Breakfast with the princesses at Disney World

Whether you have a little girl in your family, or if you're just a girl at heart yourself --- start off your day at Disney World with a fairy-tale breakfast fit for a princess!

You have two options for princess breakfast dining at Disney World -- Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast at the Magic Kingdom, and Akershus Princess Storybook breakfast at the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. The bonus to both of these locations is that with an early reservation, you are let into the gates of the park early, giving you quick access to the attractions after breakfast!

Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast:

Many little girls' very first request will be to "eat in the castle" at the Magic Kingdom. You can make this wish come true with the breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. Served from 8:05 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., the breakfast includes a meet-and-greet photo session with Cinderella herself. The breakfast costs $36 to $59.99 per person, and is 2 credits on the Disney Dining Plan.

This is a very hard-to-book meal, so get on your computer or your phone at the 180-day window prior to your vacation for your best chance at booking.

Once seated, expect to have several princesses come by to say hello. The Disney World website lists Snow White, Jasmine and Belle as the princesses, but Disney Food Blog recently visited for breakfast and reported seeing Belle, Snow White, but no Jasmine. Instead they saw Ariel and Aurora. So it would be best not to "promise" any certain princess for your little one, other than Cinderella, which is a definite.

As far as the food goes, it's fairly standard breakfast fair. Disney Food Blog gives a review of the two different platters they were offered on their trip -- eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, and sausage; and the famous stuffed french toast.

Akershus Princess Storybook Breakfast:

A wonderful (cheaper!) alternate to the castle is well, another castle -- the Akershus Princess Storybook breakfast at the Norway Pavilion's Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase.

This breakfast is reportedly easier to book due to its "hidden gem" nature -- but don't take any chances, and book early for a breakfast service, served from 8 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. The Princess Storybook Breakfast is $15 to $35.99 per person, and 1 credit on the Disney Dining Plan.

Princesses that may be spotted at the breakfast include Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, Mulan, Cinderella, and/or Mary Poppins. Again, don't "promise" any certain princess to your little one, but know there will be plenty!

Many say they prefer the food to that of the Royal Table breakfast. Platters of hot all-you-can-eat breakfast items like scrambled eggs, cheesy potatoes, bacon, and sausage are brought to your table, but the real star is the koltbordt, or "cold table" buffet of smoked fish, cheeses, fruit, cream cheese, yogurt, and pastries. The cult item here is the lingonberry muffin, which has made it into the Disney Food Blog's breakfast specialty showdown.

Read a full review of the Akershus Princess Storybook breakfast here.

Have you eaten breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus Royal Banquet Hall? Which princesses did you meet, and how was the food? Leave a comment below!