Akershus Vs. CRT for lunch

[VBAndrea]

What do you recommend for ambience and princess interaction? I was going to do Akershus initially since we'd be guaranteed about 5 princesses, but I saw trip report photos from a lunch at CRT and the princesses looked like they numbered about the same. Is it worth doing both? We are not concerned about Cinderella b/c we'll see her at 1900 Park Fare so that plays no role in deciding b/t Akershus and CRT. My dd would love to see Jasmine, but I know she is hit or miss at Akershus. Any shared experiences, particularly on princess interaction, would be appreciated.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

We did lunch at both of these in May and preferred Akershus by a wide-margin. The princess interaction and overall service was much better. I might give the food at CRT a slight edge just because the selections were a little more familiar but really neither have food to write home about, IMO.

 

[mom2rtk]

Ambience????????? The castle ALL the way!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hootch]

same number of characters at both. Each has a greeter and four roaming the floor.

We do the castle because it just seems more appropriate. I also like the Major Domo for lunch.

Jasmine was at our CRT lunch in late June.

 

[VBAndrea]

We did lunch at both of these in May and preferred Akershus by a wide-margin. The princess interaction and overall service was much better. I might give the food at CRT a slight edge just because the selections were a little more familiar but really neither have food to write home about, IMO.

Did your dd like doing both of them or would she have been happy with just doing one of them?

I keep reworking our dining plans. I was originally going to do one character meal (Akershus) since ds doesn't like characters. DD though LOVES characters (particularly princesses) and my neighbor said lines are always too long to meet characters so recommended the character meals since dd (and I) want autographs. So now I'm doing 1900 PF dinner, Akershus or CRT or both, and likely Tusker House breakfast. I aslo might do a breakfast at Garden Grove on our Saturday departure day b/c I heard the food is pretty good, it's inexpensive and Goofy and Pluto are at breakfast. Decisions, decisions. We'll do Coral Reef for ds and dh since they are aquarium freaks. I've ruled out CP b/c while the kids like Pooh it's definitely not a favorite.

Now I just wish they did a Pixie Hollow lunch or dinner!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Did your dd like doing both of them or would she have been happy with just doing one of them?

I think she would've been happy just doing one. We did alot of character meals on that trip (5 in 9 days) and after a while they didn't seem to have as much of a "wow" factor for her. I should've noted in my op that we have done CRT once before and I do think it's worth doing at least once if you've never been before -- there is something special about being right in the castle. Our experience this last time was that Akershus was less chaotic and the princesses spent a little more time interacting with DD whereas at CRT it was a quick signature and photo and nothing more, even when she tried to say something to one of they princesses they were rushing off to the next table and didn't respond.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

No ? for me the Castle anytime

 

[Hootch]

Did your dd like doing both of them or would she have been happy with just doing one of them?

I keep reworking our dining plans. I was originally going to do one character meal (Akershus) since ds doesn't like characters. DD though LOVES characters (particularly princesses) and my neighbor said lines are always too long to meet characters so recommended the character meals since dd (and I) want autographs. So now I'm doing 1900 PF dinner, Akershus or CRT or both, and likely Tusker House breakfast. I aslo might do a breakfast at Garden Grove on our Saturday departure day b/c I heard the food is pretty good, it's inexpensive and Goofy and Pluto are at breakfast. Decisions, decisions. We'll do Coral Reef for ds and dh since they are aquarium freaks. I've ruled out CP b/c while the kids like Pooh it's definitely not a favorite.

Now I just wish they did a Pixie Hollow lunch or dinner!

any princesses at Toon Town for meet and greets when were there in late June. The lines for characters in the country pavilions are generally not long. There are several princesses in the early afternoon. The aforementioned Jasmine usually appears at Morocco with Aladdin.

 

[CharacterFan]

for ambiance the castle for food akershus. At least for me. Who will only do 1 character meal per trip at max.

I've noticed the princess are much for fun at Akershus as well. We took a picture of one of the guys in our group on the "thorns" they have wearing the princess crown and they all got a kick out of it. Where as the castle they seemed very formal and "blah". I prefer when they're fun.

 

[SassyCat]

for ambiance the castle for food akershus. At least for me. Who will only do 1 character meal per trip at max.

I've noticed the princess are much for fun at Akershus as well. We took a picture of one of the guys in our group on the "thorns" they have wearing the princess crown and they all got a kick out of it. Where as the castle they seemed very formal and "blah". I prefer when they're fun.

At CRT I had one of those little cakes (not actually a cupcake) they give you, and I hadn't started eating it yet. When Belle came over, she said, "I hope you don't plan on eating that like the beast..." Hmph, I'm trying to figure out what gave her that idea! hehe

I'm so excited to hear some good things (finally...heh) about akershus since I have a lunch planned there in sept.

