Disney Restaurant: Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, part of the Norway Pavilion within the EPCOT World Showcase, provides a Disney Princess Storybook Dining experience in a medieval castle-themed restaurant. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall showcases American cuisine for breakfast and authentic Norwegian cuisine for lunch and dinner.

This restaurant is the only one we have returned to on every trip to Disney World. It is by far our favorite restaurant to meet and interact with the princesses (for breakfast) and we love (love!) the breakfast food offered here (cheesey potatos!).

Princess Storybook Breakfast is the meal we always reserve here. First you meet Princess Belle out front for a photo and autograph session. An 8x10 and four 4x6 photos in a decorative frame are included with your meal, and will be delivered to your table while you dine. A variety of princesses visit your table to take pictures and sign autographs, including Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel (the list is subject to change, and we have also seen Mary Poppins in place of Cinderella here).

The food consists of a traditional Norwegian cheese and fish buffet, with fruit and pastries for a more American feel. A hot family-style platter is delivered to your table with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and a cheese-potato caserole. This is our favorite dish in all of Disney World. We always ask for seconds...of just the potatos!

Like most character meals, the princesses lead the kids on a procession throughout the restaurant. Kids love it and it is a great way to meet the princesses while enjoying your coffee.

Disney Restaurant: Biergarten Restaurant at EPCOT

Biergarten Restaurant, in the heart of the Bavarian Village in the Germany Pavilion at Epcot theme park, celebrates Oktoberfest all year long. Authentic German cuisine is served for lunch and dinner buffets.

We ate at this restaurant in Oct 2010 on our first night in Disney. It was a beautifully recreated German village inside the restaurant, making you feel as if you were sitting outside in a courtyard watching performers on a community stage. Seating was at long communal tables - we were seated with a family of 6, so most tables could accommodate 10 guests. Immediately upon being seated our server was there to take our drink order (Beer!) and invite us to the buffet.

The buffet...wow! Sausage, sausage and more sausage...and sausage salad! There was actually a nice variety of flavors offered here and some interesting salad choices - cucumber salad anyone? There was a delicious cheddar-beer soup and some staple kid offerings (nuggets, mac 'n cheese) for picky eaters.

The entertainment was on a stage down in the center of the building. The performers were enthusiastic and invited kids young and old to dance in front of the band. A variety of musical performances from traditional long German horns to bell ringing rounded out the entertainment.

Also...how could I forget the Bird Dance!? My daughter and I danced and swirled to this song, capturing a few nice pictures in the process. It was a lot of fun, and a lively way to kick off our first night in Disney World.