Picture It: It’s Christmas morning and we’re heading to Akershus for the first time for our magical Christmas breakfast.
We grabbed a bus to go to Epcot for a 9:40am breakfast reservation. The crowds were much lower than I expected heading to Epcot- we quickly made it through security and were in the park by 9:15am. We went straight to Norway and checked into Akershus a bit early, where we cooled our heels for 10 minutes or so outside before our name was called. We were right on schedule!
As we walked in, we were directed to wait behind a rope. We spent a few minutes chatting with a very friendly cast member before being called forward to wait-again. This time we were in a very short line to meet Belle in her gorgeous gold ball gown. After our photos with the photopass photographer, we were led to our table.
This buffet was…interesting, to say the least. You get a platter of bacon, eggs, sausage and potato casserole for the table (and you’re welcome to ask for more). Before that comes and any time during the meal, you’re welcome to help yourself to fresh fruit, bagels, Mickey waffles and other pastries, as well as some more unusual items, like onions and pickled herring. I felt the buffet line was small and the offerings pretty limited.
Ultimately, you’re paying for the princesses. The breakfast items are good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s hardly incredible- for much cheaper you can get similar plated items at any quick service (minus the herring, of course). Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a breakfast fan, but I was a little underwhelmed. Tim enjoyed the fish options, but he felt the same way- this isn’t a destination to visit for the food unless you can eat your weight in bacon and cinnamon rolls.
The Restaurant:
I found Akershus to be a beautiful, airy space. It gave off an air of elegance that I appreciated, considering this is the restaurant to go to see Princesses. Well, in Epcot. I know Cinderella’s Royal Table is a popular go to as well. Don’t @ me guys, I didn’t mean to forget it. We didn’t feel crammed in, or too close to other diners and it was fairly easy to weave our way to the buffet. Our waitress was very sweet, even when Miss Bongo knocked a salt shaker off the table and it shattered. Good times, guys. Merry Christmas, my 4 year old just made a huge mess. She kept our drinks full and used plates cleared- and when Miss Bongo dropped her fork on the floor, because of course she did, I was able to get a replacement immediately. There were not nearly as many princess-dressed little girls as I thought there would be. Of course, Miss Bongo also chose not to dress up for the occasion.
The Characters
We met Belle in the special photopass alcove. Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White, Cinderella & Rapunzel came to visit us as we dined (the cast of princesses is subject to change). All the ladies were graceful and sweet, with none of the interactions feeling rushed or terse. We actually enjoyed this Cinderella more than the one we met at 1900 Park Fare.
Rapunzel was our Princess Processional leader and Miss Bongo particpated twice. Little boys and girls are welcome to join in and glide from room to room waving while sweet music plays. Because of the way the rooms in Akershus are set up, I never lost sight of her or felt like she was too far away. The Processional also ended with our children back in “our” dining room where they all had a short journey back to their families. I very much enjoyed how this parade was set up. The characters came at a fairly good pace, leaving us relaxed as we ate but never leaving us tapping the table and craning our necks to see when someone was finally going to come.
Overall
Overall, this was a great, special meal for Christmas Day. We enjoyed the Princesses, but were fairly underwhelmed by the food which was pretty standard (or else, entirely too different for 2/3 of our table). I was glad we did this character meal, but it’s not something I plan to do again- at least not for breakfast. Maybe if I’m feeling squirrely someday, I’ll give lunch or dinner a try. This is an incredible place to meet a lot of Princesses fairly quickly, but if princesses aren’t your focus or you’ve met everyone a dozen times like we have I’d probably just skip it.
This is a controversial opinion, I’m aware- I know people that go every trip and live their best lives. So as always, you do you!
Cind says
My family ate dinner at Akershus . We didn’t like the food we ate very little and left and had to eat elsewhere. We couldn’t tell what food was or even what was in it. Not our type of restaurant.