After illness delayed my December 2022 trip by a week, I found myself trying to recoup some of the dining reservations that I had had booked for our original travel dates. Character dining was a priority for this Mommy and Me trip as our trip earlier that year still only allowed for distanced meet and greets, and definitely no hugs. One day when I was scanning through open reservations on My Disney Experience I noticed an opening for Akershus, and bonus points it was also a Candlelight Processional Package! I decided to go ahead and book it, even though I had been pretty sure that this was a reservation we would probably pass on. Akershus had very recently reopened at Epcot in the Norway pavilion after it had been shuttered at the beginning of the park closures due to the pandemic. The idea of meeting five princesses was appealing, but the hefty price tag and the Norwegian inspired menu did give me pause. I decided to keep the reservation and spoiler alert, I am so glad that I did!
We spent the earlier part of our day having a fabulous time in our favorite park, Animal Kingdom. Early afternoon we headed back to the resort to take a mini break and get changed for our evening plans. I had not told my daughter about the reservation, just that I had something special planned. Due to our trip being delayed, we did unfortunately miss out on Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and this dinner was the perfect occasion for my daughter to wear her Christmas Belle dress that she had planned to wear to the party.
When we arrived at Epcot, we headed straight to Remy’s Ratatouille for our lightning lane, and after the ride we set out to Norway for our dinner! We were seated pretty quickly, and having never dined there before, my daughter was still unaware of the extra special guests we would be dining with that evening. The restaurant has a beautiful ambiance, and both the hostess seating us and our server were welcoming and friendly. Shortly after we were seated music began to play, signaling the beginning of the Princess processional, and my daughter’s realization that she was going to be meeting several princesses. She was over the moon!
Akershus offers a fixed menu served family style and is all you care to enjoy. The first course to come out is the Lefse, a Norwegian flat bread that is served with delicious cinnamon butter and a mixed greens salad with a Lingonberry vinaigrette dressing. Once we had settled in, I gave my picky 6 yr old a little pep talk about the menu and encouraged her to try a little bit of everything. Maybe it was the princesses, maybe she was hungry, but she did agree. We both enjoyed the first course. I had gotten to sample Lefse on my previous trip at the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe so I was happy to get to have it again. The salad was very fresh and the Lingonberry dressing was just the right amount of sweet. Soon after we received the platter with the main course, which included Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Traditional Norwegian Meatballs , Green Beans, Norwegian Chicken and Dumplings, Red Cabbage, Grilled Salmon, and Macaroni and Cheese. * Since we dined there they have added corn dog nuggets to the menu* Everything we ate was very good, all cooked well, and well seasoned. I don’t care for salmon and skipped that, so I can’t speak to that item. The mac and cheese was very standard, nothing special, but a nice addition to the menu for the kids and pickier palates. The star of the show for me was definitely the meatballs! Think Ikeas famous Swedish meatballs, but elevated! These were a hit for my daughter as well, and we did request more of these. With the meal being all you care to enjoy, you are welcome to order more of whichever items you enjoy most. The last course was dessert and included a Chocolate Roulade with Lingonberry Cream and Rice Cream with Strawberry Sauce. Both were delicious, and were light enough to not feel like it was too much after such a heavy meal with all those meatballs! My daughter especially enjoyed the chocolate roulade !
Arguably the best part of this meal has nothing to do with the menu though, but instead the ability to sit back and have 5 different princesses join you table side to have some conversation, and pose for photos, all between eating a yummy meal, AND without waiting in lines! Those interactions were priceless! Each Princess made my daughter feel so special, evidenced by her big smile in the many pictures I took that evening, and enjoy looking back on.
So here is the question, with a price tag of $63 per adult ( 10 and up) and $41 per child, is this worth it? It certainly was for us! The menu is elevated from your standard theme park food and that paired with the character experience, it may just make it worth it for you and your family as well. Want the experience with a slightly smaller price tag? Akershus recently brought back breakfast! With a price of $53 per adult, and $34 per child you are saving a few bucks, and breakfast may be an easier sell for picky eaters. It is an experience that my daughter still talks about, and one of the highlights from our trip. If you think Akershus is up your alley, this is a restaurant that I would highly suggest making advance dining reservations for. Or better yet, utilize the planning services with a Travel Advisor like myself so we can snag those harder to get reservations for you!
Magic of the Mouse 