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Saturday night we went to Downtown Disney for the evening with our kids. There are a wide variety of places to eat there and we decided on the Rainforest Cafe since we hadn't been there for a while. Since it was the weekend we knew it would be busy so when I reported to the booth for reservations I was pleasantly surprised when the employees told me it was about a 15 minute wait. 35 minutes later we asked about this and the same people told us it was an hour wait. That didn't do much for my mood but nothing you can do about it. Well, an hour it was but when we sat down everything else went very well.
The first thing they offer you is the Disney diners card which you pay $25 for. You can tack it on to your bill. This is like a standard diners card giving you preferred seating, discounts at gift shops, and the $25 is put back on your card within 24 hours (if I understood the server's briefing). They also add $25 on your birthday month for use on future visits. If you calculate the savings you have to spend $250 to get every $25 back so it's a 10% savings. If you dine at the participating restaurants on the card you may find it a good deal. I didn't buy it but it would have been nice not to wait so long to sit down.
Our server was very fast and efficient. She did a great job and the food was topnotch. Like a lot of families we all settled on burgers and we finished with a Volcano which is a dessert for four. This consists of 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream stacked with four chocolate brownies around it like a small mountain and topped with whipped cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. They deliver it with a group of servers who shout "Volcano" as they walk toward your table with it. They used to top it with a sparkler but years ago they changed it to a tinseled wand. Probably somebody burned their fingers and sued the place so they went with the safer gimmick. It was much better with the sparkler but that's the world we live in!
The restaurant is so ornate that a first time visitor has a hard time concentrating on their food. The place is a jungle with mechanical gorillas, birds, baboons, and elephants. Every half hour there is a rainstorm. The place gets dark, there is thunder, and the animals start making noises. It's totally cool and you'll love it! I've been eating there for about ten years and I never get tired of it. There is so much to see and look at that you will enjoy it immensely. The main point I want to make is that they don't sacrifice good dining for atmosphere. The dinner is the main topic even though the atmosphere is amazing. Our dinner came to $99 before the tip so it isn't a trip we make routinely but it's worth it when we do.
After dinner a walk through Downtown Disney is always pleasurable. Too many shops and bars to speak of and don't forget to visit Pleasure Island while you're there. It's always a pleasant time!
After dinner a walk through Downtown Disney is always pleasurable. Too many shops and bars to speak of and don't forget to visit Pleasure Island while you're there. It's always a pleasant time!
