Coral Reef: best time for diner in late Jan.

[chottsy]

Thinking about booking a diner ADR here in late Jan.

Are they usually packed...as early as 5:30???

Is it easy enough to get a seat right by the aquarium?
(table for 3)

What is your favorite dish here?
We are thinking of going with the steak..have read reviews saying that the non-seafood selections are favored by most guests.

is it really that noisy?
can i expect children to squeeze up next to our table to see the fish, if we are seated down front?

we do NOT enjoy Ohana's due to the noise and chaos...keeping that in mind..is this not a good choice for us?

any suggestions, thoughts?

 

[IllinoisMommy]

I really could not tell you about how crowded it will be...but did want to share that I really enjoyed this restaurant a few years back. My DH had the steak and liked it, I had some sort of grilled fish over orzo (or some other pasta/rice thing and it was good). Was worried since DH is not a seafood guy but we really enjoyed the meal and atmosphere.

Wanted to sit near the tanks too and asked but we were not seated there. We were in an upper level (it is tiered for viewing) and could see the tanks great. Ended up being glad we were not right by the tanks as I think we had a better panoramic view.

Since we saw the fish fine- I did not have my kids get closer (though would not have allowed this if it had been too close to bother other guests- not all parents will be so kind though )

Hope you enjoy the meal here . It was our favorite meal of the trip

 

[Pakey]

I cannot count the number of times we have dined here.

This restaurant has a history of seating behind ADR times; the longest we have waited is 45 minutes. Rarely have we been seated on time and the later in the evening, the worse it seems to get. Service is also not known to be that great here. We've had some good experiences and some bad experiences. It is sometimes difficult to get drink refills.

This restaurant is very noisy, one of the noisiest at WDW with that wall of glass. Two visits ago there were a couple of crying children/babies throughout our meal and it was excruciating. We prefer to go for lunch, when the restaurant first opens for the day and we can get out before the chaos gets to full range. The restaurant itself is quite pretty with a dark undersea theme. If you get the winning combo of a quiet meal time with decent service, it can be a very enjoyable and unique meal.

You are not guaranteed a table next to the tank. In all of our visits, we have had a tank table twice. If you are seated there, yes, you may encounter children with rude parents who allow their children to invade your table space. We actually prefer to be in the booths across the aisle from the tank tables or up on the next tier.

I thought the steak was awful here. Way overcooked and not a decent quality--we eat much better steaks grilled at home than this. I've only had it once as I prefer to try something new each time. The only dish still on the menu that I really like here is the mahi mahi. They have dumbed down this menu so many times in the past 5 years and most of the good dishes are gone. The children's menu is pretty bad; our grandson voted this his worst meal of his vacation.

 

[chottsy]

so i am guessing that the earlier for diner the better...or rather the more likely you will be seated relatively quickly and the less likely it will be crazy loud etc.???

also can kids see the tanks easily from the 2nd, or 3rd tier of seats?
looks like from the photos that the wall "humps" up and might obstruct a child's view.

 

[minnie mum]

I think Pakey's description of Coral Reef was right on. Only I think she was being a little generous with her praise. And the last time we were there the Mahi mahi was overcooked to the point of being inedible. If our server had ever reappeared we would have sent it back. As it was she showed up in time to hand us the bill. And acted annoyed when we said we would prefer to have dessert before the bill Come to think of it, the dessert was the only thing we really enjoyed.

Yes it is pretty. You have a decent view of the tanks no matter where you are seated. Kids will still be running around, especially trying to get up against the glass. Absolutely the noisiest place I have ever dined at.

I know that everyone's opinions differ, but this is one of a couple of restaurants at WDW that I would actively discourage people from eating at.If noise, chaos and uncertain food quality will bother you, then perhaps this isn't your cuppa tea.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

I don't remember it being loud. We usually get a 4:30 reservation. I think at the most we've had to wait about 5 minutes to be seated. The first time we were right beside the tank. The next time we were about the third tier up. The other poster is right....I enjoyed seeing the whole tank from our perspective. But I also enjoyed being right beside the tank.

I enjoyed the steak. For dessert, the server let me order a virgin frozen strawberry dacquiri. It was delicious!

 

[LJSquishy]

I think the majority of people on Disboards who rate restaurants poorly have too high of expectations, thinking Disney restaurants should be better than any other typical restaurant you can eat at in your hometown. I'm not saying all restaurants are great and those who review one poorly are wrong -- there certainly are bad restaurants or negative experiences. I think Coral Reef will be fine.

I have heard a lot of great things about the steak, Mahi-Mahi, and the fish-of-the-day, as well as the lobster ravioli (that is at Coral Reef, right??). I haven't been, so I can't rate it first hand but I'm sure it is at least the standard of middle-grade restaurant cuisine most people are used to.

 

[Pakey]

Since the PP thinks I'm too hard on WDW dining, I want to point out that I've done 22 WDW vacations and have dined at all but 5 TS there. My review of Coral Reef is based on many meals there, compared to other WDW restaurants in the same price range/dining plan credit range.

I think that if you hit this place on a bad night (and we have, more than once) you could very well have a dining experience lower than middle-grade.

Many WDW restaurants are consistent, either good or bad. Coral Reef is definitely inconsistent. And it's not the restaurant it was 10-15 years ago.

 

[chottsy]

okay...i appreciate the feedback on the quality of food...but that was not my reason for starting this thread. i have read tons and tons of reviews on the food at CR...and as with all the dining reviews i have learned to them all with a "grain of salt"...

(so many people raved about Chefs de France..worst meal we have ever had!...Ohana's...so many love it...too loud & greasy for us!...Akerhus...we love it, lots don't...so whateves on the food reviews...)

i WAS asking about the noise level, the view from the 2nd & 3rd levels of seating, & how early we might need to make our ADR in order to have the "best" experience..as in enjoyable atmosphere.

i think we are still going to give it a try...it's worth a shot for something new and different. we go every year, so it's no big deal if it isn't the best..at least we will know for ourselves.

thanks

 

[Boog's Mommy]

My family of 3 loved the Coral Reef. (Me, husband and 3 yr old son). We were lucky enough to be seated right next to the aquarium. A huge sea turtle swam right over and sat next to the glass where my son was seated. Then they had divers in the tank (think it was a tour) and when the divers would swim by they would wave to us and to my son. He thought it was super cool.

I think getting next to the aquarium is just random.

I got a steak and it was delicious. My husband got seafood, but I don't remember which dish, I think some sort of fish and he really enjoyed it too.

Yes, there were some kids that came up next to us so they could see inside the aquarium, but they didn't bother us and they didn't stay long.

Disney is all what you make it. If you go in with a good attitude and tolerance for others, than you will be fine.

Have fun!