Has anyone actually had a good dining experience at RFC in DTD?

[Mom2micayla]

I booked our PS for Rainforest Cafe a few days ago. But the more people I've talked to the more I'm considering cancelling it. I've heard mostly bad things.. pricey, food so-so, terrible service. Has anyone actually had a *good* experience? Or am I better off just cancelling our PS and eating somewhere in DLR? (leaning towards Carnation Cafe in place of if we do)

[flipturngirl]

I had a good experience. The food was pricey.. I liked it though.. Go later, we went around 10:30 at night and it was good service.

[Mary Jo]

We've eaten there a few times and enjoyed ourselves each time. Sometimes you have to wait awhile for your food, but it has never been an issue for us.

[Amy&Dan]

We have eaten there probably 10 times in the past two years and each time was great. Never had bad service and the food is always consistent. The portions are huge, especially the salads so sharing helps with the price issue. We belong to the Safari Club so we never have to wait. I suggest going at an off time with or without a reservation, that will make the wait less. The drinks, especially the tropical, speciality ones are really pricey but I always have to have a Tropical Toucan. I must have about 8 of those glasses you get to keep when you order the drink!

[lntsmom]

We enjoy an occasional visit to Rainforest Cafe. We've been to the ones in Overland Park, KS and The Mall of America. Personally, I would never go to the ones at DL or WDW because, well, I can go to one here at home. If you don't have one where you live, it may be more entertaining.

I have always found them to have slow service. That's intentional, I believe...they encourage the kids to wander around the restaurant to see everything. I've also had a couple of major glitches there. Once, they "lost" our name, and we ended up waiting almost 2 hours to be seated. Another time, just after receiving our food their power went out. The place is like a cave...it was pitch black except for emergency lights over the exits. The rest of the mall still had power. We couldn't even see to eat, so after about 10 minutes I asked for to-go boxes. We were offered no apology and no compensation.

Since that little debacle I've become much more selective about going there. We've only been once in the past two years, where we used to go 3 or 4 times a year.

The prices are high for what you get. I also found it a very difficult place to eat when I was pregnant...lots of their recipes have soft cheeses or bleu cheese in them. That said, my favorite there is the crab cakes. My boys either get the nuggets (dinosaur shaped ones...same thing you can buy at the grocery store) or pizza (kind of like a big cracker with sauce and slabs of cheese on it). The portions are large...but large portions of mediocre food, well...

As you can tell, the only reason we go there is for the entertainment value. If your kids have never been, I say go ahead and eat there. If you've been before or if you have one close to home, I say skip it.

[disney-super-mom]

We eat there at least 2 or 3 times when we visit Disneyland, so needless to say we really like it! :thumbsup2

The food is good, the service is good, and the atmosphere is AWESOME! It's one of our favorite places to eat! We've never had a problem with slow service there.

I definately say GIVE IT A TRY! :cheer2:

[Mom2micayla]

Well that's encouraging. :)

So I am still in a quandry. My husband & I have been talking about possibly eating at Goofy's kitchen instead. My kids are little (4, 2 1/2 & 10 months) and have never eaten at either. We don't have a RFC in Tucson (nearest is about an hour drive in Phoenix) so I think both would be a treat.

If you had to chose between the 2, which would you chose?

[disney-super-mom]

Well that's encouraging. :)

So I am still in a quandry. My husband & I have been talking about possibly eating at Goofy's kitchen instead. My kids are little (4, 2 1/2 & 10 months) and have never eaten at either. We don't have a RFC in Tucson (nearest is about an hour drive in Phoenix) so I think both would be a treat.

If you had to chose between the 2, which would you chose?

Well, we usually do both, but if I had to choose....hmmmmm....that's a tough one with the ages of your kids. How are your kids with the Disney Characters? Are they comfortable and interact with them, or are they scared of them? If they like to interact with the Disney characters, then I'd pick Goofy's kitchen.

Rainforest Cafe is a lot of fun too, with all the fish swimming around you. The kids will be thoroughly entertained watching the fish during your meal :thumbsup2 . Then about every 30 minutes there is a rainstorm/thunderstorm that lasts about a minute, with flickering lights, thunder, and some of the animals become animated.

BUT, overall, Goofy's kitchen will be more memorable for the kids, and a great way to get some time with the characters without having to stand in line at the parks. :sunny:

[CalGal]

I like RFC. I have never had much of a wait with a PS. The food is good, not great. Considering that you are paying for the atmosphere, I don't find it that pricey. I would think that Goofy's Kitchen would be more expensive unless you are a huge eater. The food at Goofy's is good for a buffet, but again not outstanding. I would pick Goofy's over RFC because the character interaction can be priceless with the little ones. My DS is 15, and still wants to visit Goofy's every trip. I like RFC; I love Goofy's Kitchen.

