Biergarten vs Akershus Dinner

[aebeauregard]

Looking for opinions on whether I should pick Biergarten or Akershus Dinner for our upcoming trip. We have never done either. We are on the dining plan. The dining party will be me, DH, my mom, my dad, and our 23 month old daughter. Our daughter knows all the princesses but isn't obsessed with them or anything. I was looking forward to getting cute pictures with her and the princesses but we can always do a couple meet and greets instead.

 

[MissionMouse]

We would select Biergarten for food, beverage and atmosphere/setting. There are a lot of foods kids should like at Biergarten. You could also share some time on the dance floor with your daughter too...just check out the performance time and select an ADR that provides the opportunity.

 

[Ladcassidy]

I vote Akershus. Meet and greets are fine, but it's soooo much easier to have a bevy of princesses come to your table to say hello. The princesses also lead a "procession" around the restaurant that your daughter can watch or join in, depending on her interest.

 

[magical_dreamer]

If you were hoping to get Princess pictures, I would recommend Akershus! Character dining is so much more relaxing then waiting in line for meet and greets and you get so much more time and attention from the characters!

 

[sullyfam]

Having done both, I would do Akershus. My daughter loved the princess interaction at Akershus and doing the princess parade. We have really cute pictures from there and we thought the food was pretty good. They have some buffet items but then you can order "regular" food from the menu and they have a kid menu too.

I always find that doing the character meals kills two birds with one stone since you get to eat and meet characters at the same time. As opposed to scheduling park time/waiting in line to meet characters. So we opt for character meals as we find it way easier and more relaxing.

Biergarten is a buffet of all German foods and you sit at communal type tables with other people. It's a large restaurant and there is a stage in the middle of it where people come out and play German music. My kids did not enjoy the food there; from what I remember they mostly ate fruit. My husband did not like the food either and mostly drank beer

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

They truly are different atmospheres. We do enjoy both of them. Our kids love meeting the princesses at Akershus. We also do love the food. My DH is German and loves the atmosphere of Biergarten. We make sure we are there during the shows and we go up to dance every time. Depending on the table you get at Biergarten you could be seated with other people. We usually get a table for 8 and when we were only 6 we were seated with a party of 2.

 

[Ceryssa]

It depends I think. We found the food at Biergarten to be severely lacking, and we love German food; there were 6 of us and we were all extremely disappointed in the quality and selection and the service was below average. The atmosphere, however, was really enjoyable and our kids loved the entertainment as much or more than we did. The only downside was the community table; it would probably be a lot of fun with the right group, but we got seated with some duds lol. We wouldn't eat there again without the dining plan, because I think it's really overpriced for what you get. Haven't done dinner at Akershus but we loved breakfast; the food was good, service was great and the characters were a lot of fun. Overall though the atmosphere of the place is a bit underwhelming. The princess parade was fun though.

 

[MichiganScott]

Do both! There are few adults I've met that don't find themselves wanting to spend at least a second night traversing Epcot's WS.

 

[Misha72683]

I've done both and liked them both. The food was slightly better at Biergarten (though I loved the cold bar at Akershus), but we had a good meal both places. With a child that age and the fact that you want to get princess photos, I'd go with Akershus because it's so much easier than waiting in line multiple times.

 

[pa. dad]

i'd go Akershus. the appeal of the Biergarten has always been beyond me.

 

[MichiganScott]

If I were to choose one, I'd pick Akershus. Like most food in the WS, it's not truly authentic. I've had good German food, and Biergarten is not good German food. It's a really fun place and we love the family style, but the food is sub par.

Akershus, however, I have no idea what Norwegian food is like, so I'm blissfully ignorant if it's not authentic

Anyway, you have a little girl. I can't imagine her not being thrilled over Akershus and the princesses (at least during and after, if not before as you mention).

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We have done both and found each to be unique/great in their own way. If I was going to choose for a first time it would be Biergarten. the theming and show is fun and the food and Beer/ wine excellent.

Much better the the standard Mexican, Chinese and Italian food in WS and which is found on each street corner in America, etc.

What ever you do....enjoy!

AKK

 

[DisneyHardin]

We've done both and I thought the food was much better at Biergarten. At Akershus the cold appetizer buffet was good, but all three of our entrees weren't that good. The princesses are great, but if you are looking for better food, I would suggest Biergarten.

 

[bwang123]

Food is better at Biergarten but I liked both. We took our daughter to Akershus for her 2nd birthday and she loved the character interactions and even led the little march they do around the restaurant. We haven't taken the kids to Biergarten yet but I can see them really enjoying the atmosphere.

 

[honeybunches]

Since you want pictures with the princesses anyway, I'd go to Akershus. Even if your daughter isn't obsessed with them, you'll be glad you took those photos! In a few years she won't remember the trip -- but you will! We liked the food at both restaurants, and the community seating didn't really bother me. Still, Akershus is more of a treat for photo opps.

 

[aebeauregard]

Thanks for all the opinions. I wish we could try both but unfortunately our trip is pretty short this year. This is the first time traveling with our DD so I wanted to try a character meal. I read some kids being scared of the costume characters so I thought the princesses might not be so overwhelming. If it was just us adults I'd pick Biergarten in a heartbeat. Sometimes I think she would like Beirgarten better for the music. We are going to HDDMR the day before though, so maybe the music show type thing is already covered. The liter of beer at Beirgarten does look appealing!! I thought I was all set with ADRs but I'm always tweaking Disney plans. It's my weakness. I need my FP+ window to open up so I have something new to think about.

 

[shortnsassy730]

I would go with Biergarten because it sounds like you will definitely be back with dd. Then you can experience Askershus or CRT with her at a slightly older and more interactive age.

 

[WDWNY]

Food wise I prefer Akershus but I would recommend both!