Sci-Fi Diner vs. 50's Prime Time Cafe

[Minnie&Tink]

I'm trying to decided between 50's Prime Time Cafe and the Sci-Fi Diner. It would be my dh, dd (9) and myself for dinner.

Which would you choose?

If there are three of us does that mean that one of us will be sitting alone?

 

[telephoneman66]

Yep I said it.

 

[goofyintoronto]

My vote is for SCI FI all the way! The atmosphere is so much fun. The food is simple but yummy. They have the best ribs!!!! Burgers and shakes are amazing too. I was really disapointed with 50's. Fried Chicken was soooo salty. Maybe it was an off day, cause even the table next to us said the same thing. Decore and antics were hilarious thou. Why not ask your daughter which one she likes best? compare atmosphere & menu's and decide from there.

 

[Carlyzmom]

So glad you posted this! I wanted to ask the same thing.

 

[minnierocks]

To answer the easy question...yes, one of you would be sitting alone at the Sci-Fi and it would be really hard to carry on a conversation with anyone seated behind/in front of you.
We really like both places! If you want a really good burger/shake in a unique setting, then go with Sci-Fi. It was the best burger that we had all week.
If you want down-home cooking served in fun atmosphere, then go with 50's Prime Time.

 

[wintershawl]

So, just like most of these types of questions, you are going to get varied answers.

My DH and I always go Sci-Fi. We love the atmosphere and just have a grand ol' time. I have always enjoyed the food. However, we aren't too "snobby" when it comes to food quality. As long as it is cooked and tastes half-decent, we are good.

We were not fans of 50s Prime-time because we did not really like being scolded on our food choices and lack of eating certain vegetables. I'm not from the south, and most people in my area do not even eat collard greens! Although, it can be humorous, and watching others get picked on was amusing. It just wasn't our thing.

It's all about who you are.

 

[momtoejanda]

I really enjoyed the 50s Prime time. I didnt care for sci fi. I really dont like eating in the dark confused3). We are 5 and I sat alone. but I have to tell you that after a long day in the park with DH and 3 kids, I actually enjoyed sitting alone rotfl2

You do need a sense of humor for 50's Prime Time because they do pick on people. Our waitress took my dh phone away from him because he shouldnt be on it at the table. I loved that, he did not....

 

[Freiden8]

sci-fi

we've done 50s prime time a few times and honestly each time was worst than the last.. we've never gotten "fun" waiters! the last time we were there the service was downright terrible and totally NOT in the "rude" way it is suppose to be in. (never got refills of drinks, never asked how our food was, never "played around", never asked if we wanted dessert (we weren't doing the DDP at the time), took 30 minutes to get the check. we had DD who was 21 months at the time, and we were there for so long that she fell asleep at the table and banged her head when she nodded off! we decided that was the last straw and have absolutely no intention of going back. the killer is that we were nothing but super nice the entire time. this particular trip we dined there our first evening and being in the fresh WDW mood we were still all googley eyed with typical WDW expectations.

 

[Pakey]

I would pick 50s but the rest of my family prefers Sci Fi.

 

[dawgs4disney]

I would go with 50's prime time. It was very hard to see our food in sci-fi and not to mention my husband sitting with one child in front of myself and our toddler. It did not make for good conversation. I don't know quite what we were thinking it would be with the title but sci-fi movies aren't really our thing so our kids were also pretty bored with that aspect of the experience.

 

[helloconnie]

I like both but I would recommend 50's over Sci-Fi because of the following:

1. You sit two to a car seat. So if you have kids they will sit in front of you. They will be rather quiet though watching the clips on the drive-in screen.
2. Menu is simple burgers, sandwhichs. Menu at 50's is more diverse.

I will say that the service at 50's seems to be slower.

 

[heatherwillmom]

We love Sci Fi!! My kids get a kick out of the movie reels. The burgers & milkshakes are great. There aren't a lot of choices but we love those. We just think Prime Time is slow & we don't like getting "fussed at" during our meal. The kids say that's what I am for.

