The level of activity, unfortunately, formed not only the first impression but the lasting impact during our visit. We checked in ten minutes before our reservation but it was thirty minutes before we were ushered inside. The problem was an inexcusable, enormous, and almost dangerous policy of offering no crowd control for the mob of guests out front. The delay was excruciating, and completely unnecessary. Things would have moved fast if there were actual lines, and people didn't cut to the front (as happened frequently). If you wish to not be taken advantage of, you'll simply have to push rudely to the front and cut others off. This is in no way in keeping with a Disney vacation. It's such a shame that the outside is so crazy, because once inside we saw numerous empty tables. This restaurant does not have all its ducks in a row.

After your admission, you wait in ANOTHER line, this time to be photographed with one of the princesses. They let you take your own photo, but what they're up to is printing up a picture that will be brought to your table later - you are offered a packed of an 8x10 and four wallet size... for a whopping $31.

But there are free things going on. Well, not "free" since you paid to be here: namely, the princesses. They wander the hall and work the whole room, so everyone sees everyone. On our visit, we saw Aurora, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle. Each came to say hi, they signed autograph books, and they posed for a picture. The positive: each was pleasant, and it sure is nice to not have to stand in very long lines for this sort of interaction (which is what you'd have to do "out in the parks"). The negative: the interaction is very brief. A question or two from the character, and then off they go to the next person. On the whole, it's a positive thing indeed. But it would be even more positive if all the characters really acted excited to be here (two of ours didn't). Still, it's enough to secure a very positive score for the restaurant's environment.

Oh yes, the food. First, it's not a buffet, and it's only sort of all you can eat. And yet, everyone pays the same price ($25 adults; $15 children). You are seated and given a menu. This is perplexing, since you can see a serving line with ice and dishes nearby. The server will explain upon request: they take drink orders and your entree order, and then you load up on appetizers from the serving line (this is the part that is all you can eat). Later, a dessert platter will be brought out for everyone to share. 

The trout was baked perfectly and not in the least "fishy" tasting. It went great with the white cream sauce and the carrots/onions/potatoes mash that was served with it. The only downside: if you had a bite without sauce and without that mash, your mouthful was a lot more bland. Still not fishy, but bland. This was not a problem on the "traditional kjottkake", which might as well have been renamed "beet meatloaf." Take pork sausage and form it into a patty, mixed with beets (giving the whole a bit of an uncooked look). The child's pasta and meatballs was a much more familiar taste, and it was also a flavorful one - there are spices in that sauce! The pasta is shells, not spaghetti, in case this is important to your child.

Most of the originality on the menu comes from the appetizer bar. There's the usual salad, but the bread is many-grained (unfortunately, a bit dry). You'll find thinly sliced cucumbers that taste essentially Japanese. The egg salad includes ham, and the combination feels unique. Equally unusual and tasty is the hard boiled egg with a shrimp paste. There are goat cheese slices around, if you've ever wanted to try one, or you can stick with cubes of swiss or muenster. There are pasta dishes and deli cold cuts that will seem pretty familiar. But it feels more authentically Norweigian to eat the fish that's out: cold salmon (tastes just the way you're used to it), pickled tomato herring (a new taste for me, and not a poor one), and smoked mackeral, which I'd never had before so I cannot judge if it's always good, or only good here. It was the hit at our table, and was compared to beef jerky (meaning an explosion of flavor), but for fish. For all of that, it didn't taste fishy either. 

Dessert comes on a platter, with two mousse rolls, two lingonberry cakes, and a couple strawberries drowned in whipped cream. Our table of five adults and a couple kids warranted two such platters. The refills were attentive, but it was still perplexing when the bill came that gratuity of 18% was already included - for a party of seven people? On balance, we did not feel the experience was worthwhile. That could be, however, because our own child is a boy, not a girl. A girl of the right age, determined to meet the princesses... that might be worth it. But if that doesn't describe your family, you may find the experience exasperating and expensive, with only moderate food as a result.