Akershus vs. Garden Grill

[momfor3princesses]

Help!! I have never experienced table service at Disney before but we will be on the dining plan for our upcoming trip in April. I have a reservation at Akershus for dinner, but I am concerned about the menu. My family is very picky!! Should we keep our reservation there or go to the Garden Grill???

Also should we go to Chef Mickey's for dinner or Crystal Palace?

I appreciate any help I can get.

 

[minnieandmickey55555]

I dined there last Christmas with my 11yo Daughter and 9yo Neice. The food was ok. The meal begins with a buffet style Feast which includes sliced deli meats, seafood, salads and cheeses. I ordered some kind of Norway sausage which was way too salty! My DD orderd the chicken breast which she said was ok but didn't finish and my neice had hotdog with corn. Pincesses (Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel) came to our table for pics. We also received at the end of our meal a free photo with Cinderella which we took before we were seated.

It was a nice experience but we will not be going back.

We also dined at Garden Grill on the same trip. I like the food there WAY better and the character interaction (Chip n Dale, Mickey and Pluto) was a lot more calm (not rushed). This is a family style dinner which includes salad, grilled Beef Strip Loin, roasted Turkey Breast, Fish of the Day, Vegetables, mashed Potatoes and Turkey. They will refill any items on request.

We will be dining again there this Christmas!

 

[squirrel]

I dined there last Christmas with my 11yo Daughter and 9yo Neice. The food was ok. The meal begins with a buffet style Feast which includes sliced deli meats, seafood, salads and cheeses. I ordered some kind of Norway sausage which was way too salty! My DD orderd the chicken breast which she said was ok but didn't finish and my neice had hotdog with corn. Pincesses (Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel) came to our table for pics. We also received at the end of our meal a free photo with Cinderella which we took before we were seated.

It was a nice experience but we will not be going back.

We also dined at Garden Grill on the same trip. I like the food there WAY better and the character interaction (Chip n Dale, Mickey and Pluto) was a lot more calm (not rushed). This is a family style dinner which includes salad, grilled Beef Strip Loin, roasted Turkey Breast, Fish of the Day, Vegetables, mashed Potatoes and Turkey. They will refill any items on request.

We will be dining again there this Christmas!

I have only been to Akershus for breakfast, but I thought everyone got photos with Belle. At CRT you get photos with Cinderella.

I book breakfasts at both Akershus and CRT as I'm picky and wouldn't eat lunch or dinner.

 

[BoomNLeon]

Akershus has pretty good character interaction and the food is decent. The appetizer bar is interesting and the entrees were good.

Garden Grill is one of our favs. The food is good and the theming is great. It is so neat to slowly rotate through the environments in The Land. The characters are fun, too.

 

[minnieandmickey55555]

I have only been to Akershus for breakfast, but I thought everyone got photos with Belle. At CRT you get photos with Cinderella.

I book breakfasts at both Akershus and CRT as I'm picky and wouldn't eat lunch or dinner.

Opps, sorry I just looked back in my photos and it was Belle.

 

[asdfghjkl13]

Although I never been to Akershus, GG was very good! I love the atmosphere there and the character interaction is very good. Food is pretty good.

And Crystal Palace is a lot better than Chef Mickeys... although I do like both.

 

[mommalissa]

Just got back from Disney last night. We went to Akershus for dinner and it was one of the worst meals of the trip. Food was not good and character interaction was even worse. If the bar had not been available, the kids would have left hungry. All but one ordered the pizza and it was the smallest pizza I had ever seen at Disney. Not sure how it is suppose to fill up an older child. I had been really looking forward to this meal because we had such a wonderful experience there at breakfast last year. Major disappointment.

I have never done Garden Grill but is on the list to try when the kids get more adventuresome in their eating.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

It depends what characters you want. If you need Princesses, then go for Akershus. Breakfast is a great choice for picky eaters. The food is fresh and the potato casserole is really delicious. There is a buffet with fish items, but also pastries, bagels and the like. When we were at Akershus, we had our picture taken with Belle (it's included) and we saw Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. The character interaction was a bit rushed - I think it was a bit overwhelming for the girls as it was their first real character experience. We had better interactions just meeting the princesses randomly in Epcot. But that was also the only time we met Cinderella!

I haven't done Garden Grill but I've considered it. We are going to try Chef Mickey's in March because my DDs want to dine with Minnie Mouse.

 

[neodymm]

We've eaten at Akershus several times for lunch and dinner. For our upcoming trip, DD5 only requested Akershus and Marrakesh for meals! We enjoy the buffet and entrees at Akershus, but it does have different flavors. IMO, the character interaction is much better than CRT, the princesses seem to take a little more time with the kids at Akershus. The decor is nice, too. DD loves having her pic taken with Belle in her little room before we eat.

GG vs. Akershus does have a lot to do with the characters you want to see, since they are totally different. I agree with PPs, breakfast may be the best option if you are extremely picky about food, but want the Akershus experience with the Princesses. They do rotate, but we've seen every Princess there except Mulan and Tiana. We've also seen Mary Poppins there.

Hope that helps!

 

[over50visits]

Help!! I have never experienced table service at Disney before but we will be on the dining plan for our upcoming trip in April. I have a reservation at Akershus for dinner, but I am concerned about the menu. My family is very picky!! Should we keep our reservation there or go to the Garden Grill???

Also should we go to Chef Mickey's for dinner or Crystal Palace?

I appreciate any help I can get.

Not trying to be mean, but if by "picky" you mean only will eat familiar comfort food (American meat and potatoes), then the Garden Grill is the place for you - you will love it! If by "picky" you mean palates that enjoy foods from around the world, then Akershus is a rare delight. Their Norwegian foods are unlike anything you may have experienced, and it is a feast for kings (well, princesses). You will love it!

 

[abasmom]

Garden Grill is one our favorites in all of the World. The food is wonderful and the character interaction is wonderful. The characters here are not rushed, at all. When we ate at Akershus, we all ended up eating again in our food court that night. We hated the food.

The food used to be really good at Chef Mickey's. The last time we ate there, though, we were really disappointed. We like Crystal Palace alot.

 

[jasmom]

On our last trip my husband took our 2 sons to the garden grill and I took my daughter to norway. The buffet part of the princess dinner was okay for me but my son's would not have been happy and my oldest wouldn't have wanted anything off the adult menu. The boys really enjoyed the garden grill.
As for chef mickeys we have done it the last 2 years on our first night. The buffet is not the best and they changed it so that Mickey doesn't come to your table, just the photo before you get your table, but we will still do it next year. We did the crystal place for the first time this year. It was great. The kids had fun even though the characters are young for them. The food was great for dinner. Are planning on going back next year.