Meeting favourite Disney princesses in Norway’s Akershus in Epcot

When growing up I remember going to Akershus several times, so when we realised we would be passing Akershus on holiday I felt we had to visit. The Akershus I went to as a child, however, was the fortress on the harbour in Norway’s capital Oslo, but the Akershus we visited with the children in April was in World Showcase in Epcot.

In Epcot, Akershus is the place to dine with princesses, and with our Norwegian background and little princess fans, I felt now was the time to go to Akershus–a character meal comparable to Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom.

Although I would normally recommend choosing one of the two meals, we wanted to experience dining in Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom and also get the Norway experience at Akershus.

We loved spending more time with the family in the Norway pavilion, which is also home to the Elsa and Anna character greeting spot and the Frozen ride.

In fact, when I first tried to check in at Akershus, Daddy T and Big Girl were stuck in the FastPass queue on the Frozen ride next door, and since Akershus opened its doors every 30 minutes we had to wait for the next seating to enter.

Upon entering we got to meet Belle and there was a photographer on hand to take these pictures. After being seated the princesses on the floor started arriving, and during our visit it was Cinderella, Snow White and Ariel who came to greet guests at the tables.

Big Girl asked Snow White about her animal friends, and I could see that she loved being able to have little conversations with the princesses, who were brilliant at coming up with sweet answers relevant to their princess stories.

For us, the food was also a refreshing change to our usual holiday choices, and there are opportunities to taste a few traditional Norwegian dishes at Akershus–although the menu also includes options for less adventurous diners. The starter was buffet-style and included cured meat, smoked salmon, salad and other options, so I think it would have been easy to steer away from traditional cuisine too.

We ordered a main course off the menu, and both Daddy T and I had meatballs which we found really tasty. Big Boy had a cheese pizza while Big Girl had salmon. The dessert was served family-style and there were three portions on one plate to share, including a rice pudding which is one of my Norwegian favourites.

Akershus has a traditional feel with rose painted decor and wooden beams and the interior made us feel we were back in Norway. I liked that the waiters and waitresses are dressed in traditional Norwegian costumes, and for us it was fun to order food in Norwegian from the smiley and friendly cast members.

A splendid option for a princess meal!

Tags: Akershus, Character dining, Disney, Disney dining, Walt Disney World