Rainforest cafè

...where to eat BUT the Rainforest Cafe is a place we as a whole family agree on again and again. We have been to the one at Animal Kingdom 4 times, the last visit was on the 22nd November 2007 (Thanksgiving). I have also visited the one in London but the Orlando one is a lot better all round.

Waiting times:

The wait to get into The Rainforest cafe is normally along one, my advice is to as soon as you get to animal kingdom ...
...main reasons we visit the Rainforest cafe, the room is decorated in an Amazon rainforest theme with Waterfall, Trees, Animals, Thunderstorms and more. The thunderstorm can be a bit scary for little ones and normally occurs every 15 minutes or so. The animals make movements and noises, some really do look real. The only real animals in the restaurant are the fish in the tanks.

Food:

The menu is very easy to navigate ... more

As a parent of two fussy children who both like different things it can be very hard when visiting Parks anywhere in the world. It can normally take ages to agree on where to eat BUT the Rainforest Cafe is a place we as a whole family agree on again and again. We have been to the one at Animal Kingdom 4 times, the last visit was on the 22nd November 2007 (Thanksgiving). I have also visited the one in London but the Orlando one is a lot better all round.

Waiting times:

The wait to get into The Rainforest cafe is normally along one, my advice is to as soon as you get to animal kingdom make a reservation. Even though you have a reservation you still have to wait a while, can be up to 30 minutes (Longest we waited on 2nd visit). On the other hand on the 22nd Nov we basically walked in which was a huge surprise as it was thanksgiving and all the parks were packed. Even though their is a wait, my children was kept amused by the fish tanks, on one of our visits a diver was cleaning inside the tank and all the children were amazed.

Restaurant Room:

This is one of the main reasons we visit the Rainforest cafe, the room is decorated in an Amazon rainforest theme with Waterfall, Trees, Animals, Thunderstorms and more. The thunderstorm can be a bit scary for little ones and normally occurs every 15 minutes or so. The animals make movements and noises, some really do look real. The only real animals in the restaurant are the fish in the tanks.

Food:

The menu is very easy to navigate with plenty of choice. The children have their own menu with doubles up as an activity page that they can fill in while waiting for their meal. Don't order a starter unless your a very big eater, the meals are huge and the dessert is enough, I saw some of the starters being taken to other tables and I just know that would have been too much and we are normally big eaters. I had burger and fries (rainforest burger), burger came topped with bacon and cheese plus salad is added as well. (This burger is one of the top burgers I have ever eaten, it was cooked how I liked and was the correct size for the bun). My children had Plain burger and fries and add all their meal, unusual for them but I feel they really was enjoying what they was eating. The food is based on mostly American theme.

Other food items on the menu included Pastas, Salads, Steaks, Chicken, Sandwiches, Pizzas, Ribs, Soup. Plus many Vegatarian items. If you have any allergies please ask the waitress, they was very good with my sister who is allergic to lots of items.

Dessert is another reason we like to visit here, the dessert is very famous for the restaurant and is normally ordered by most. How do I know that, well when a table orders it they shout Volcano around the room. The Volcano dessert is for sharing and this can feed up to 6, this was enough for us 4 adults and 2 children. The Volcano is very tasty and is in the shape of a volcano and is made of ice-cream, cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate cake.

Drinks:

Soft drinks are refillable which is always a great bonus, at all times are glasses were filled up by our waitress. Don't forget the cool rainforest glasses (You pay a little extra for them), They flash different colours. There is an on/off button which is ideal, at the end of your dinner your waitress will clean the glass's and wrap them up for you and put in a plastic bag.

Staff:

If your not sure on an item just ask your waitress who will explain what's in the product so you can decide if you want it or not or they say you can have anything removed if you wish. My son wanted plain burger and fries which wasn't actually on the menu and I asked and they said no problem. The staff are very bubbly and lively and load, this goes with adding to the atmosphere so if you want a quiet meal I am afraid this isn't the restaurant for you.

Cost:

Don't expect this meal to be cheap, its quiet expensive but we never really see it as that as its a one off holiday treat and we always put aside money to cover this meal. For a family of 6 it cost $170 including tax for Main course, Dessert, drinks (Including two of the rainforest glasses).

Shop:

The rainforest cafe has its own shop with many items which includes the rainforest logo. The shop has a huge price range of items, plenty of cheap items as well as very expensive jackets. I always buy my children t-shirts here and I brought 2 for $18 on a deal (This deal is normally always on). Their is load of soft toys but I found this to be too expensive. My son brought a monkey puppet with some of his birthday money but that wasn't priced too much.

Other helpful info:

Toilets are very clean and done out in a jungle effect, one of the best toilets around.

Web address: http://www.rainforestcafe.com

There is a Safari club which can be joined but mostly caters for the Americans but I have been told this will soon change and be worldwide. This club gives 10% off. 

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