IS it worth it to bring my kids to Coral Reef?

[Luckymommatoo]

They're 4 and 7 and don't like seafood at all. Or waiting very long for food. I'm thinking maybe HDDR is a better bet?

Other places I've already booked: Chef Mickey, TRex, 50s Diner.

thanks,
-e

 

[jnsolomon]

We had an ADR at Coral Reef and still ended up waiting 45 minutes for our table. I am sure this is not the norm, but if they also don't like seafood I think there are better choices. I would recommend Teppan Edo if dining at EPCOT.

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! We really like Coral Reef, we try to go every trip-our boys are 2, 4, and 11. The kids menu includes grilled chicken, mac & cheese and pizza. My boys usually get pizza. So there are children options other than seafood. They like Coral Reef b/c of the tank-it's pretty awesome.

We really enjoy Coral Reef, but I bet HDDR is alot of fun as well-we haven't tried this yet. Have fun!

 

[anjalee6]

If your children do not like seafood, I would go for a more engaging meal. The fish tank is cool and sometimes scuba divers go through the tank, but only during early evening hours so you can only watch the fish tank for so long. I think the HDDR would be way more engaging for the kids, especially since it has more foods that would appeal to a larger group.

 

[MickeyNicki]

My nieces were 6 and 12....they didnt like the food choices so they had pizza. It was a pita shell with too much ketchup-y sauce and little cheese on it...they were not happy at all and ate the fries, the bread on the table and the make your own sundae instead.

They did enjoy the tank of fish but we were sitting on the third tier and they could not see very well.

We had more fun spending time in the Living Seas so I wish we just did that again and ate somewhere else.

 

[SweetMommy]

We took my 9 yr old to Coral Reef back in August. We were sat up at the top and could barely see the tank. The food was good, the service was horribly slow. I would go again, but would try and get to a lower level w/ a better view. My son is a very tall 9 yr old and he had to struggle to see over the wall we were sitting against. I think he had pizza and it was decent. So would I try, yes. But don't expect the world or you'll be crushed.

 

[TDC Nala]

The kids menu has cheese pizza, most kids are good with that. As for waiting, that can vary. CR is one of the restaurants that seems to take longer to seat guests.

 

[ThreeKMom]

We went to CR last year with our DD7, and it was one of her favorite dinners! Not because of the food (she had the pizza) but because of the Tank! Our ADR was for 5:20, we arrived at 5:00 and asked for a table near the tank, we were seated in about 10 minutes!

DH and I ordered the steak - it was the best steak of our entire trip (better than LeCellier!) I had the chocolate wave and DH ordered some almond dessert, DD got the make your own sundae with a Happy Birthday chocolate.

Mid way thourg dinner a sea turtle came right up to the glass next to DD and decided to take a nap! The turtle stayed there for the entire time that we were there. DD still talks about the "Turtle that came to Dinner"!

We had a great server, his name was Riley - he was the only server that I actually remembered from our trip - he was THAT good!

My DH says - "don't worry it's a Disney restaurant - there's something for everyone!"

 

[Pakey]

I'd say we've eaten at Coral Reef 8 times. Unless we have the first lunch seating of the day, we've always had to wait past our ADR time. Service here ranges from slow to incredibly slow.

We are normally all adults but we had our 3 year old grandson on our last visit. He didn't care for the child's menu and was bored with the tank in about 5 minutes. He enjoyed the character meals much more.

 

[danielle782001]

My 5 and 7 year old loved it! They had the beef mac and ate it all up! More importantly they loved sitting in front of the tank. We only waited for about 5 minutes for out table and that was with the request for a table right in front of the tank.

We always go to Rainforest and we have to Trex twice because that is the theming my kids love. But the food at both is just not that good and is very expensive.

DH and I love the Disney operated places much better and since we always get the dining plan paying OOP at these places is not an aspect with enjoy. And Coral Reef turned out to be a hit with them!!!!!!

My kids also love the HDDR. We have been three times with them and it is on the list again. The show is so funny and the music is great. My little one loves the chicken there. DH loves the endless supply of "free" beer.

They also have enjoyed 50s.

 

[LovinPooh]

We didnt like CR at all. We thoguht it was exspensive and didnt care for the menu. The kids didnt like the menu either and we left hungry. Guess we aer more CM people LOL! The themeing is incredible though!

 

[2Tiggers]

We loved Coral Reef!

The kids got grilled chicken breast. I ended up trading my steak for their chicken. They loved the steak, and I loved the chicken.

 

[mccathy]

I'd keep it. You already have three very kid-friendly/busy places picked. Have a nice quiet dinner - we took our boys when they were almost 4 years old and 18 months - so, my idea of quiet dinner is relative. The staff did a great job bringing stuff out for my boys to play with at the table and my 4 year old ordered pizza and enjoyed it. We were on the third tier, but they were able to watch the fish. I really enjoyed my meal (don't remember what I got - that was in 08). And I really enjoyed not dining with characters and/or in a noisy environment. The kids might appreciate that "break" too. Don't get me wrong - I love all those fun places, but sometimes, it's nice to have a change and I think at 4 and 7 you could keep them busy while they wait for their food (Which I don't remember being very long).

 

[cinderelladreams27]

I know several people that love it. Both times I ate about 5:30. First time was before the Christmas Processional (5 adults). We sat in the middle of the restaurant. And the second time was in May (3 adults, 2 kids). I thought we were going to have terrible seats because we were on the far end of the tank but it was great. The kids are begging to go back. We saw the sea turtle and a diver. Maybe because of the time - like another poster mentioned. I never noticed a long wait for our table or meal. If you do, plan the rest of the evening or the following day if you haven't already. I didn't but I agree with a previous poster to see if you can request certain seating. Disney's all about working with their guest but most the time you have to ask. They cannot tell you "no" or "I don't know" to ANY question they're asked (confirmed by previous employees).