Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney

[mickey mumm]

Hi, has anyone been to the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. There are going to be 14 of us (from 9 to 75) there in February and I'm trying to book a dinner. Looked like this place would be good as there's something that should appeal to everyone. I tried calling for Priority Seating but they couldn't guarantee we'd get two tables close to each other. I've been trying for 3 days to reach their group sales people to book as they said thats what I had to do for bigger parties.

Thinking maybe we should go somewhere else if this is the kind of help you get.

Anyone eaten there or have any suggestions of somewhere else to go? It's my parents 50th anniversary but we just want something nice and fun but not super expensive

 

[Kelly5538]

The Rainforest Cafe is quite the experience... I would recommend anyone going there at least once (for the ambiance) - food... kinda ick... but the atmosphere is awesome!
There is another, less well known Rainforest Cafe at the Animal Kingdom - before you go thru the gates - maybe try there?????

 

[hockey mom]

We have been to the Rainforest Cafe in AK a few times. I agree with the above poster- great ambiance- not so great food.

What about 50's prime time at Disney Studios? With the size and ages of your group I think you would love this place.

 

[susieh]

Tried to book this for brother's wedding reception in Sept 2004 (party of 15). We could only get a table for all of us if we went at opening time. That was true of most of the restaurants too - we ended up going to Planet Hollywood as they would accommodate our needs

 

[usetheforceluke]

We've eaten there, and I'll have to repeat previous postings.

Nice atmosphere.

Thought it was expensive.

The quality of the food didn't justify the bill that we received. Basically $40-odd++ for two burgers, two glasses of soda and tip.

Not a place that we're anxious to go back to.

Jim.

 

[surfer_ed]

I think it is a fun place, maybe not as nice as you want for a anniversay celebration but it depends on your tastes. Try and get a reservation by calling the Rainforest directly not Disney Dining.

I like the AK one better.

 

[mickey mumm]

Thanks for your replies. We're staying at the Port Orleans Riverside so I was thinking it would be easier to get to the Downtown Disney location for dinner. We're total newbies to DisneyWorld (being in western Canada we've done Disneyland twice) but figured it was time to do Florida instead. I'll check out the other locations too. Thanks again.

 

[siobhan1997]

I called them and made a reservation for 4 of us for March 06. They told me at that time they were booking as far out as Oct 06. She gave me a confirmation number for the booking.

 

[highland3]

We were staying at POR and it was such a simple boat ride to DTD. We did dinner at the Rainforest Cafe our first night there. It was a blast. The kids really loved the animated creatures and the sounds. I thought the food was okay... but agree, it was a bit pricey. I chalked it up to being a part of the entire Disney experience.

 

[4theloveofdisney]

Hi, has anyone been to the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. There are going to be 14 of us (from 9 to 75) there in February and I'm trying to book a dinner. Looked like this place would be good as there's something that should appeal to everyone. I tried calling for Priority Seating but they couldn't guarantee we'd get two tables close to each other. I've been trying for 3 days to reach their group sales people to book as they said thats what I had to do for bigger parties.

Thinking maybe we should go somewhere else if this is the kind of help you get.

Anyone eaten there or have any suggestions of somewhere else to go? It's my parents 50th anniversary but we just want something nice and fun but not super expensive

Rainforest is fun but as a few have pointed out, the food isn't to die for. However, it is a fun place to eat and they are always packed! If you can't get through to booking, Fultons Crab House and Portobello (yum!) are right around the corner from there, however they are a bit pricier. A personal favorite for Cuban food is Bongo's , which also isn't far.

Good luck!

 

[c&m]

We stayed at POR as well and took the boat to DTD to eat at Rainforest Cafe. I agree with the other posters: Food was not great and very expensive for the blah quality. The place was crowded, and that's an understatement. We had to wait 1 hour to even get to the host (and we had reservations). Then we waited for half an hour next to the big fish tank before we finally got seated. If our 2 DDs weren't so excited and happy to be there, we would have left like a lot of other frustrated people.

The ambiance was interesting for the kids, but was it the highlight of their trip? Nope. Was it worth all the $$$ for bad food and time spent waiting? Nope. Try Wolfgang Puck Cafe instead.

 

[SnowWhite]

We ate there during or trip in oct/nov. I have to say that their ribs were amazing (mojo bones). I have eaten at other rainforest cafes and agree that their food isn't the best, but they do have fantastic ribs. If you are going for an anniversary then I would recommend another restaurant.

