Coral Reef??

[kadesha]

We all enjoyed the food very much. We requested an seat at the tanks and even told them we didn't mind waiting longer, but were seated up in the top tier. We are going back this year and hopefully we can get a better seat!

 

[Sam33]

We enjoyed the atmosphere a lot as a honeymooning couple. We were by the tank and had NO problems with people coming up to the tank. It was an 8PM dinner so maybe that had something to do with it. The food was okay but what I've learned to expect from Disney is that you're paying for ambiance and the fact that you're in WDW, not for food. The steak was okay but not worth $30. But I don't mind it.

One think I'll never do is judge an entire restaurant by service. Our waiter was awful. Slow and un-personable. But the waiter for the table next to us was just fantastic. We were on our honeymoon and the guy would look at the little paper and see that we're celebrating and not say a thing. Whereas the other table's waiter talked to us about where we were from and why we were here. If he had been our actual waiter instead of the one we got I'd have rated the service MUCh better.

 

[jujube]

We've always enjoyed the Coral Reef. The food is better than average for WDW. It's not the most fabulous food outside of Disney but while we're there, we enjoy it.

 

[LJSquishy]

copying this from the other thread asking about it.

I went to Coral Reef yesterday.
We were there for lunch. I really recommend lunch because the crowd level was low. Our reservation was lost it seemed, but they still took us right in and gave us a table next to the tank. (Although the seating is tiered so I think that most seats will still give you a lovely view).

Our server was a young man and was very courteous and good with service. We made a few requests and he was quick to meet them, took pics for us, checked on us...no complaints.

The food was ok but we didn't have a lot of it.
We had dinner plans later and just didn't want anything heavy at lunch.
We shared the appetizer for 2. (16.99)
It had two small cups of lobster bisque (i thought it was good but a lot like a cup of heavy cream, my friend loved it...it was good dipping the dinner rolls into it.)
2 large breaded shrimp each...fine, not much different than the counter service breaded shrimp.
a crab cake each. Our first ones were cold and raw in the middle so we had to send them back. They brought out fresh ones with a mango salsa (was decent) and they were ok but a lot of filler.
There was also a slaw with the shrimp. It was taken away when the platter was removed to replace the crab cakes and no slaw was given on the return plate. I got a teenie taste of it before it was taken away and it was warm from the shrimp on it and very oniony...so i don't feel i was missing anything.

We also got the bailey's and jack daniels mousse dessert (7.99).
It was good. Very rich pudding basically.
We shared it as well. Might have been a bit much for one person depending on how rich you can handle.

I thought the prices were pretty high, even for disney, but there is the atmosphere to consider.

There were a decent amount of young children and lots of discussions of nemo, bruce, and crush since there was a huge turtle and a shark who kept circling.

Overall, I think it's definitely a fun experience. For the price, i think it's best to go if you are on the dining plan. Paying cash, I would opt for lunch and eat something smaller like we did and check it out (we also have the tables in wonderland discount).
I would definitely go back again, I'm not expecting much for the food, but it's as good as a Red Lobster definitely...just with a lot more pizzazz. But i find that most Disney one credit restaurants are on par with popular chain restaurants for quality. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Don't go expecting a fine dining experience though. It is not a signature dining location.

Were you able to taste a strong Bailey's flavor in the dessert? I really want to try this but it seems as though some thought it tasted like chocolate pudding without Bailey's in it...if it is a very subtle flavor of Bailey's, I will probably skip it...I want something strong.

 

[Jeanieblue114]

i've heard others say it was strong.
my friend i shared with said he thought it was kinda strong.
i didnt' think it was overwhelming at all.
it didn't taste burny or offputting.
it was very good and rich. give it a shot.

 

[iamyourghosthost]

I enjoyed CR when I went but if you don't like seafood I would not recommend it. There's a kid's menu so it should be fine for the kids. Also, the tank is super cool, and definitely makes it cool to eat at.

 

[jujube]

My daughter does not eat seafood. She really likes the New York strip. There used to be a surf and turf on a skewer that they would fix for her with just the turf. Unfortunately, that is no longer offered.

 

[jfahome]

DS is one and in loud places he likes to do what I can only describe as a pig squeal. He did this several times at the Coral Reef and there wasn't much I could do to stop him other than leave. I looked around to see if anyone appeared to be annoyed but no one seemed to notice. As for the food DW had steak and said she would prefer chain steak house steak, I liked the fish. As for the view I would reccommened a table over a booth if you can.

 

[jenjifer]

Worst meal of our whole trip (and we ate at H&V and a bunch of other places that are typically regarded as less-than-stellar!)

The food was blah, the service was poor, we were seated too far from the aquarium for it to even matter... We were a party of 4, so the theory that very large or very small parties tend not to like it as much doesn't really apply to us.

I'd consider trying it again, but I'd rather try someplace new first.

 

[jujube]

Worst meal of our whole trip (and we ate at H&V and a bunch of other places that are typically regarded as less-than-stellar!)

The food was blah, the service was poor, we were seated too far from the aquarium for it to even matter... We were a party of 4, so the theory that very large or very small parties tend not to like it as much doesn't really apply to us.

I'd consider trying it again, but I'd rather try someplace new first.

When we were there in Oct, we were being guided to a table in the back. I asked if we could please have a booth closer to the tank. The waiter nicely said he would check. Sure enough we were seated in a booth on the first level across the walkway from the tank.
While I don't think that the food is fabulous in comparison outside the "world", we have always had wonderful waiters/waitresses. If you want me to, if we have a great server in April, I'll get the name and post it. That way he/she can be requested.