Attention, Lords and Ladies! Let’s talk about dining with the beloved Disney Princesses! If you’re at Walt Disney World you might be thinking of the iconic ‘Cinderella’s Royal Table’ or ‘Be Our Guest’ at Magic Kingdom. But, today I’m talking about one you may not be too familar with, Akershus Royal Banquet. This is a Princess Storybook Dining experience and it’s located in Epcot at Disney World. Read-on to see if this should be added to your ‘must-do’ list.
Picture this: you step into the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, and as you enter Akershus Royal Banquet, you’re instantly transported to a fairytale world. Now, if you’ve been in ‘Cinderella’s Royal Table’ or ‘Be Our Guest’, it may fall short of your expectations. (Those restaurants are absolutely gorgeous.) However, the restaurant does have charming ambiance and is inspired by a medieval castle. The setting is that you’ve been invited to a feast at a great Viking King and Queen’s castle, Akershus. During this feast you will be visited by many princesses. One by one, these princesses make their grand entrance….Snow White, Tiana, Belle, Ariel, and more.
At this time, Akershus Royal Banquet offers breakfast (8:30-12:00) and lunch (12:15-4:00), with the last reservation being at 4:00. The prices are quite heafty, Breakfast is $53.00 for adults (10 and up) and $34.00 for kids (3-9). Lunch is $63.00 (10 and up) and $41.00 for kids (3-9). It’s an ‘all you care to eat’ meal and is served family style. When we went, we went for breakfast. And most importantly, we were able to get a reservation the morning of. So, unlike the other restaurants with character dining, we could get into this one very easily.
Let’s talk about the food. Breakfast offerings are pastries, fruit, potato casserole, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and Norwegian waffles. They also featured several morning cocktails: Bloody Mary, Mimosa’s, Viking Coffee, and a few others. The food came out quickly but was nothing special, in my opinion. Honestly, the Bloody Mary was the best part…and you know, it was not included with that large price! I did take a look at the lunch menu and it does look more interesting than the breakfast. It has Norwegian chicken and dumplings, salmon, meatballs and it also features some interesting cocktails. Maybe lunch would have been a better choice…
Let’s be real, you’re not really there for the food, you’re there for the Princess experience!…and that’s what you’re paying for. While you enjoy your meal, the princesses take their time visiting each table, engaging in conversations, signing autographs, and posing for photos. It’s an interactive experience that brings the Disney magic to life. It was special watching the kids faces light-up (and let’s be honest, adults too!) as they met their favorite princesses.
So, if you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World Resort, would I recommend adding Akershus Royal Banquet to your ‘must-do’ list? Maybe. You can easily get a breakfast or lunch reservation here, while some of the other experiences can be difficult to get. And If you have little ones (or big ones) that want to interact with Princesses, you can certainly do that here! For those reasons, I would say, it’s a ‘must-do’! But if price or time is a concern, or if you’re not interested in a meet and greet with the Princesses, or if you can grab a reservation at ‘Cinderella’s Royal Table’, you may want to skip this.
My final thoughts….dining with Disney Princesses is an absolute treat for princess enthusiasts of all ages. And Akershus Royal Banquet does gives you a chance to step into a fairytale, meet beloved characters, and make magical memories. And isn’t that what a trip to Disney is all about?!
Thanks for reading!
Xo Autumn
