Rainforest Café Worth The Walk?

[aarya_ss]

Hi… making my ADRs now. We intend to visit Animal Kingdom on December 13, 2007 and will probably be in / near Africa around lunch, according to our touring plan… I’m curious… Is having lunch at the Rainforest Café worth the whole walk out & walk back in, to pick up where we left off?
At home, we eat dinner at about 9pm, so eating at park close would be too early… And since there are so many bad reviews on the DTD Rainforest, I’d rather not try it…
So what do you think??? Worth the extra steps?
ALSO, should i make reservations to Yak & Yeti or Tusker House before any reopening reviews are out?

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Hopefully someone will give you a review of this restaurant, I have only been once to one near where I live and thought it was fun, not incredible food, but a fun place to eat..

 

[Robert P]

With the limited dining options at AK, I would have no problem walking back to the entrance and eating at RFC. We have eaten there 4 or 5 times, and find it to be fine, and usually not jam-packed crowded.
The RFC food at AK is the same food they have at DTD, though the smaller crowds at AK do make the place appear less hectic.

While the RFC gets beat up on these boards alot, they have an extensive menu, and the food is decent. The only times we have had problems with RFC is at the DTD location when the place is swamped. The tables at DTD are entirely too close together, and when combined with the huge crowds, it can make the dining experience rather stressful.

 

[MadamMim]

I always have a blast at Rainforest Cafe and wouldn't consider going anywhere else in AK. True, it gets a little noisy with the thunderstorms, the animals, and the servers yelling "Volcano!" but that's all part of the fun. The best part is, once you've done the walk from Africa you are all that much happier to sit in the air conditioning, enjoy the experience of RFC, and maybe get one of those volcanoes for yourself!

 

[Madi100]

I have no idea what crowds will be like when you go, but we just returned and we ate at Animal Kingdom twice. The first day was at Flame Tree BBQ I think that's the right name. We waited in line to eat for at least 30 minutes. Then we couldn't find a table, because a lot of the people waiting in line behind us had people save them a table. The other day we ate at the Pizzafari. We waited probably 15 minutes in line. So, yes, to me it would be worth it to walk to the front of the park and eat at Rain Forest Cafe. Grab some fastpasses before you leave and pick up where you left off. We really enjoy Rain Forest Cafe, both of them.

 

[DeterminedOne]

The walk really isn't that bad. Besides, I don't think you should make the decision based on where you "think" you will be located in the park 'cause a lot could change between now and then. You might get there and decide to tour the park in a whole different direction altogether. And like someone else said, people like to beat up on RFC, but I think it's a Wild Place to Shop and Eat.

 

[Got Quattro?]

Rainforest = TGI Fridays with animatronics + a $1 store attached to the front

SKIP

 

[motofox4]

we've eaten at a few different RCs before and i've always found the food to be pretty good. yes they can get pretty hectic/crowded, but so can any restaurant, especially in Disney!!

 

[THERESA522]

This was one of our worst meals on our last trip (may '07). The food was just okay and I thought the prices were high. I'll never do it again in Disney.

 

[boomhauer]

I love RFC. It's my favorite restaurant.

As for the prices, it's no more expensive than any other sit down restaurant in WDW. In fact, it's less.

 

[SondraD11]

I'm going to be at AK on Sunday, December 9 and I decided to make Tusker House reservations for the 4 of us (all adults) at $19.99 each rather than do RFC. My family enjoys RFC but we also like trying different things. We will probably do RFC during a non-planned DTD or Pleasure Island evening.

Sondra

 

[Madi100]

You'll get mixed reviews on the restaurant being good or bad. This is one of those that always has. But your quesiton of worth the walk, agian, it's not that bad of a walk.

 

[WVParkfan]

All I can say is that our family LOVED the Rain Forest Cafe. We've been twice... once for breakfast before the park opened, and once for lunch on my son's birthday.

We love the atmosphere, and think the food at the AK RFC is much better than the DTD one, and much better than the one at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Animal Kingdom is our family's favorite park, but if I had one small complaint, it is that there are not currently a lot of food options. So, I feel that the RFC is your best choice for a sit-down dinner at the AK.

As for walking from Africa, it is not very far at all. You should have no problem. AND, I'd like to make a suggestion to you... on your trip back and forth to the RFC, make sure you plan for some time to enjoy the Oasis. So many people just race through this area, on their way to an attraction. Well, they are missing one of the best reasons to visit the AK.

 

[huey578]

Hi… making my ADRs now. We intend to visit Animal Kingdom on December 13, 2007 and will probably be in / near Africa around lunch, according to our touring plan… I’m curious… Is having lunch at the Rainforest Café worth the whole walk out & walk back in, to pick up where we left off?
At home, we eat dinner at about 9pm, so eating at park close would be too early… And since there are so many bad reviews on the DTD Rainforest, I’d rather not try it…
So what do you think??? Worth the extra steps?
ALSO, should i make reservations to Yak & Yeti or Tusker House before any reopening reviews are out?

I would rather try the DTD RFC then the one at Ak. The service was horrible and it was a slow time. I would recommend you try Tusker House or Y&Y if it's opened by then.

 

[eeyoresnr]

We have eaten at the Rainforest Cafe at DTD at Disney World and at Disneyland...this trip we are eating at the one in AK... they are all pretty much the same but we like the theming and eat there every trip

 

[S. C.]

We enjoy RFC & try to eat there everytime. You will get plenty of pros & cons but only you can decide if you like it. We have eaten at disney restaurants that were highly recommended that we thought was bad & vise versa. If you don't give it a try you will never know. We love the volcano desert at RFC and sometimes go there just for that.

 

[yngsj]

The walk isn't that bad. We have been to 6 different RFC and even though the food was just ok we go for the atmosphere. You need to try everything once, right ? We like to get appetizers and dessert (volcano) because we feel they're better then the entrees.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Even though my parents and I have been to their locations in Downtown Disney at WDW and one here in Toronto, we think it's worth it. They have a huge menu so there should be something for everyone and it's a fun atmosphere no matter the times you eat there.

 

[quixoticvalue]

Here is my simple question to you:

Is there a Rainforest Cafe anywhere close to where you live? Is it within driving distance? Have you ever visited there before?

If you answer yes... then why go to the one in Disney? To be honest, when I go to Disney, I want to experience something that I cannot get anywhere where I live. I want one of those "Only in Disney can you have/get/eat something like this" when I'm there. Try Yak & Yeti or Tusker House. OR, if there is a Rainforest Cafe close to where you live and you haven't been there before, then go and visit it. If you loved your experience (or have in the past), then try the one in Disney. If you thought it was okay, so-so, or didn't like it, then skip it.

If you answer no... then it doesn't hurt to try it. It might be worth the walk just to experience something that you don't have near you and you won't be able to go to "just any day." Or, experience Rainforest Cafe and Tusker House/Yak & Yeti...

Hope I helped

 

[Pumbaa_]

The OP tagline says they are in India, so I am thinking no RFC close by

RFC is ok, not the best. If you have never been to one, it is pretty cool inside. We have one here in our local mall so the newness has worn off for me.

Are you on the DDP? RFC is not a participating restaurant. Not sure if that is a factor or not.

Hard to say about the new Yak & Yeti and Tusker house. I plan on taking a chance at the Yak & Yeti when we are there next. Although Flame Tree is our favorite place now.

Hard choices, huh?