Raglan Road/ Downtown Disney Dining Questions

[Golden Rose]

We decided to plan a last minute May trip to WDW, which meant I wasn't able to call at 90 days out for ADRs. I managed to get our "must not miss" restaurants - Cali Grill, Jiko, and Coral Reef (DS's favorite) - for times fairly close to what we hoped for. We were somewhat limited in available times for most places I checked at 45 days out...

We're booked into SSR, so we thought it would be nice to eat at DD the night we arrive, a Sunday night. I made us a 7 pm ADR for Raglan Road, but I'm really wondering if I made the right choice. DS does not like noisy. It looks like the music that night is a pianist and doesn't start until 8. Will it be loud before that, or once he starts playing?

Are there any really great choices at DD that don't involve a long wait for a table (we worry about both Rainforest Cafe and T Rex... are we wrong to worry?) that have wonderful food and are kid friendly for a well behaved four year old? We tried Fulton's again last time, and thought it was very overpriced for the quality, although not bad. We'll have been in the car for hours, and I don't really want to spend a lot of time standing around waiting for a table.

 

[SunnieRN]

From what I understand Rain forest cafe is a bit noisy, so I would imagine that T-rex may be also. They do take reservations though, so you can call ahead to avoid an overly long wait.

 

[indigoxtreme]

Our group enjoys Raglan Road. We have all ages from 4 to 70. You can make ADR for this as well. Food is good. IF you can have a little bit later dinner, they have entertainment around 8:00 pm, irish band and dancer. When you check in ask for a table where you can see the band and or dancer. The last time we went (we have been 4 times) we forgot to ask and were put in the main hallway near the door. There was no way to see the band or the dancer.

 

[Hootch]

is good. I really like House of Blues. You can book Raglan Road via Disney (It's one of a handful of restaurants in DTD on the DDP) and on their website. HOB can be booked in advance on their site or I assume by calling.

Rain Forest is noisy but the thunderstorm actions catch the attention of kids. T-Rex is supposed to be as noisy or more so, but we're trying it this trip anyway.

In the past RFC was very crowded at normal dinner times in the summer and standby waits were over an hour a couple of times we ate there. RFC and TT-Rex are probably splitting some of the demand. Still you can call either restaurant directly. They do priority seating which puts you directly in the waiting to be seated lines. Our experience has been from there it's 10-15 minutes max to be seated at a table. Most people don't realize you can call ahead and these can be gotten pretty late in the process.

 

[plutolovr]

On a Sunday night when the band is not playing, RR is very pleasant and not very noisy. You can also asked to be seated outside if the weather is nice. Also, you can ask not to be seated in the main room, the areas off the main room seem to be much quieter. Enjoy!

 

[njmom08]

On a Sunday night when the band is not playing, RR is very pleasant and not very noisy. You can also asked to be seated outside if the weather is nice. Also, you can ask not to be seated in the main room, the areas off the main room seem to be much quieter. Enjoy!

I did not realize that there is no live entertainment on Sundays. That is the night we have reservations.

 

[Golden Rose]

We don't have the DDP this trip; we've got the TiW card, which works with our normal dining habits much better. Raglan Road is one of the only restaurants in DD that takes it, which is one of the reasons we first paid attention to the restaurant. I think we'll probably stick with our current ADR, although it is nice to know about TRex and Rainforest Cafe taking reservations.

I wish I knew how scared DS would be of either of the themed Landry's offerings... he enjoys walking through Rainforest Cafes, but I'm always worried the storm interludes would upset him. He's always been noise and darkness sensitive, although he's gotten less so as he's gotten older.

 

[jstone71]

I like Raglan Road a lot, however, when I was there the band was playing and it wasn't exceptionally noisy. I was even seated in the main room but it was still difficult to carry on a conversation. If you son does not like noisy, I would make sure there is no band playing while you are there. Both RFC and T-Rex can both be very noisy also. House of Blues, Wolfgang Puck and Earl of Sandwhich are all good. Good luck!

 

[plutolovr]

I did not realize that there is no live entertainment on Sundays. That is the night we have reservations.

No, there is live music on Sundays, but it's just a piano player, not a full band, so it is quieter.