Cosmic Rays

[sweetnjmom]

I must be the only one who dislikes the place!

I keep seeing recommendations for it, but the times I've eaten there--based upon location at lunch time mostly, and because it was indoors and air-conditioned during my last trip, when I was pregnant.

But I've never had a good meal there and plan to avoid at all costs this trip. We plan to eat lunch at Columbia Harbor House one day, and maybe Pecos Bill another.

Am I alone here? I'm not saying bash the place, but does anyone else NOT like it?

 

[sifko36]

I love cosmic rays. Yes there might be long waits sometimes. But I always make it a thing to go twice a trip!

 

[DCDisney]

I don't like the waiting in different lines for different foods thing but the food there is usually fine for us. Nothing exciting but edible and reliable.

 

[ars0525]

We always eat CHH or another place also. Nothing terrible about Cosmic Ray's, but we just prefer other places. Haven't eaten there in quite a few years.

I will say on our last trip it got to be really late at night & this was one of the few places left open (with a limited menu)...we wanted a snack so got the turkey sandwich to split with fries. I was pretty happy with that & we will keep it in mind for future visits.

 

[Lm021583]

I agree with you. I was looking forward to trying it on our last trip, and was totally underwhelmed. I had a burger, but I am not one to put many toppings on burgers...the burger itself was really dry and overlooked. Maybe if I was to take advantage of the topping bar it would make it better, but I don't think it would have helped much. I'm so disappointed that I didn't like it!

 

[sweetnjmom]

I agree with you. I was looking forward to trying it on our last trip, and was totally underwhelmed. I had a burger, but I am not one to put many toppings on burgers...the burger itself was really dry and overlooked. Maybe if I was to take advantage of the topping bar it would make it better, but I don't think it would have helped much. I'm so disappointed that I didn't like it!

Yeah, underwhelmed sums it up for me.

I guess I've become pickier in my old age.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I must be the only one who hates the place! . . .

1) I do not hate the place.
2) But, it is definitely on my "do not go" list.




Our Ratings of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café: (Rev 6/9/2013)
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: D
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: C
. . . eatery atmosphere: C
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: C
. . . staff attentiveness: C
. . . character interaction: C

NOTE: Cosmic Ray's is the second largest fast food
eatery in the world, the real world. It seats over 1,100
people. It has three separate ordering/serving stations
for different foods. It used to be the best fast food
in WDW, but has slipped quite a bit in quality/speed, and
the "fixin's bar" for sandwich condiments has been greatly
simplified as a cost reduction. The new multi-grain buns
fall apart in your hands, and the burger formula has been
changed. Not a good eatery; for Magic Kingdom, the Pecos
Bill's and Harbor House greatly surpass Cosmic Ray's for
quality, tastiness and price value. One favored aspect for
kids and adults is the performance by the audio animatronic
"Sonny Eclipse" and his invisible backup singers - a nice
touch during meals. This was a favorite for us, but now it
is on our Do-Not-Visit List.

Our Food Rankings at Cosmic Ray's, In Order from Good-to-Oops:
. . . Cheese Steak Sandwich
. . . Turkey Bacon Wrap
. . . Rotisserie Chicken
. . . Grilled Chicken Sandwich
. . . Vegetable Burger/Wrap
. . . Chicken Breast Nuggets
. . . BBQ Rib Meal
. . . BBQ Pork Sandwich
. . . Cheeseburger (Single or Double) *
. . . Hot Dog (All Varieties) *

* Due to new buns and meat recipe changes.

 

[sweetnjmom]

1) I do not hate the place.
2) But, it is definitely on my "do not go" list.
[/i]

Perhaps hate is too strong of a word, since I've eaten there more than once. But I plan to avoid this trip around.

Glad I'm not alone in preferring not to eat there.

 

[jennylyn_b]

We also do not care for it. We've tried it twice and while its fine foods wise there are better cs in MK (CHH, BOG, Pinnochio Village Haus).
We eat cs lunch early (11/11:30) and even with that its always mobbed and dirty and I feel like there is no control in there.
That's how we feel.

