Grand Floridian Cafe vs. The Wave BATTLE ROYAL

[billsfan]

We are down to making our last choice for dining.

On our Magic Kingdom day we are planning a three to four hour break from the park and do not want to head back to the AKL so we thought about eating dinner at either the Grand Floridian Cafe or The Wave.

We have stayed at both resorts before but have eaten at neither of these restaurants.

Alright fellow diners please let me know the GOOD, BAD and UGLY about these two restaurants.

 

[cathydwin]

We had better service at the Wave & I found the food better. friendly staff

We did the GF Cafe in October and it took a LONG time for the meal to come out once ordered & the dinning room was only half full! We had 1 extra TS so thought we would give it a try again. Took an early time as they had 4 times offered & they were still slow.

Granted it was better than the year before when we waited almost 1 hr from placing our order to getting it.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I'd prefer the Grand Floridian Café for any meal.

I think the Wave's food is a lot better than it was when it first opened, but the dining room is really unattractive and lacks ambiance. It's just a large, open, square, brown room. I felt like I was dining in a cafeteria the one time we ate in their dining room. I think their lounge has beautiful decor and atmosphere, though. If you decide to have dinner at the Wave, I highly suggest taking your meal in the lounge.

I think the Grand Floridian Café offers an overall better menu at all mealtimes and that the dining room is much prettier. It is a little more popular, though, so you could be more likely to experience waits and it may not be as quiet. However, the tables are far enough apart that you won't feel crowded even if the restaurant is at full capacity.

 

[bedogged]

I haven't dined at the Cafe, but I have dined at the Wave. I would not recommend the Wave. We had a very bad experience with them when we dined there a year ago January. To make a long story short, I found a human hair baked into my food. Other tables were complaining of dirty glasses.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have only ever had two bad meals at Disney and The Wave was one of them. Tasted like out of a can, like another poster said - big brown room. No ambiance. When I hear "The Wave" I think of blues, cooling, soothing. This was like a cheap plywood cafeteria with food to match. Blech.

However, we have eaten at GFC at least 4 times and it has always been amazing!!

But Kona, IMO, is the best restaurant on the monorail line.

 

[CamoMama]

Finally! Other people who were unimpressed with Wave. I keep seeing people gush over it and I wonder if I'm nuts or if they just really didn't like me there and gave me crappy service. The food was mostly okay (except dessert), but not worth the price IMO, and the service was bad. As said above, the dining room is incredibly boring, which is a bit jarring after walking through the lovely lounge area. I have a picky kid, and the server was completely baffled that we would want to make any changes to the food (leaving things off). It took forever to order because she just didn't get it. The place was almost deserted, it was just us and a family with a small child, seated almost right next to each other although the rest of the room was completely empty. I understand serving areas, but really, did we need to be brushing elbows with the only other diners? They refused to serve our desserts without the horrid raspberry sauce, and the desserts were not good. It was the worst creme brulee I've ever tasted, the raspberry sauce made the cheesecake inedible and the chocolate mousse was incredibly bitter. When we were finished with our meal it took 10 minutes to get our check. No one came into the dining room for 10 minutes. I was about to walk back into the kitchen to find someone when our server finally appeared. Seriously, I will never eat there again.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We've eaten at GF Cafe 1x a year for the past 5 years and have never had a bad meal there. We've considered trying The Wave but have been scared away by the mediocre reviews. We'd rather go with the sure thing.

 

[B-Ride]

We ate at the Wave a few years ago and were not impressed enough to return.

As a PP has said, the best restaurant on the monorail is Kona Cafe, in our opinion as well.

 

[jp02]

I haven't tried the Wave, but I have been to the GFC and thought it was very good. I will be returning on my next trip!

 

[si-am]

I've never tried the GF Cafe. I've eaten at The Wave many times, though, and have never had a bad meal. I love it!

 

[sotoalf]

Although I've never eaten at The Wave, I can recommend its bar wholeheartedly: some of the friendliest, most knowledgeable, and most devoted at WDW (one in particular has worked at various locations since the late eighties). Great adult vibe.

The GF Cafe, on the other hand, does wonders with the usual hotel coffee shop fare.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Although I've never eaten at The Wave, I can recommend its bar wholeheartedly: some of the friendliest, most knowledgeable, and most devoted at WDW (one in particular has worked at various locations since the late eighties). Great adult vibe.

I agree with that. I think the only bar staff I like more are the bartenders at Sanaa.

 

[MinnieGolf]

I've eaten at both multiple times. Great food at both, but GFC's atmosphere and service are better. The Wave, despite its name, is a little more sterile and cold in its atmosphere. The GFC is warm, inviting and cheerful.

If you're looking for a truly restful break from the parks, the Grand Floridian Resort is a better option than the Contemporary. GF is gorgeous and offers plenty of opportunities for exploration: the shops, the beach, the beautiful grounds, the grand lobby, etc.

For what it's worth, I'm still dreaming about the dinner I had at GFC in December. Absolutely delicious!

 

[rascalmom]

We had dinner at The Wave last month and I was not impressed. We've never tried the GFC, but, like others, are big fans of Kona Cafe. We've never had a bad meal there and the servers are great.

 

[shellybaxter]

Here is another vote for the Grand Floridian Cafe. We had a lovely dinner there on our last trip and I agree the Grand Floridian is a lovely resort for a break. We have eaten at the Wave and did not enjoy our food. We found it blah and uninspired.

 

[lynn46356]

Well I ate at both this past February and The Wave beats out GFC with regard to steak. The Waves steak was wonderful, melt in your mouth, very very good. GFC wasn't that great. The only thing I didn't like about The Wave was the bread they served. It was multigrain or something like that and I didn't care for it. But that's ok. I was able to enjoy my main course that much more by not being full on bread. Happy Disney Planning!

 

[Mom2micayla]

We had 2 trips last year and ate at a ton of TS meals, and the GFC was one of our most favorite in terms of the quality and taste of the food. We're planning another trip in March and that's on our to-do list for sure.

 

[Karlzmom]

GFC! Hands down....even though they changed my beloved GFC burger We love the place and make more than one trek each trip, though we never have stayed at the GF.

 

[comicguy]

I would go with the GF Cafe

We eat her twice every trip!!

 

[goofy4tink]

Love, love, love the GF Cafe. It's beautiful, we've always had great service there, and the food has always been very good.
I'm one of those who always wants to try the Wave, but just can't get excited about the food offerings.
For our family, the GF Cafe wins, hands down.