Serving size at Coral Reef???

[loveDmouse]

How are the serving sizes here? I was just wondering if it is worth the money. You know, not paying a lot for very little.
I hear the food is good. It has been a long time since we went so I don't remember.
Thanks.

 

[JadenLayne]

We ate there in March and were very pleased. WE were on the dining plan though so I'm not sure of the cost as I didn't pay that close attention.

The portions were normal, not large and not small but plenty of food. We would definitely eat here again!

 

[formernyer]

I'm too lazy to find all my other posts, but if you search for Coral Reef you'll find all the info you need.

My opinion in a nutshell...

Very good serving sizes and an amazing value for the money if you are on the DDP and paying only one credit for it.

If you are paying OOP, I personally don't think it's worth it. Our lunch (one adult and two children ordering kid's meals) came to $120.

I'm going back again during the free dining promotion, but I'd never pay for it OOP.

If you're looking for food reviews, just do a simple search...there are tons of threads out there.

 

[LoveStitch]

Our last meal there, my DH and I each ended up ordering the same things. We had soup, entree, dessert and wine. It was way too much food! We wished we had split some of the items. Instead, we walked out of there stuffed. It was delicious, though. That particular meal came to about $100 with tip.

I do find that there's not a lot of variety at this restaurant, which is okay with us, because we like what there is. If you've never been, and are not sure if you want to go, it's best to check out the menu ahead of time.

By the way, we weren't on the dining plan, but paid for the meal and would do so again. We like the food and atmosphere very much.

 

[loveDmouse]

LoveStitch---thanks. I do like there menu and I remember loving the aquarium and just everything about it. We had a table right next to the tank. It was great. We are not doing the dinning plan either. I don't mind paying good money for a good meal, if that makes sense.

Thanks for the information formernyer I have done some searching and it sometimes is so much information it is easier to ask in a seperate post. At least to me it is.

Thanks JadenLayne! Always a good thing if someone wants to go back!

 

[jaycns]

We love Coral Reef...not so much the food...which was good. The portions were "normal" (not the biggest we have ever been served but far from the smallest either) and if you like sea food or steak (adults) it was a good bet (they also had the "normal" kids menu and my little ones were happy to dine from it yet again). The shrimp cocktail was OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD!! Next time we go I am ordering TWO and skipping the main course (which I liked but I LOVED the shrimp cocktail...big fresh shrimp...oh yum yum). Well, I won't really skip the main course, but I will insist that my husband order shrimp cocktail for his app. too and my boys and I will share it...YUM YUM!!

The reason we love The CR so much is the atmosphere. It is so beautiful. It's like a mini vacation from your vacation. The views of the sea life swimming by (our favorite is the sea turtle) is just so relaxing. It's calm and cool and tranquil. And for a family with three young boys, it's a good way for all of us to enjoy a peaceful moment before the kids have us up and running our way around the world again!!

Seriously though, I have seen a lot of people say they didn't think that the Coral Reef was up to par (to each his own) but we liked it. We liked it enough that ever since we first went in 2003 we have gone every vacation since and plan on doing so as long as it's there and we are too! For us it's good food (again, I don't claim it's great...except for the shrimp cocktail...I still dream about that) and the great atmosphere.

 

[loveDmouse]

jaycns- Thanks for your experience. We love shrimp cocktail so that will be a must. I thought it was a fun place to eat last time we were there. I am not really concerned with food hanging over the plate I just want a decent size meal. You know, not one you look at your plate and wonder where the rest of it is.

 

[sleepydog25]

We, too, enjoy CR and think the portions are fine. Granted, many posters who don't enjoy CR often cite portion sizes as one of the reasons. While they aren't huge, they certainly are reasonable for the price. Besides, we enjoy eating an appetizer, salad, or soup (the lobster bisque is sublime!), and just like our parents taught us, we eat the veggies with our meal, too. By the time dessert comes around, we are very satisfied. As for the dessert, look no further than the Chocolate Wave. Go, enjoy, report back here!

 

[Iggipolka]

We loved Coral Reef. Granted, we were on the Premium Dining plan, so credits or food costs didn't matter. I found the portion sizes to be ample. I had the blackened catfish and it was deliciously spicy! The desserts are scrumptious and highly worth saving some room for.
It was so nice to have some quiet time out of the crazyness and heat of the parks to just relax and watch the fishies swim by while eating really good food. I highly recommend it.

 

[Uncleromulus]

We had dinner there in October. I am what you might term a "fairly big" eater and the portions at Coral Reef were just fine.

 

[loveDmouse]

Great! Thanks everyone for telling me about your experiences! I can't wait to return to Coral Reef!
Now if I could just figure out how to get December here a little quicker!

 

[pooh2001]

We have no meal plan - just DDE - 20% off - we do lunch at the Coral Reef.
Our game plan..

Drinks ? not sure of prices - lets say $20 for 4 people.

Entree
DH - Blackened Catfish - served over pepper jack cheese grits, topped with smoked tomato compote, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze $14.00
DW - Grilled Chicken Breast - served over wild mushroom risotto with truffle butter $15.00
DS - Grilled Jumbo Shrimp - skewered shrimp with applewood smoked bacon, ratatouille, and basil jus $20.00
DD - Triton's Pasta - Pasta with Marinara or Alfredo Sauce $4.99

Dessert
DH & DW share - California Gold (Tribute to the Happiest Celebration on Earth!) - California Orange Pudding surrounded by vanilla sponge cake topped with whipped cream and orange zest $8.00
DS - Chocolate Adrift - Frozen chocolate malt mousse raft and white chocolate oars $7.00 (we will ask for the words "Congrats Grad" to be written on the chocolate raft part)
DD - Build Your Own Sundae $5.25

Total before tip/discount = $94.24
tip = $14
minus DDE 20% discount = $18.85

final meal total = $89.39 for 3 adult meals and 1 child meal
Not bad for a DS graduation gift meal

Calculated from: http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#epc

 

[loveDmouse]

Sounds YUMMY!!!! I am getting hungry!

