Sci-Fi Dine-In vs. 50's prime time

[lauralong81]

On all of our trips, we visit Sci Fi Dine In. My DH and DS just looove the atmosphere, they would eat off of the floor if it meant eating there. The food is not fantastic, but we just love the ambiance. That said, we're planning our next trip and I always try to push to try at least a few new things. 50's prime time is our other choice for DHS. I'm not that impressed with the menu, and we think Sci Fi is fine for us (we don't mind a burger & shake meal now and then) So, in your opinion, should we stick with what we love, or is Prime Time worth it and why?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[TheHundredth]

I'm not a fan of Primetime. We went once on a stay in The World and our waiter was ... rather rude... to say the least. The theme is a 50's home kitchen. So they call you Skippy and Darling and you have to call the waiters and waitresses Cousin or something. But our waiter took it as far as lecturing my Dad on not putting his elbows on the table.... (im 17)

HOWEVER

The food is pretty good but not worth being griped at about how youre eating it.

It's all preference though. Most of my friends families LOVE primetime.

TRY IT! You never know if you'll like it!

 

[MinnieTink]

We didn't enjoy the servers "acts" at Prime Time. Thought it was really annoying. We love Sci Fi too, so that where I would choose to go.

 

[lauralong81]

Thanks everyone! This is kind of what I'm guessing.... we're pretty fun loving people, but both DH and I are pretty shy too. I don't think either of us will be into the "attention" at Prime Time.

Of course, now I'm thinking about trying Brown Derby too... lmao!!!! Ah, the neverending internal-struggles of Dining choices, 2nd only to resort choices..... lol

 

[stitchaholic]

and here i come to add a different spin , we were like you and did Sci-fi the last 3 years in a row , on our last visit , we were dissapointed in the food quality.
I always thought we would not enjoy prime time because of the antics , but do I have news for you , I would rate it as one of our best meals , so unexpected.
we had Donna from Ontario as our waitress, she was fantastic , a real hoot , my kids had to set the table , my daughter's cell was a walkie talkie , we lost points for the elbows on the table , so my son decided to push the enveloppe and do it again in front of her , he got sent to the corner to a round of shame,shame from the others in the restaurant and she wrote " no elbows" in ketchup where he was eating (this was at the end of our meal) , they only get into it if your into it, nothing is forced , but this in my opinion is a true disney experience , it was so worth it and we will go back again for sure.

I had the charbroiled chicken sandwich with rings , wow it was great , my kids had the fried chicken , also amazing , your allowed shakes there as drinks as well , plus a desert if you possibly can , or they will throw your shakes into to go cups to sip on a full belly ,lol

all in all , I say what do you have to lose by trying something new once ? this one is a great gamble , I say go for it !

 

[danceintherain]

We prefer Sci Fi, but Primetime isn't bad. Granted, we did Primetime towards the end of the 10 day trip on the Dining Plan, so at that point we weren't crazy hungry and I didn't enjoy the pressure to clean my plate if I wanted dessert. I'm can be shy too, so I didn't even let it get to the point where they could say anything.

We've done Sci Fi twice, and it's the only place my husband really "requests." We didn't do it on our last trip in favor of the Brown Derby and I think he missed it.

 

[FigNewton]

Primetime isn't for everyone, you do have to be in the right frame of mind for it. We went for the first time about six months ago and we got a kick out of instructions to go wash our hands, elbows off the table, the whole shebang. When we finished, our server (Uncle Tim), noticed that my wife hadn't eaten all of her vegetables. He sat down next to her, cut a green bean into a mouthsized bite... and then pulled out a kazoo and made an airplane noise while flying the fork around like a plane to her mouth for one last bite of green veggies. I was dying. We loved it.

That said, our heart is still with Sci-fi, but I'm really glad we broke from tradition once.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I love both places. I love Sci Fi for the great atmosphere. Food is good in my opinion. Simple burgers and fries. But 50's is a lot of fun too. To the OP who thought their server was rude, lol, they were just playing the role. Thats what they do. I think their antics are hilarious. The server spoon fed my son his vegis. It was a riot. The food is quite good too. I would go here again in heartbeat. I think you should try something new since you've been to Sci Fi so many times. You just might have a new fave place. When at disney i always try as many new restaurants as i can. its fun!

