Question about Rainforest Cafe...

[kleamid]

Hi! First, I want to say that I LOVE this board! Always such terrific information about EVERYTHING!
Anyway, my question is about the Rainforest Cafe? My 7 y/o dd LOVES anything to do with animals/nature. We will be going to DL in September. My dh & I are going to take her to Goofy's Kitchen, but I am also wondering if she would enjoy the Rainforest Cafe? Would I need to make a reservation? Thanks for any info!
Karen

 

[boscoj]

I think your daughter will thoroughly enjoy Rainforest Cafe...especially if she is into animals. The atmosphere is really cool and every 15 minutes or so, you experience a "thunderstorm" where all the animals go wild. It would also be prudent to make reservations in advance or else you may experience a wait of an hour or more depending on the time. Have a great time!

 

[AFMom]

My kids love the Rainforest Cafe! It isn't actually a Disney restaurant, but the themeing and decor will make you feel like you're still in the parks. There are animatronic gorillas, elephants, and monkeys. Giant insects with moving wings, a waterfall, greenery everywhere, and a thunderstorm every 15 minutes! It's pretty neat - I'm sure she'll like it!
I would get a reservation - it's pretty busy there all the time! Even with a reservation, you may have to wait a bit. Be sure to be there about 5-10 minutes before you are supposed to be seated.
Have fun!

 

[kleamid]

Thanks...I'm sold! Now I am even more excited to be going, because I know my dd will be completely thrilled!

 

[LucyKate]

She will LOVE Rainforest Cafe.

My daughters aged 6 and 9 discovered Rainforest Cafe when we were at DL in December and adored it.

As mentioned, it's not Disney, but it is very well done, and the food for adults is actually very good as well.

Read http://www.ballofdirt.com/entries/5333/35632.html from our trip diary (go to the last paragraph) for a report on how it saved a very bad day for us!

 

[Tandyc]

Isn't there a club or something that you can sign up for and get discounts at Rainforest? I remember reading something but I can't find the info on it.

Thanks

 

[challada]

Yea, there is a discount "club" but they charge you $19.99/year to join it...I believe you get a free appetizer each visit, but you would need to go 3 times to make it worthwhile.

The portions are very large at Rainforest and you could cut costs by sharing meals (ie, kids share a pizza, adults share a salad).

Rainforest is a MUST on our list every time we go down...last week we discovered the patio seating (outside upstairs is all seating) and found it is very nice too.

ESPNzone is great for the kids too and on our must list...join the MPV club and get $20 off, a $10 gamecard and a free softsided minicooler (it's free to join, just do online).

 

[crazymomof 4]

We made a reservation the week before we left. We will be celebrating 2 birthdays there this year becasue they provide those cool volcano cakes and it looked like so much fun to eat one!

 

[LucyKate]

We ordered a volcano and between 4 of us still couldn't get through it.

It's basically slabs of chocolate brownies and ice cream and chocolate with sparklers on top - but they are huge!

 

[shoes99]

We just got back from Disneyland Paris, and we ate at the Rainforest Cafe twice in the Disney Village. France's menu was a little different than in the USA. DH wanted hot chicken wings, and they didn't have them on the menu. The food was good.
We even ate at the Rainforest Cafe in London last week. Their food was also very good.

 

[kleamid]

Yea, there is a discount "club" but they charge you $19.99/year to join it...I believe you get a free appetizer each visit, but you would need to go 3 times to make it worthwhile.

The portions are very large at Rainforest and you could cut costs by sharing meals (ie, kids share a pizza, adults share a salad).

Rainforest is a MUST on our list every time we go down...last week we discovered the patio seating (outside upstairs is all seating) and found it is very nice too.

ESPNzone is great for the kids too and on our must list...join the MPV club and get $20 off, a $10 gamecard and a free softsided minicooler (it's free to join, just do online).

Thanks for the info! Going to join the MPV club right now! I appreciate EVERYONE's review on the Rainforest Cafe! It will be really close to my dd's bday so thanks for the tip on the "Volcano"!

 

[karylrocks]

You should wait to join the MVP Club until a month before your trip. You will receive a confirmation email that needs to be redeemed at the EZPN Zone within 30 days to receive your benefits.

 

[almostGoofy]

Isn't there a club or something that you can sign up for and get discounts at Rainforest? I remember reading something but I can't find the info on it.

Thanks

You can get information at www.rainforestcafe.com. Click on the Ozzie character at the top and that will tell you the benefits of the Safari club.

I paid a $15.00 one time fee which gets me:
- $10.00 new member discount coupon
- $ 5.00 coupon every year for my birthday
- 10% discount on food for up to six people in your party or a free appetizer at Rainforest Cafe or any Landry owned restaraunt (There's a Joe's Crab shack on Harbor Blvd.)
- 10% discount on merchandise
- priority seating when you walk-in (max. six in your party)

An unadvertised benefit was being able to get a reservation time when I was originally told it was not available. Once I mentioned I was a Safari Club member, I was told I could pretty much have any reservation time I wanted.

I believe you might be able to enroll ahead of your visit in order to receive the $10.00 new member coupon before your visit but you better double check directly with Rainforest Cafe on that.

 

[Dale-n-Chip]

I believe you might be able to enroll ahead of your visit in order to receive the $10.00 new member coupon before your visit but you better double check directly with Rainforest Cafe on that.

I just called RFC corporate to get some concrete answers about how much, blah blah blah. AlmostGoofy's costs and benefits above are still current as of 11/9/05. When I inquired about if I join today, when would I get the $10 new member coupon in the mail the rep told me it takes SIX to EIGHT WEEKS to get your permanent card! She answered on the first ring--I'm thinking she doesn't have a lot to do and should be processing those new membership cards a little faster! (In all fairness, the benefits begin immediately, but the coupon comes too late, IMHO.)

Personally, I'd have been willing to pay $5 for the benefits ($15 joining fee net $10 coupon) if I could have used my coupon for our upcoming DL trip, but we are about five weeks out. While we do have a RFC nearby, there is no part of me that wants to make that an everyday meal at home--it's a vacation thing! We'll eat early and make a reservation.

Moral of the story: Sign up 8+ weeks out if you only plan to use it on your vacation.

 

[Albertan mom]

They also have a great gift shop there!!!
My son got a cool rattlesnake necklace with his name on it for $10

It is a fun place to eat. We had breakfast there once.