Coral Reef Birthday Lunch 8/7/06

[Hopetobee]

Thank you , thank you, thank you, Silly Girl

Thanks for the great info on this at Coral Reef, I called Mon.11th and left a message, and within 20" they returned my call!!! I talked to Debbi and she was super nice. My DH's birthday is Sept.30 and during our dinner at Coral Reef we'll get the diver's banner with Happy Birthday and a personalized menu!! I can't wait to see his face, we never do this type of thing, so he should be REALLY surprised.

Just about all of this trip is new to me, it's the first time I have done all the planning and calling for reservations. I'm just hoping nothing will flub up!!

 

[Silly Girl]

Hopetobee-- I'm so glad I could help!!! It really was one of the highlights of our trip. I'm hoping to post a photo as soon as I figure out how to (I'm not very computer literate). We do have a good picture of the diver with the sign.

 

[Indianawdwfan]

Thank you all for this information!! I just called and I got everything set up for our sons 9th birthday!! I asked her if there is any charge, and she said no, that its part of the Disney magic!! I started bawling like a baby on the phone!! i couldnt wait until i hung up. Disney magic makes me emotional!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Jill

 

[dana1003]

Our family of four had a wonderful birthday lunch for my DH's 40th birthday at the Coral Reef. I had spoken to Meredith about a week before and made all the arrangements and thankfully they all panned out. We arrived at the Coral Reef around 1:30pm and were seated rather quickly next to the tank. My DH received his very own menu with his name printed on it and a birthday message from the Coral Reef. After receiving our drinks and having ordered our lunch the BIG surprise came (I was the only one in on this one). A scuba diver came down next to our table and held up a sign which read "Happy Birthday Dad! Love, Abby and Hadley" it was a huge hit. The waiter and the guests around us then sang Happy Birthday to my DH. My DD's were also just thrilled. This is apparently something the Coral Reef will do free of charge and it is a big hit!!! My DH was very surprised. Our lunch was great. DH had the Mahi Mahi over couscous. I had the Lobster Soup and Ceasar Salad with fried scallops. DD 10 had Chicken Breast w/Mashed Potatoes and Broccolli and DD 7 had Pizza. We all enjoyed our meal. I then had previously arranged the Chocolate Wave to be given to my DH. It came out along with a chocolate "Happy Birthday" card. Everyone enjoyed it. All in all I believe this is a great place to have a birthday dinner just remember to ask for the scuba diver with sign.

hi just read your thread...i called coral reef to do the same thing and they told me that it isnt guaranteed that the divers will come down. there are classes that people book to scuba dive in the tank and if they dont show then there is no one to dive down...you are very lucky to have gotten them. im planning the surprise for my parents anniversary an i hope it works out. what a great memory!

 

[Lexxiefern]

That is so cool!

 

[tinaluis]

I'm so glad to see that this post is still going. We did this for our DDs' birthdays last month (inspired by SillyGirl's original post) and it was the highlight of our trip! They were AWED and SPEECHLESS (which rarely happens in our house ). If you don't get through the first time, keep trying. It really is a special memory that we will all have forever!!!

 

[Disney owl]

Sounds like you had a great meal

 

[Meredisney]

Dana1003:

That's not true. The divers are always avialable to bring a banner down, although they usually go home around 7:30pm. So make your dinner reservations early if you would like a banner for your special occasion.

 

[dana1003]

Dana1003:

That's not true. The divers are always avialable to bring a banner down, although they usually go home around 7:30pm. So make your dinner reservations early if you would like a banner for your special occasion.

they told me there was no guarantee. i made a 6:20 reservation. thank you so much for telling me cuz i sincerely was going to cancel and find someplace else to do something special.

 

[Meredisney]

dana1003: I've never heard of them not guaranteeing a Banner. You must have talked to someone that didn't know what they were talking about. Like I said before, the divers leave about 7:30pm, so anytime before that usually works for a banner. Now, I do know that the coral reef doesn't guarantee Tank-side seating. As you can imagine, everyone the dines at their restaurant asks to sit by the tank. So what they do is tell the guest it is a first come first serve basis and that they will try to get you as close as they can for the party size. Usually, if you are wlling to wait and you don't care how long you wait, as long as you get to sit down front, then they respect that and work with you to get you there. However, it means an increase in your wait time.

Most of the time....about 98.9%....if you have planned a banner, then you will have a seat down front. But there is always a chance that you could end up on the second level (where the banners are still very visible)

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for the review, sounds like a great and memorable meal!

 

[nurseypoo5]

omgosh i cant believe i missed this!!!!
]
My DS's b-day was saturday and next Saturday is our big bithday dinner at CR. This was all his chioce as he is convinced he wants to be an oceanographer when he grows up.

Is it too late to get a banner I bet he would be crushed to see others with banners but none for him. I'd hate to have him dissapointed.

Thanks so much for posting this!!! Your a Blessing!

 

[nurseypoo5]

rainy-daze and kstinw19 -- the direct number to the Coral Reef is:
407-560-6784. I would recommend calling in the morning. I spoke with a woman by the name of Meredith.

yay!!! thanks again! i called at 9:10 (started at 8;30) and you press 2, then 0 and just keep calling till someone answers. I was lucky to get Tasha, who was awsome! first official pixie dusting.

My son tyler will be so suprised, our adr is for 6pm on this Saturday! yippieeee! tytytyty!

 

[Silly Girl]

Nurseypoo5 -- I'm so glad you found this thread and were able to book the diver. It is so awesome and your son will be thrilled. Let us know how it goes when you get back.

 

[dana1003]

yay!!! thanks again! i called at 9:10 (started at 8;30) and you press 2, then 0 and just keep calling till someone answers. I was lucky to get Tasha, who was awsome! first official pixie dusting.

My son tyler will be so suprised, our adr is for 6pm on this Saturday! yippieeee! tytytyty!

we made adr for dec thru dd...do i have to call coral reef the week before i leave to let them know we want a banner? i spoke to the person doing our and i thought she was typing it into the comp.? does this come up in coral reefs comp?

 

[Silly Girl]

dana1003-- You must call the Coral Reef directly!!!! I NEVER went through disney dining to request this as I indicated in my original post. I've even given phone numbers and names. I would recommend you call the Coral Reef directly now.

 

[dana1003]

yay!!! thanks again! i called at 9:10 (started at 8;30) and you press 2, then 0 and just keep calling till someone answers. I was lucky to get Tasha, who was awsome! first official pixie dusting.

My son tyler will be so suprised, our adr is for 6pm on this Saturday! yippieeee! tytytyty!

ok so i let this thing ring for like 10 min an nothing...is this normal?? the first time i was diconnected. is there no one there to answer the phone in the restaurant...seems pretty unprofessional to me..

 

[Meredisney]

ok so i let this thing ring for like 10 min an nothing...is this normal?? the first time i was diconnected. is there no one there to answer the phone in the restaurant...seems pretty unprofessional to me..

Do you have the correct number? Try 407-560-6636. Someone gave that number a couple of posts up...

 

[dana1003]

Do you have the correct number? Try 407-560-6636. Someone gave that number a couple of posts up...

i was dialing 407-560-6784...i think that was in someone's post. ill try this one. thanks.ill let you know.

 

[dana1003]

Do you have the correct number? Try 407-560-6636. Someone gave that number a couple of posts up...

meredisney-you should have earned your ears already!! thank you for that #! i called and they picked up right away, then even requested that we send a pic so that they personalize the menu...you just made my day