Tell me about Coral Reef

[raysnkaysmom]

I'm thinking of booking a lunch at Coral Reef for a family of 8... (+ 2 babies)

Can someone tell me what all happens here, and about the food?


Thanks

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Hi there! I love Coral Reef and so did my family and friends. We had great service both times we dined there and we love the atmosphere. There is a huge aquarium that takes up one whole wall of the restaurant. You can see it from any table in the dining room, and you'll be given a little guide to tell you what kind of fish you see.

I'm a vegetarian so I ordered the vegetarian entrees. My family and friends had a bit of everything and everybody really enjoyed what they ordered, though I can't remember the details.

I do remember that the lobster bisque was awesome and so are the desserts!

 

[morgy827]

We dined here last year and we considered it the worst restaurant of the trip. THe aquarium was nice but we could see that in the Seas pavillion anyway. We had terrible service and the food was poor as well. We complained to the manager and they just laughed it off and ignored us. I was so dissapointed becuase I had always wanted to eat at THe Coral Reef and I thought my honeymoon would be a great time to try it out. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out for us.

 

[Aliceacc]

We were there last year I loved it, and plan to book it again this August.

I had mahi mahi... it was delicious! And my husband and kids were happy with their meals as well. The service was fine, the meals were hot-- I thought it was great!

And the scenery simply can't be beat!

 

[LUVDZNY2008]

My DS8 and I ate lunch at the Coral Reef last August. First, the atmosphere with the aquarium is great. I had fish (tilapia I think), it was very good and my very picky-eater son liked his pizza. We had no complaints.

 

[always-loved-disney]

We dined here last year and we considered it the worst restaurant of the trip. THe aquarium was nice but we could see that in the Seas pavillion anyway. We had terrible service and the food was poor as well. We complained to the manager and they just laughed it off and ignored us. I was so dissapointed becuase I had always wanted to eat at THe Coral Reef and I thought my honeymoon would be a great time to try it out. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out for us.

Same for us. I always wanted to eat there and was so excited about finally going. The restaurant was too cold, children's parents let them practically climb on us to see the fish and the meal I ordered was just too spicy for me. Had to neutralize it all at our next meal of fish and chips in England.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

We like Coral Reef good food & great atmosphere.

 

[java]

It's definately hit or miss here. But the atmosphere is really cool.
We've had some very good meals and some very bad ones. We don't go anymore because the wait time is also an issue here (with 2 babies I think that would be a nightmare)

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Nothing really happens there, you pretty much just sit and watch the fish in the aquarium, much like you would when you go through the Living Seas. Food was okay, but I can't say we were wowed by anything. It was so unremarkable that I can't recall a single thing we got. The family consensus for us was that it wasn't worth going back to again since there are so many other great dining choices in Disney.

 

[billfatora]

I took my wife there for her first time, last year... and we loved it. I, however, have been there eight other times - with and without children. Hit or miss is the absolute best way to put it. Of those eight times I've been there, two have been super, two have been very good, one was acceptable, two were bad and one was an absolute nightmare ! For the "nightmare", the food wasn't good, my (previous) wife got sick, the service was horrible, my son's order was wrong, and when I asked to speak to a manager, we were told that we would have to wait. We were also told (by our server) that, since we were on the "Food 'n Fun Plan" (the dining plan at that time) that, we should be happy with what we got. With that being said, I have been back, and the three best times have been since then.... I would say, however, that with the size of your party, and two babies, it may not be the best choice for you. Either way... good lkck !

 

[soundimagineer]

We went to Coral Reef this past september. The service and the food were both good, but its worth it definitely for the atmosphere. My mom did the diver thing where they hold up the sign in the aquarium and it was really neat. I heard they stopped doing that though.

 

[Aliceacc]

We did it too last summer.

But it ended January 5th.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Click on my January link for a review and a ton of pics...from 2 adults and 2 kids point of view.

 

[pianoronni37]

If you want to spend 4 hours out of your day at lunch, with meager portions, Coral Reef would be great.

Honestly, this was the worst meal of our trip. We had to wait 45 minutes to be seated (I know, ADRs are just basically call-ahead seating, but 45 minutes waiting for lunch?? no thank you), our food was just okay, the portions were small, we didn't get out of there until after dinner started! And we arrived after a group of 10 people, and they were seated long after us.

I'm just giving you the heads-up, there are much better places to eat.

Plus, during our whole dinner, some little kid was bouncing on the back of my husband's chair. This was cute for about 10 seconds, then it was like "seriously?? watch your kids!" We're not child-haters whatsoever, but when you're trying to eat hot soup and your chair is shaking like an earthquake, it makes it difficult to enjoy!!

The food was definitely not worth it, the atmosphere can be seen (in less than 4 hours) in the Seas, and I just think there are great options in Epcot, Coral Reef should be last on the list!!

If you do decide to go, please post your report because it may have just been a completely off day. I love seafood and I love aquariums, so I thought this place would be heavenly; I was severely disappointed.

 

[caroline1851]

We at there in October. We asked for a seat near the aquarium and were lucky enough to get one. A giant sea turtle sat near our table the whole time. The food was great ( i had some sort of steak). DD2 was not on the meal plan and they didn't charge me for the food she ordered (a kid's meal), which i thought was nice. The service was average...nothing special. The dessert choices were lame, we didn't even order anything and i'm a HUGE dessert fan.

 

[John Paul]

Wanna strike a nerve bring up the Coral Reef!!!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

I'm really surprised to hear all of the negative comments about the place. We love it every time we go!

 

[catne]

We liked it a lot - good service, wonderful food & awesome desserts.
there's the link for my review, with pictures: post #4

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2071152



We were not sitting next to the tank, so no kids-climbing-over-us issues (actually didn't see anything like that happening, but we were there in January when most kiddos would have been back in school.)

I will say if you're going for lunch, go to the earliest seatings -- ours was 12:10, we checked in around 12 & were seated in about 10 minutes. But when we got out about an hour later there was a huge crowd of people waiting inside & out. I'm sure they had long waits for their tables.

 

[debilovesmickey]

Well,
I have sadly only visited WDW 3 times, and 2 out of the 3 we went to Coral Reef-- once when my boys were 12 and 9 ( 2001) and again last April-- '08 and I have 2 teens.

We LOVE this restaurant. We have had to wait with ADRs , and this last time we had the dining plan.
We are seafood lovers and thought the food was excellent, service as well-- and we loved the Chocolate Wave for dessert.

I do not doubt there are more wonderful places in the world to eat,but Coral Reef is a favorite of mine!

Debi

 

[karajeboo]

Not a fan AT ALL. Been here twice and never again. Service was ok the first time and downright rude the last time. Food is bland, not worthy of a "nice" seafood restaurant. Very dark, so not great with kids.

On the other hand, the aquarium is fun and it's a nice atmosphere.