Akershus Royal Banquet Hall... advice please

[buzzman88]

Hi all.

I've just made an ADR at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall for our 4 y.o. DH since we just bought a nice little dress for her.

But it seems like many DIS'ers have a pretty bad experience at this place, so I'm wondering if I should cancel it. Since they took my credit card number, I only have 2 days to cancel it without charge.

My other question is, what is exactly family-style buffet? I understand that your "order" your entree and they bring it to your table. Can you order a second entree though?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jlb]

We did not like the food, but for us to see Ariel w/ legs was totally worth it. We were seated right next to her greeting place so we got to just watch her all through dinner. The cold bar is decent and so is dessert. You will not leave hungry, if you are like us....just confused.

 

[GC&S]

We've only done the breakfast (twice). I think your dd will love it. We had a great experience when it was just us and dd. Not so great when there were five of us - princesses rushed to get through everyone. I think you should give it a chance.

 

[angel's momma]

Since they took my credit card number, I only have 2 days to cancel it without charge.

The time to cancel isn't from the time you make the ADR - you can cancel up to 2 days before your dining date without penalty.

We went with low expectations, but were pleasantly surprised. It wasn't our favorite meal, but it was a good meal.

The appetizer is the cold buffet.
You order your entree. (I read that if you finish your entree, you can have another - but personally I can't imagine wanting a second.)
Dessert is served family style.

 

[BriansPyxie042]

We went this past December for our DD's 5th birthday for lunch. The food on the cold buffet was interesting. For the entree, I got the Traditional Kjottkaker which was like chopped steak covered in gravy. It was yummy. My DD had a blast, and Cinderella even showed up, which I've heard is very rare. Her favortie part, though, was getting to spend a little extra time with Snow White her favorite princess. We all ejoyed it so much that we're going back in October.

 

[2princes&1princess]

(I read that if you finish your entree, you can have another - but personally I can't imagine wanting a second.)

LOL'ing at this remark. Personally, I can't imagine wanting a second, either. But I suspect for different reasons.

We went last year and had lunch at Akerhaus solely for my (then) three year-old daughter. We thought the food was absolutely horrible. Admittedly, I tend to be a picky eater. My husband and children, however, typically are not. They didn't enjoy the meal, either.

Be aware that if your children order the PB&J, it is a premade (and I suspect frozen) pressed pocket type sandwich. We didn't realize this ahead of time. Our younger son did not want jelly on his sandwich, so we asked our waiter if we could get a sandwich with just peanut butter on it. You'd have thought we asked to have the chef's head delivered to our table, he was so flustered, and seemingly appalled, by the request. He didn't know if that was possible. After about 20 minutes, they did come out and tell us that they would comply with the request. When the kids finally received their plates, the sandwich quite honestly had at least an inch and a half to two inches of peanut butter between the slices of bread. It was gross.

Oh, and that's how we found out our kids really don't care for premade sandwiches. :l We chalked up the experience to a $100 and something price for the adorable pictures of our daughter and her favorite princesses.

I have heard, however, that the breakfast is excellent. You might try to see if they can switch your reservation around to get in for breakfast.

 

[angelsmom920]

We went in April for the dinner and loved it! We traveled with a party of 16 and the menu had something for everyone - even if that means my picky sister had to eat off the kids menu! We had 5 little girls ages 2-5 so no matter how the food the was, it was overshadowed by the looks on their faces when they saw Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Alice and of course, dd5's favorite, Princess Aurora! Most of the group we were with really enjoyed the food (I had the chicken and am not complaining, dh had the salmon and enjoyed that). Have a great trip!

 

[sml70]

I would try to get a reservation for breakfast, I thought it was very good compared to other restaurants. The character interaction is the same as lunch and dinner. We saw Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White and Mulan, and the kids actually ate the food.

 

[sugarpie]

We had lunch at Akershus and we really enjoyed it, granted it was probably not the best meal we've had at Epcot. The cold buffet had cheese, bread, salad, and other more exotic items. I tried lots of different foods and liked some more than others. Picky DH kept to the basics, as did DD's. The entree selection wasn't huge. DH had trout, the girls had pasta, and I had meatloaf. Dessert was good.

But the highlight definitely was the princesses - Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Aurora, and Jasmine that day. We got lots of great pictures, the best of the whole trip, and without hunting the princesses down in the parks. Definitely a good experience for us. We would go again. This year we'll be dining at the castle, though.

 

[jenniferma]

Are you going for Breakfast or Lunch/Dinner? I would say it depends on which Princess your DD is looking for... for us, breakfast was great because we have one that loves Belle and one that loves Mulan.. when we were leaving Ariel in her wedding dress was there for lunch-- which is awesome for Ariel lovers!

I can't speak for the lunch/dinner, but the breakfast food was great. One of my DH's favs. We really enjoyed this one, I plan to get an early ADR for our next trip (someday!) I would definitely do breakfast there again.

If your DD is more into Cinderella.. the 1900 park fare dinner has more traditional food .. that might be a great option too?

have a great trip-
jen

 

[buzzman88]

We're leaving in 2 days and this is the only ADR I can place for any kind of Princess dining experience. We're going for dinner on Saturday at 7:55 pm (pretty late, but we have no choice).

Hopefully the characters can still spend sometime with our DD even when our ADR is late.

 

[Chloesmom]

We ate there is August last year and even though the food was not great we enjoyed seeing the princesses. We saw Cinderella ( who danced with my DD6) , Aurora, Mulan, Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine. To let you know how much we liked the whole experience we are going back again this August. I know it has changed some though so maybe it will be better food wise. I have learned that you are not going to eat but to see the characters so we dont leave disappointed unless the interaction is poor.
I have read that the princesses have greeting areas.. do they no longer walk around to your table?

 

[lady_hlh]

We went last year for dinner and my DD has requested that we go back again this year. I loved the food but I am half Norwegian; my DH and DD didn't have any complaints about the food. We met Ariel, Belle, Aurora, Cinderella and Alice and my DD was absolutely thrilled.

 

[rubbergypsy]

we ate here on mothers day for dinner, my dh and i loved the food here, esp the cold buffet, i must admit i love salmon and they had some great smoked salmon on the buffet along with some great cheeses, sausage and breads. my dd5 was in awe of all the princesses. for the entree i had the pasta and salmon and dh had the shortribs, we thought it was a great meal, although i thought the server was a bit standoffish, oh and the rice cream was amazing

 

[erikthewise]

I absolutely love the food there.
But a lot of people can't stand it.
check out the menu(s): http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#epc

My advice: If it sounds yummy, go there. If it sounds repulsive, don't. If you're not sure, why not give it a chance?

The buffet is so good you won't need a second entree. If you're still hungry, I say ask for extra dessert.

If you absolutely HAVE to go because it's a princess meal, then go. But don't complain if you don't like the food.

chloesmom, when I went one princess (Ariel) had a greeting area but was not in the dining room. All the others came to your table.