Talk to me about the Rainforest Cafe!

[cruisnfamily]

We've been before and I have mixed feelings.

We like the atmosphere and have always gotten good service...but....I've always thought the food was overpriced and not very good.

I was thinking of joining the safari club for the $10 certificate and the % off the meal but now that you have to sign up at the restaurant, we wouldn't have the $10 off certificate until after we returned from our trip so I'm not sure that it's worth it.

Anyway, we have one dinner and one lunch that are going to be off-site and I was thinking of tossing this in as the dinner meal on our first night.

So, what do you guys think? Tell me everything! Should we go? It's DH, me, DD12, DDF12, DS9.
How much do you think we would spend for dinner? Do you think it would be more or less than if we went to a chain restaurant like Macaroni Grill or something?

 

[bscs]

I personally love the rainforest cafe. We eat on a budget when we go to WDW. But this is the only place I am willing to splurge.( and it is cheaper than character meals). I love the atmosphere. You said the food was only OK what have you tried? I love the chicken and mashed potatoes (I don't remember the exact name). We always go to the one at AP but I think next time we will try the one at Downtown disney. Of course if you've been before and were not that impressed try something else usually anything off disney is cheaper than on the property.

 

[disnutt]

We rarely go when we're at WDW because we have one here in Hartford. However, we go here in Hartford all the time to remind us of Disney!

The food is mediocre on the best days. We go for the atmosphere. The food at Macaroni Grill is better but the atmosphere isn't as entertaining. If you don't have one near you I would suggest going because it really is fun.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I love it there! Admittedly, it's mostly for the atmosphere. I usually split one of the pizzas with someone- they're about $10, so it makes it really cheap! I've always had good service, too.

 

[jockey]

I love RFC - it's the first restaurant we go to when we get to WDW!!! I find its good food at resonable prices!!!

 

[onlyoneforme]

I know that when we signed up for the club at the Rainforest at Downtown Disney the lines for Dinner were horrid! But apparently if you are a member of the club you never wait more than 30 minutes for a table! That was enough incentive for us with our 5 yr old at Dinner time!

 

[dawgsgirl]

I would go just because the kids will love it. We go for the atmosphere, not the food. We usualy just get hamburgers and enjoy the rain forest.

 

[linfin]

if you already know the food is no good why bother, there is one about 15mins fom my house and the food is no good there either

 

[cruisnfamily]

if you already know the food is no good why bother, there is one about 15mins fom my house and the food is no good there either

Well, I didn't see the food was bad, bad, uneatable. It's OK, just not worth the price they charge....but the atmosphere is lots of fun. Just looking for a variety of opinions and reviews I guess.

 

[Ted and Holly]

Joining the club was the best thing we ever did. The seating benefits outweigh the monetary value.

This past Thursday, we decided to go there to eat. We got there and the place was packed. There was a line at the podium to check in and as usual, tons of people around. The wait was at least an hour. We walked up to the Purple Elephant and checked in. They told us that we would have a 25 minute wait. We ended up being seated within 5 minutes.

Ted

 

[agnes!]

I have eaten at RFCs a couple of times, in different cities. *Never* again - I mean, if you like it & are/were pleased by the experience, that's great. Just for me, I think the food's overpriced/not very good, the animals & sound system are too loud and the service has always been poor - either non-existent or too rushed. RFCs are usually a big hit with kids, however.

On the other hand, my family loves Macaroni Grills, we have a couple near us here in the DC area, the food's great & whenever there has been a problem the management or the server fixes it. The atmosphere is very different, no talking animals, so MGs might not be at the top of your kids lists.

But hey, how bad could it be? You'll be at DISNEY!
agnes!

 

[mark&sue]

I have been to Rainforest Cafe in Both Animal Kingdom and DTD and think the Animal Kingdom one is really good for breakfast. Been to the ones in Las Vegas and Cancun which were good.

But the one in London was the worse one we had ever been too. Was double the price of any of the others the portions were tiny and the kids meals were nearly as much as the adults. They sat us away from any animals but was so busy could not move.

Hope to take our friends to the one of them when we go to WDW in May. Would there be a benefit to us if we joined the club now? 14 of us going.




Susan

 

[mark&sue]

Just checked the website and yes you have to visit the restaurant and cannot buy over the internet.



Susan

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

We LOVE LOVE RFC!!!! We make sure we eat there on each of our trips to Orlando! Did you see that any merchandise you purchase at reg. price is 15% off? We bought our membership the day we ate there and it already paid for itself that day, with out the $10 g.c. I don't know why everyone says the food there is so-so, because we have only had WONDERFUL food there, but I guess maybe bad experiences?? Oh well, everyone has their own opinion!

 

[magsmouse]

Just ate there last week and the food was as usual, terrible. Kids begged to go though. At 5:30, the wait was over an hour for inside seating so we took immediate seating on the back porch overlooking the water. This was nicer than the noisier inside (although that is the appeal?), waiter was nice, but I promised myself this time that it would be the last no matter what the kids say. There are just too many better places to eat for a lot less $.

 

[floridagirrl2]

We have eaten at the Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom twice. The first time I had a veggie burger, which was YUMMIE. It was $10 or $11. The second time I had a pizza, which was $10.00, and could easily have been split, making for a pretty inexpensive meal.

The rub was, DH had a GREAT $25 steak the first time, and a mediocre $25 steak the 2nd time. That 2nd steak made him not want to go back.

We both think the atmosphere is really fun, but at this time of year, I don't think (personally) it would be worth the wait (we were there at slower times of the year).

 

[the kabuki]

Actually I like the food and atmosphere, but the service is so sloooowwww.
We have one here in Mich. and it's just as bad here as it is in WDW. Just went over Spring Break here, and it was terribly slow.

Asked the waiter why the food takes so long in coming, and he commented that the kids' pizza go through the oven twice, so from now on, no more kids' pizzas when we're there.