Rainforest Cafe Animal Kingdom Lunch Review

The Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom is located outside of the park, just past bag check. You do not need a park ticket to go to this restaurant if you are going on your last day or you don't have a ticket for Animal Kingdom. 

All guests can get there by jumping on a Disney World bus or driving to the Animal Kingdom. If it is open, there is a bag check on the left-hand side which is quieter than the other lines and takes you right to the entrance of the restaurant. 

The Rainforest Cafe is 1 Table Service Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. 

I had been to the Rainforest Cafe a good 10 years ago and none of us liked it, so we originally had low expectations of the restaurant. Luckily, we were proved wrong!

Check in is located just inside the main entrance in an elephant booth, which I love! Once you have checked in, you are free to roam the shop until your safari party is called. 

I was sat right next to this little guy, who is in need of a little TLC! 

Our table was just inside the main entrance in a little corner, which was lovely. I had the view of the aquarium for the whole meal and took great pleasure in watching all the fish swim around! 

The menu is very varied, with many options. They also have an allergy menu which the chef will come out and explain to those who require it. You are able to have anything on the main menu on the Dining Plan which is great for those who love a big meal!

I ordered the chicken parmigana which, in my opinion, is the best one on property. The picture doesn't do it justice of how big it is! There are two huge chicken escalopes, a pile of tagliatelle which shavings of cheese on top and a wedge of garlic bread. It is amazing! The chicken is thin and crispy, with a huge amount of melted cheese and marinara sauce. The garlic bread is great and nice to dip in the sauce. The pasta with the sauce is also delicious! 

I will always remember the first time I went to Rainforest Cafe and we saw someone order the Volcano and all the servers would shout it out! When our server said that two people can share it on the Dining Plan, I knew what I was having!

In true Rainforest Cafe fashion, our server arrived shouting "volcaaaaano!" which had me in fits of giggles. The dessert is huge, as you can see. There are three massive wedges of chocolate brownie, with a mountain of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, topped with chocolate sauce and a sparkly thing! It is amazing! The brownies are nice and rich and gooey and work well with the ice cream. I shared this with my sister and we didn't even finish it, so I would say this could serve three people easily! 

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience here. The food is so good with an atmosphere to match. We had a really good time with our server who was fantastic. This restaurant is great for families with little ones, or big kids alike! I'd like to try the one in Disney Springs to see if there is any difference between the two. 

What has been your favourite experience at the Rainforest Cafe? 

Rose and Crown Dinner Review

The Rose and Crown is in World Showcase at Epcot. Located at the United Kingdom pavilion, the Rose and Crown serves traditional British food. 

All guests can jump on a Disney World bus or drive over to Epcot. Walk through Future World and go to the left of World Showcase, towards the Canada pavilion. The UK pavilion is the next one along. 

The Rose and Crown Dining Room, note that this is not the pub, is 1 Table Service Credit.

Check in is located outside the under the archway. A Cast Member will give you a "buzzer" which will light up and vibrate when your table is ready. Whilst you wait you can visit the shops at the front of the pavilion. 

You can sit either inside or outside for your meal. I much prefer to sit outside and it is always worth asking. If you have a reservation around 19:30, definitely ask to sit outside because you can sit and watch IllumiNations from the restaurant. The outside seating area is under cover and can be used in the Florida rain.

The menu is quite British but there also isn't many options. They do have a separate allergy menu. 

In traditional British fashion, I ordered the masala chicken. Now, I have a lot to say about this. The chicken is a thigh cut, I think. There isn't a huge amount of white meat on it, there is a lot of the red meat. If you are a chicken snob like me and you aren't a massive fan of the red meat then you might have a hard time with this. I do find it weird that they chuck the vegetables in with the curry. When I had this last year they were separate on the side. The sauce is nice, with no spice to it but not too bad. The naan bread is also good and served slightly warm. It didn't seem as nice as when I had it back in 2017, but it wasn't bad.

Other people in my party had the fish and chips, which looked incredible.

Now, let's talk dessert. When I went in 2017 I had the jaffa tarts which were the best dessert I had in my whole trip. They have changed the dessert menu. I was very disappointed. 

I ordered the lemon scone with a berry compote. First off, and I will say this now, these flavours just did not go well together. I have never had a lemon scone before, always a plain one. This would have been so much nicer if the scone would have been plain! The berry compote was very sour and I didn't like it much. I ended up eating the top bit of scone with the cream and leaving the rest.

Someone else in my party had the candy bar. This was essentially a Mars bar. I would have had this, but I don't like caramel and it had a layer of it inside. But it looks really nice!

The pub inside is always very busy. You have to walk through the pub to get to the toilets. The pub itself is a highlight on the drink around the world challenge, which I love. However, there was a group of guys in there on a stag party who were clearly very drunk. As I walked towards the bathroom they thought it was appropriate to stroke my leg. Safe to say I was not all that pleased with that. I promptly turned around and went to the restrooms across the street by the shops. 

Overall, my experience at Rose and Crown this year was not as good as it was last year. I feel like the change in the dessert menu was pretty pants and didn't have many options on it. The main food was nice and it wasn't a bad meal but I wouldn't say it was one of my top restaurants. 

