To Coral Reef or Not To Coral Reef..That is the Question

[jbthi]

We were at Coral Reef last Nov. on the dining plan. It had been 15 years since we had eaten there and I had read several negative things about it but decided to try it. It was wonderful!! It passed LeCellier as my favorite restaurant. I got the strip steak and it was so good.

They set us right by the tank. There were no kids bothering us, the restaurant was quiet, the service was great. I was impressed that the waitress brought us bottles of Evian water. (no charge, brought instead of a glass of water).

 

[te2077]

we love the coral reef. It is a must do each trip. Love the chocolate wave.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We ate there last December for dinner and really liked it. If you can fit it in then I would go for it.

 

[tarheelgirl128]

Just back from free dining at Pop on the 25th. We ate at the Coral Reef last week on Sept 21st. I thought the menu was limited and was not worth the $120 it cost for 2 adults and 1 child to dine. The chocolate wave desert though was too die for! The ambiance is nice though but it only costs 1 TS per person not 2.

 

[followme2disney]

Just back form free dining at Coral Reef. I am glad we had the experience. We were seated right next to the aquarium. But I don't need to go there again for a long time. The food was just on the better side of okay. I did however LOVE Kona Cafe for dinner. The Beef Terriyaki was YUMMY!!! My family also loved the Mahi Mahi and the Filet. Maybe you could go there instead of Concourse. They are both on the monorail so the transportation issues are the same and you are going to LeCellier which is another steakhouse. Just my thoughts...

 

[mjf2wdw]

You have some great chioces already, I have been to all of them. If you can squeeze Coral Reef into your plans you will not be disappointed.

 

[byoung]

We always have had good meals there.

 

[lhuggi1]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions...this is great..what a great group of people DIS'ers are !!! I am glad I am joined this site!!!!!

Wow after serious consideration I think I will leave my ADR's alone in case I make a mess of them at this point with 20 some days to go!!!

WDW HERE WE COME!!!!

 

[Missin'Disney]

We ate here once last year....and I have to say I wouldn't return if you paid me. We waited an hour for a 7:00 adr with a 3 & 5 year old, so that started things off on the wrong foot. Despite getting a great table on the 1st level facing the tank, the service and food were so sub-par that we didn't really enjoy the meal. The server was talking our ears off about her personal life (when we could get a hold of her) and the restaurant was sooooo crowded and noisy. The food wasn't the least bit memorable - can't even recall what we ate. Anyway, left feeling like we'd wasted so much precious time there. All i can say is thank god we were on the dining plan, cause the check was well over $100 and the meal was soooo not worth that.
If you want an impartial review check out the WDW Radio Podcast of the Coral Reef. They pretty much corroborate my version of this restaurant.

 

[DCDisney]

I personally would drop Chef M breakfast for O'Hana breakfast. O'Hana has a great breakfast (also with characters) but it is served family style and it's just so much calmer (and cleaner) than Chef Mickey's. We had a great time walking around the Poly resort as well. The food was amazingly good--you start with fresh fruit, juice, and a pastry basket with an amazing pineapple coconut bread and really good biscuits. Then they bring you a skillet with eggs, bacon, sausage, potato wedges and Mickey waffles. The character' spent much more time with us here than any other character meals.

Yvonne W

 

[rie'smom]

I would do Coral Reef over Whispering Canyon in a second. Guess it depends on the atmosphere/food style you're looking for. DD4 loves the tanks, and we love the steak there...every time. Wouldn't go without the dining plan, though. Too expensive.

This is what I was going to post. Coral Reef is a much more relaxed restaurant. The food is very good. In our over 20 trips, we had never been to the CR until last May but we truly enjoyed it.
Whispering Canyon can be wild kingdom. It might just be me but I can't enjoy a meal with (and I know it's WDW) screaming,whining,running kids.

 

[gr8tdame]

We had dinner @the Coral Reef Sept 15 and it was wonderful. My dh and I had the steak medium rare. My dh asked for the steak blackened and it was cooked a perfect medium rare with sauces served on the side. My ds had the blackened catfish which he absolutely thought was the best ever. We are from Texas and love spicy food. It was great because they custom cooked our food. The service was wonderful. Kudos to Patty our server.
We will definitely be dining there on our next trip.
Our 3 fvourite dinners were Kona, Le cellier and the Coral Reef. I will be making ADRs at these places next year.
For Cs lunch our favorite was Wolfgang Puck Express @ DTD.
We ate there 4 times during our 10 days @WDW.
We also sttayed at CSR.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I loved it.. they steak was very good. We also had a diver with sign and a birthday cake for my sons b-day.

do you have to pay extra for the diver w/sb-day sign??? When i made my reservation the cm said she would put down that it was my dd's b-day. I didnt ask what that would mean to have it on our adrs

 

[DisneyForLife]

I see that the lunch and dinner menus are basically the same but with a difference in price. Does anyone know if the lunch is a much smaller portion than dinner?
Thanks

 

[Simba22]

we really liked it and are planning to go back on our next trip

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I see that the lunch and dinner menus are basically the same but with a difference in price. Does anyone know if the lunch is a much smaller portion than dinner?
Thanks

Yes, lunch offering are smaller when there is a price difference.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Yes, lunch offering are smaller when there is a price difference.

. . . yes, the servings are much smaller when there is a price difference

I know Coral Reef now has crab legs, I hate them but Disney Parent love them and this is our first trip to WDW where we are actually eating on DDP and eating at the restaurants other that Counter service

. . . crab legs are no longer on the menu
. . . they are too expensive for the DDP reimbursement.

 

[TDC Nala]

do you have to pay extra for the diver w/sb-day sign??? When i made my reservation the cm said she would put down that it was my dd's b-day. I didnt ask what that would mean to have it on our adrs

At this time it does not cost extra. This is a different service than just having WDW-DINE note a birthday on a reservation. For the diver you must call the Coral Reef restaurant directly and make a request. WDW-DINE cannot reserve this service, you must contact Coral Reef directly.

 

[Fantasmiss]

YES It's one of our favourites, we LOVE it and eat there every time we go to WDW

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I don't have Coral Reef as one of my ADR's but I wondering if I should?
We are three adults DM-58, DF-58, DD-28
If you look at my ADR"S and have a suggestion let me know, I know Coral Reef now has crab legs, I hate them but Disney Parent love them and this is our first trip to WDW where we are actually eating on DDP and eating at the restaurants other that Counter service .

I have as follows:

Concourse Steakhouse
Maya Grill (as we are stayin at CSR)
Chef Mickey - DMom B-day Breakfast
1900 Park Fare - DMom B-daydinner
Whispering Canyon - dinner
Le Cellier - lunch
Crystal Palace - Breakfast
Tony's Town Square - MNSSHP Dinner
Planet Hollywood - Last Dinner & Nite at WDW

It is a must do resturant. It has good food & a nice atmposphere