Originally Posted By MOLLYSMOM Actually, I hope it's not too much of a dilemma. I'm taking my whole family to DL next summer...12 of us in all. It's my DH's birthday, and my parents' 50th anniversary. We'll be a tribe of 7 adults and 5 kids from 10-17 years old. Anyway, for my DH's birthday dinner, I had originally planned on treating everyone to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. I thought we'd all get a kick out of it. What was I thinking!!! Wouldn't the Blue Bayou be WAY cooler??? So, here's the questions... 1) Rainforest, Blue Bayou, or Fantasmic Desert Buffet...I can only afford one of the above(unless I win the lottery) 2) Lunch or dinner at the restaurants 3) Can those three accommodate 12 people that want to sit together at the same table(easier to share food and play footsie) Thanks...and as usual, you guys are awesome.
Originally Posted By roberts1398 Blue Bayou and Rainforest can. Fantasmic ... seems to me that the total capacity is 12, so it would require you being the absolute first person to call at 8 am when the phones open 30 days before your date. You might also consider Storytellers Cafe (in GCH), or Tortilla Joes (the latter has an upstairs room for parties which is awesome).
Originally Posted By roberts1398 also, remember with Fantasmic that you have to pay by credit card when you make your reservation.
Originally Posted By atinkfan Rainforest I believe requires reservations for parties of 8 or more. We travel with a large group and have had no luck just walking up to Rainforest to get a table. It would definitely be worth a phone call to get the exact details. If you've never been to a Rainforest Cafe, it is a very cool experience!!! We go to one any time we can. Rainforest also has HUGE servings, so 2 people can easily share a meal. I have had breakfast, lunch and dinner there as well. Some of the other posters can probably give you more info on the Blue Bayou. I have only been there once for dinner with my DH back in '03. I made reservations a month in advance and when we got there, we still had to wait 30-40 minutes to get seated. Food was good and it was neat to watch people get loaded onto POTC. Only thing I regretted was that DH and I were celebrating our anniversary and it would have been nice to be able to order a drink before dinner. (no alcohol in DL except in Club 33) Fantasmic buffet.....don't know anything about it! Our trip last year, we had a nice dinner at the Jazz Kitchen in DTD with 6 adults and 4 kids. Now that I think about it, it could have been a nice dinner only because the kids were behaving! LOL As far as atmosphere goes, my fav is the Rainforest Cafe!
Originally Posted By MOLLYSMOM Thanks for the tips. I think I'll look into Storytellers. We can't afford to stay at the Grand, but I know we'd all love to see the place. Tortilla Joe's sounds fun, too. Now I have MORE decisions to make!
Originally Posted By fkurucz The Blue Bayou won't be able to seat you all at the same table. Also, each table will get its own check. IIRC their largest table seats 10.
Originally Posted By MOLLYSMOM Hi again, fkurucz, good to hear from you, you always have the best info for me! Now I'm bummed about the Bayou. Since we're celebrating, I know we all want to sit together, so I guess that's out. Rats. Thanks, atinkfan for reminding me about the alcohol deal. If my DH and my brother in law can't have a beer or five with dinner, I'll never hear the end of it...no matter how nice the restaurant is. I'm thinkin' I will probably have to stick with the Rainforest. The kids will get a kick out of it, and I think it will be a fun place for a birthday. I'm still gonna pout for a day or two, because I have always wanted to eat at the Bayou. We had reservations last year, but our plane got fogged in, so we missed our lunch. Fog in august!?!?!? Who would have thought it... Plan B....the 10 of us(3 sisters, 5 kids, and 2 husbands) could eat at the Bayou, and we could treat mom and dad to Napa Rose for a "special, romantic" dinner for just the two of them. If we play our cards right, they'd never know we were ditching them to eat together at the Bayou. There's still the beer issue, but I won't tell them until we're actually seated.
Originally Posted By atinkfan MollysMom, I don't think you will be disappointed with Rainforest! The kids will love it! Your Plan B is also a good idea, narrow the group down to 10! If everyone still wants to eat the Bayou, you can still do it, just not at the same table. Sometimes that is not a bad thing! And if eating there is something that you've always wanted to do, than go for it and try to fit it in your schedule. You can always do lunch there too(with reservations of course!). Then you'll always be able to say "Oh the Blue Bayou....yeah I've eaten there before!".
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>MollysMom, I don't think you will be disappointed with Rainforest! The kids will love it!<< Rainforest has a fun atmosphere, but I thought that the food was so-so, especially for the price. $5 for a frozen lemonade?
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>Hi again, fkurucz, good to hear from you, you always have the best info for me!<< We went last October (16 of us). We made an early reservation for lunch, and we were promptly seated. BTW, they won't seat you until you party is complete, so make sure no one is late!
Originally Posted By atinkfan >>$5 for a frozen lemonade<< I agree, it's pricey, but how much is a frozen lemonade inside DL? (I haven't bought one so I really don't know!) With their huge portions, 2 people can share a plate which would also cut down on cost. Maybe I've been lucky, but everything I've eaten there has been good.
