Cosmic Rays

firemanfrank3

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Is Cosmic Rays really that bad? Going to be a 1st timer to WDW and it seems many people tend to have a low opinion on this place compared to a Pecos Bill? Why?
 
I am not so sure that Cosmic Rays is necessarily bad, so much as it is not necessarily good. If you have ever been to the Standard-Run Amusement Park Concession Restaurant, then I suppose one could say that you have experienced the type of fare that you will eat at Cosmic Ray's. For us, it is a standard, middle-of-the-road, QSR....that has a pretty neat floor show. We actually do not mind Cosmic Ray's at all, and we have experienced good luck with it. However, I think that there are definitely QSRs that are better than Cosmic's, but very few of them will have the space that Cosmic has.
 
It depends on what you order as it isn't the most adventurous menu out there. I personally have always really enjoyed the rotisserie chicken, which comes with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Everything tastes good and it's always nice to get some green vegetables with a QS. Unfortunately, I think they moved it off the lunch menu and it is only available for dinner at the moment.
 


The burgers and such are mediocre but fine, but there is a toppings bar, so you can jazz them up. The food quality is about similar to Pecos Bill's. Watching Sonny is always fun too, so I wouldn't say it's a place to avoid at all costs or anything. It's fine, but it can be very busy. They have a lot of ordering booths though.
 
Worth a visit just to see its size-it is literally one of the largest Restaurants in the World!:)

I always feel "sorry" for the CPs amd ICPs who get assigned to work here because it NEVER is not BUSY!

But the CPs/ICPs tell me they develop a "special bond" because of the experience of working at Ray's.
 
Cosmic Ray's is good for a burger/chicken sandwich/chicken nuggets kind of meal.
If you're looking for something more adventurous that that, Pecos Bill might be better (there you find Mexican style food).
Personally, I enjoy eating at both. It just depends on what mood I'm in at the moment.
 


It's not gourmet food.. but for a fast food burger and toppings bar (adding mushrooms and onions to a burger makes it 10X better) it's fine. Air conditioned and a 'show'.
 
I personally have always really enjoyed the rotisserie chicken, which comes with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Everything tastes good and it's always nice to get some green vegetables with a QS. Unfortunately, I think they moved it off the lunch menu and it is only available for dinner at the moment.

Only after 4pm. I was so mad in June. We went specifically in there for that :)
 
It's cheap theme park food, it fills your stomach. It's worth going once even if you just order some fries.
 
Is Cosmic Rays really that bad? Going to be a 1st timer to WDW and it seems many people tend to have a low opinion on this place compared to a Pecos Bill? Why?

The inside is bad and one of my least favorite locations in all of WDW. It reminds me of being on a field trip to a science museum and having lunch in their cafeteria with hundreds of my middle schoolers.

That said we frequently find ourselves in this neck of the woods when our little ones are hungry. Here is how to make Cosmic Rays pleasant:

1. Mobile order
2. Have one adult secure a table outside (there is actually plenty of shade outside and usually no one using the tables out here)
3. Have the other adult retrieve the mobile order. Usually we’re just getting food for the kids so there isn’t much to retrieve.
4. Enjoy your so-so meal in a much more pleasant environment! We like to sit on the Cheshire cafe side and watch the Pooh characters go back and forth
 
It can be nuts in there, but is one Disney experience everyone should have at least once. It's one of those places that screams WDW to me because of all the memories. The food is standard, but the toppings bar is good, and a game of table tag is always fun, right? lol
 
The kids loved their Incredibles burger there this past June. Burger with mozzarella sticks on it and the incredibles logo stamped on the bun!
The mobile order worked fantastic! Nothing to write home about but good as any burger lunch can be.
 
I love their rotisserie chicken. I always go on one of my MK days.
 
Standard park food, but the toppings bar & Sunny Eclipse make it better. It's so hard to find seating inside, but we've managed to do it, even putting the kids (DH included), at the small tables in front of Sunny Eclipse's stage.
 
Its not bad food but its never going to make our list of "must do's". There are so many places to eat that are better that we haven't bothered going there since our 2nd trip.
 
It is one of our “must dos” every trip. The food standard counter service fare, but for us it’s the nostalgia and experience. It’s just part of what makes a Disney trip for us. The rotisserie chicken meal is always good, and my husband loves the toppings bar for his burger.
 
Yeah, ok burger, but I love the toppings bar and don't mind eating there at all.
 
Apologize if this ruins anyone's high opinion of Cosmic Rays:) but my recent experience has ruined both Rays and Pecos (or others with toppings bars) for life. In the past, I've favored Rays over Pecos a bit because it had bigger selection, the prime location with views of the Castle, crowds. We typically went to both places ea. trip at least once. I ate the mushrooms/onions from the toppings bar at Rays and got such a stomach bug that I was up literally all night, and missed much of the next day (and really shouldn't have gone out but my stubbornness for missing my trip over that overruled any good sense). So this was the maybe the most embarrassing moment of my life being that sick, which came on suddenly while on the bus back to hotel, if you can imagine.

There are not many decent QS choices at MK IMO, we have the QSDP next week and sticking with only Columbia Harbor and Pinocchio's with one time going for a hot dog on Main St., funnel cake once at Sleepy Hollow.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top