Akershus Breakfast Is the Smarter Princess Dining Buy
Published October 11, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
Breakfast is the cheaper Akershus Royal Banquet Hall meal, and for most families, it is also the smarter booking. You are paying for princess time more than food complexity, so the best value is the meal that gets you the same core experience for less money and leaves your EPCOT day less boxed in.
Right now, Akershus breakfast is listed at $62 per adult and $39 per child, while lunch is commonly listed at $69 per adult and $46 per child, before tax and gratuity. Disney prices can move, so check the current My Disney Experience listing before you book, but the useful planning point is simple: breakfast usually gives you the lower-cost version of the same princess meal concept.
The Short Answer: Book Breakfast Unless You Really Want Lunch Food
If your goal is princess photos, character interaction, and a sit-down break in EPCOT, breakfast is the better value. You are not choosing Akershus because it is the most adventurous meal in World Showcase. You are choosing it because it puts multiple princesses in one place without using Magic Kingdom time.
That matters. A princess meal is really a time-saving purchase disguised as a dining reservation. Instead of chasing several meet-and-greet lines across the parks, you sit down, eat, and let the characters come to you. If breakfast gets you that same basic payoff for less, it wins for most groups.
Lunch only makes more sense if your family actually wants the Norway-inspired savory platter meal, or if breakfast times are unavailable and the reservation itself is the priority.
What You Get at Breakfast
Akershus breakfast is family-style, not a buffet you keep walking back to. Expect a more familiar morning spread: pastries, fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, cheesy potato casserole, and Norwegian waffles. That is a big deal if you have kids who are not adventurous eaters before noon.
The practical upside is that breakfast is easier. You are not asking tired children to evaluate salmon, meatballs, sauces, and sides after a hot lap around World Showcase. You are giving them waffles, eggs, fruit, and characters. That is exactly the kind of low-friction meal that can save a park day.
The trade-off: breakfast is not the meal to book if you want the most distinctive food. It is the safer, cheaper, more predictable play.
What You Get at Lunch
Lunch is where Akershus leans harder into its Norwegian-inspired identity. The menu typically includes items like lefse with cinnamon butter, cheeses, Nordic shrimp salad, greens, Norwegian meatballs with lingonberry jam, salmon, chicken, seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes with gravy, macaroni and cheese, and a dessert platter.
That is more interesting than breakfast, but interesting is not always better on a Disney day. If your group includes picky eaters, heat-drained kids, or adults who mainly want character photos, lunch can feel like paying extra for food that half the table may politely ignore.
Lunch does have one major planning advantage: it can be a real midday reset. EPCOT gets hot, World Showcase has long stretches with limited shade, and a seated meal in air conditioning can be worth more than the food itself. If you are visiting in warm weather and need a scheduled break, lunch can be useful even at the higher price.
The Hidden Cost Is Park Time
The price difference is only part of the decision. The bigger cost is where the meal lands in your day.
A breakfast reservation can work nicely if you plan to start in EPCOT and avoid crisscrossing the park. Akershus sits in the Norway Pavilion, near Frozen Ever After, so it pairs naturally with a morning built around World Showcase or a Frozen-focused family plan.
But do not let a breakfast reservation wreck your best early ride window. If your first hour is your chance to knock out Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, or Test Track when operating, make sure your dining time supports that plan instead of interrupting it. A character meal is valuable, but the first couple hours of a park day are often even more valuable.
Lunch has the opposite problem. It can interrupt your best Lightning Lane refill rhythm if you book it at the wrong time. With Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you choose selections in advance, then keep adding one at a time after you redeem one or its window passes. A long lunch right when your next move opens can make the day feel clunky.
The Smart Booking Strategy
Book Akershus breakfast if you want the princess experience at the lowest meal cost, especially with younger kids, picky eaters, or a family that values character time over menu variety.
Book lunch if your EPCOT day needs a guaranteed indoor break, your group is more food-curious, or breakfast is unavailable and this is your must-do princess meal.
Skip Akershus entirely if nobody in your group cares about princesses. That sounds obvious, but it is the trap with character dining: the meal is priced around the characters. If your group is lukewarm on meeting princesses, your money usually goes further elsewhere in EPCOT.
One more insider move: do not overload your day with table-service reservations. One sit-down meal per park day is usually enough. More than that starts turning the day into a reservation commute, especially in EPCOT where festival booths, quick bites, and spontaneous snacks can be half the fun.
Use Drop Watch If Times Are Gone
Akershus can be competitive because it solves a real problem: princess access without spending extra Magic Kingdom time. If the breakfast slot you want is gone, do not assume the answer is settling for lunch immediately.
Dining cancellations happen. SupaPark’s Drop Watch can watch for hard-to-get dining openings and alert you when a reservation frees up. SupaPark does not book it for you; it pings you when something opens, then you grab it in My Disney Experience.
That is especially useful here because breakfast is the value play. If you only see lunch now, watching for a breakfast cancellation can save money and improve your day shape.
The Takeaway
Akershus breakfast is usually the better buy because it delivers the main thing families want — princess time in EPCOT — at the lower meal cost and with food that is easier for most kids. Lunch is the better choice only when the menu or the midday air-conditioned break matters more than the savings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Akershus breakfast cheaper than lunch?
Yes. Akershus breakfast is generally the lower-cost meal compared with lunch, with current commonly listed pricing around $62 per adult and $39 per child for breakfast versus $69 per adult and $46 per child for lunch before tax and gratuity.
Is Akershus breakfast or lunch better for kids?
Breakfast is usually better for younger kids and picky eaters because the food is more familiar: waffles, eggs, fruit, pastries, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. Lunch is better for families who want a more savory Norway-inspired meal.
Do you meet princesses at both breakfast and lunch at Akershus?
Yes, Akershus is a princess character dining experience at breakfast and lunch, though specific character appearances can vary. Book it for the overall princess access, not for a guaranteed specific princess.
Is Akershus worth it if we only care about the food?
Usually no. Akershus makes the most sense when princess interaction is part of the value; if your group does not care about characters, EPCOT has stronger food-first choices.
What should I do if Akershus breakfast is sold out?
Set a dining watch and keep checking for cancellations rather than immediately settling for a less ideal time. SupaPark can alert you when a table opens, then you complete the booking in My Disney Experience.
Keep planning: Akershus Royal Banquet Hall · live dining reservation drops · is Lightning Lane worth it · The Ultimate Walt Disney World Packing List: What to Bring by Season, Family Size, and Trip Style
Go deeper — the full guides: Raglan Road Dinner Works Best When You Treat It Like a Show · Advanced Touring Plans: Crowd-Beating Algorithms for All Four Disney Parks
SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.