If you are going to go to Rose and Crown for dinner as a family or a couple, don't walk through the pub to go to the toilets. It is worth noting that there is only one toilet in the women's so just walk out the main entrance to the restrooms across the road. 

I am really disappointed that this wasn't as good as it has been in the past. I would say give this one a miss for a while. I am hoping it gets better again soon. 

Skipper Canteen Dinner Review

Skipper Canteen is one of the newer restaurants located in Adventureland in Magic Kingdom. The restaurant is themed to the Jungle Cruise and is the canteen that the Skippers visit to eat. 

Disney Resort guests can get to Skipper Canteen through a Disney World bus. Those driving will head to Magic Kingdom, park at the Ticket and Transportation Centre and hop on either the bus, monorail or ferry to head over the the Magic Kingdom. 

Check in is located outside the restaurant under a canopy where there are a few rocking chairs and sofas to sit on whilst you wait for your table.

The menu is quite varied and has African/oriental twists on their dishes. They also have an extensive allergy menu that provides a lot of options. 

The restaurant is split into different sections. We were sat in the main room which is themed amazingly!

In the far side, you can even see storage of some decorations from the December overlay of the Jingle Cruise!

The menu itself is even themed and you can see Trader Sam and the rhino scene signed off by Skipper Will, complete with a coffee ring!

The service itself is so similar to the Jungle Cruise with some brilliant puns and that Skipper nature!

I ordered the Tastes Like Chicken...Because It Is! It is a (massive) fried chicken breast served with seasonal vegetables, jasmine rice and an amazing chilli glaze. The chicken, as you can see, is huge! It is cooked to perfection and isn't dry. It works so well with the sauce which reminds me a little of a slightly bitter tasting sweet chilli sauce. It works very well with the chicken and the rice. I would recommend this!

For dessert I ordered the Quick Sand. This is a jasmine rice pudding served with a lemon curd, meringue and a biscuit-y wafer. The rice pudding is so good! Unlike traditional rice pudding we get here in the UK, it is served cold.  But wow, it tasted so good! The slight taste of jasmine with the cream was so nice. The lemon curd cut it very nicely and added a sour taste. The biscuit was really nice and I definitely ate it before I touched the rest of my dessert. 

Once I finished my food, I had a quick walk around the restaurant. 

I got a good tickle when I found the barrel of backside of water at the far end of the main dining room. I ended up saying the part from the ride, quite loudly which gave a couple of the Skippers a laugh. 

By the time we had finished our meal, the restaurant was pretty much empty. We originally had a reservation at 19:00, but had to change it to 20:00 due to a massive storm separating our group. We were able to amend our reservation on the My Disney Experience app quite easily.

I just managed to catch the finale of Happily Ever After over the top of the main entrance when we walked out!

This was a new restaurant for me this year and I really enjoyed it. The food was a bit different to what you can get in other restaurants and the theming makes it really unique. I enjoy the puns on the Jungle Cruise so really liked how it transferred over to the restaurant and I was giggling pretty much any time our server spoke to us. 

I would recommend Skipper Canteen, especially if you like the Jungle Cruise! The food is great and added something a little different to our experience.

Have you been to the Skipper Canteen? 

50s Prime Time Cafe Lunch Review

50s Prime Time Cafe is a home-style cooking restaurant based in Hollywood Studios. It is located on the left in Echo Lake, next door to Hollywood & Vine. 

The restaurant is 1 Table Service Credit on the Dining Plan. However, you can sit at the bar just inside the door if you want to go in just for a drink. You can even order one of their signature milkshakes to take out! 

50s Prime Time Cafe is an extremely popular restaurant, not just for their food but for the dining experience. Reservations open 180 days prior to your trip and I definitely recommend making your reservation at that 180 day mark. They do accept walk ins but you may be waiting a while or even turned away in peak times. 

The restaurant is themed to an old 1950s style house, featuring 1950s TVs playing old shows such as the Dick Van Dyke show! 

Check in is directly inside the door on the right. You check in with a Cast Member, dressed beautifully in pink 1950s diner dresses. You will then be asked to take a seat in the waiting room if your table is not yet ready.

You will then be called to your table in traditional 50s Prime Time style - with shouting and ever so slight rudeness! 

We were sat towards the back of the restaurant. Each section of the restaurant is immaculately themed and is incredible immersive. The one thing you should know before you come to 50s Prime Time is that the servers will treat you like you are family. 

We were told to put our "walkie talkie's" away and that they shouldn't be at the table - we would be in trouble! My sister and I were told to set the table and everyone should keep their elbows off the table at all times! It is fantastic. Our server and the server across from us were incredible and I couldn't fault them whatsoever! Although, we did notice they were a bit more lenient with us as Brits, the American family on the table across were absolutely slaughtered! Either that or we were just well behaved. 

The menu is very traditional home cooked food and I love it! There isn't anything on the menu that I wouldn't recommend. They also have a highly extensive allergy menu. 

