50's primetime or Sci-Fi ?

[dizneyfan]

Our family of 4 will be going to the world in May. If we plan just one sit down meal at MGM should we choose 50's primetime cafe or the Sci-Fi ? I really feel like my two boys, 6 and 8, would enjoy either. Opinions?

--dizneyfan

 

[ghidorah97]

fan-

Both are a lot of fun. I have eaten at both every single time I go to MGM. Some of the major differences:

1. Food:

Sci-Fi is more simple burgers, sandwiches, etc. Decent but unspectacular food
50's PT is more "hearty", stick to your ribs foods such as Pot Roast (DEEEE-licious!) and Pot Pie

Both offer can't-miss milkshakes (PB&J at 50's, Cookies and Cream at Sci-Fi)

2. Atmosphere:

Sci-Fi is a drive-in theatre where you sit in a car. Very cool, and young boys would really dig it. The Sci-Fi movie clips are very cool as well, particularly if your boys have shown any interest in that area.

50's is exactly what it says, a 50's era setting (kitchen, living room, etc.). Be prepared to be scolded for not finishing your meal, elbows on table and all sorts of other faux pas. It is all fun and games, but there are some who don't "get it".

That's about it. Neither would be considered gourmet food, and neither is exactly bargain priced, but I feel both give you good food and great fun for the price. I highly recommend either.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[DisneyMSF]

It's been several years since we went to the 50's primetime cafe (so I don't know if its changed since then) but when we went, we really didn't enjoy it. I really didn't like their "gimmick". The waitress was pretty much mean to us and the food really wasn't that good. And if course we got yelled at for not finishing our meals (that we didn't like very much). I know that's their gimmick, but it wasn't for me. I think I prefer friendly service when were dining.

We've only eaten at Sci-fi once, and it was for an afternoon snack, so we only had milkshakes and fries (both were good), but I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was a lot of fun watching the old movie clips while we ate.

 

[sha_lyn]

We love PTC. The food is great and we love the atsmophere. It is a must do on our list. They also show TV clips from the 50's which is a lot of fun. Ask for uncle Spence, he is a blast.

 

[PieInYourEye]

Prime Time gets my vote - great food and great fun.

 

[Love Bug Girl]

I really enjoy Primetime i think that the food is much better there than at Sci fi. And you can have a lot of fun with your waiter or waitress!

 

[dizneyfan]

Thanks for the input...it's going to be a difficult choice. Maybe we just need to schedule two sit-down meals or maybe lunch at one with a snack at the other. Any more opinions out there?

--dizneyfan

 

[TreeOfLife]

I HATED the 50's Primetime Cafe.

Too noisy, people get carried away and I was getting a headache in that place! I am not exaggerating but it wasn't until I stepped out that I realized my ears were ringing.
Not to mention some meals were overpriced. At that time (I believe it was in 1999) They were selling a can of Spaghettios in the kids' menu for almost $7!!

The waiter got a little carried away with the gimmicks. It was so easy to be rude rather than funny just because I asked for lime in my soda! I wasn't sure several times about whether I should laugh or leaving him without a tip... Then I saw other waitresses mingling very informally with guests, to the point where I'd consider it stepping over boundaries. They screamed, threw themselves on chairs, etc.
What they'll do for a tip!

I will never, ever walk back into that place mostly because it is soooo noisy. I understand that kids and everyone are excited about their trip but if you are looking for a place to not only eat but rest your feet, cool off your body and relax, I would definitely not recommend the squeals of this place. Too many parents don't train their kids to behave at the table. They act like they're back home and nobody cares about who their kids are bothering. I think it is very rude and inconsiderate to allow that barnyard behavior in a public place.

So, nobody can pay me enough to eat in that place ever again.

 

[sha_lyn]

Not to mention some meals were overpriced. At that time (I believe it was in 1999) They were selling a can of Spaghettios in the kids' menu for almost $7!!

Really, a can of spaghettios? I find that hard to believe. BTW they must have lowered their prices since 99 too, the Mickey Pasta with tomato sauce and a beverage is 4.99 as of April 2002. All the kids meals are 4.99
I alos find it amusing that you blame PTC for parents letting their children act up


BTW here sre the menus for PTC
PTC kid's menu
Sci Fi

Sci Fi kid's

 

[ead79]

I ate at both restaurants on my last trip and really enjoyed them both. I thought the food was also good at both restaurants. There is more variety at 50's Prime Time, but the burgers at Sci-Fi are good. I think that Sci-Fi was a little more relaxing/less hectic since it's dark and they show movies. Either would be a great choice!

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Hi Dizneyfan!

Our boys have the same age spread, although mine are a tad older-- 8 & 10 now. My older boy voted for Sci-Fi; the younger, PTC. My younger guy is the more theatric of the two, so I think that aspect of it is what appealed to him most. He loved hamming it up with our waiter (who happened to be from a town only 30 minutes from ours!).

Personally, I think Sci-Fi might go over a little better for a first time visit, although it depends largely upon your kids' personalities. Sci-Fi has broader appeal; PTC might not seem that interesting to them if they aren't able to understand that the waiters are kidding around.

Not sure that helped at all. LOL

Have fun!
BK

 

[donaldismyfriend]

They are both really good.
We have done both but we always do 50's. We love this place.
Last trip was the best. Auntie Claria was our waitress and she was wonderful. She made husband wear a bib and she put it on him and started singing song from Little Mermaid. It was a picture moment. We took pictures and then sent them to her. She has a book of photos. Can't wait to see the pictures when we go back in June.
Sci-Fi was okay. It is neat. We had to wait over 30 minutes. We had PS and we still had to wait. We scheduled to late in the day and by the time we got out of there we could not get into
Fantasmic. We were bummed. I thought having PS at 5:30 would give us plenty of time but not this time. Oh well, we caught it another night.

