just read bad review of Coral Reef....is it still true?

[mickey'sbud]

I just read the bad review of Coral Reef dated 04/09....
Has there been any improvements since then? This is 1 of the 3 resturants we had hoped to go to......so we're disappointed in the bad review.
Any comments?
Thanks.

 

[fupresti]

I just read the bad review of Coral Reef dated 04/09....
Has there been any improvements since then? This is 1 of the 3 resturants we had hoped to go to......so we're disappointed in the bad review.
Any comments?
Thanks.

I went in December of 2008 and it was fantastic. This is after I went in 2004 and vowed never to again because the food was horrible.

Don't base your decision on one bad review. No one can be prefect. I think collectively most will say it is a great experience.

 

[DrmWvr1299]

Thinking of taking my Dsil to the Coral Reef next trip...she has never been to WDW before . Anyway, I think she would love the atmosphere of the CR but I am not sure if the food/service is really that bad. We went on a FW tour last year and CR was part of the tour. I loved the inside of the place. I have left one more night open for a good, fun meal for her and I thought Coral Reef might be fun for her but she is a sometimes picky eater.

 

[squirrel]

Our food was good at CR, much better than Sci-Fi. However our impressions of the two restaurants are completely different because of the servers. At Sci-Fi our server was very good, at CR our server was not good at all. I was really looking forward to this restaurant as I had personalized menus for the kids and was also given a diver to hold a sign (not available anymore). Unfortunately, even with all the nice extras at the restaurant, the service we received was not what we expected at any Disney restaurant.

You just can't go by one post. Everyone has different tastes. You will have to try it and see for yourself.

 

[CruznLexi]

We ate here in Jan and it was very good. We were lucky to sit right next to oe of the windows.
Lexi

 

[mickey'sbud]

Actually the "review" was on DIS not here on the boards part/thread.
They had several apps, 2 meals, and desserts....wh/ they thought was way below par and not good especially for a $95 bill.
So you can see my concern since it was a "review" not just a posted opinion....even tho it is still someone's opinion

 

[Uncleromulus]

We had dinner there a few trips ago and liked it!!

 

[3R1C]

We loved the Coral Reef. My DH had the New York Strip Steak and he said that it was, by far, his best meal at Disney. We found our server to be very good and the kids loved the special drinks that they could get with their meals. It is on our "must do dining list" for next time!!!

 

[x5x5x5x5x5]

Ahhhh Coral Reef. I love the ambiance of this restaurant. Beautiful and serene colors - not a bad seat in the house. That said, the food is definitely hit and miss. I usually plan a visit here once a trip because I love the experience so much but have learned to keep my expectations in check regarding the food (and service). We never use the dining plan so it hurts (a lot) to pay OOP for a not so great meal - but I always take the chance. One time I had a steak here that was one of the best I've ever had anywhere - and one time I had to send back two different dishes during our meal. We usually go for lunch and don't spend the extra cash for higher end entrees. But we keep coming back!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Actually the "review" was on DIS not here on the boards part/thread.
They had several apps, 2 meals, and desserts....wh/ they thought was way below par and not good especially for a $95 bill.
So you can see my concern since it was a "review" not just a posted opinion....even tho it is still someone's opinion

I personally thought it was a ridiculous review for the reason I bolded.

Who orders like that? I don't think my family has ever ordered several appetizers anywhere.

 

[dogodisney]

We ate there in 2006 (for lunch) and again this past Sept. during FD for dinner. Both times the food was very good as well as the service. My only compaint this past time was the noise but it was packed so it is to be expected.

 

[Tricia1972]

I wouldn't worry about a bad review or two if it's a place that you think sounds really good from the menu, and the ambiance appeals to you.

Any restaurant in WDW (with the possible exception of V&A) is going to have servers/chefs/hosts/hostesses, who are off on any given night, and there are no restaurants in WDW that get 100% positive reviews.

Also, factor in not only off nights by staff members, but the fact that we all have different tastes and expectations of restaurants. That means even more bad reviews for very good places.

Unless it's a place that gets 100% bad reviews on the internet, I wouldn't cancel a reservation based on reviews. Just my two cents.