[victorandbellasmom]

I agree with the aboev posters. WE've only really had good experiences at RFC, but if it's a choice between RFC and goofy's kitchen, I'd book Goofy's kitchen. We have a local RFC here so it's not that big of a deal if we don't make it there during our trips to disneyland. The character interactions are priceless, there's also more of a variety of foods at Goofy's Kitchen for little ones to pick from. You should definitely wander into the Rainforest Cafe on your visit though. I believe you can still see the aquarium from the shop and possible experience a bit of the storm.

[jemilah]

We eat there the first night of our trip for the past 4 years and have never been disapointed. It is much better then RFC here in Vegas , much prettier , better staff and store. Since we were just there in October and plan to return in May this trip we may skip it for ESPN zone . But if you have never been , I would not miss it! :mickeyjum

[RangerPooh]

We've eaten there as well as other RFC many times and have always had a good experience. IMO the prices aren't too bad when you compare them to other resturants (Tony Romas, Applebees, TGI Fridays...), the service may be slow but the place seats a lot of people so that's a given. The wait can get pretty long if you don't plan ahead. One idea is to buy the Safari card as it cuts your wait time and gives you a free appitizer. It's a one time fee of $15 and is good forever. You even get a $5 gift card on your birthday and anniversary date. Or you can go before or after the dinner/lunch rushes to avail a long wait.

[ron808]

Granted it is pricey but youare paying for the decency of the food.

It is no TGI Friday's or Applebee's. & it ain't definitely no fastfood joint.

It is mediocre at its best. AS the others said, you won't be missing much if you don't dine there.

[GreenGirl8]

Not a huge fan of this dining establishment. The food is so, so and it is very LOUD. The food at Goofy's Kitchen is nothing to write home about either, but the charactesr are great.

[SunshineOR]

We like RFC. Yes, it's always slow (but then you catch the thunderstorms), the food is not anything off the charts and it is pricey. We love the atmosphere though. It's so cool and our kids would be bummed if we skipped it. That said though, your crew is pretty young and it might be better to do Goofy's kitchen. I haven't been to that one and can't compare the two, but RFC can be a little intimidating to the younger crowd. My youngest was fearful there until she was about four years old. Lots of big animals who look real and make loud noises.

[peagreenid]

Disneyland is RFC. It never seems to be busy, the Breakfasts are HUGE. The kids breakfast are ADULT sized and could be split . It has never been crowded for us at breakfast time. It is a great way to experience the entertainment without breaking the budget. The cost isn't even 1/2 of Goofys for breakfast and it might give you the opportunity to visit both.

smiles Patty

[being-dragged-to-DL]

I have heard both, good and bad. My travel agent loved it. I decided to book two reservations, there and someplace else. When I get to DL Ill check out the ambiance at breakfast (I have been told its a good place for a light breakfast) and then if we hate it, we'll cancel. I think we'll love the room itself, and the action and the animals and water... I dont think we'll care about the food. My kids will just want PBJ anyway!

[ltldeb]

We eat at RFC every time we're at any of the Disney Parks and have NEVER had a bad experience there.

[alohamom]

Im with SunshineOr, my kids were 1 and 3 when we first took them and they were scared with the thunderstorm and dark moody atmosphere. However, we tried again when they were 3 and 5 and it has become a favorite for us, to the point where we have a safari club membership and my son has all the ChaCha tree frog stuff for his bathroom. I just remember them crying and huddling into me and not enjoying it the first time. If I had to choose, I would do Goofy over RFC.

[Mom2micayla]

Thanks so much for your responses.

Geez, still so unsure of what to do. I think my kids would love Goofy's because they love all the Disney characters (and are fine with them up close and personal). But IMO it's so expensive and there isn't much on the menu that I thought I'd eat. I don't know if they'd charge for my 2 1/2 year old but she eats next to nothing and the thought of spending $20 on a meal that she'll just pick at bothers me.

The menu for RFC looked okay to me and I already know what I'll probably get and it would be cheaper. But I hadn't thought about the whole thunderstorm being scary issue. I ate at a RFC one time like 10 years ago and I was an adult so obviously it wasn't an issue for me. I think my 4 year old would be fine, and probably my 2 1/2 year old. But I'm not sure what my 10 month old would think.

I guess theoretically I could do both places. I was just trying to keep the costs down as far as dining since my kids eat so little.

I swear I'm obsessing over where to eat on our trip more than I did the arrangements. :rolleyes:

[Tink33]

How often is the outside second level terrace open? We ate there the last time and had a short wait for a table, great service and a nice lunch. We sipped tropical drinks (smoothies for the kids) while listening to steel drum music. I felt about a thousand miles away from a theme park.

[fidoprincess]

Go to RFC for breakfast and then do Goofy's for dinner. I love the dinner there. I don't care too much for the brunch but the food for dinner is good. They always have a lot of variety for both kids and adults.

