup!)

The atmosphere can be a little nutty -- but that seems true for all character meals, where the noise level and INCREDIBLY excited children can combine to create a jolt more jarring that your morning java

But I do think the food quality and character interaction far outclasses the wandering princesses in Epcot.

Thank you SO much for your review, looks like (after consulting with everyone in my family) it's going to be 1900 Park Fare for us. I can't wait to try the strawberry soup. Maybe I'll keep in the little foam earplugs I wear at night to block out DH's snoring. I'd like to try for an ADR for an early breakfast and then hop on the monorail to the MK, in your experience approximately how long were you at the breakfast? I'd like to do this on a non-morning EMH day when the park opens at 9.

 

[Greg K.]

Thank you SO much for your review, looks like (after consulting with everyone in my family) it's going to be 1900 Park Fare for us. I can't wait to try the strawberry soup. Maybe I'll keep in the little foam earplugs I wear at night to block out DH's snoring. I'd like to try for an ADR for an early breakfast and then hop on the monorail to the MK, in your experience approximately how long were you at the breakfast? I'd like to do this on a non-morning EMH day when the park opens at 9.

You should be able to get in and out in about an hour, maybe less, with time for "seconds" and autographs.

 

[summerlady]

You should be able to get in and out in about an hour, maybe less, with time for "seconds" and autographs.

Perfect! Thanks again.

 

[jwfla422]

You had asked about transportation from POFQ to GF. While a cab is probably the most efficient and quickest way, depending on what time your ADR is, you can take WDW transportation although you will need a good amount of time (at least 45 min).

The way to do that via WDW transportation would be to take a bus to MK then transfer to the resort monorail. Keep in mind the GF would be the last stop on the loop once you board the monorail. (would go to CR, TTC, Poly, GF & then back to MK).

This is a scenic way to go (and it would give you the chance to ride the monorail), but it will probably take a least 45 minutes. The time waiting for the bus to MK and then the 15 minute ride there and then you'd have to walk up to the monorail and wait on that which could be another 10-15 min or more, then the trip around the loop would be another 10 minutes or so.

So do keep all that in mind. Whatever you do, enjoy!!