Does CRT live up to your expectations?

[pbharris4]

I didn't even KNOW about it when we first went as a family in early 2001 (when my DD just turned 5). I wished we had..my DD loved everything WDW!! Went back in Jan. 2003 and had breakfast at the castle (DD was almost 7) SHe still loved it! SHe didn't dress like a princess, but she got a lot of attention from all the princesses (we were in a good location) and got her picture w/ all of them. I loved it too, just because it's neat to say we ate in the castle! The food was great. To me breakfast is breakfast..there are only so many ways to do breakfast. There were eggs, sausage, hash browns, fruit, the stuffed french toast was awesome, and juices, coffee..maybe more, but that's all I remember. They call you "My Lord" and "My Lady" too. So you kind of feel like you are being treated like royalty. I would do it again in a heartbeat! In fact when my youngest DD is 4 or 5 we'll do it again..she's (GASP! ) not into Disney yet! Being almost 2 she's more into Noggin and Nick Jr.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Just wondered .... after the hard work it takes to actually get a reservation at CRT, is the breakfast all that you thought it would be? Or do you leave feeling slightly disappointed? Should I try for it for DD4 (loves princesses, but not Cindy so much), or book Akershus?

What hassle? I booked in the middle of the day 86 days before and got reservations. I'm not sure everyone know this or not but they have extended breakfast so they now have more reservations every morning.

P.S. Look at my daughters photo, I think you can see why we do CRT.

 

[MinnieMe67]

We went to both CRT and PSB this past November and I must say we all (DH, DD4, DS2, DGPs and I) LOVED CRT! We found the interaction with the characters to be superb. The princesses all suggested different poses for our many pictures and spent what felt like quite a long time with our table (although it was probably about 3 or 4 minutes each). We also all enjoyed the food, and when my dad couldn't decide between the regular and healthy meals, our waiter (who was excellent) brought him both! The next day, we visited the PSB and were disappointed. The food was just okay and the character interaction was awful. The princesses spent no more than 30 seconds with us! My DD didn't seem to mind, but I sure did. I felt like CRT was well worth the effort and PSB was a sorry substitute. I would probably only book PSB again if I couldn't get CRT or my daughter insisted on seeing Jasmine or Mulan.

 

[liznboys]

It wasn't a hassle for us to get a PS for it, it kinda fell into my lap. (We had a lunch PS there, and when they extended the breakfast hours, they offered me a breakfast PS instead.) We didn't plan to eat there because we have 3 sons who are not princess fans. But since the PS was handed to us, I figured we'd take it, my boys were excited to eat in the castle, and dh and I wanted to try the princess breakfast.

Anyway......... Even with our PS, we had a bit of a wait. We were certainly ready to eat once we got seated! And unfortunately, our server was not very good, and we were one of the last people to get our food. People sitting near us who arrived after us were almost done eating by the time we got our food! We finally got our breakfast, and it was quite tasty (probably helped that we were starving though! LOL ) No but seriously, it really was yummy. The timing didn't end up very good, because just a minute after we got served (and were scarfing our food), the princesses arrived in our area. So we stopped eating and did the picture thing with them. And then we finally were able to really enjoy our meal. After that, it was neat because the restaurant emptied out and it was nice and quiet. (We had one of the last breakfast PS's.)

The characters (Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Mary Poppins) that were there were very good as far as interaction. My boys didn't want to meet them, but the princesses still tried to chat with them and were very patient. And I saw them visit with lots of little girls who were very happy! I even saw Snow White hold someones little baby and pose for a picture-that was cute.

I think doing the castle character meal is a must-do for EVERYone, just once. We probably won't do it again, but I'm glad we did it. The poor service we had could happen anywhere. And I noticed the tables near us had awesome servers!! Luck of the draw!

 

[weazel28]

I joined just so I could reply to this thread. My family and I just had breakfast there on Sunday the 6th. Our PS was late in the AM, 11:20 and this was the WORST dining we ever had at Disney. Our waiter was rude, only saw him twice, the princessess we rude and rushed through, and the food was cold and bad! This compares with the Princess breakfast in Norway we did the day before, where our server was great, the food was hot and good, and the Princesses were great!! I will never waste that amount of money on a meal at CRT again!

J

 

[Micca]

I think any true WDW fans should try it once. After that, it's your call.

 

[Wee Annie]

We have down CRT twice and PSB once (I have two daughters). We did CRT last month, and I definitely thinkg it was worth it for the atmosphere. We had good service, and the princesses were nice and fairly friendly (both times we had the earliest PS available). I have gotten the healthy choice breakfast both times, and thought it was delicious (granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit). My husband got the regular meal again, and then realized that he should have asked for the healthy choice. But you're paying for the atmosphere and characters, in my mind, and not the food.

Could we have a perfectly happy WDW vacation without CRT? yes, of course. But it is definitely something I try for. Frankly, though, I liked the variety of the princesses better at PSB...

 

[wdwmastermomma]

NO, not worth it at all. We did thoroughly enjoy the dinner at 1900 Park Fare. The food was much better, in fact excellent. The characters were more pleasant too.

 

[WendyinNC]

I think it is worth it if you have a princess loving girl. Believe me, this stage doesn't last long. One other suggestion is to divide the family and only take the ones who really want to go. I wished I could have done this. My 4 yr old boy did not want to meet the princesses. He hid under the table. He was perfectly happy to meet Pooh, Mickey and Goofy; but, don't get a princess near him. I love eating in the castle. This year I think we will try to eat dinner there.

 

[judben821]

We've done it twice and will try for it again this September. My DD is in awe when we go into the castle. We go early - don't know if that makes a difference. But the princesses have always been very interested and given my DD plenty of time and attention.

CRT is one of the highlights of our trip. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Liz]

I'm glad we did it once, I suppose, but I would not do it again. We went when my kids were about 10 & 12 I guess. Aurora had a "isn't this whole thing ridiculous" attitude and Cinderalla wasn't there (I know that's not guaranteed). The food was very good but I felt rushed. We had the ticket on our table as soon as the food arrived. My DS & DH absolutely loved Jasmine though!

 

[magicmouse2]

We have eaten there 2 or 3 times and loved it

 

[aussiemouse]

Thanks for all of the replies. I guess it really is luck as to what kind of server you get ... and I think that can make or break the experience. I don't expect the food to be good, but for the price I would just hope the princesses would be more than mediocre. Still not sure what to do. Will try to get PS for both and decide as the time gets closer and I read more of these great threads! DH and DS will definately give it a miss. Thanks to all that replied.