There is always a carving station with roast beef and then lately they have had a few entrees on the left like crab stuffed fish, pork tenderloin, turkey and then on the right they had make your own burrito thing lots of people were enjoying. I usually don't like the roast beef because it is so rare but they slice it and then sear it on the grill for me so it is more well done and it has been delicious. I always get that and the fish and even some popcorn shrimp and feel like I had a good combo of surf and turf-lol. They have a really big nice salad bar, a whole center section for the kids with pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, fried popcorn shrimp and more. They have some really good veggies and 3 kinds of potatoes-mashed, mini stuffed baked, fries. Then the desserts! A giant table of all kinds of desserts and an ice cream machine to make sundays.

My kids love it so much! The only caution is that for a table for 4, you will most likely be seated toward the back room of the restaurant. This drove me crazy as we did miss some characters. The nice tables right up front are for large parties. I finally just said that I wouldn't worry about what characters came and just enjoyed the dinner-lol, I enjoyed it so much I was way too stuffed!

My kids were scared at RFC but now that they are older (youngest is 6) they are fine with it but the thunderstorms and the gorillas made them cry! To this day, we always ask to be by the elephants, away from the gorillas-lol! Also, reservations are a must unless you want a 2 hour wait. I would not skip Goofys for RFC unless I did Plaza for breakfast.

[jencav5]

I booked our PS for Rainforest Cafe a few days ago. But the more people I've talked to the more I'm considering cancelling it. I've heard mostly bad things.. pricey, food so-so, terrible service. Has anyone actually had a *good* experience? Or am I better off just cancelling our PS and eating somewhere in DLR? (leaning towards Carnation Cafe in place of if we do)


We eat there fairly often and have never had a bad experience. I don't think it's any pricier than any other restaurant! They have a good variety of food, so you can usually find something you like. I wouldn't say the food is great, but it is not bad either. I actually prefer their breakfast, but you only get to sit downstairs at breakfast. It's still a rainforest, but no large animals. The kids love it and that's why we usually go. I think you will enjoy it. You should at least try it once if you've never been! :)

[lulubelle]

RFC is one of our family favorites, but than again we love fish tanks and are all adults :rolleyes:

I agree it is a little overpriced, but the food is good and the portions are huge. We love the atmosphere and always have a great time there. I agree Breakfast is good, too.

[Brina78]

One idea is to buy the Safari card as it cuts your wait time and gives you a free appitizer. It's a one time fee of $15 and is good forever. You even get a $5 gift card on your birthday and anniversary date.Hey, that sounds like something we should get since we sometimes think about ordering an appetizer. I should look into getting one of those. And $15 is not a bad price for it.

[DisnyMama]

We have been eatting at RFC for years with our 1st experience being the one at Animal Kingdom in WDW. We have always had wonderful service and using the Safari Club Membership gets us a free appetizer. As far as the prices go the pizzas are great and not your typical "chain" pizza but not weird gourmet where the kids will think it's icky and not eat it. There big and if you get a side salad two people can easily share one. I reccommend Pappagaillos Perfection (I think thats close to what its called). My other reccomendation are the wraps. They have a Turkey Caesar wrapped in a flour tortilla or the Barbeque Beef or Chicken wrap in the tortilla. They are all served with their homemade potato chips which are excellent. They charge extra if you want fries instead. The last I checked these items were all at about the $10 range give or take a buck or two ( I think the pizza might have been the buck or two more but the wraps I am pretty sure were under $10) It's the other menu items that are much more $$$ that can run between $12.99 and $20.00 average. But you absolutely have to order the VOLCANO!! :thumbsup2 It is a mound of icecream pilled in a mountain with brownie slices layered against the outside of the "volcano" with tons of hot fudge and caramel poured (not drizzeled) down over this thing to replicate lava then topped with whip cream and nuts and a silver party favor thing to look like a sparkler. It costs about $11.99 and they will bring plenty of spoons/forks and everyone justs dives in. It can feed 2 or in my opinion up to 6 people. The waiter or waitress carries out of the kitchen yelling "VOLCANO" the whole way to your table and all the other wait staff joins in repeating it. Go and have a good time. The food and ambiance are terrific. :mickeyjum

[Brina78]

But you absolutely have to order the VOLCANO!! :thumbsup2 It is a mound of icecream pilled in a mountain with brownie slices layered against the outside of the "volcano" with tons of hot fudge and caramel poured (not drizzeled) down over this thing to replicate lava then topped with whip cream and nuts and a silver party favor thing to look like a sparkler.Oh, yeah, did you know DTD is the only location that will do that? Other RFCs use real sparklers, but because Disney has a lot of rules and worry for fire safety, especially with a lot of young children in their restaurant, they use a silver party thing instead. My first RFC dining experience happened in Costa Mesa and I saw bunches of sparkling-firey desserts run by me. It's a real cool effect, but I can understand why Disney changed it.

[Mom2micayla]

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone. :)

We decided to stick with our reservations to RFC and skip Goofy's. I'm looking forward to it (3 wks from tomorrow :) ) and hoping that the kids won't be scared.

We're not big desert eaters since DH is a diabetic so I think we'll skip the volcano. Sounds yummy though.