We had never eaten at the Crystal Palace before, and I knew Evy would enjoy seeing Winnie the Pooh and friends. Boy, was I right! It was our first day at Disney, Evy was so excited from the minute we walked in the restaurant. The food was good, and was served buffet-style. It was a little crowded, but we expected that with this type of restaurant. The Characters definitely had a system of how they managed the tables, and we were able to sit and wait for them to come to us. Evy had a wonderful first-time Character experience of meeting Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet!
The other Character Dining experience we had was at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot so that Evy could meet the Princesses. Akershus came highly recommended to us by a friend (who has two little girls), and we were wanting to try some new food (Norwegian!). I had eaten at Cinderella's Royal Table several times before, but with Evy, I wanted to test the waters with a different venue. When we told Evy it was time to get dressed to go see the Princesses, she nearly had a heart attack.
When we arrvied at Akershus, there were tons of little girls all dressed in their Princess costumes. Again, it was a crowded scene, and even with our Advanced Dining Reservation we had to wait a little while for our table (just like at Crystal Palace). We met Belle right as we walked in, then posed for our photo package before being seated.
Evy was absolutely overcome while meeting the Princesses. Actually, it all hit her afterward. After all of the Princesses had been by our table, she flipped out that they weren't there anymore. I rarely have issues while eating out with Evy, but she was NUTS. She was shrieking and carrying on - not in a tantrum way, just being so hyped because of the whole thing!
Miscellaneous Thoughts and Tips about Character Dining:
-Is it worth it? YES, if it's in your budget. Character meals are more expensive, since there's usually more food involved and the Characters come right up to your table. You're guaranteed to see each Character and get pictures if you wish. The one-on-one time is great, and you're not being rushed through a line. However, if you don't want to (or can't) splurge on a Character meal, it's not the end-all, be-all. You can still meet Characters; the meals are just a more relaxing way to do it.
-DEFINITELY make an Advanced Dining Reservation! It's nearly impossible to walk in. Even with an ADR, be prepared to wait a little bit, since there isn't a high turnover rate (people linger to talk and take pictures with Characters).
-Do you prep work ahead of time. We talked and talked about the Characters and Princesses with Evy before our trip. She was familiar with everyone's names and movies, etc. Obviously this isn't a "must," but it REALLY helped! Evy was so excited and ready to meet who she had been hearing about and watching.
-We took little Princess dolls with us to the restaurant so Evy could show each Princess their respective doll. It was a great ice-breaker, and Evy had something to hold. She was able to interact with the Princesses even with a limited vocabulary (obviously at 2 years old she couldn't carry on an in-depth conversation, but she was able to say some things!). She was THRILLED to show each Princess their doll, and they thought it was adorable!
-There are many Character Dining options. We've done Cinderella's Royal Table, and it's fabulous (the environment is wonderful!). Also with CRT, it's easier to see all of the Princesses at once. At Akershus, the dining areas are a little segregated, so you can really only see the Princesses when they're right in your section. At CRT, it's a wide-open space, and you get more "viewing time" for your buck. However, Akershus has a great appetizer buffet, and unique menu items. CRT is your standard meat-and-potatoes, gourmet soup, etc. Both Akershus and CRT have a photo package. On our next trip, I'd like to try Chef Mickey's. Once Evy is a little older and can appreciate different Characters, we'll do the 1901 Park Fare at Grand Floridian (Alice in Wonderland, the Stepsisters, etc.).
-If you can, try to capture the meetings with both a still camera and video camera (this works best if you have extra sets of hands). One camera will catch things that the other doesn't, and vice versa. However, don't stress over getting the perfect pictures or footage. You really will carry the memories with you forever!
I predict that Character Dining will be an element in our Disney trips for years to come!
Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Black this month. We will be back September 13th with an all new theme. Keep checking in with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info, photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous loops.
1st Stop ~ Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World
2nd Stop ~ The Magical Mouse Pad
3rd Stop ~ The Disney Chick
4th Stop ~ Manda’s Disney Blog
Final Stop ~ Mommy Mouseketeer
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