I think that CRT is great choice, there is definitely something magical about being inside the castle. We enjoy the brft., and have always had good interaction. We have not found Akershus to be as exciting. It was fine, but DD asked to go back to the castle next time. It is mostly the same princesses, although we had Mulan once there which was nice. We are also big fans of 1900 PF as PP mentioned. Cinderella and the Prince come out and dance, as well as greeting you, and stepmother and sisters are totally in character, and it is very entertaining. Last time we went the stepsisters were not present, having to "do their chores" before Christmas, according to the stepmother, so the mice were there instead, very cute and we had never met them, but we were missing the sisters.
You could also think about doing BBB before the castle meal. We surprised DD when she was 8, and she loved it. We bring our own dress, so just do the basic package with hair, nails, and make-up, so not too expensive. It is also very magical when they sprinkle you with pixie dust and spin you around to the mirror to see the final result.