5 Things We Dislike about Rainforest Café at Disney Springs

Oh, little town of Disney Springs, how still we see they lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the Rainforest Café volcano erupts as we go by.  Previously, I wrote about 5 reasons we love Rainforest Café. Full disclosure, I do not truly love Rainforest Café. I suspect people who read a sizable amount of my writings already knew that. There are reasons to love Rainforest Café. Today, we examine a few reasons to dislike Rainforest Café.

1. NOISE POLLUTION

This place ranks high on the noise scale. With periodic tropical rainstorm sounds, guest cannot conduct actual conversations. If you find yourself seated near a gorilla animatronic, you might need NASCAR level earplugs. If your child (or you) has issues with strobe type light sensitivity or loud noises, you will dislike this place. The animatronic and effects add to the overall atmosphere. Still, the noise issue often makes it difficult to simply place order with your server at times.

2. CHAIN RESTAURANT

Personally, some of my favorite restaurants function within a large national chain. Rainforest Café operates within the Landry’s Restaurant organization. There are at least 15 Rainforest Café locations within USA. There exist numerous locations outside USA also. The menus at each location mimic each other. When I used to fly out of Chicago airports to get to Orlando, I commonly dined at the Rainforest Café there to start the themed vacation. For record, food tasted better there than at Disney Springs. Basically, you can get this style dining outside Disney bubble. Based on that, logical dictates choosing other dining options not found outside Disney bubble.

3. WAIT TIMES

Disney Springs can function as a great place to avoid stress of a Walt Disney World theme park day. Despite the weaknesses of Rainforest Café, the ability to get a table via walk-up process can be challenging (unless you have a Landry’s Select Club card). Having to wait for a table for an extended amount of time fails to make this place more appealing. Now, we can wonder why the wait grows so long. However, this restaurant continues to be popular so expect a wait if you decide to visit without a reservation.

4. COST

No simpler way to say this! Even by Disney Springs standards, Rainforest Café rates pricey for this style of restaurant. Now, you can find higher priced places like Morimoto’s. Yet, you would expect that for that high quality of food. For a mid-level table service restaurant, prices shock guests due to being higher than expected. Kid’s meals are over $10. Burgers cost $19 and up for example. A family of four might spend $125 easily for one table service meal here.

5. FOOD QUALITY

Jack of all trades works as a solid description for Rainforest Café. Being a jack of all trades, they fail to master any one thing. The vast menu ranks as positive. However, very few things on this menu rate high. For me, if I am getting same quality and portion here as at another nationals chain, then I pass. This feeling of overpaying for lower quality food happens to guests often at Rainforest Café. In fairness, most people do not visit here for great food. They visit because they hear the atmosphere deserves a stop or they want to entertain their kids. If you are looking for solid value in term of food quality skip this place!

Disney Springs offers so many great dining of all types. Perhaps, one should use caution before selecting this place.