Coral Reef for 2 year olds?

[Fall1]

We are trying to pick an Epcot restaurant for a dinner ADR for our October trip. We will be traveling with 2 year old twins.

Originally I thought Coral Reef would be interesting for them, but now I'm wondering if I should do somewhere else.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Ramsfan28]

We are trying to pick an Epcot restaurant for a dinner ADR for our October trip. We will be traveling with 2 year old twins.

Originally I thought Coral Reef would be interesting for them, but now I'm wondering if I should do somewhere else.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

I will be there at the end of September with my 19-month old daughter and my nieces that are 3 and 6. Coral Reef is great for kids.

 

[Carmell226]

We were there with a 1 year old and I won't do it again. The service was way too slow and she was very restless. She liked the fish but only for about 5 minutes We were in there for 2 hours and I ended up leaving with her while the rest of the party waited for dessert. There were alot of kids in there though so if that is what you are worried about I would say go for it. I know the experience is different for everyone.

 

[Goseethemouse]

I took an almost 3 and a 5 year old and it was fine. However, if your main criteria for picking the restaurant is to find something that will appeal to the kids, I think Garden Grill might be an even better choice. Still, if you already have enough character meals, Coral Reef should be a pretty good option.

 

[Pakey]

We were there with a 1 year old and I won't do it again. The service was way too slow and she was very restless. She liked the fish but only for about 5 minutes We were in there for 2 hours and I ended up leaving with her while the rest of the party waited for dessert. There were alot of kids in there though so if that is what you are worried about I would say go for it. I know the experience is different for everyone.

Although my husband and I have enjoyed Coral Reef on many visits, I had this exact same experience taking our 4 year old grandson there a few months ago. It turned out to be his least favorite dining experience of the week.

 

[kruegeme]

Coral Reef is a great place for kids. Have taken DD there several times from when she was 14 months to a little over 2 years old on the last trip.

I would suggest that you do lunch instead of dinner with the 2 year old. We found that DD did much better at lunch ADRs than dinner ADRs as she was tired and really didn't want to stay seated very long for an evening ADR.

Enjoy.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

My boys when they were you and even now they are older love Coral Reef.

 

[TakeMe2Disney]

DS loved Coral Reef the last time we went. He kept putting at the tank and yelling "ishy!" He was 16 months at the time. We also made sure we had some toys with us to occupy him...Mr. Potato Head from the dollar store was a savior! We also put his order in right away when the waiter took our drink order. Our waiter was so good he picked up that our son inhaled french fries and kept them comin' when it seemed like he was getting low. I also recommend an earlier reservation time. Most of ours were during the 5pm hour and that worked perfectly.

 

[Chevyscool]

I have little ones and they did great at CR. The tank really kept them occupied. They were 22 months and 3 and a half when we went last (now they're 2 & 4)...were going again in Sept.

I say give it a shot! We really enjoyed it...like another poster stated, you can always bring a few things to keep your child occupied if needed and earlier ADR times do make a big difference for a pleasent dining experience no matter where you go.

 

[d-r]

We've taken our preschool-age children three times I think. We were there once with a group that had two babies and three preschoolers that were 3-4. It was for my wife's birthday and it was mother's day, so there was a lot of extended family there. The funniest thing was one of the cousins who was about 3; they have these clip on seats for the little ones, and somehow he got his chair clamped on at the end of the table, and the server put him in and out of the chair. I guess you had to be there, but he is sort of a chunk and it was really funny. Our children always liked coral reef, looking at the fish, divers, etc., and they have crayons, etc. I would take some small toys, sometimes the wait for a table can be a while.

 

[caroline1851]

We took our dd2 (she was almost 3) and ds6 and they loved it. Asked to be sat near the tank. No guarantee, but i asked and we were.

 

[natnelliesmom]

Coral Reef is great- and I think your child would enjoy it. But Garden Grill is much better with kids. The food was very good- my DH and I enjoyed the freshness of it and the kids loved it too. The characters are fun and the rotation keeps it interesting!
-Sarah

 

[ElizabethB]

I tend to agree that with a two-year-old, Garden Grill may be a better choice. The tank is great, but most interesting if you're at the table right next to it. Garden Grill keeps turning into different environments, which may keep a little one's attention longer.

Food at Coral Reef is only fair at best these days. We haven't eaten at Garden Grill for 5 years or so. It was very tasty when we last ate there, but that was before the DDP, so it may have declined in quality by this time, as have all of the 1TS restaurants.

 

[Connerzmom]

We took my 2 year old last year and he didn't care for it. We were too far away for him to really get into the aquarium (we may have been able to walk down there but he didn't seem interested enough for us to do that). And, he didn't eat the food. I think we got him the mac-and-cheese and he didn't touch it. He did eat his dessert (ice cream sundae) but the ice cream was frozen. For us, the food was icky (so we will not be eating there again). I think it may depend on your child (is he/she into fish, etc...).

 

[Megkel]

We have ADRs at Coral Reef in September with our 3 1/2 year old. She loves fish and we take her out to resturants pretty often. I have usual expectations. I wouldn't be happy to sit through a 2 hour dinner when I could be out riding the rides and I would not expect her to either. If you are worried you can "practice" run by going out to dinner at home to see what would work best. I say eat where you want to eat since the kids are going to act the same regardless of the resturant. If they are unhapy they are going to be unhappy even in the happiest place of earth. Good Luck!

 

[acpalmer]

We were there with a 1 year old and I won't do it again. The service was way too slow and she was very restless. She liked the fish but only for about 5 minutes We were in there for 2 hours and I ended up leaving with her while the rest of the party waited for dessert. There were alot of kids in there though so if that is what you are worried about I would say go for it. I know the experience is different for everyone.

We had a very similar experience in June. The service was very slow and we were there over two hours (we had a 4:50 ADR time, so being early didn't help). I thought maybe it was just our server, but I was watching other tables and everyone was in there just as long as we were. My boys are 6 and 8 and so were OK, but I was about to go crazy--dinner should not take more than 2 hours when we are moving along. Waiting 20 minutes between when we gave our dessert order and when it actually came out, waiting 15 minutes between when he cleared dinner plates and when he came back to take the dessert order, etc. The food was fine and the tank was nice, but not worth the incredible slowness of the place. No where else we ate (9 other table service) took anywhere near that long.

 

[chipndales]

Great choice. We had my nephew there last year when he was three. He loved it! You can request to sit right up against the tank which will give you a chance to relax and not have to run up to the aquarium every fifteen minutes lol. I'm a toddler teacher so I know how antsy 2 year olds can get when they want to see something. Enjoy! It's one of our favorite places to eat in Disney!

 

[sunnyday123]

I think it depends more on the child. Can they sit still and not be that child that runs all over the restaurant and goes up to strange tables asking if they can have some of your food? ( this was our experience last night-not at Disney, but still) DD has gone there at 2, 8 & 10 and loved it each time. I also suggest doing a lunch, no matter the kid, if they are tired they'll be less likely to fuss.

I would also explain you might not get to sit next to the fish, but you'll still be able to see them.