Review Wanted! : Akershus v. CRT Character Breakfast

[Stroller Boy]

Hi All - Not a review, but would love to hear a review from anyone who's done both of these princess themed character breakfast.

I've got a 3 year old redheaded princess freak and trying to figure out which of these to do this coming November on our trip. We had the lunch experience @ CRT last April, and had alot of fun with it. Being the redhead she is, my daughter is an Ariel fan (of course..aren't they all?), but it seems like it's hit or miss as to her attendance at Akershus (people have said she's there, but I didn't see her listed on the websites). Would be a bad scene if they couldn't deliver Ariel!!! LOL! Also, I think she's really too young to enjoy all that Epcot has to offer, so I'd also hate to spend a day of the passes for just the meal...unless someone says it's totaly worth it! When she's a year or two older I think she'll be more ready for Epcot.

Anyhoo, thanks everyone who can relay some information, tips, advice, etc!

 

[MissMommy928]

Our last trip to Disney was in Dec of 2005 so things may have changed, but we had dinner at Askerblahblah (i can never say it or spell it!) and we had Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Jasmine. There was no Ariel there for us.

 

[synclair11]

we have done both many times , finally april of last year , we got ariel with feet so we are now done, we had to do that one like 5 times before we found her so if she is really wanting to see her with feet i would say go for it you might get lucky. my girls enjoyed the epcot one more , this year we are skipping both just because we found ariel so we are done for awhile

 

[Pumbaa_]

Moving from the Review Board to the Restaurant Board for more responses

 

[Joanna71985]

If you are trying just for Ariel, I would go see her at the Grotto at MK. There is no way to guarantee if she will be in Norway. And she is not at Breakfast.

 

[PrincessMomto2]

We went to Norway (hehe can't spell the name of the resturant either!) and we got to see Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and yes Ariel! We went for dinner. Unfortunately there is no way to know exactly who will be there. I hope you get to see Ariel! Have a great trip. By the way my 3 year old loved Epcot. She got to do a lot of things and even got to ride Soarin. She is tall for her age though. There is also the Nemo ride, talking to Crush and other things.

 

[Stroller Boy]

We went to Norway (hehe can't spell the name of the resturant either!) and we got to see Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and yes Ariel! We went for dinner. Unfortunately there is no way to know exactly who will be there. I hope you get to see Ariel! Have a great trip. By the way my 3 year old loved Epcot. She got to do a lot of things and even got to ride Soarin. She is tall for her age though. There is also the Nemo ride, talking to Crush and other things.

Thanks for the notes! We did actually take her to Epcot when she turned 2, saw Nemo/Crush, but ended up leaving after (woohoo for the parkhopper). She'll just have turned 4 this year when we go, so perhaps it may be worth the day at Epcot.... But I'm liking the idea that Joanna71985 had and just see Ariel at the Grotto. Tried this last time, but it wasn't in the plan for the day, so you can imagine the wait! We'd be sure to put it in the "must do" list for this one if we don't go to Epcot.

 

[mygirl]

we lucked out and got to see ariel in her ballgown at akershus last year, however the hosts said that this was pretty rare. like the pp's mentioned, if you NEED to see ariel - get to the grotto first thing. the line gets really long to meet her. my dd (3) waited patiently (in 98 degree heat with her princess gown on) for 45+ minutes! ugh! the pics were pretty cute, though...

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We saw Ariel at Norway's dinner. I think she tends to be at dinner more. I like the castle better for atmosphere, but I think Norway is a little less rushed.

 

[joenan88]

I have been to both and the breakfast at CRT was better..atmosphere and character interaction. The breakfast in Norway was OK..the characters seemed rushed and there was no Ariel..I am returning this August and we are doing CRT for dinner..to try something different..have a great time and I am sure your cutie will love either breakfast!

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

We were at norway in September and Ariel wasn't there. We saw Belle, Mulan, Mary Poppins, Jasmin and Aurora.

 

[karibritt01]

In Norway breakfast, we saw Belle (yellow dress), Snow White, Aurora, Mulan, and Jasmine. We liked CRT breakfast much better... food, interaction, and atmosphere. Norway was good, but we arrived 15 minutes early, and waited in line almost 45 minutes in the June sun to be seated... and DD was in full dress-up.

As for Epcot, DD (3.5 and 4.5 on our visit) like Epcot best out of all parks. She likes everything in the land side of future world, and loved the Innoventions halls. If you have hoppers, I would definitely plan some time in Epcot.

 

[karajeboo]

In 2006 we ate at Akershus for lunch and saw Ariel (with feet!) posing for pics as you come in, then Mulan, Alice, Jasmine and someone else (can't remember!!!!!) wandering through. It was actually nice that the "big 3" weren't there (Cindy, Aurora, SW) because we caught them in Toontown, and we never saw Mulan or Alice anywhere else! But if you don't absolutely have to eat in the castle, then do Akershus - it is only one TS credit, and it's beautiful inside! And they are now doing the photo package like the one at CRT!

 

[AKBAFB]

It's been my experience that there may be more princesses at Norway, but there is no guarantee as to which ones. The full experience of eating in the castle was huge for my little girls, but I've heard depending on your timing, it can be difficult to get your reservation. Just make your reservations at the earliest possible date and you should be fine. Like others have said, though, if the priority is Ariel, you'll have to go to the Grotto to guarantee a sighting. Good luck!

 

[Stroller Boy]

Wow, lots of great experiences out there! Really appreciate all of the advice! Still torn, but have another month or so prior to the ADR time. Will continue to scour the web to help with the plan

 

[hygienejean]

In October 2006, we got to meet Ariel (complete with feet) for breakfast!

I have done both breakfasts twice each and I like the food and interaction at CRT. I like the price better at PSB...(but not for much longer I hear!)

 

[Stroller Boy]

Just to clarify a couple of things I noticed in my own note.... We'll be able to "make" ADR's in another month or so, not waiting till last minute . Also, I thought we had the parkhopped way back when we did Epcot with my daughter, but we actually just burned two park days (ended up cheaper since this was the only day we did it) between Epcot and MGM/DHS.

The one thing that was really holding us back from Epcot was spending the day there if my daughter wouldn't really enjoy herself. However, thanks to alot of you guys, I think at 4 years old she might actually enjoy it.... More than just the Living Seas anyhow. Of course when I think of Epcot I think more along the lines of World Showcase/food, but there really is more there I suppose Thanks again everyone!

 

[luvdisney00]

We did the PSB breakfast in Norway in 7/07 and it was nice but not great. We did have Ariel in her ballgown, Belle in blue dress, Mary Poppins, Snow White and Aurora in her pink gown. The princesses were good and all came around for pictures, but I didn't care for the atmosphere, there was no music or show and none of us thought the food was worth the money. I guess we thought the breakfast buffet would be more like Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey where they have great food and so many choices.

We have never done CRT for breakfast, but we have done both lunch and dinner and loved them both. The food is not 5 star or anything, but it's good and the castle is just so beautiful. The dinner does not have Cindy walking around, but you get to meet her and take pictures as you come in and I thought it was enough. We liked the FG show and the music, it just made it seem very magical.

 

[Stroller Boy]

We did the lunch at CRT last April, and despite the chaos that is the "lobby" area where the picture with Cinderlla is taken, we had a similarly nice experience, luvdisney00. Good point about the ambiance as well, did it seem like a wedding reception with no music? I'm trying to picture it, seems kinda strange.. Figure they'd at least have some mood music playing in the background.