If I had to vote. I would say 50's Prime Time. It is great. The pot roast is wonderful. The kids even love it too. Husband loves the PB & J milkshake. It is a must every trip.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I alos find it amusing that you blame PTC for parents letting their children act up

I find it amusing that it is how you interpreted it...

I did not place the blame on the restaurant but criticized its atmosphere. It is noisier than I am in the mood for.

And yes, they did sell cans of Spaghettios in the kids menu for almost $7 when I went there. I can't forget that one because the kids wanted to eat Spaghetios and the friends I was with and I thought it was some restaurant-made meal. but we asked and the waiter told us it was a classic can of Spaghettios. Maybe it was replaced by the Mickey pasta later on, we thought it was something more like that back then.

So I told my kids I would not pay so much for a can of Spaghettios and if I had to pay that much they'd have to cook their meal. The kids ended up having some fried whatchamacallits with fries.

 

[Badger Brent]

We go to 50's prime time just so our kids can watch as we get kidded around. They think it's great when dad or mom get scolded for doing something like not finishing your meal, not taking off a hat, leaning on elbows. My wife and I love to go along with the whole spiel just to see the reaction from our kids. You sometimes get out of a situation what you put into it. As far as the food goes, 50's gets all of our votes. Good margaritas at the Tune in lounge adjacent to the restaraunt. Have fun with either choice!!

 

[jilljill]

We love 50's PTC. My daughter usually gets told that she can tattle on us because that's what they let the "Princess's" get away with. She giggles all thru the meal. She loves to see us get in trouble.
A friend of mine (she is 50) got in trouble and they made her hula hoop in the restaurant. She got the biggest kick out of it and we still laugh about that moment.
The food has always been good.
Happy eating!!!

 

[dbond]

We usually try and do both each trip, and we always have a pleasant experience in Sci Fi, we have had good times at 50's and not so good times. If we were forced to choose one over the other, I think we would pick Sci Fi for most of the reasons people already mentioned....50's does tend to get loud, we don't feel like we get very good service in 50's, the waiters are sometimes too busy goofing around to really take care of our needs, we
ALWAYS have to wait a long time at 50's and we always have PS, we have been able to walk in to Sci Fi several times and get a table without PS with a reasonable wait, that would never happen at 50's, but we really like the food at 50's, it's basic fare and more reasonably priced, we spend a lot more money at Sci Fi, the food selection gets pricey if you like the fish & steak on the menu and we always order drinks in Sci Fi which adds up our bill, at 50's we stick to milkshakes, sodas & ice tea. So it really depends on your mood, the personality of your family, how much time you want to spend eating and what you're hungry for. My kids order the same kids meal at both places, so they don't care where they eat, but there's something about sitting in the front seat of that car in Sci Fi, they get a big kick out of that every time. They think they are the drivers I guess.

 

[dizneyfan]

Great responses guys! I think we may do Sci-Fi...although both sound great, I would prefer to eat at a restaurant where I can enjoy the atmosphere rather than be a part of it. One of my boys would probably really ham it up with the waiters at Primetime, but the other is very shy. Ditto for me and my husband.

Thanks for all your wonderful opinions--just what I can always expect from the Dis!

 

[ivanova]

we can never decide, so we end up doing both ... Sci Fi for lunch (burgers & fries schtick) and then 50's PTC for dinner.

When we were there the servers seemed to do a great job of gaging their guests ... did the guests give the impression that they'd have fun "playing along" or were they giving off the vibes that they just wanted to eat & be left alone.

Our table fell into the "play along" mode ... my daughter got to sing "I'm a little Teapot" when she didn't ask permission to leave the table (and still laughs about it to this day).

If you are concerned the boys may not enjoy it then I would recommend Sci Fi. If you get a chance to do 50's PTC at another time, try to schedule a time that isn't as busy (nontraditional eating times probably) so that you can "test the waters" so to speak.

 

[D. R. N.]

We have also done both.. We just got back from a short trip on last Tuesday and decided to go to 50's prime time again. We had tried it once before about 4 years ago. I remembered it being a good experience. Our waitress didn't pick on us too much.

Anyway, I must say this past visit was not very fun. Our waiter, "Mickey" went a little overboard in my opinion. He was just plain rude and rushed us through our ordering process and offered very little service throughout our meal. Yes, I do "get it" but I don't feel that you go to a restaurant to be treated rudely and repeatedly embarrassed in front of others. My own mother never treated us like "Mickey" did! The whole meal I was just worried that he was going to catch me doing something wrong and scream it out so everyone can hear. And to think at the end of this (rather expensive) meal I had to tip this guy!!???

Perhaps I do not find this amusing because I am a little shy at times. Most people seemed to be having fun but there were some that weren't too happy. One little girl (about 8) from another table was almost in tears and was petrified of "Mickey" and the two young boys next to us sitting with their parents left immediately after their meal "to get some fresh air". To top it all off, I didn't really like the meatloaf, and I am NOT a very picky eater.

Well, bottom line, my vote is for Sci-Fi. You and your family will love it. The food is not fancy - but really good. Maybe if you are really outgoing and would like to play along with the PTC theme, then maybe you would like it too.

 

[timC]

I just polled my 2 DS's, 9 and 12.... Sci-Fi wins hands down. If I were to poll DW and myself, I'd have to say 50's primetime.... better food.