Hi everyone, I’m going to be in DisneyWorld from 11/12 to 11/26 flying from the UK for what is likely to be a once in a lifetime trip. I have done a ton of research and planning and when it came to my 180 day mark, booked all the restaurants I wanted. or at least I thought I wanted. Being a 27 year old travelling with my 60 year old mother and her slightly older still friend I figured, who needs tons of character meals? I booked BOG as my first priority because I love beauty and the beast, and also akershus because I like Norwegian food. However as the date draws nearer I’ve started to second guess myself and got an urge to eat in the castle. While cinderella was never my favourite film the castle is the icon of my childhood. I get excited even thinking about seeing it. So I set up a reservation finder and now I have a booking that clashes with my BOG dinner and I’m torn. I will also have to lose another reservation if I dine there due to budget constraints! So basically do you have any advice that might help me sort out my own head? Is CRT worth it for adults? As much as I love the castle will it seem a bit corny? I’m going to BOG for lunch so will it matter if I cancel the dinner? And if I do go for CRT is akershus similar (i.e. should that be the one I cancel). Sorry if this is all a bit jumbled I just want to make sure I do/see everything I can. FYI My mum and her friend? Completely useless when it comes to this as they are happy ‘whatever’. Thanks guys
I haven’t done CRT myself so can’t really comment there, though I can say the most common comments I see are that the food is pretty average but the location and character interaction is good.
As for BoG, I’m not really a fan. We had a mediocre dinner there and a perfectly dismal lunch. I would say keep the lunch, since it’s much less expensive, so you can see the inside of it, but for the price there are a lot better options for dinner in and around the park. You’ll probably get some dissenting opinions on this one. People seem to love it but I often wonder if it’s the location more than the food. For us the dining is a big part of our vacation so I want really good food for the money that you pay to eat at Disney.
Akershus is very different food from CRT but the interaction is probably fairly similar so it would depend on whether you’re doing it for the food or the experience. As you’ll be there during the last few days of the Food and Wine festival there will be an awful lot of great food that you can experience in Epcot so if you decided not to do Akershus you still have a ton of options at that park through the 14th after which the booths all close up.
As for being adults at a character meal it’s what you make of it. The characters and cast members won’t think anything of it. They’ll be just as interactive with you as with kids. We’re two adults that go and we always book a Crystal Palace breakfast with Pooh and Friends because the food is good and the characters there are a lot of fun.
My family did our one visit to CRT and we are good. Now, I also must say that I have two boys, so the castle and princesses aren’t a top priority anyway, but we had to do it once to say we did it, we ate in the castle. That being said. There was nothing about it that made me want to go back and do it again. There isn’t anything that I saw on the interior of the castle that made me feel like it did any more for me than seeing it on the outside and walking through it. The food was fine, but definitely not worth the money, of course, you aren’t really paying for the food here, you are paying for the experience. In my opinion, your love for Beauty and the Beast would trump that experience and I would skip the CRT reservation.
Maybe keep the reservation finder going and you might come across another time that won’t conflict. You will get the princess experience at Akershus, so the only reason you would do CRT is to say you ate in the castle.
I can’t really comment on CRT; I’ve eaten in the castle, but back when it was King Steffan’s Banquet Hall, and had no characters.
BOG (lunch) was a one and done for me. The restaurant is beautifully done and is definitely worth seeing at least once, but the food was mediocre. If you go with the attitude that you are getting a standard QS sandwich that you don’t have to carry to the table yourself, then you may not be disappointed. I was expecting at least a little bit more, and was disappointed.
Akershus USED to be a very good Norwegian restaurant; one of my favorites in Epcot. Then the princesses took it over. I will admit that I have not been since it changed (a dinner surrounded by hundreds of little girls in princess dresses comes as close to Hell on Earth for me as I can think of), but the menu has certainly been castrated; I’m not sure how “Norwegian” it is anymore. If you’re going to meet the Princesses, then it’s a good choice. If you’re looking for an “adult” meal with good food and atmosphere, there are many better choices in Epcot.