Rob (Snowwhite's DH)

 

[Daddio]

The DD location is the busiest and largest RFC they have. I would definately keep in mind that it is a very fun place to eat, however, it is very noisy and lots of traffic no matter which table you get. This might be a bit of a disadvantage for the elderly in your group. On the other hand, they might really enjoy it.

We are middle aged and eat there a minimum of once each trip just because we love the excitement. There are a couple of dishes which we also really enjoy and there is not another restaurant that can provide the type of atmosphere that you'll find at this RFC.

ADR's are not accepted at the DD location unless you are a RFC Safari Club member (24 hours advance required, not same day and direct with RFC not Disney Reservations), but ADR's are available through Disney Reservations for the one at AK.

Good luck with your party!

 

[SnowWhite]

Just to correct you there Daddio. You can make ressie's at DT Disney if you call them directly. We are not RFC members and made an ADR 3 months in advance when we booked all of our regular ADR's for our trip 90 days in advance. You just have to call them directly and just like Disney Dining you get a confirmation number and all. We called a week in advance of our trip to confirm all our ADR's. Frankly, I just like talking to disney wishing I was there!!!! It is going to be -25 celsius today here, I might just call them today to get that warm disney feeling for fun..........Is that wrong?????


Rob (Snowwhite's DH)

 

[digskat]

ouch Snow White, I'll take the -4C across the province.

we hav taken the kids to Rainforest in Niagara Falls and the Yorkville Mall (Toronto), and it is pricey restaurant with average food at best. We spent $70 on lunch, for fish and chips, and kids spaghetti, but the kids loved the atmosphere. We attempted to eat at Downtown Disney's Rainforest, but decided against the 2 hour wait.

 

[pkitty]

Hey you guys you have to try the gambalya (not sure if its spelled correctly) I love it. Other than that I had their 20 dollar burger and fry and could not finish it. Actually I can't finish most of the food they serve there because there is just to much. A family of three could have eaten the gambalya and the burger for that matter. All in all we go there once every visit and enjoy the atmosphere. A must see for those who have not been there yet. and maybe a family tradition of things to do when at Disney.

have fun

 

[ferris198]

Actually, check the menu at Captain Jacks, right beside Rainforest. We ate at the Rainforest and after our dinner I looked at the menu for Captain Jacks, and it was less expensive. Although the empahsise is seafood they do have steak and pasta.
Although the kids menu is limited.

 

[iluvflorida]

We go every year. We have Safari Club Membership which gives priority seating and 10% off. If you go with more than 5 (6 or more) they add 17% gratutity to your bill automatic and states on menu. So this is non negotiable.

 

[jakoky]

We travelled to disneyworld last december, and like you, we are in western canada(bc). There were 3 families, so 6 adults and 8 kids aged 3-13....we were really excited about rainforest, and were disappointed right from the beginning. First, my friend ordered drinks for herself and her kids, the waiter brought her the wrong one, she politely said it wasnt what she ordered and could she have the other. He flat out said she had ordered(she had not, i heard her order). The discussed the matter for probably close to 5 minutes, which is crazy as the customer is always right-and she was. Our food was alright, nothing special. We had ordered kids drinks for the kids, but he decided to bring 2 of the rootbeers not kids, and they were almost 5.00 each instead of the much lower price...near the end of dinner, my 9 yr old daugter was sitting on her bench seat, when the entire bench flipped out and she half fell into the bottom part, she scraped her back pretty good. We wanted to let them know as this definately needed fixing if my 60 lb daughter could flip it, it was obviously broken. We really thought they might actually do something to make up for it, even bring her a desert, but basically they did nothing. Anyways, if was neat in there, but when we travel back, it is not a place we will revisit.......i know we had a bad experience, but maybe others have better stories
sharon
*(BTW, this was the worst meal on our whole trip-we enjoyed all our other meals besides this one, and this one cost us well over double of any other of our meals, and the fact that we had very poor service and had to tip almost 20% was crazy)

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

I have to agree with those who were unimpressed with the food at Rainforest. The restaurant is a lot of fun but the food is very disappointing. Our DD(11) always wants to go there and we comply every so often but always regret it.

Strangely enough we have been at the Rainforest Cafe in Niagara Falls a number of times and have always been impressed at the food, considering it is in the heart of the tourist strip.