Coral Reef..time needed? Updated with a 'plan B' question.

[Disney*Dreaming]

Hi there! I hope you can help me with a quick question.
I have a 7 pm reservation for Coral Reef and since I'm a Disney virgin I don't really have much of an idea about how long it will take to eat and get out of there. I'm toying with the idea of going to the 9pm La Nouba show for Cirque De Soliel...is this do-able? Or am I setting myself up for stress and disaster? This would be on a Saturday evening, if that matters. Thank you.

I've posted a plan B for you kind folk that were helping me the other day. How does it sound? Your advice, as always is greatly appreciated.


I've been giving this more thought and I may have come up with a new plan.
I see that on the night in question Coral Reef has an 8:50pm slot still open.
So what I'm thinking is that maybe we could go to Cirque De Soleil before dinner, the 6pm show, then go to Coral Reef after? Is that do-able? Enough time?
My question now, aside from the do-ability, is that I see that Coral reef closes at 9pm, if they seat us at 8:50 how does that work? Will they rush us out the door? Or feed us lukewarm leftovers because the kitchen is closing up? How are those reservation so close to closing handled?

 

[GingerJay]

It shouldn't take as long to eat there as it would a character meal, but you may want to push your dinner reservation back an hour just to be safe. If you have to wait to get seated, and if you're server is slow, that won't give you much time to get back to DTD after you eat.

 

[DisneyMom4964]

I think that it all depends on how many people is in your party and the amount of people waiting in the wating area. We had reservations for 6:00 and they had to keep pushing us back. When we finally got in ( after 45 minutes of waiting) the food wasnt all so good and our asian waiter was the least bit friendley.

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

Thank you for the quick reply GingerJay and DisneyMom. I'll have to go see if that dinner reservation can be changed to earlier, I made it ages ago. Hopefully they aren't too booked up! If it's not too much trouble, by chance would you happen to know how long it takes to travel from Epcot to Downtown Disney? (I will have a car)

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

There are 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 kids.
Yikes, I never even considered the possibility of waiting that long for our table.
Hmmm, if I can't get an earlier seating i think I'll just have to skip getting Cirque tickets.

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

The next earliest is 4:45, which doesn't leave much time to digest our 2pm lunch from Biergarten.

 

[Pink Mouse Ears]

If it were me, I'd want more time...depending on how busy it is, you may wait for your table til after 7 (unless you arrive much earlier.) Dinner will probably take an hour or so, and then you'll have to walk to your car and drive to DTD (I'd estimate 20-25 min. for both.) If you aren't very familiar with the DTD area, it might take you some time to locate Cirque du Soleil. You'll definitely need a car since buses don't run from Epcot to DTD. You could make it, but I think you'll feel like you are rushing through dinner which is no fun when you want to enjoy the aquarium at Coral Reef.

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

I think I'll have to pass on Cirque then. The last thing I want is a stressful meal while on vacation.
Thank you all for chiming in so quickly, I really appreciate do it.

 

[ToddyLu]

IMO there is no way to get from Epcot Living Seas to La Nouba for a 9 p.m. show. You will have to exit the park, find your car, park at the pleasure Island parking lot (I think) then walk to the La Nouba Building.

If you want good seafood I would eat at Fulton's in DTD then go to La Nouba. That would be a quicker route. You definitely want to get there before the show starts becasue there is sort of a preshow with the audience.

I think you could do Fulton's at 6:30 then do the 9:00 show.

There is no way your original plan would work using Disney transportation.

What ever you decide I am sending you pixie dust for a magical vacation

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

Thanks for the pixie dust! I'm now studying our other days to see if it could work with a different day perhaps. It was such a feat getting my household in agreement on where to eat and when way back when the reservation window first opened. I shudder at the thought of needed to tinker with it too much now.

 

[joandegennaro]

Would you consider going to the 4:45 and just have dessert. This way you can experience Coral Reef and get to La Nouba for 9pm. Just a thought.

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

joandegennaro, My husband chose Coral Reef to eat dinner at, and since I've done most of the decision making for the trip, I want to let him have this one. I after all, get to eat at the Flying Fish on a different day.

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

Hello again. I've added a Plan B to my original post up top. Does it seem like a better plan? The more I think about this the more I want to try to find a way to make it all work.
Thanks again for your help.

 

[Pakey]

Yes your plan B would work. No worries about the late seating. The restaurant will more than likely still be packed. In fact it may work to your benefit. Since service here is notoriously slow, you might get faster service if CM's there want to get home!!!

Coming from left coast, we always eat late and have never felt that the service or food was compromised due to the late hour.

 

[joandegennaro]

I didn't realize that this was a DH request. After you choose all the places you eat and go it's only fair to give him his pick of resturants. I thought it was for the "experience" rather than the meal hence my dessert idea. The Coral Reef is one of our must do's so I would suggest you go with your plan B. Just think how you will feel leaving the park at a leasurly pace rather than in a pack. Enjoy your dinner!

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

Excellent! You guys are wonderful. I've changed the reservation to just before closing, now I'm off to get those 6pm Cirque tickets.
Thanks again for the much appreciated help!