1900 vs Rainforest Cafe?

[gemduncan]

Is 1900 Park Fare worth the price for dinner? I currently have dinner reservations at 1900 (Grand Floridan) and Rainforest Cafe (Disney Springs). Which one is better and why?

We are flying into MCO on Wed, Feb 15 so I figured we would do dinner at one of these restaurants on our first night. The next day (Feb 16), we are going to MK for the day. Then on Feb 17, we go on our Disney Cruise. We will see tons of characters on the ship (this is our 2nd DCL).

 

[ChasingLeslie]

1900 PF for sure! It's a very yummy buffet and the characters are fantastic.

 

[gemduncan]

1900 PF for sure! It's a very yummy buffet and the characters are fantastic.

What type of food is on the buffet? I thought it was table service. Oops! Is the buffet super crowded? I have reservations at 5:30pm on Wed, Feb 15.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

What type of food is on the buffet? I thought it was table service. Oops! Is the buffet super crowded?

The buffet was not crowded when we were there.

There were salads, rolls, a lime chicken, mojo pork, seafood, mashed potatoes, veggies, and more. The kids station had pasta, pizza, chicken fingers, and nachos/tacos.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

1900PF, no contest.

At Disney, all buffets are considered Table Service restaurants. You just aren't ordering from a menu.

RFC has a menu that is roughly like an Applebee's. 1900PF has Cinderella and the Stepsisters, and is a character meal.

 

[gemduncan]

1900PF, no contest.

At Disney, all buffets are considered Table Service restaurants. You just aren't ordering from a menu.

RFC has a menu that is roughly like an Applebee's. 1900PF has Cinderella and the Stepsisters, and is a character meal.

Very helpful! My husband didn't want to pay a lot for food if it isn't any good.

 

[AshleeH]

1900, definitely. It's our favorite dinner buffet. Rainforest Cafe is just a chain restaurant that's in Disney - I'm always baffled about why it's so popular. There are literally 20+ locations all over the U.S. and yet you see people desperate to eat here. There is only one 1900 Park Fare.

 

[gemduncan]

1900, definitely. It's our favorite dinner buffet. Rainforest Cafe is just a chain restaurant that's in Disney - I'm always baffled about why it's so popular. There are literally 20+ locations all over the U.S. and yet you see people desperate to eat here. There is only one 1900 Park Fare.

Yes, I've been to Rainforest in Philadelphia before. My Dh and DD haven't been and I thought they might like the atmosphere and cheaper price.

I had a few friends tell me that the food is bad at 1900. They said the Stepmother and step sisters are good, but you don't get to see Prince Charming or Cinderella until after you pay the bill when you are leaving. In my friends' opinions, 1900 wasn't worth the money.

 

[Parker Clan]

1900 PF... The food was good but mainly for the character interaction! The evil stepmother was absolutely hilarious!! Worth every penny for that meeting

 

[AshleeH]

Yes, I've been to Rainforest in Philadelphia before. My Dh and DD haven't been and I thought they might like the atmosphere and cheaper price.

I had a few friends tell me that the food is bad at 1900. They said the Stepmother and step sisters are good, but you don't get to see Prince Charming or Cinderella until after you pay the bill when you are leaving. In my friends' opinions, 1900 wasn't worth the money.

I really don't like the new way of putting the Prince and Cinderella elsewhere and having to line up for them. I sent an email to Disney complaining (and I'm not a complainer) but we don't pay these premium prices to avoid lines for characters in the parks only to end up in yet another line! It really irritates me.

However, as for the food, we haven't been disappointed and we've eaten here twice - once was on the night WDW was shutting down for the hurricane. This is a time when it could've been a very very bad dining experience (and the service was so horrendously bad, we were laughing amongst ourselves at the table, but that won't happen to you because our waitress was a fill-in as a result of the hurricane, not a regular) but the food was very good. That was in October and I actually have it booked again in a few weeks. Of the character dinners, it is definitely my favorite of the ones we've tried (and we've tried a lot).

 

[gemduncan]

I really don't like the new way of putting the Prince and Cinderella elsewhere and having to line up for them. I sent an email to Disney complaining (and I'm not a complainer) but we don't pay these premium prices to avoid lines for characters in the parks only to end up in yet another line! It really irritates me.

However, as for the food, we haven't been disappointed and we've eaten here twice - once was on the night WDW was shutting down for the hurricane. This is a time when it could've been a very very bad dining experience (and the service was so horrendously bad, we were laughing amongst ourselves at the table, but that won't happen to you because our waitress was a fill-in as a result of the hurricane, not a regular) but the food was very good. That was in October and I actually have it booked again in a few weeks. Of the character dinners, it is definitely my favorite of the ones we've tried (and we've tried a lot).

That is very good to know! Do you know how much Adult and child dinner cost?

 

[Marthasor]

Very helpful! My husband didn't want to pay a lot for food if it isn't any good.

