Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus?

[Nutbean]

My friend and I are going in September with our kids ages 17, 15, 13, 11, 7 & 2. All are girls except for the 11 & 7 year old. We are doing the dining plan.

Would you recommend we do CRT or Akershus? Both have princesses, both include pictures, both have a royal setting, however, CRT is two table service credits with gratuity and wand/sword included, Akershus is one TS credit with gratuity extra and no toy for the kids.

Also, which meal would you pick? Breakfast before park opening or dinner?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[mousefan2322]

I would recommend Akershus value wise, it is only one credit and provides a similar experience. Food at CRT is not up to par with the experience and I would not invest two credits in that restaurant.

I know character dinning is a huge thing, but I would rather spend those two credits in a signature restaurant such as Jiko or California Grill wich serve outstanding food compared to CRT. In California Grill you can get an excluxive view of the fireworks too.

 

[DisneyF4]

I would recommend Akershus value wise, it is only one credit and provides a similar experience. Food at CRT is not up to par with the experience and I would not invest two credits in that restaurant.

I know character dinning is a huge thing, but I would rather spend those two credits in a signature restaurant such as Jiko or California Grill wich serve outstanding food compared to CRT. In California Grill you can get an excluxive view of the fireworks too.

I agree... we did Akershus this past year rather than Cinderella's Royal Table, and the food is the same in both places. Also, the characters are equally great in both venues- we even had an initial photo op with Belle. IMHO, Akershus is the better value.

 

[nolajax]

I've not done CRT, but Akershus was fun for the kids and adults on our last trip.

 

[shan23877]

Akershus is definitely a better value. However, my DD5 adores dining in the castle and I think that the ambiance is really special there. We've done both breakfast and dinner at both. I did not care for the food at Akershus at either meal, and my family all enjoyed our meals at CRT.

Is Akershus the same characters and only one credit? Yes, but I'd do CRT.There's just something about it.

I think that the value you get from doing character meals with kids is way more about the great memories made than the dollar value.

 

[jlsmith376]

We've done both - most recently Akershus last week - and while I agree Akershus is a better value, CRT seemed much more special. CRT was a bit more grander (in every aspect) IMO.

If you can get a first reservation of the morning, which is an hour before the park opens, you might get done right as the park opens and get first in line for the rides. They usually let you in the park 20 minutes before your reservation and it is nice to get photos of the castle with hardly anyone there. There are photopass photographers stationed on Main Street even that early.

 

[figment_jii]

I agree with the PPs that it really depends on what your focus is.

Economic Value: Akershus is only one credit.

Princesses: Generally the same princesses are at both venues, except that Belle is no longer at CRT. Most reports seem to indicate that Jasmine is her replacement (that's who I saw in October). The photo op at CRT is with Cinderella and the photo op at Akershus is Belle (yellow dress). It really comes down to whether you want to see Belle (then go to Akershsus) or not. At CRT, I saw Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Jasmine, and Aurora. At Akershus, I saw Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. Character interactions were fairly similar at both places, but I liked the fact you could tell where the character was going to go next (i.e., they followed a set pattern) at CRT. At Akershus each princess followed her own pattern, so I couldn't really gauge when they'd arrive at my table.

Food: It's kind of a toss up. The food at CRT is okay, but by no means excellent. The cold board at Akershus was pretty good, the entrees and desserts were okay. If your focus is food, then I'd say it was a toss up.

Toys: CRT has wands and swords for their guests. They'll give them to the adults as well, not just the children. Each guest also gets a wishing star. At least my all-adults family did last October. Akershus doesn't have any toys.

Service: It can be hit or miss like any other restaurant. Both move a pretty quick pace, but because CRT is all plated, I think they have a little better handle on how fast to bring out the entrees. At Akershus my family had just returned from the cold board when our entrees arrived.

Atmosphere: Nothing really beats eating at the castle. I tend to say, if you've never eaten in CRT, you should try it at least once for the experience.

Overall: If cost isn't a factor, then I'd go to CRT. If cost is a big factor, then I'd consider going to Akershus instead.

 

[DisneyF4]

Atmosphere: Nothing really beats eating at the castle. I tend to say, if you've never eaten in CRT, you should try it at least once for the experience.

Agreed - try CRT at least once.

The only other con against Akershus is how long of a walk it is to get there first thing in the morning. CRT is more convenient.

When I started bringing the family to WDW a few years ago, I hadn't been since I was a teenager. CRT was all I knew, and there was certainly no dining plan! The newcomers almost always seem to hit CRT first not knowing about Akershus. Akershus was like a "secret" to many. It's growing in popularity now, though.

 

[Nutbean]

Thanks everyone! I think we'll go with CRT, just for the "cool factor" of dining in THE castle.

I realize that it's probably not the best use of two dining credits but we will have an extra credit to play with as we get in after dinner on our first night anyway.

 

[juliebug1997]

Thanks everyone! I think we'll go with CRT, just for the "cool factor" of dining in THE castle.

I realize that it's probably not the best use of two dining credits but we will have an extra credit to play with as we get in after dinner on our first night anyway.

We love CRT and we're 39 and 38 year old adults. To be able to eat in the castle is a fantasy come true!

Also, a PP mentioned Cali Grill and I think it's supposed to be re-opened in Sept., but you never know when it will actually happen and if you can do CRT before MK opens, I would grab that over Cali Grill.

 

[Nutbean]

We love CRT and we're 39 and 38 year old adults. To be able to eat in the castle is a fantasy come true!

Also, a PP mentioned Cali Grill and I think it's supposed to be re-opened in Sept., but you never know when it will actually happen and if you can do CRT before MK opens, I would grab that over Cali Grill.

We're doing two days at MK. I have reservations for 8:05am (park opens at 9am) for Crystal Palace on one day and a 4:10pm dinner reservation for CRT on the other.

There is an opening for 8:20am for CRT though and dinner spots open for Crystal Palace. Should I switch? Is the breakfast meal at CRT better than at CP or does it matter?

Either way, I will have a breakfast reservation for before park opens which should be cool.