 

[goofy4tink]

You are going to get varying opinions from everyone. You just have to read 'em all and make a decision based on how you feel about various reviews.
So....to add to your confusion...
We ate at the Coral Reef back in 2006..it was wonderful. We had great service, wonderful food. The only drawback were the two little kids who were allowed, by their parents, to shove in behind us to get right up next to the tank. We were lucky enough to be seated right alongside the tank. But this was also a spot where others felt it was okay to shove behind us, draping themselves over us, in order to peer right into the tank, up against the glass.
Then, we returned there last Sept. A whole different experience. We had looked forward to repeating our great dinner, but that didn't happen. We went during free dining. There were about 4 times as many large families eating there this time. Many screaming children, lots of chaos and confusion. Our server was okay...seemed to be really stressed. The food was okay, but not up to what we had expected based on our prior meal. And we ordered exactly the same things!!!
It was so noisy in there that we decided to leave without dessert, although we had been looking forward to it. But, we weren't able to carry on a conversation due to the noise level...we had to shout at each other.

I have no basic issue with free dining. But, it does fill up the more expensive restaurants. There are a lot of people who would not feel comfortable paying to eat at some of the restaurants, due to the prices, but with free dining, it almost tends to become a free for all...pardon the pun.

We won't be back again...at least not during free dining. But, we can say that about a lot of the 'better' restaurants at WDW during free dining.

 

[Macsfiveplus1]

Our last trip I allowed each of my 6 kids pick a restaurant. Two of them picked Coral Reef. I warned them of the mixed reviews and showed them the menu. We are not seafood eaters (Probably because I am allergic to shellfish so we don't go to seafood restaurants). We went and no one ordered seafood. The atmosphere is nice and the tank is interesting. We had a large booth in the last tier. Our server was great, he was our second favorite server of the week. The food was just alright. It was our least favorite meal of the week as far as taste. That being said, I think it has to be experienced once. How often can you eat dinner and look at a aquarium.

 

[Singinglizzie]

We ate there for lunch on the DDP in Jan. 09 and it was by far the best meal we had at Disney. We ordered the mahi and the grouper - both delicious and split a appetizer of the crab/shrimp cakes which we liked very much. This is the same dish that was poorly reviewed by the Dis reviewer and it turned out to be the one food item that my 14yo still talks about as his favorite, even today. My dd orderd off the childrens menu and I had her lobster soup. It was good, but maybe if you had to pay $$$ it might have not been as good? My take is that the Dis reviewer paid out of pocket and consequently had higher expections... a $100 for a few appetizers is alot of money. I'd say give it a try and see for yourself. We also ate at an early lunch seating when the restaurant was not yet full. Our waiter was excellent and made suggestions on how to get full value of the DDP, like suggesting we order fruit smoothies (non-alchoholic) for our drinks at no extra cost. I am going back in Sept, and plan again to go for lunch at the early seating. Hopefully, it will be just as good. Enjoy wherever your dine!

 

[carol-lamb]

I have eaten there twice in the past couple of summers and both meals have been excellent. In fact, I have an ADR for September and I am looking forward to eating there again.

 

[Pakey]

We've eaten here several times, including 3 times within the past 12 months. CR has some very good dishes and some terrible dishes. There are servers here who are attentive and there are some who are "never to be seen" and you wait for drink refills, your check, etc. Sometimes it's a nice atmosphere and sometimes it's so noisy that you can't hear the people at your own table.

It's not the best place at WDW and it's not the worst either. The only way to know what your opinion should be is to go and check it out for yourself.

 

[sewingmolly]

We had lunch at CR in March 09 and had a great experience. We sat on the second tier which was good, but probably not as nice as by the window. We had one of our favorite dishes of our trip there - the scallops appetizer. The rest of the food was very good. We skipped dessert, because we were full. Our server was very friendly. We paid OOP, since we weren't on the DDP and yes, like all food in the world, it's expensive.

One fun memory from that lunch was my 13 yo niece decided that she would take care of the check since she had charging privileges on her card. It was good practice for her.

We would definitely go back here.

 

[flamom]

we had lunch at coral reef last month on my birthday and it's now become a favorite epcot restaurant.my children also loved it. the food was delicious i had the tilapia which was wonderful and the creme brulee for dessert. we had a table by the tank which was also wonderful. it wasn't at all noisy.OP i hope you give it a try.

 

[Carol17]

I was there the end of April. As most stated, it seems to be hit or miss in terms of food and service quality. If you would would like to read my review of Coral Reef(with pics), I had a food trip report here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2218343


Or to read my full trip report, it is here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2178485