Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus Royal Banquet Hall?

[Erica's Mommy]

We are heading to WDW in December and to save a little money we are only doing one character meal (in addition to Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique). DD (5) has decided that she wants to eat with the princesses. So should we do Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus? What princesses usually frequent each one? Are they the same or different at each location? This may help her decide....

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

 

[Thestrongholdsd]

Just hopping on your thread! Hope you don't mind. I booked both CRT and Akershus. Already pre-paid for CRT and have CC on hold for Akershus. If money wasn't an issue I would like to do both, but as of now I might have to choose one or the other. They both sound amazing though! :] I'm interested to hear what everyone else says.

 

[obxlover]

We are heading to WDW in December and to save a little money we are only doing one character meal (in addition to Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique). DD (5) has decided that she wants to eat with the princesses. So should we do Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus? What princesses usually frequent each one? Are they the same or different at each location? This may help her decide....

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

We have never done CRT but did Akershus in January 2010 for breakfast and it was GREAT. we got a comp picture of Belle in her yellow dress before we went into the dining hall. We saw Ariel (with legs as my DD calls her), Snow White, Cinerella, and Sleeping Beauty. It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait until we can go again. FYI, some friends had lunch at Akershus in November and were impressed as well.

 

[sheila <3 WDW]

We did both on our September trip. CRT lunch and Akershus breakfast. Went back last month and did CRT breakfast. They are both great. I think it would come down to if your DD would think eating in the castle was just the greatest or if she doesn't care. Akershus is definitely cheaper. They both come with photo packages.

What meal are you looking at doing? Breakfast at both I think is excellent. I'm not sure if I would like the Norwegian food Akershus offers for lunch and dinner.

Also, are you wanting to do it after BBB? If you have BBB at the castle, then CRT is right there and would be most convenient.

Our princesses:
Sept. CRT: Cinderella (photo op), Snow White, Belle in blue dress, Ariel, Aurora
Sept. Akershus: Belle in yellow dress (photo op), Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel
May CRT: Cinderella (photo op), Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora

I want to do both again next time we go.

 

[Erica's Mommy]

Thanks! She is obsessed with Jasmine (for right now) and would love to meet her because we missed her and Cinderella on our last trip. I would love to do both, but I think DH can only take so many princesses in one day...

 

[mickeytai]

We were at CRT in march. No jasmine there! We probably will just go to A next time tosave some money and dining credit. I was told they don't have Cinderella at A but y friend just went and she said all the princesses were there.

 

[aloha517]

I would go w/CRT...My kids didnt care for the food at Akershus....we went for lunch.

 

[pinkxray]

We did crt for dinner last year, and both for breakfast this year.akershus was much better food wise. Princesses seemed to take more time there too. Unless your dd has to eat in the castle akershus 100%

We had the same princesses at both this year.only difference was cinderella photo at crt and belle at akershus.we saw belle,cinderella, snow white, aurora,and ariel. Last year jasmine was at crt instead of belle at dinner

 

[Erica's Mommy]

I am definitely concerned about the food because she and I both are a little picky. I wish there was a way to tell what princesses are where for sure. I am definitely leaning towards CRT, but I can't decide!

 

[shawnh199]

We did breakfast at both last week. It was our 3rd time at Akershus and our first at CRT.

I don't know if we will do CRT again (mainly for it's cost), but it was lovely. The princesses come out one by one after a small story is told about them (we had Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Belle - blue dress and pics with Cinderella downstairs). My girls 4 & 8 really enjoyed the wonder of being in the castle. They thought it was really neat to get a wand and wishing star as well, but you do pay for those in the hefty price of the meal.
The food was OK, standard breakfast food. It was something we were excited to do once, especially with the girls at the ages they were this time, but I don't know about future trips. I guess we can wait and see if the girls request it. This was a Mommy and Daddy surprise for the girls this time.

Akershus is a must do for us with a pre-rope drop ADR on our Epcot day. Yes, it is standard breakfast food, but it was much better here than at CRT. Plus you get the cold buffet of meats, cheese, pastries, fruit and salmon. My favorite part of the meal is the cheesy potato casserole. It's delicious. The princesses are great here as well. They seemed to be less rushed than CRT. We had Mary Poppins, Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, and pics with Belle - yellow dress at the front. Mary Poppins was beautiful, but we would have preferred Jasmine (she was there sometime that week according to someone we spoke to on one of our many bus rides.)

You cannot go wrong with either. If you want the total Princess experience and can afford it, try both! We met them at both restaurants, plus Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare (highly recommend this one too), different places around Epcot and at the meet and greet at Magic Kingdom and the girls never got tired of seeing them again. One of these days they may grow out of meeting the Princesses, but we will continue to eat breakfast at Akershus. I consider it a family tradition now.

 

[djp0630]

I have eaten at both CRT & Akershus for breakfast & lunch. CRT & Akershus for lunch in 2009 & CRT & Akershus for breakfast in 2010.

At Akershus both times, it was Belle greeting & picture with, Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White & Sleeping Beauty.

