Did I Have An Off-Experience At Coral Reef?!?!

[kaytieeldr]

I would just like the clarify that I did pay for the fish since I ate it. That doesn't take away from the fact that it definitely wasn't worth $30. Maybe be a little nicer on the internet next time.

Wow. I was explaining to FSUGirl why compensation wasn't requested.

 

[t_catt11]

I wanted to love Coal Reef, I really did. The aquariums are so very neat... but at least for our trip, the food was average at the absolute best, and the service was atrocious; we burned an enormous amount of time here with little to show for it. This is one of our few "for sure avoid" reservations now.

 

[SantaDuffy]

Wow. I was explaining to FSUGirl why compensation wasn't requested.

I agree with him a lot of your posts have an edge not just in this thread. Since it’s online and you can’t hear tone do try to be kind!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Well we usually eat there once a trip. We have always had a good meal there but I should add this I am from Kansas City and while I am a barbeque snob a friend from New York has told me I would not know good seafood if it walked up and smacked me in the face. As others have said talk to the manager. Waiter/waitresses will do their best most times to not get a manager involved.

Not to be creepy but are you still in the KC area? We have a little group of Dis folks from KC if you're interested in joining! Feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable sharing out here in the open.

 

[RealBlast3]

LOL Well, I eat at Coral Reef once, even twice every Disney vacation, and I go almost every year, including last December and always have terrific food and wonderful service. I notice alot of people hate it but there are those who love it, as well. And I have had their mahi mahi lots of times and always love it.

It's not gourmet seafood but I still enjoy it alot. I go to Narcoosee's as well which has amazing seafood and is more fine dining. But I appreciate the style of the Coral Reef alot, too.

I am sorry that the original poster and others do not enjoy it.

 

[heidijanesmith]

I wanted to love Coal Reef, I really did. The aquariums are so very neat... but at least for our trip, the food was average at the absolute best, and the service was atrocious; we burned an enormous amount of time here with little to show for it. This is one of our few "for sure avoid" reservations now.

We also wanted to love this eatery too! My family are all scuba divers and have done Aqua Seas Dive Tour every year for many years. The kids were so excited. We had terrible food, terrible service. Not going to go there again!

 

[Arielfan98]

I believe your review is genuine as I've heard the same response from others. I suppose this restaurant is a hit or miss, but I thought I'd offer my 2 cents. I went with my family in August 2018 and we were blown away by everything. I think we view it from a value aspect, which also adds bonus points to this restaurant. First, they offer complimentary bread which if you haven't noticed, several WDW restaurants are charging for now. We also ordered the fried calamari appetizer which we felt was one of the best dishes of the trip. My sister and father felt their steak was the best of the trip. So to us, could we have ordered a better steak dish at a signature restaurant? Absolutely. But for the 1 TS credit and OOP price, it was excellent. I can't remember if the fish entree my mom ordered was out of this world, but I can definitely say our appetizer was.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks. I might go back to talk to a manager. Just not sure if it is worth it for me now that I know I won't be going back there. It was just an odd meal.

Eh, I would go for the greater good.

And I would because I didn’t. We’re vegetarian and I don’t know *what* I was thinking going there, but whatever they had on the menu sounded good. This is well before they put gardein on the menu. My meal was something with a tomato sauce on it. The sauce tasted like it had been poured out of a 10 year old tin of tomato sauce. It was sooo metallic. It was awful-tasting.

I can’t remember what I did for food, but for me once I’ve tasted something too wrong, my stomach shuts down. Remaking something is useless for me in those circumstances.

My then-husband chose to finish it.

I think I tried to explain the issue with the dish to the waiter, but it was busy and loud and everyone was so close and too many people nearby were ordering salmon (even when I ate fish salmon was a NO bc of the smell) and I was bothered by kids watching the fish in the tanks while eating fish...

We left and didn’t talk to anyone.

And I wish I had.

Poster chise to muscle through instead of sending the meal back a second time. They ate, so they pay.

Unless they had talked to the manager. Then they might not have had to pay.

I just found it funny when I got the change, the waiter gave me 1 $5 and $13 one dollar bills with probably hopes that I wouldn't see that the tip had already been added.

UGH.
That would go on my list of things to chat about with the manager.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Unless they had talked to the manager. Then they might not have had to pay.

Probably, if they had spoken to a manager instead of eating the just-as-overcooked replacement.

 

[rg35]

I don't understand - you still ate the fish but wanted it comped? If it was that bad why did you eat it? An extra 10% off seems reasonable to me for food that you completely ate.

 

[GillianP1301]

Coral Reef was always a must do for us for several years. We are not seafood eaters, so the steak was our usual go to and the first few times we went, it was a pretty decent striploin. Nothing to rave about, but a solidly good meal and given that we were eating beef in a seafood restaurant (we were mostly there for atmosphere), I was happy with that. The last 2 times we went, I noticed a very definitive decline in quality and on our last trip I tried the chicken, my son had the steak and both were awful. We have now taken it off of our must do list.

 

[LRdismom]

I had the Mahi Mahi both times I went to Coral Reef. The first time (maybe 2014?) it was out of this world! I couldn't stop raving about it. The restaurant itself is themed amazingly, so having a great meal on top of that made it a truly memorable experience. The second time I went, the dish tasted as if it wasn't seasoned at all! I would have complained if I had the energy to, but I didn't feel like ruining the experience any further because we were seated against the tank and we loved every minute of it! I would 100% go back just for that and just try something else on the menu.

 

[FSU Girl]

Probably, if they had spoken to a manager instead of eating the just-as-overcooked replacement.

Many times a manager will comp a bad meal even if it was eaten. It's pretty common actually. I rarely complain and am always paranoid about sending meals back, but from my experience managers want you to leave happy and genially feel bad when a meal is bad. Disney sometimes doesn't care as much because they know people will keep coming despite bad food. I just don't go back if I have a bad experience.