is The Rainforest Cafe worth it?

[frazzle]

I was thinking of taking the family (3 boys ages 3, 6 and 10) to TRC based on some of the comments on here but after reading some reviews on TripAdvisor I'm not so sure. There were a lot of REALLY bad reviews.

I'm not too worried if the food is average but will steer clear if it really is no good.

Is TRC a "not to be be missed" part if a DL trip or is there somewhere just as good for the kids in the park?

 

[briggscreek]

We ate at RC three times during our trip and loved it and the food was great every time. It was by far the kids favorite place to eat. Breakfast was really good and there was hardly anyone in there. Otherwise, definitely make reservations.

 

[skiingfast]

Do you have one near you? Then it's somthing to skip while you there. But for kids it's better than ESPN. It's ok. I don't think it is great. Mostly because of the food prices I didn't see much value. But the experince is alright.

 

[pixiewings71]

You can see how many times we went to DL in my signature, and we went to RFC almost every time. We only skipped maybe 5 times...we LOVE RFC, no there's not one super close, the closest one to us is in SF so about an hour or so but we really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of RFC so we went a lot. We are Safari Club members so that helps.

 

[spacemermaid]

If you've never been to a RFC & don't have one nearby where you live, I'd reccomend it for the atmosphere. IMO, the food is pretty average...the "volcano" dessert is really good, though! When I go I skip the food & share one of the volcano desserts with a few friends.

 

[erinbharris]

Can I ask about the Safari Club??

Can you sign up the day of your visit and take advantage of it?

 

[Kayla's Mom]

We always go to RFC on our trips to DLR. The food is pretty average, but my girls really enjoy it. There are usually coupons floating around too.

 

[teach1abc]

Do your kids get scared easily? We went when my son was almost 4 while visiting Disneyland. Between the gorillas that we were seated by and the thunder storms that went off every 20 minutes, my son was terrified and dived under the table each time. The thought never even crossed our minds that he would be scared so we were really surprised by his reaction. BTW - we found that the food was okay but not great.

 

[lcasa]

Can I ask about the Safari Club??

Can you sign up the day of your visit and take advantage of it?

We signed up years ago, but at that time you definitely could use it the first day - so it was only a few dollars more than the free appetizer it got us.
Definitely worth it for the savings on wait time. They're getting stingier though - used to be the 10% off was for the whole table, now only 4 people.

http://www.rainforestcafe.com/safariclub.asp
And I find the food pretty typical of a big chain like a TGIF -- but there's not a lot of great food at DLR unfortunately. Catal & Napa Rose are the best. Storyteller's pretty good - at least at lunchtime.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Do your kids get scared easily? We went when my son was almost 4 while visiting Disneyland. Between the gorillas that we were seated by and the thunder storms that went off every 20 minutes, my son was terrified and dived under the table each time. The thought never even crossed our minds that he would be scared so we were really surprised by his reaction. BTW - we found that the food was okay but not great.

That is a really good point - when my youngest was 1, she was terrified of the nearby elephant and every time the storm would start one of us would have to hold her. Also, when my oldest DD was only about 4, she absolutely refused to walk anywhere near the snake that is hanging down in the waiting area. We had to walk all the way around it.

I guess it makes sense though -- these little tiny kids are seeing these huge animals making noises and moving, can't blame them!

 

[heatherleigh]

I don't consider it a place "not to be missed in DL", but the food is not bad. The reason I don't think it's that special, is because you can find RFCs in many cities all over the U.S.

I have enjoyed every meal I've had there. I had a wrap once, which was delicious. I also liked their hot wings. On our last trip to DL, my mom and I stopped there twice, on our way back to the hotel to grab wings. There was never a wait either, which was a big plus for us.

 

[frazzle]

We are from NZ so it would be our only chance to go. Maybe we should have breakie there one day or pop in for the volcano dessert and have dinner somewhere else then?

would you need to book for breakfast? All the animals and effects would still be going?

 

[spacemermaid]

We are from NZ so it would be our only chance to go. Maybe we should have breakie there one day or pop in for the volcano dessert and have dinner somewhere else then?

would you need to book for breakfast? All the animals and effects would still be going?

That changes things, then! If it's your only chance to go, then you should definitely eat there. I can't advise on their breakfast as I've never eaten breakfast there, but I'm sure someone on the boards will be able to help!

 

[skiingfast]

We are from NZ so it would be our only chance to go. Maybe we should have breakie there one day or pop in for the volcano dessert and have dinner somewhere else then?

would you need to book for breakfast? All the animals and effects would still be going?

I don't know what the breakfast menu is. The effects do cycle on off all day though.

It never hurts to have a reservation,if you go at a busy time like 45 minutes before rope drop until 9 it could get busy. Call them direct (714) 772-0413.

 

[toby78]

We love the Rainforest Cafe, we start off every trip with dinner there. so we joined the Safari Club. They have the best king crab legs i have ever had...

 

[PineapplePrincessCA]

We didn't eat there, but walked into the gift shop area and checked it out last month. My kids LOVED it!! We had already eaten, or else this definitely would have been the spot. Can't say anything about the food, but the atmosphere was very appealing to everybody in our party! Looks like a very cool place. Can't wait to eat there next October!

 

[briggscreek]

We are from NZ so it would be our only chance to go. Maybe we should have breakie there one day or pop in for the volcano dessert and have dinner somewhere else then?

would you need to book for breakfast? All the animals and effects would still be going?

We had breakfast there a couple of Fridays ago and there was hardly anyone there, we walked right in and got a table by an aquarium. And the critters and thunderstorms are going during breakfast.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We always have a meal there when we are in town. Great change of pace.

Jack

 

[Sherry E]

That changes things, then! If it's your only chance to go, then you should definitely eat there. I can't advise on their breakfast as I've never eaten breakfast there, but I'm sure someone on the boards will be able to help!

I totally agree with Spacemermaid. If this is your only chance to get to an RFC, by all means try it! I think the breakfast idea is a good one. They open at 8 a.m. and hardly anyone is in the restaurant at that time. You can ask to sit near an aquarium (those seats can be hard to come by when it's very busy) if the gorilla and elephant are too scary. It's a wonderful atmosphere and a great little gift shop! Sometimes, when it is tremendously busy at RFC, like at lunch or especially dinner, you can end up outside, on the top floor, after waiting an hour for a table and there is almost no ambiance up there. You want to be inside somewhere, near some of the cool decorations. Breakfast is a good way to get the full atmosphere without the crowds, but the menu is much more limited in the morning.

I find the food to be good - the lunch and dinner menus have a wide variety of things. The chicken fried chicken is quite yummy. They have a drink (non-alcoholic) called the Rainforest Ricky (it's a delicious blend of all kinds of fruit juices), and you get to keep the glass it comes in as a souvenir. If you enjoy an occasional alcoholic beverage, there are plenty of fruity, frothy concoctions to try.

 

[Mortimer Mouse]

We always have a meal there when we are in town. Great change of pace.

I agree with Jack.

The pizza, salad are very good and the fish and chips are always great. With free mozzarella cheese sticks for being a club member along with an adult beverage it's a great experience even if you've been many times much less the first time........