Sci-Fi Dine-in OR 50's Prime Time

[amberpi]

At least give people the heads up. I wouldn't not attend a birthday party over it, but I'd be surprised if I ended up at a place with "antics" unprepared.

 

[DisneyDonny]

I would go 50s, especially for a large group. I went with a larger party years ago and it was tough everyone sitting in different cars. 50s has good food, and just will be better for a larger party. At that nostalgia factor will be great with all the old TVs and everything.

 

[disneyvoice]

I haven't been to Sci-Fi (only because the food reports scare me away) but we go to Prime Time every trip. We are also not people who loved the idea of the "server acting" but we were pleasantly surprised. We have been probably 4 or 5 times now and not once have we experienced what we THOUGHT was going to happen - no loud or forced acting that made us uncomfortable. In fact, this has become one of our favorite places BECAUSE of the interaction with the servers. In our experience the servers haven't been playing a character per se but were themselves, just got more "involved" in us and our meal than other friendly servers. When my husband and I went there without our son over my birthday a few years ago our waitress even sat down at our table with us for awhile when we were eating and just kind of chatted with us about our trip, where we were from, etc - it was kind of like she was a family member catching up with us. Granted, we were really enjoying our conversation with her - I'm sure if we had been uncomfortable with that she wouldn't have sat there for long (just to clarify, we had the first lunch seating so the place wasn't very busy yet - she wasn't ignoring other tables).

The funniest experience was a day when somehow I messed up our reservations because I forgot to cancel our ADR for a later Prime Time dinner after having just eaten an early Prime Time lunch that same day. They were going to let us cancel it with no penalty but we actually liked it so much we decided to keep it. When the waiter asked us if we had been there before my husband replied "Yes. About 8 hours ago!" When he explained what I did the waiter thought it was hysterical that we ate there twice in one day and he kept making a big deal about it and getting everyone around us to laugh along. It was one of the BEST experiences we have had in all of our trips to WDW.

I honestly think the servers kind of work with the vibe they are getting from you. We have seen people there who clearly do NOT want to interact with them at all and they just behave like normal servers with them. Then we have seen people REALLY get into it and the guests are actually the ones driving the level of "silliness." I think they do a particularly good job with knowing how to deal with kids and teens. Yes, my teenage son has always eaten ALL of his veggies when he eats there because of how fun they make it!

Forgot to add: We were surprised how much we enjoyed the food at Prime Time. The menu didn't necessarily appeal to us at first glance but I can honestly say EVERYTHING we have ordered there is delicious and ALL of have loved our meals. In fact, now we all have difficulty deciding what to order because we have so many "favorites."

 

[goofyintoronto]

If this is about a 70 y.o. birthday - 50's Prime Time. She understands the formica and black & white TV's.

You can see in my signature that I really think folks should go to Sci-Fi, but for a 70 y.o. birthday, I just think Prime Time is a better alternative.

I totally agree with this. I think this place would be more fun for a 70th birthday for sure. Yes they have a lot of food but you can certainly share entrees if you want. For example, the fried chicken plate gives you 4 pieces of chicken, plus a side of mashed pot/fries etc, and a side of vegetable (corn or collard greens). If you have someone who doesnt eat very much, this plate would be perfect for sharing.

 

[OneTimePoet]

Thanks all - I think we will stick with 50's Prime Time Cafe for this trip, but we definitely want to hit up Sci-Fi when we go back just the three of us.

 

[rosiebean]

For example, the fried chicken plate gives you 4 pieces of chicken, plus a side of mashed pot/fries etc, and a side of vegetable (corn or collard greens). If you have someone who doesnt eat very much, this plate would be perfect for sharing.

I think that even if you have two people who eat a fair amount, sharing the fried chicken plate is filling, especially if you get a milk shake or appetizer or plan on having dessert. I shared with my niece a few years ago. We also shared (as a table) a few appetizers, my niece and I shared a milkshake (they gave us an extra glass), and the table shared a few desserts...most of us, very healthy eaters, split entrees, and we were STUFFED.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I think that even if you have two people who eat a fair amount, sharing the fried chicken plate is filling, especially if you get a milk shake or appetizer or plan on having dessert. I shared with my niece a few years ago. We also shared (as a table) a few appetizers, my niece and I shared a milkshake (they gave us an extra glass), and the table shared a few desserts...most of us, very healthy eaters, split entrees, and we were STUFFED.

I totally hear you on that. Esp about the milkshake...its huge! I also split the shake with my table mate and let me tell you, it was more than enough.

 

[maryj11]

I have eaten at both and like both. With 7 in the group I would go with 50's Prime Time. There is more comfort food there and I think your mom would like it more.

 

[Farps]

Thanks all - I think we will stick with 50's Prime Time Cafe for this trip, but we definitely want to hit up Sci-Fi when we go back just the three of us.

I think that you are making a great choice, have a great trip !

 

[allsaintsatx]

Thanks all - I think we will stick with 50's Prime Time Cafe for this trip, but we definitely want to hit up Sci-Fi when we go back just the three of us.

Good choice! Maybe, once there and immersed in the Prime Time, maybe just maybe the ones who don't like the server interaction might be game! My wife HATES that kind of stuff and yet, she loves 50sPT and Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL. So much so that we are using one park day to go on the 2 rides left open at DHS just so she can have lunch at 50s PT!!!

Enjoy!!