My first recommendation for 50s Prime Time is any of the milkshakes. They are so worth it for a drink; they are massive and made with real ice cream. I would also suggest getting a water on the side! I had the chocolate shake and my mum had the peanut butter and jelly shake. Both are equally amazing. It is worth noting, that potentially due to the size of it, you can have the shakes for either a drink or a dessert. I'd say get it as a drink, then you can get dessert too! 

The food at 50s Prime time is so, so, so good. I had the fried chicken which comes with an amazing mashed potato and seasonal vegetables, which in this case was sweetcorn. You get three giant pieces of chicken, each on the bone in some way. Now, I don't like chicken on the bone, but I make an exception here. The chicken is so tender and not dry in any way. The mash is also so good that I always sit there wondering if I should ask for the recipe.

Another menu favourite had by my sister and mum was the trio. It comes with a portion of the fried chicken, pot roast and meatloaf as well as mashed potato and seasonal vegetables. It is a great way to try a little of everything. 

Now, let's talk dessert. The dessert menu has a good selection of different options. I, of course, had the chocolate brownie. It is a nice, heavy and chocolatey brownie with chocolate chips. It also comes with both cream and ice cream which I love!

Overall, 50s Prime Time Cafe is worth it just for the dining experience on its own. The servers are hilarious and sometimes it is worth doing something wrong just for the fun experience you get! Everywhere you sit is so amazingly themed it really does feel like you walked through a time machine.

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough to anyone. I would suggest getting a lunchtime reservation to take a break from the Florida sun and sit down to a huge meal. Cindy, the server who was sorting the tables next to us, was so good in including us in the amazing conversations and banter she was having. She even told my grandma off for not eating her greens! You might have seen Cindy on YouTube - I recommend trying to find videos of her, she is amazing! 

Have you ever been to 50s Prime Time Cafe? What has been your best experience? 

1900 Park Fare Breakfast Review

1900 Park Fare is a buffet restaurant located in the Grand Floridian at the back of the main lobby if you are coming in from the main entrance. If you are staying at an on-site Disney resort, the best way to get to 1900 Park Fare is to take a Disney bus to the Magic Kingdom and then jump on either the resort boat or monorail to get over to the Grand Floridian. I definitely recommend the boat, it is such a nice journey and docks towards the rear of the resort. You then have to walk a few short minutes and one of the doors leads directly into the entrance for 1900 Park Fare. 

1900 Park Fare is 1 Table Service credit on the Dining Plan. If you don't have the Dining Plan, the set price for breakfast is $35 for an adult and $20 for children aged 3-9 years old, plus sales tax. 

Check in is directly under this sign. You check in with a Cast Member and may be asked to take a seat whilst they get your table ready. My butt had only just touched the seat when they called us through! Another Cast Member will take you to your set and get you set up.

It is worth noting that unlike most restaurants, you exit through a different entrance than where you came in. The exit for 1900 Park Fare is at the back of the restaurant, opposite the entrance. You will have your last character photo here which is taken by a Disney PhotoPass photographer. The character changes on a daily basis and we had Tigger! 

1900 Park Fare is character dining at breakfast and you can meet Mary Poppins, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. What I took from that was that it is the English-based characters. Being from England, I always find this interesting! 

                                                 

At this point, I am going to give a special mention to Mary Poppins who completely made my dad's day; as you can see by the photo below. She saw me nudge him when she was coming to our table and told him that she clearly has to keep an eye on him as he is trouble! 

As the restaurant is buffet style, I forgot to take photos of my food. They have a large selection of normal breakfast items such as eggs, sausages, bacon, pancakes, waffles etc. They also have some other items such as cheesy eggs, bread and butter pudding and the signature strawberry soup. Then they have a massive bowl of gummy bears. At breakfast. I have no idea. 

There was also a huge bowl of what my dad thought was whipped cream. Upon taking a massive spoonful of it, he discovered that it was Cool Whip. Essentially a bowl of icing. 

The restaurant also has carousel horses decorating towards the sides, splitting up some of the seating areas. I can't help but think of Mary Poppins and the scene where they ride the carousel horses through the horse race. I imagine this is purposeful, knowing Disney! 

There is also an organ that sits at the top of the buffet area on the back wall leading to the exit. At intervals throughout the day this puts on a little show which is so charming! We didn't get to see it this time, but have a search on YouTube to have a look.

1900 Park Fare is such a lovely experience if you have younger kids, or you are a big kid at heart like me. It is also a great way to meet characters that usually have such a long line at a meet and greet location. They have to seating down to perfection. All the characters came round not long after we had been seated which meant that we were able to eat our breakfast without getting up and down for photos, not that we mind that!

They were also great in their interaction with us. The Mad Hatter is incredible anyway, but he told my grandma her her reminded her of a hedgehog. My sister asked if he wanted to sit down with us and he shouted "noooo!" in his amazing voice which had us in stitches. 

I think with character buffets, you pay for the character interaction more so than the food. Although, don't get me wrong, the food is so good and I definitely had almost a whole plate of tater tots as we don't get them in the UK, but the characters are priceless.

I do prefer character buffets to be for breakfast, so if you have little ones and are staying on-site then 1900 Park Fare for breakfast is a must do!