 

[sweetnjmom]

We also do not care for it. We've tried it twice and while its fine foods wise there are better cs in MK (CHH, BOG, Pinnochio Village Haus).
We eat cs lunch early (11/11:30) and even with that its always mobbed and dirty and I feel like there is no control in there.
That's how we feel.

It's actually the only CS restaurant I've eaten in at MK. I, too, felt it was mobbed. I've also had lunch at Crystal Palace.

I'll probably only have 2 CS meals at MK... my must try is CHH. Skipping BOG for lunch (we have dinner ADR there) and will look into the other CS places.

 

[ses1230]

I must be the only one who dislikes the place!

I keep seeing recommendations for it, but the times I've eaten there--based upon location at lunch time mostly, and because it was indoors and air-conditioned during my last trip, when I was pregnant.

But I've never had a good meal there and plan to avoid at all costs this trip. We plan to eat lunch at Columbia Harbor House one day, and maybe Pecos Bill another.

Am I alone here? I'm not saying bash the place, but does anyone else NOT like it?

No you are not alone. I have only eaten here once - a burger - and it was not good. It was a MNSSHP night, maybe that had something to do with it.

I much prefer CHH or Pecos Bill.

 

[mickeymomof3girls]

We at there once almost 3 years ago and were very disappointed. We heard all the rave reviews so we went. It was horribly crowded. Had to wait forever to get a table. The food was cold and we had the chicken and rib platters-- chicken was dry and ribs were fatty. We will stick with peco bills..... Much better food in our opinion.

 

[jennylyn_b]

It's actually the only CS restaurant I've eaten in at MK. I, too, felt it was mobbed. I've also had lunch at Crystal Palace.

I'll probably only have 2 CS meals at MK... my must try is CHH. Skipping BOG for lunch (we have dinner ADR there) and will look into the other CS places.

Another great choice is the Plaza. It's Ts but super casual and they have great sandwiches and burgers and milkshakes and desserts. It's only a couple bucks more than cs without the hassle. Just an idea!

 

[lugnut33]

Eating at Cosmic Ray's is the only time in all our trips I have sought out a manager to complain about the food being terrible (that's the only time I have ever complained at Disney about anything). I didn't expect them to do anything, but the manager did refund our money on the two terrible dishes and said she'd look into it. Basically the ribs were inedible and green beans were horrendous tasting.

 

[NHDisneyKid]

I agree too, OP! We really dislike it and wouldn't eat there if it was the only place still open in the MK! It's always so busy, loud, messy - and the food (for us anyway) has always been pretty bad. Wish we did like it though, it's such a convenient location! Oh well

 

[tarabl]

Cosmic Rays was a definite stop on all our trips, sometimes maybe 2 or 3 times. This time we ate there for lunch one day and it was horrible. I had a grilled chicken sandwich that was so tough to bite it was like rubber. Our adult kids ate there late the first night of the trip and warned us it was lousy and not like it used to be. It's sad because like I said it was often a place we ate at multiple times.

 

[Terpgirl79]

Sad to hear. I haven't eaten here in two years and was looking forward to going back in a couple weeks. I guess back to Pecos Bills for us.

 

[2012DisneyWorldBride]

We still like the rotisserie chicken meal with the mashed potatoes and yummy green beans... But since BOG has opened that is our new favorite place for lunch.

 

[~Brandy~]

Cosmic Ray's was on our must-do list every trip but we felt like the quality just kept getting worse and worse. After eating petrified burgers and soggy fries in April, we decided to take it out of the rotation. We'll stick with Columbia Harbour House for our MK quick service from now on.

It's a shame because I love the atmosphere in there. I have great memories of the kids laughing at Sonny Eclipse.

 

[sb682]

I think it's hit or miss. We went in February for an early lunch (around 11) and I loved the roast chicken and mashed potatoes, and DH had a great chili cheese dog. DS3 loved Sonny Eclipse. On our visit in July, we ate during the lunch rush (12:30) and it was full of tour groups and families and we had a hard time getting a table. We had to wipe down a dirty one (thank goodness for Wet Ones) and we had burgers instead. The burgers were just OK, but I think we didn't like it because the noise and crowd levels left us feeling even more overstimulated than when we went in. I would eat there at off times, but that's it.