 

[IhrkeFamily]

I agree that you need to have the right attitude to eat at Prime Time. If you're laid back and can have a little fun with the staf it's great. Our server was so amazing this last trip that we wrote Disney about him. He was never rude, but had basic rules like "mom" would. My husband is a big soda drinker and finished his first glass right away. The server asked if he needed another, yes. Then he brought back 3 glasses and said "here you go, you camel". To top it off he brought back a map of DHS with the bathrooms circled and a note that said Bed Wetters Guide. Oh my! My kids and husband were laughing so hard! Then Mikey (server) brought my daughter an extra dessert of just graham cracker and chocolate since he heard she didn't like marshmallows.

We thought the food was very. Loved the fried chicken All 4 pieces of it! Yes, 4! Mashed potatoes were yummy and the malts. Oh the malts! I think I got 3 glasses out of mine. And it counted as a non-alcoholic beverage or dessert on the dining plan. Or both!

If you're looking for a fun dining experience with good food I would say try it. If you're more conservative and just want to eat your food then it isn't the place for you. Personal preference.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

We did 50's Dine this last time because I can't stand the food at Sci-Fi. Our waiter was a hoot and the food was so good. I don't regret going there instead.

As for the waiters who are "rude," that's part of the act. When we ate there, the waiter told me to get my elbows off the table, told me he wouldn't bring my malt because I hadn't even had dinner yet, picked on us for not eating our veges... It was a riot. He even went up to another waiter who was asking about a reservation that was MIA and said "Hey Bob, why don't you go work for a change?" When we left (after the waiter invited our "cousins from Phili" to our wedding), he gestured at our table and said "Hey, how about you all go out and have some fun, I will just pick up after you" and rolled his eyes.

If you go along with it, you'll have a blast. If you don't, they'll leave you be. Either way, I thought the food was lightyears better then anything Sci Fi has. I like the setting of Sci-Fi, but everytime I've been, the food is distractingly bad.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I like both. Sci-Fy if you want a burger and onion rings and for lunch only! 50's Prime Time for the ambiance, love the wait staff and I'm addicted to the pot roast! My son always has the frided chicken. We like it for lunch or dinner.

If you want a step up, a bit more upscale, do try the Brown Derby, Though I'm not a fan of their signature "cobb salad" (way too chopped up and mushy for me) the rest of the menu is ceative and tasty!

Why not try something new, the worst that can happen is that you decide not go there again!

 

[Bonniec]

My husband is a big soda drinker and finished his first glass right away. The server asked if he needed another, yes. Then he brought back 3 glasses and said "here you go, you camel".

OMG, PLEASE let them do that to my husband! We are going to try it in January.


BTW, I did read on the food blog that you can request to be left out of the antics. It said you can tell them you'd rather just observe. Personally, I hope the give my DH and kids a lot of crap! Time for mommas revenge.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

The big difference for us is that 50s Prime Time is much better for talking with others at your table. At Sci Fi Diner, you are sitting side by side in a car (most of the seating) watching movie clips.. it's quiet in there.

I like to do both of these restaurants on our trips. Sci Fi is fun for DS -- he likes sitting in the cars and the movie clips and the food is good. It's not gourmet dining selections here... but the burgers, fries, onion rings are great. I'd stick with that.

I like the food at 50s Prime Time and the theming there too... old black and white sitcoms like Dennis the Menace on the TV by the table (most tables). The food is good... and the milkshakes are VERY good.

If you like milkshakes, there is a difference. Sci Fi's milkshakes are the type made with flavored syrup and are very thick and almost frozen, more like a machine made shake. 50s Prime Time's shakes are more like a homemade style with ice cream and milk and flavors whipped. Both are good, I like 50s' better... especially the peanut butter and jelly shake!

 

[budafam]

We tried 50's Prime Time last time and absolutely loved it. The antics were not that bad. Everyone gets the same "lecture" about putting your elbows on the table. The atmosphere was excellent IMO. I loved the old time feel. Our waitress was great about everything and didn't push anything onto us that we weren't comfortable with. Another waiter "scolded" me for talking on my cell phone which was hilarious. The food is GREAT! So much better than Sci-Fi. Much more home-cooked feel to it. I think it's worth a try and if you don't like it, don't return

 

[Figaro972]

We love them both and its always a tough decision to choose so we really try to switch between them each trip. however, our last trip we were craving 50's so bad we cancelled our sci-fi to go back to 50's. Definitely going to do Sci-fi our next trip though.

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

On our first trip we ate at Sci Fi and loved it, second trip we decided to try 50's Prime Time and hated most everything about it! This trip my dh insisted we go to Sci Fi again!

 

[SPOERLX3]

We didn't enjoy the servers "acts" at Prime Time. Thought it was really annoying. We love Sci Fi too, so that where I would choose to go.

I agree 100%

But I will make a stop and the Tune-in Lounge for the PB&J shake to go absolutely delicious!