Coral Reef

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PuckMark

New Member
Original Poster
Hi all - I'm new here, so I hope I'm doing this right. I'm a little intimidated by all the acronyms around here, so hopefully I can still make sense of it all. :)

My family is travelling to WDW next week. We are planning on dining at counter service most of the time, but I was able to secure reservations for Coral Reef for the day we are at Epcot. (No, we are not doing a dining plan - we are staying offsite and trying to save money where we can). The ambience looks incredible at Coral Reef, but I'm afraid the menu will be unappealing to most of my 4 children, ages 18, 15, 12 and 9. My question is this....can they order the Cheese Pizza or Chicken Breast off the kids menu, or do they strictly enforce an age limit on these meals? If they are forced to order an entree from the adult menu, I'm afraid I'll have to cancel the reservation. It would truly be a waste of money for something they won't eat.

Please advise - appreciate your help in advance.
 
RonAnnArbor

RonAnnArbor

Well-Known Member
Coral Reef went through a period of disarray -- it has now significantly improved again and is a must-visit. You can order anything you want off of the menu, adult or child. The ONLY thing I would caution you to stay away from are the crabcakes --they are not really crabcakes, but small crab-balls that are lightly baked -- not good.
 
Pooh Lover

Pooh Lover

Well-Known Member
We have been to Coral Reef several times for dinner and have enjoyed every visit. Yes, it can get a bit loud but hey, its WDW and there are excited children there. I have never been disappointed with the service or the food. I've seen this restaurant get a bad rap here and there and I'm always surprised because of the good experiences we've had. Enjoy and have a great vacation.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
vitani88 said:
I think most restaurants will allow you to order off the kids menu! I've never been to Coral Reef, but I have heard the atmosphere is amazing!
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Agree with your post. Most, if not all, WDW restaurants will allow you to order off of the kids menus. The only place kids over 9 have to pay the adult price is a buffet.
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Last time I ate there in 2010, it was my then 5 (nearly 6) year old's first trip. We were seated right next to the aquarium. Great seats.

She refused to order fish, because she was convinced that we would have to pick them out of the aquarium for cooking. It was funny. "Fish is good, but I don't want to pick one to eat!"

She had chicken nuggets, as I recall.

A few years later I took her fishing, and she caught a bluegill. She helped me scale it and watched as I prepped it. No issues. She was proud of her (rather small) catch.

This year we are going back...I wonder how she will feel about it now?

Oh, and on topic, Coral Reef is one of my favorite places to eat. Though, I miss the mickey molded butter they used to do decades ago...
 
mrdisman

mrdisman

Well-Known Member
englanddg said:
Last time I ate there in 2010, it was my then 5 (nearly 6) year old's first trip. We were seated right next to the aquarium. Great seats.

She refused to order fish, because she was convinced that we would have to pick them out of the aquarium for cooking. It was funny. "Fish is good, but I don't want to pick one to eat!"

She had chicken nuggets, as I recall.

A few years later I took her fishing, and she caught a bluegill. She helped me scale it and watched as I prepped it. No issues. She was proud of her (rather small) catch.

This year we are going back...I wonder how she will feel about it now?

Oh, and on topic, Coral Reef is one of my favorite places to eat. Though, I miss the mickey molded butter they used to do decades ago...
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that's so cute...
 
Sweet Melissa

Sweet Melissa

Well-Known Member
coachwnh said:
Agree with your post. Most, if not all, WDW restaurants will allow you to order off of the kids menus. The only place kids over 9 have to pay the adult price is a buffet.
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It's true that when it comes to a la carte restaurants, there are far more that will allow anyone to order from the kids menu than there are that won't. They sticklers do exist, though, particularly in the non-Disney owned establishments. The Patina Group restaurants in the Italy pavilion are known for being strict about who can order from the under 10 menu.
 
Sweet Melissa

Sweet Melissa

Well-Known Member
Pooh Lover said:
We have been to Coral Reef several times for dinner and have enjoyed every visit. Yes, it can get a bit loud but hey, its WDW and there are excited children there. I have never been disappointed with the service or the food. I've seen this restaurant get a bad rap here and there and I'm always surprised because of the good experiences we've had. Enjoy and have a great vacation.
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I agree. It's been a while since we've visited, but we've had nothing but good meals and service there. The only time we had anything approaching a bad experience was due entirely to other guests. And even that time, our outstanding dinner and the poor abused waitstaff breaking their backs to make everyone happy were more than enough to call it an overall positive expeirence.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Sweet Melissa said:
It's true that when it comes to a la carte restaurants, there are far more that will allow anyone to order from the kids menu than there are that won't. They sticklers do exist, though, particularly in the non-Disney owned establishments. The Patina Group restaurants in the Italy pavilion are known for being strict about who can order from the under 10 menu.
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I also think a lot depends on your server as well.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Sweet Melissa said:
True. I wouldn't put it past an, *ahem*, industrious server to deny the inexpensive children's options to adults in hopes of a larger bill and gratuity. I doubt that happens often at Disney, but I'm sure it happens from time to time.
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LOL! wasnt thinking of it like that, but so true. Im sure some CMs understand a 10 or 11 year old may not eat an adult serving and allow to order off of the kids menu. But your reason sounds more realistic. a $10 meal vs. $35 and up makes a difference come tip time.
 

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