Is Coral Reef worth it?

[edaymond]

We've made an ADR at Coral Reef for lunch during our stay this month. We've been looking forward to it; however I've been reading some "not so hot" reviews (service was bad, food wasn't "all that," etc.).
What can my trusty DIS boarders fill me in on?
Thanks guys!

 

[kaybird]

We love it. Have never had a bad meal, they are nearly always busy, so the waitstaff has lots to do. If you don't care for fish or seafood, guess you should probably give it a pass.

 

[WAHMto5]

You shoudl for sure try it! You will find that on the boards all restaurants will have love/hate reviews. We have foudn that some have received horrible reviews and we really enjoyed them and the other way
We will be trying Coral Reef this fall for the first time.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We have never had lunch there but we had dinner there last year and really enjoyed it. I would recommend giving it a try and see for yourself.

 

[ntsammy5]

Good food, good service. Great place to eat. Last time we were there we saw Scuba Mickey. A very rare sight. Hope you're that lucky!

 

[atisikitabasket]

Only had dinner and it was our favorite meal it even beat Le Cellier for us. We too were going to change our PS due to poor reviews, boy am I glad we didn't. You must try the wave dessert I'm not big on chocolate and I even loved it. Also the bread they serve is great.

 

[JoBird]

Is it better to sit right by the tank or can you see better if you're back a bit?

 

[nyfinfan]

We enjoyed our meal the night Hurricane Jeanne was on her way. Place was mostly empty and we got a booth right across from the tank. It seemed better than being right up against it because you got to see more of the tank. When we got out around 7, the wind was whipping and the park was desserted. It was pretty cool.

 

[lustergirl]

so where are the good seats- anyone?? We have a dinner ressie for our upcoming trip in september, never been there.

 

[Mousema]

I was just there, great food, great service and a tank full of divers. I was seated back a bit in the bottom row. As a PP said, don't ask to be too close to the tank, maybe a booth on the bottom.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've loved it for both lunch and dinner. Both times I was fortunate enough to get a tank-side table, so I'm afraid I can't comment on the views from other areas.

 

[smep013]

It is worth it for the atmosphere.
I do not eat seafood, but my meal was still good (I had the chicken and pasta dish). The dessert was awesome.

 

[SnowWitch]

I was very worried prior to dining here because of all the hot/cold reviews on these boards. I stuck with the ADR and decided to give it a shot. So glad we did, it was the best all around meal of the trip. Service and food were spot on!!! We found the meal to be superior to the beloved Le Cellier. When making ADR's for our upcoming trip in June our kids asked to dine there twice and Le Cellier once.

 

[themudd4]

We just went this past Friday. It was our last dinner at WDW before heading home the next day. It was one of our highlights. The apps were so so, the bread was not the best, but the New York Strip was GREAT, and the cheesecake was wonderful! Now our server was well pretty slow, but the entire meal seemed slow. The scuba divers were fun to watch but the best part was when Mickey himself was diving. He came to each window and gave everyone time to take pictures...I left my camera in the room. Thank godness for camera phones . Our waitress told us that was a very rare sight, since this was only about the 2ed or 3rd time he had done it so far this year!
The bill would have came to right at $180 but we were on the DDP. We plan to go back to Coral Reef, and I think it would be worth giving it a try!

 

[jenkh]

Go for it!! We ate lunch there in December and we really enjoyed it.. I don't even eat seafood and I loved it. It's amazing atmosphere and the food is really good (even for us land lovers)

 

[edaymond]

These reviews are just awesome. Thank you all so much for being so reliable! We're definitly going to try it now. If it's not great, then we'll just know better next time.

 

[mdfdisney]

We went to Coral Reef in Jan 07. Nice atmosphere, good food. Overall an excellent experience. However, it was the most expensive meal we ate ($280 for 5 - DH, DW, DD15, DD13 & DD9). If I had not been on the dining plan, I would have choked on the price

I believe there are three sections of tables that run parallel to the tank. There is an aisle down the middle of each section with tables or booths on each side of the aisle. The first section has tables against the tank and booths on the right. We were in the second section, on the right of the aisle (farthest from the tank), in a large booth facing the tank. We had a good view of the entire tank, but I would have preferred to be in the first section, closer to the tank, but away from the glass. It is not a very big room, so you will have a pretty good view no matter where you sit.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Yes, I agree that good views can be had in all the sections. I personally prefer to be a bit further back. For some reason if I am too close to glass like that it makes me feel dizzy! And for what its worth, we have enjoyed both of our experiences there and will definitely be going back in October.

 

[scrump]

I love Coral Reef. The food is usually ok, and the service has been good whenever I've gone, but I just love the ambience. I love sitting near the aquarium with a glow cube drink!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I will be eating there in less than a month for the first time...so glad to hear the awesome reviews!!