Fellow UKer here. I did CRT entirely for my 5 yo daughter. The food is (for the cost) mediocre. The most impressive bit of the inside of castle is the downstairs walkway which you can do without paying for dinner. The photo area for Bibbity bobbing boutique - cinderella’s sewing room is the most film like bit. Upstairs reminded me of Warwick Castle - you could honestly be in England. I would only go if you want to meet the Princesses. I haven’t done Akershus but from what I’ve read I bet the food is better & it’s better value for money. BOG is good but unless you are desperate to meet the Beast I wouldn’t waste a TS credit on it - go for breakfast or lunch to see the inside.
We loved our BOG dinner! I would not give that up. We enjoyed our CRT breakfast, and the princesses were great, but I would put the food, ambiance, and service at BOG above CRT.
I agree, I haven’t eaten at the castle, but have seen plenty of pictures and it is like Warwick castle! I would go for BOG, particularly as you are a fan of BATB, the theming is worth a look and you can meet the beast. We had dinner and it was just mediocre, so maybe breakfast would be better. Must say wouldn’t do it again but glad we done it once.
I’d go for BOG, you can get alcohol there and it will be quieter. And you’ve already got an Akershus ADR with the princesses. Put the CRT back in the reservation finder but don’t give up BOG.
I recommend CRT. I will tell you a story about our trip to a totally different place to explain why:
Last year, DH, DS (who had then just turned 6) and I went to Venice, Italy. It was great. We got to explore pretty much all of the city sights and had a lot of fun. We did not, however, go on a private tour in a gondola. I just thought it was way too expensive for what we would get - a boat ride.
On our very last day there, after we had left the city center, my DS said in a low voice: “It would have been so great to go on of those gondolas” It turned out that he had wanted to do a gondola ride the whole time there, but had not said so because I had said it was too expensive. It just broke my heart. Of course I would have paid for a gondola trip, had I known that this was the one big thing my little boy had been looking forward to ever since he heard that we were going to the “city with water streets”, as he called it.
This experience taught me something important: There are some things you just want to experience in your life - especially if you suspect you may not be able to get a second chance. You want to because you have heard about it, or feel some kind of connection to it. If that is the case you should do it, even if it does not make sense to others.
I guess you could say that CRT was my gondola. I just had to have been there. Now, every time I see a Disney movie, I look at the castle icon and think “I was really there”. I am not going back, it was a once in a lifetime experience. But it feels great to have been there, and it was worth every penny.
This was a long story to tell you that only YOU know what your gondola is. If it is CRT, go for it. Never mind if others think it is nuts to pay big bucks for the experience - it is YOUR decision. But if you know for sure you will be fine looking at the castle (in the park, or in movies later) knowing you were THIS close to being inside of it, but decided against it - then drop the ADR and enjoy whatever your gondola is somewhere else 
Ps. So what happened to my DS’s dream of the gondolas of Venice? Well, I ended up promising him we’ll be back one day. It was the only thing I could do. And when we go there, his Mom will make sure we do the right thing in Venice - we’ll do a gondola ride.
Thank you for this. This perfectly sums up my fears. I worry it might be my gondola. I’ve experienced similar things before on holiday, not taking the tour or paying a bit more for the upgrade or buying that souvenir. I really don’t want that to happen. I have a while before I need to cancel anything so I think I’m going to let everyone’s thoughts sit with me a while. Thanks all!
Hi, we have done CRT with my 3 daughters for breakfast. The meal itself was a bit rushed and the princesses did not stay at our table for long but the food was good. I would still go again as we loved the experience of eating in the castle and meeting Cinderella before our meal. We also did BOG breakfast. BOG is definitely worth it to see inside but personally I would do your lunch there rather than use a TS credit. We didn’t do Akershus so no help there I’m afraid.
Honestly I would find a way to save up a bit more and do all 3! But if I had to choose I would see if res finder can get you a BOG dinner and CRT lunch. We did CRT lunch on Thanksgiving Day 5 years ago and really enjoyed the special menu. You will be there around US Thanksgiving Day so the special menu may be in place. Happy planning!