Originally Posted By MOLLYSMOM The 3 places I have been considering (Rainforest, Bayou, and Fantasmic buffet) are all quite pricey, so I kinda had to forget about cost. With 12 of us going, I pretty much figured on spending at least 600, but it will probably be closer to 700. There are positive and negative aspects about any of those choices. My only hope, is to pick a place that the majority of us will enjoy. For instance, my mom would think the Rainforest is too noisy, and the Bayou too dark, but she would love the Fantasmic buffet. I know that the kids would love the Rainforest the best, and I have my heart set on the Bayou. My sisters and brother in law won't give a hoot, mainly because someone else is buying! LOL I'm leaning towards the Bayou, even if we get stuck at two different tables. However, I'm wondering if it's because I REALLY think it's the best choice, or because I'm REALLY selfish and want what I want. You wouldn't think that choosing a place for dinner would cause so much anxiety, but I'm thinking that a session with Dr. Phil might be necessary. This is my sisters' and their family's first trip to Disneyland, and my parents' as well. I'm taking our parents as a surprise for their 50th. So, needless to say, I'd like everything to be as fun, and special, and perfect as I can make it for them. With so many of us going, I can only cover dinner one time (for DH's birthday), but I want that dinner to be something that they will always remember. Now I'm getting sappy...why don't you all just shoot me now and put me out of my misery. Settled......McDonald's it is!!!
Originally Posted By debtee We much prefer Rainforest cafe over Blue Bayou as we have received very poor service the three times we have visited BB, so I won't go there again. We have had very good service from RFC on every visit. I don't know if it was because it was Christmas week but there were 22 people SQUASHED into Balcony seating for Fantasmic on our last trip Christmas 2005. It was still great and well worth doing but very crowded! So if they have increased the numbers this could help you obtaining seats easier if that's what you select to do! Have a fab time whatever you choose to do!
Originally Posted By fidoprincess If I had the money, I would splurge and treat everyone to the Fantasmic Balcony. There are 20-22 seats so your whole party would fit. If you are staying at a resort hotel, vacation planning can get your tickets and you will most likely get most of the front row! At least you would get one whole side to yourself and then you could put the kids up front so they can see really well. It is a once in a lifetime treat all will love but it sure is pricey! (59X12=$708!) You have to contact them about 6 weeks ahead of time and give them your cc that they will charge when they get the reservation. We would pick Goofy's dinner over Rainforest but love both. Also, lunch at BB would be nice, make the earliest seating possible and ask for waterfront. We always love it but haven't been since the menu change and my kids don't like the look of the child's menu. Depending on how many days you are staying and where you are staying, that big money could go toward concierge for everyone also, just a thought.
Originally Posted By MOLLYSMOM fidoprincess...it's funny you should mention Goofy's. My DH is a big Goofy fan, and all of the presents that my DD and myself have bought for him have a Goofy theme...t-shirt, coffee mug, boxer shorts, watch, you get the idea. We even found 11 birthday cards with Goofy so everyone will give him a Goofy card. Anyhow, I saw that for 5.00 a person, Goofy would make an appearance at your table for a birthday treat. I thought that sounded cool, and started thinking about that. I finally asked DH where he would like to go for his birthday, and gave him my original three choices, plus Goofy's. He said that anywhere is fine with him, and I could choose. What a cop out, he KNOWS this is driving me nuts. Then, he has the nerve to giggle in my face and make me crazier. I tried to smother him with my pillow, but he's bigger than me, so I lost. He seriously doesn't care where we go. I know that my family would enjoy any of the places on my list, so I'm just gonna pick one and be done with it. We don't plan on being joined at the hip with my family for 7 days, so I'm thinking that myself, DD and DH can go to the Bayou for lunch one day, and I will finally get to eat there. Sometime during the week, we can plan to meet up with the family at the Rainforest for lunch or dinner if they want. As far as Fantasmic goes, 700 is kinda spendy for all of us, but I know my mom would go nuts for it, so I can always make reservations for her and dad to go; the rest of us are fine watching from elsewhere. Besides, do I really want to let 5 kids loose at a desert buffet??? Only if they spent the night with grama and grampa! So, maybe now I'm leaning towards Goofy's, which carries out the birthday theme, and if Goofy dropped by, how much fun would that be? Ok, I'm gonna bash my head against the wall a few more times, and I'll see what pops out. Again, thanks for ALL your insight. Even though I don't sound any closer to deciding what to do, you all have been so helpful. Now, onto the hotel portion of our trip....just kidding, that's one thing I HAVE decided upon!
Originally Posted By danyoung >Now I'm bummed about the Bayou. Since we're celebrating, I know we all want to sit together, so I guess that's out. Rats.< I wouldn't give up on the Blue Bayou so easily. I won't swear to this, but I'm pretty sure I've seen some larger parties in there, with tables pulled together just like any other restaurant. Be aware that there's no alcohol in this restaurant, so those who like wine with their fine dining might be a bit disappointed. I love eating there, and can't wait to try out their new menu!
Originally Posted By danyoung Perhaps it's at the whim of the people at the front. It's worth a phone call to find out, though.
Originally Posted By atinkfan MollysMom...under Disney Dining there is a topic about Goofy's Kitchen. Here is the link...<a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/default.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-77593-P-1&Refresh=0823120227" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/de fault.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-77593-P-1&Refresh=0823120227</a> If you are a member of AAA, you can get a 10% discount or you can pre-purchase your tickets from <a href="http://www.getawaytoday.com" target="_blank">http://www.getawaytoday.com</a> I have only been to GK once and had a so-so experience (food was good but hardly any characters came to the table). On the other hand, I know tons of people who LOVE GK. You'll have fun there too, I'm sure!
Originally Posted By crazy4mickey2 I'd go for Goofy's Kitchen. I think they can accomodate larger groups much better and have a great atmosphere as well. We were at Blue Bayou for lunch last week. While the food was very good the prices were very high as well. The kids menu has changed and there wasn't anything on there our 10 and 12 year old boys wanted so they ordered off the regular menu at $25.99 each. We also did the Fantasmic Balcony which is also wonderful but it can get rather cramped up there. I like your idea of giving your parents the treat of sitting up there. Definitely use Vacation Planning. They've always come through with front row seats for us.