 

[Took]

I'm too lazy to find all my other posts, but if you search for Coral Reef you'll find all the info you need.


If you are paying OOP, I personally don't think it's worth it. Our lunch (one adult and two children ordering kid's meals) came to $120.

OMG, what did you order?? We've never spent that kind of money at Coral Reef and we're TWO adults and ONE child.

Took

 

[formernyer]

OMG, what did you order?? We've never spent that kind of money at Coral Reef and we're TWO adults and ONE child.

Took

We did NOT order the most expensive items on the menu. None of us had any seafood.

Appetizers:
3 Ceasar Salads with Grilled Chicken (kids were allowed to order adult appetizer)

Entrees:
Adult - NY strip steak
Child - child's steak meal (not on menu, but offered to us by the server)
Child - Pizza meal

Desserts:
Adult - Cholocate Wave
Child - Make Your Own Sundae
Child - Make Your Own Sundae

Beverages:
3 soft drinks (one adult/two child)

Tax

18% gratuity

You can look up the individual prices on the menu (I'm too lazy), but that's everything we got. I also had some coffee, but they didn't add it to the bill.

 

[magicmouse2]

We are eating at coral reef in september

 

[dianemb]

I'm not sure what the poster got who paid $120 for one adult and 2 kids but my husband, 10 year old son and I ate there last December for lunch and paid OOP. It was $53 and my husband had the special of the day, my son had the drink special (I think that was $6 alone) and pizza and I had the blackened catfish. My husbands included a salad and dessert. It was the best meal of our trip and would definatly recommend it now since it's only one TS credit.

 

[minniemousefan]

We ate there in March and the food was pretty good. Not huge servings, but I left on a full tank

This is hard to believe, but I already forget what I ate there except for the creamy lobster soup... yummmmm and the shrimp cocktail... another yummm!

My dh and I had it great because our boys are picky eaters, so we basically ordered 2 appetizers for each of us (oink, oink). We were on the DP so our kids were entitled to 2 adult appetizers - gotta love it The only downfall was that my son decided he would try the lobster soup - and he loved it as much as me - shoot!

What was really neat about the restaurant, IMHO, was the tank. We were all the way on the top row and could still see it very well. The wall next to our table was a little high so the boys had to sit on their feet to see. Anyway, a couple of divers went into the tank while we were eating and held up a happy birthday sign for someone. Then he went all the way down the length of the tank and waved to all of us. He touched a couple of sharks and then layed down on his back and blew 'smoke rings' somehow with the air bubbles from his tank. It was really neat.

As for the cost, I think our bill totaled around $115 for lunch - 2a, 2c. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table and we had ressies, but there were plenty of places to plop down and wait. Overall we really enjoyed it!

 

[LoveStitch]

I can see that I'm going to have to try the shrimp cocktail on my next meal there...hmmm...lobster bisque, shrimp cocktail and chocolate wave cake...I think that would make a great meal!

 

[formernyer]

I'm not sure what the poster got who paid $120 for one adult and 2 kids but my husband, 10 year old son and I ate there last December for lunch and paid OOP. It was $53 and my husband had the special of the day, my son had the drink special (I think that was $6 alone) and pizza and I had the blackened catfish. My husbands included a salad and dessert. It was the best meal of our trip and would definatly recommend it now since it's only one TS credit.

I was the one who had the $120 bill on the DDP and I already posted what we ordered. We were on the DDP, so we all had appetizers, drinks, and desserts.

Looks like your order was rung up incorrectly. Per menu prices:

Blackened Catfish - $20.50
Pizza Kid's Meal - $4.99
Special Drink - 6.00

That's already $31.49 before tax and tip. Add tax and tip and you're up to about $39 give or take.

That leaves $14 for your husband's entree, salad, dessert, drinks for you and your husband, and tax/tip on those items.

Either the menu has gotten a LOT more expensive since last December or you got really lucky and the server added up your order incorrectly.


OK, I STAND CORRECTED. LOOKS LIKE THE CATFISH IS A LOT CHEAPER AT LUNCH AND I DIDN'T REALIZE YOUR HUSBAND'S LUNCH WAS A COMBO DEAL.

COMBO - $19.00
CATFISH - $14.00
PIZZA MEAL - $4.99
SPECIAL DRINK - $6.00
NO ADULT SOFT DRINKS?
TAX/TIP - $9.01

TOTAL - $53.00

I ALSO NOTICED LOOKING BACK AT THE MENU THAT I DID, IN FACT, ORDER THE MOST EXPENSIVE LUNCH. I ASSUMED I HADN'T BECAUSE I ORDERED STEAK AND I THOUGHT SEAFOOD WOULD COST MORE...APPARENTLY IT DOESN'T.

I GUESS THE VALUE AT THIS PLACE ISN'T AS BAD AS I THOUGHT FOR PEOPLE PAYING OOP, AS LONG AS YOU EITHER ORDER THE COMBO OR ORDER AN ENTREE WITHOUT APPETIZERS AND DESSERT.