You aren't really paying a lot for the food, you are paying a lot for the character experience. I'll be the voice of dissent here. Because you are going on the cruise and will see a TON of characters, I would skip 1900 and save the money. The food is fine, but, if you are just judging by the food, it is not worth the cost. I would also skip it because it's always risky to book ADR's on an arrival day when flights can be delayed and, if you miss the ADR, you will be charged a no show fee.

Yes, Rainforest is a bit humdrum in terms of food, but the atmosphere is fun and it will be cheaper. You can also call the restaurant directly to make your reservation without having to use a CC to hold the reservation. You could also get a Landry's Select Card and simply present it when you arrive at the restaurant to get priority seating over people who have ADR's. The card is $25, but that $25 goes toward the bill, plus you get a $25 bonus during your "birthday" month, which can be any month you choose, like February! This will bring the cost of that dinner down even more. Disney Springs is also super fun! You might also want to consider Raglan Road at DS which is fun and you can make a reservation on OpenTable, again, to avoid that WDW cc hold. Or, if you don't mind the CC hold, even consider Trail's End and bring your kids to the Ft. W playground and stables for a pony ride. Lots of fun dinners and things to do that won't cost as much as a character dinner!

 

[gemduncan]

You aren't really paying a lot for the food, you are paying a lot for the character experience. I'll be the voice of dissent here. Because you are going on the cruise and will see a TON of characters, I would skip 1900 and save the money. The food is fine, but, if you are just judging by the food, it is not worth the cost. I would also skip it because it's always risky to book ADR's on an arrival day when flights can be delayed and, if you miss the ADR, you will be charged a no show fee.

Yes, Rainforest is a bit humdrum in terms of food, but the atmosphere is fun and it will be cheaper. You can also call the restaurant directly to make your reservation without having to use a CC to hold the reservation. You could also get a Landry's Select Card and simply present it when you arrive at the restaurant to get priority seating over people who have ADR's. The card is $25, but that $25 goes toward the bill, plus you get a $25 bonus during your "birthday" month, which can be any month you choose, like February! This will bring the cost of that dinner down even more. Disney Springs is also super fun! You might also want to consider Raglan Road at DS which is fun and you can make a reservation on OpenTable, again, to avoid that WDW cc hold. Or, if you don't mind the CC hold, even consider Trail's End and bring your kids to the Ft. W playground and stables for a pony ride. Lots of fun dinners and things to do that won't cost as much as a character dinner!

Yes, I know we will see a lot of characters on our cruise but I'm really leaning towards spending the extra money because it's Disney experience and we won't see the evil step mother or step sisters on our cruise.

Follow up question- how much is the dinner at 1900? And what type of food is on the buffet?

 

[sqpcsqpc]

1900. Rainforest is fun, but not Disney.

 

[AshleeH]

That is very good to know! Do you know how much Adult and child dinner cost?

No, I'm sorry. The Disney website has the approximate cost, but we're always on the Dining Plan, so I don't pay much attention and my husband usually signs for it.

 

[Disney_Alli]

1900 Park Fare: (incl tax, excl tip)
bfast . . . 11/23/2016 Adult: $31.21, Child: $21.30
brunch. . .
dinner. . . 11/23/2016 Adult: $50.06, Child: $30.89

Prices above from the Pinned Post on buffet and AYCTE restaurants...

 

[goofyintoronto]

I had a few friends tell me that the food is bad at 1900. They said the Stepmother and step sisters are good, but you don't get to see Prince Charming or Cinderella until after you pay the bill when you are leaving. In my friends' opinions, 1900 wasn't worth the money.

I agree with your friends. I thought the food was quite bad, poor quality, and when I was there they didn't keep it clean. Food bits everywhere. It was one of the worst dinner buffets I've tried. The dessert section was lacking big time. Never again. The only saving grace were the step sisters. They were HILARIOUS!

 

[Hopefully]

Very helpful! My husband didn't want to pay a lot for food if it isn't any good.

As others have said, the food alone is not all that good. You are paying a lot and this is primarily for the character interaction - not "gourmet" food. If your husband is already stating his concerns, I would be worried.
I also agree, we tend not to make an ADR on arrival night. Travel delays are common and totally out of your control. If you miss your ADR you will be charged $10/person no show fee.

 

[msb578]

I agree with your friends. I thought the food was quite bad, poor quality, and when I was there they didn't keep it clean. Food bits everywhere. It was one of the worst dinner buffets I've tried. The dessert section was lacking big time. Never again. The only saving grace were the step sisters. They were HILARIOUS!

Wow. I'm not discounting your experience at all, but ours was the opposite. Enjoyed both the food and the characters at 1900 for dinner. I didn't notice any lack of cleanliness.

 

[marialexus35]

We have really enjoyed 1900. The character experience is with the stepsisters is great. My wife doesn't like the food there as much as I do but it has always been clean. I guess it would depend on the time you were there. If several parties of large families with many kids had just been there it may be difficult to have all the floors perfectly clean.