 

[ktlm]

My DD had lunch at Akershus at 2 yrs 10 months and at CRT at 3. She will tell you she prefers Akershus, but I think that may be directly related to the fact that Jasmine was there (plus she really liked the food there and we had a good Cinderella there, and a pretty bad one at CRT). If I remind her that at CRT her dessert was ice cream with a chocolate crown on top and that she got a wand there, then she says on the next trip she wants to do both (but she still doesn't want to give up Akershus). For me, I thought both were great, but I would give the edge to CRT just for the fun of eating in the castle and the fact that the kids get wands and wishing stars. Aside from a cranky Cinderella at CRT, we had great interaction at both places. You never know what princesses you will get, but at Akershus last December we saw Belle (yellow dress for pictures out front), Jasmine, Cinderella, Ariel and Alice. At CRT this May we saw cranky Cinderella (picture out front), Aurora, Ariel, Belle (blue dress) and Snow White.

 

[billnang]

I am debating this same question , but for breakfast....

We are paying OOP, and do have both planned, but on differet days.. But I do believe I need to do one or the other, not both... thoughts?

Angela

 

[jockey]

We have been going to CRT for the past few years and last trip it was just OK..... maybe we are just getting bored, next trip we are trying Akershus and skipping CRT

 

[VBAndrea]

My DD had lunch at Akershus at 2 yrs 10 months and at CRT at 3. She will tell you she prefers Akershus, but I think that may be directly related to the fact that Jasmine was there (plus she really liked the food there and we had a good Cinderella there, and a pretty bad one at CRT). If I remind her that at CRT her dessert was ice cream with a chocolate crown on top and that she got a wand there, then she says on the next trip she wants to do both (but she still doesn't want to give up Akershus). For me, I thought both were great, but I would give the edge to CRT just for the fun of eating in the castle and the fact that the kids get wands and wishing stars. Aside from a cranky Cinderella at CRT, we had great interaction at both places. You never know what princesses you will get, but at Akershus last December we saw Belle (yellow dress for pictures out front), Jasmine, Cinderella, Ariel and Alice. At CRT this May we saw cranky Cinderella (picture out front), Aurora, Ariel, Belle (blue dress) and Snow White.

I've heard a few other comments about Cinderella being cranky at CRT. I'm not too worried about her though as we plan on doing 1900 Park Fare so we'll get a Cinderella there and I hear the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine are a hoot. Also, it's at a resort so we'll just do that the evening we arrive as we are not going to a park that day.

Now I'm contemplating trying CRT for breakfast at the earliest slot so we can enter the park early to take photos. I imagine those ressies are quite hard to get.

Of course I would then still do Akershus for lunch!

 

[VBAndrea]

I am debating this same question , but for breakfast....

We are paying OOP, and do have both planned, but on differet days.. But I do believe I need to do one or the other, not both... thoughts?

Angela

Now I'm contemplating doing CRT for breakfast and then Akershus for lunch on a different day. I'm also doing 1900PF so we'll be overloaded on Princesses. DS won't be too happy. I'd consider doing CRT with dd and myself but if I do breakfast I'd want early entry for photos and then I'd like to have ds and sh there for that. Akershus is inexpensive so dh and ds might as well eat there with us and we're doing 1900 PF the night we arrive (not going to a park our first night) so they're stuck doing that to.

Once I make our ressies I'll decide if we're better off with or without the dining plan. I'm thinking not. Most days we can do breakfast in the room and late lunches to double as dinners and just take snacks with us. I'll figure that out once I figure out where we want to eat. I think we'll have OK luck getting into CRT since we'll be there early December, but I might not be able to get the day/time we want.

I don't know why this all has to be so darn complicated! I liked the days when we went and picked the restaurant we wanted in the morning when we walked into the park and made ressies the same day (and sadly, it's been so long since I've been to Disney that's that how it was the last time I was there).

 

[Mommy2Jameson]

We've done both. I have to say that I prefered Akershus! The princess interaction was SOOO much better! It wasn't so formal and they spent a lot of time with us. Jasmine even came around 2X....she was my son's favorite! She was teasing him like she was going to eat his food, and she commented on his outfit and all kinds of stuff! It seemed like at CRT, they smiled and posed for a picture and they were gone. At EPCOT, our princesses were Belle, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderlla, and Ariel.

I will say for the dinner, the food at Akershus was kind of out there for my family.

 

[billnang]

I also have a 1900 park fare for dinner... not so much for Cinderella, but my DH loves the food here...

I do not know why it has to be so complicated.. but I do know I can't ask anyone else about it, because my friends think I am nuts for even spending so much time worrying about which Princess meal to go to!!!

Angela