 

[disneychic2]

Another vote for 50's Prime Time. We eat there every trip. Our food has always been great at Prime Time, and their milkshakes are wonderful! The service has never been extremely slow for us, but there have been times when our wait staff did not engage with us. (That can be viewed as a plus for some.)

Our one experience at Sci-Fi made us decide to not repeat. Our food was not good, and DH and I are not hard to please. We also didn't like the seating arrangements or the dark.

Good luck and have a magical trip.

 

[jcvalenti]

I've been to both many times, and for me, it's 50's Prime Time Diner all the way. The Sci-Fi diner ambience is great, but their menu and food is simply unforgiveable. It's almost incomprehensible to me that they allow such a unique and potentially great venue to serve such utter junk. Heck, i'm fine with a simple burger and fries concept, but how hard is it to make a good burger ? Sci-Fi also makes it a little tough to carry on a conversation over a meal.

The 50's Prime Time has much better food, IMHO, and when my kids were around 10, they really enjoyed the "interactive" element of having a dinner at "mom's". In fact, my oldest still relates with glee the time he got a sticker for being in the "clean plate club".

As an added consideration, if you enjoy a nice adult beverage now and then, like I do, Prime Time has the advantage of a full stocked bar and a much better beer selection than Sci-Fi.

 

[Carlyzmom]

I've been to both many times, and for me, it's 50's Prime Time Diner all the way. The Sci-Fi diner ambience is great, but their menu and food is simply unforgiveable. It's almost incomprehensible to me that they allow such a unique and potentially great venue to serve such utter junk. Heck, i'm fine with a simple burger and fries concept, but how hard is it to make a good burger ? Sci-Fi also makes it a little tough to carry on a conversation over a meal.

The 50's Prime Time has much better food, IMHO, and when my kids were around 10, they really enjoyed the "interactive" element of having a dinner at "mom's". In fact, my oldest still relates with glee the time he got a sticker for being in the "clean plate club".

As an added consideration, if you enjoy a nice adult beverage now and then, like I do, Prime Time has the advantage of a full stocked bar and a much better beer selection than Sci-Fi.

So, my kids will be 8 and 11 on our next trip. You think they will enjoy 50s better than Sci Fi? Isn't there a PB&J shake they talk about? My DS LIVES on PB&J. Might be fun for him. They could care less about food, so atmosphere would win out for them.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Like them both but prefer the food at 50's over Sci Fi

At Sci Fi you will be separated in the same car, 2 in one row and 1 in the other but they do have picnic tables in the back that you can sit at but you lose the feel of the drive in

 

[mdsd8700]

I agree you will get varying opinions. We have eaten at both many times and if I had to choose one it would be the 50s Prime Time. We think the food at 50s is better. Also it does very much depend on your wait staff person. If they are fun and into it, then the entire experience takes on a whole new meaning. However you have to be ready to play along because sometimes they will do things unexpected. My husband ordered what the waiter thought was one too many cokes and told him he couldn't fill up on soda until he finished he food. He only served my husband water for the rest of the meal. Now we found that completely amusing and laughed the entire time. My kids were thrilled however that may not be for everyone.

The Sci-fi atomosphere can't be beat and is pretty much the only place I know of to get such an experience. Honestly I think you will enjoy either one, they are both different and fun.

Have a Wonderful Trip.

 

[heatherwillmom]

DH & DS love the movie reels at Sci Fi. It's one of the only places that DH requests every time that we go to WDW. He's not a big Disney fan so we try to please him since we drag him there every year

 

[smiths02]

I have never been to 50s PTC, but I do want to try it someday...

Anyhow, I faced the same dilemma when booking our trip in July. As it stands now, we have Sci Fi for lunch. I just know that Sci Fi is a cool atmosphere that our son likes, and we can get a decent milkshake, onion rings and burger. I just don't know that I will want meatloaf or fried chicken in July. I also don't know that after walking around DHS in July all day that I will want some waiter harassing me (on the other hand, if the waiter doesn't harass us, then what was the point ). Going into a cool, dark place in July with a neat atmosphere is what sold me.

 

[Jaybrad]

Sci-Fi !!!