At CRT in 2009, it was Cinderella greeting, Jasmine, Belle in her blue dress, sleeping beauty & Snow White. In 2010 (Ariel Grotto was closed), it was Cinderella greeting, Ariel, Belle in blue dress, Sleeping Beauty & Snow White.

We like breakfast better at both places. Personally, Akershus is less rushed and we loved the cheesy potatoes. But there is something special about eating in the castle. Our first trip, we did BBB and then lunch in the castle and I liked that. So in your case, I would do CRT. It's more expensive, and it's more rushed, but it's the CASTLE! Worth it at least once. I think if we went back, we'd probably just do Akershus, unless DD asked to go back to CRT.

Enjoy, both are fun!

 

[AndyFL]

OP, do CRT.....it's in the Castle....she'll LOVE it. I've got three daughters and their most fond memories of WDW is involve our meals there. Also, if your visit is anywhere NEAR your anniversary be sure to mention it and they will give you two wine glasses you can take with you. We have our's in our china cabinet and I can't help but smile everytime I look at them. I wish you the trip of a lifetime.

 

[Heard02]

Last October we did both.....CRT for lunch and Akershus for dinner.
It was my first time to Akershus and had been to CRT a few times before. My choice would be CRT. Akershus in my opinion seemed to be a crowded mess. Food at Akershus did not seem as kid friendly either, but that isn't my reasoning for not caring for the place.
If I rember correctly at CRT we saw Cinderella, Fairy God Mother, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Jasmine.
At Akershus we saw Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel.

Either way, enjoy!

 

[juliebug1997]

My DH and I absolutely loved eating at CRT on our trip last summer. DH liked it so much that he requested it twice for the upcoming trip (I'm wondering if I should be concerned). We are also going to try Ankershus for the first time but for breakfast only. I am a recovering picky eater but I've seen the menu for Ankershus after breakfast and nothing appealed to me as worth trying.

Every time we have gone to CRT, Cinderella has greeted us in the lobby and we met Snow White, Belle (in her blue dress), Aurora and Ariel.

If Jasmine is a must, you can look for her near the Magic Carpet ride in Adventureland or in Morocco at the World Showcase. If Belle in her yellow dress is a must, you can always check out the princess meet and greet at the new Mickey Meet and Greet on Main St. next to Tony's in MK.

 

[Erica's Mommy]

Thanks! I am definitely leaning towards CRT now. We are going to do BBB and then hit there. Is one meal better than another?

@OP Who do we tell it's our anniversary? When we make the reservation?

 

[sheila <3 WDW]

DH liked it so much that he requested it twice for the upcoming trip (I'm wondering if I should be concerned).

LOL That is hilarious.

Oh, I forgot to mention (someone else reminded me) DD is only 3, will be 4 in August. We did CRT in September and May. Before our second trip she would always talk about the wishing ceremony they did at CRT and she would cover her eyes and say "I wish, I wish" and it was so cute! She was so excited to go back and do the wishing ceremony again.

 

[JimmyV]

I think it largely boils down to expectations. For many people, dining in the castle is a rite of passage. It is something that they MUST do because they have heard about it, and know how hard it is to book. So they feel that if they climb that mountain, they have obtained the pinnacle of the Disney ADR system and are now part of a fraternal order. And there are kids who have either heard from friends, or seen with their own eyes that you can go up in the castle and eat and they are dying to go there. For these kids, Aker is a poor substitute. Like getting the green bike for Christmas when you really wanted the blue one. Remember that feeling when you were 6?

Then there are the people with no, or different expectations, and for whom seeing the characters is the main event, as opposed to the location. If your child(ren) are so young as to be oblivious to the castle, or to them, being in the castle is not something they pine away for, then Aker is a perfect substitute. It is less of a hassle, has better food, is cheaper and has longer character interaction.

So when you make this decision, think honestly about your kid's expectations. If the castle is a foreign concept right now, and there is no burning desire to eat there, save the money and headache and go to A. You will not be disappointed. But if the castle is on your kid's bucket list, then the decision is largely made for you.

 

[whitney37354]

We did both for breakfast. Food was good at both, with Akershus a little better IMO. We saw the same set of princesses at both (Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Aurora). Being in the castle was magical & I would suggest CRT over Akershus for someone who has never been to either. Go once for the experience.

The only place we saw Jasmine & Aladdin were near the magic carpets in MK. We were on the carpets at the time & they were getting ready to take a break. DD didn't seem to care if she met them or not, so we just kept on touring the park. They would have been back later if we had wanted to wait. You might find them in Morroco in WS at EPCOT too.

 

[Cherinva]

I would go for CRT...the food was good when we were there, and it's the Castle !!! We could look out the window and see Fantasyland....it was great !!!

 

[maraki527]

We have done both with our daughter. she is going to be 3 when we go in Nov. We had lunch at CRT for her 1st birthday, two trips we had Akerhaus, and this one we will be doing the castle along with BBB. I prefer the food at Akerhaus better but because it will be her first time at BBB and she knows who the Princesses are we are going to do CRT.