How "cool" is RFC

[lisaes]

I was wondering just how "cool" is RFC. We are on a fairly "budget conscious" trip in October. We are planning on doing mostly counter service but are planning CP and Chef Mickey's and Sci-Fi (DS would love to eat in a car). IF you are trying to follow a budet, is RFC really worth the price?

 

[Gluman11]

RFC is pretty cool, although, RFC's can be found outside of WDW..............I know there is one right near my parents house in Central NJ........................I'd want to go somewhere else that you could only find in WDW......................Like Whispering Canyon, which is reasonably priced for WDW, not cheap, but reasonable for WDW...............located at the WL...........

Just my opinion..........

 

[Aimeedyan]

It's cool, but not Disney exclusive so it's never on my must eat list... I can eat at one at home. The food is decent, the prices aren't too too bad, and it is a cool place to visit. Kids always enjoy a visit =)

 

[Shells9]

Personally, no.
We have eaten at other RFC's in various places, and yes, they are kind of neat, but no, they are not worth the price, especially if you're doing an economy trip!
I agree with the suggestion of something like Whispering Canyon.

Either way, have fun!

 

[CamColt]

The first time my kids went to a RFC(we have one 10 minutes from home), they were traumatized, LOL! I spent a lot of time in the gift shop with my oldest and DH had our youngest on his lap for most of the meal. They have however, gotten over that stage and do enjoy a visit there once in a while. To me, since we have one here, its not much of a novelty to me and I wouldnt bother wasting precious Disney time there, however if this could be your only chance to try it out, it may be worth a visit.

 

[Shelle&Dave]

We do not have one around here so I really wanted to eat there the last time I went to WDW. The wait for a table was unbelievably long and I couldn't find much of anything on the menu that sounded good to me. The food ended up being very good and the atmosphere was kind of neat, but you can experience most of that right from the gift shop. All in all it was ok, but I won't be eating there on my next trip.

Michelle

 

[Planogirl]

You can see a lot of what makes the RFC so cool without even eating there. The volcano (at Downtown Disney), some of the animals, thunderstorms and so on can be enjoyed outside the restaurant or within the gift shop. The RFC used to be our son's favorite place to eat but you might want to save the splurge for a character meal or something like that if you're on a budget trip.

 

[madmac]

We ate at RFC at DD early May. We were looking for somewhere
to eat at DD before we went to Cirque. We really enjoyed it.
Like you, we didn't want to spend alot of money on food so
this was our one big meal of the trip. My husband had a
shrimp combo that he loved and I had steak that was also
great. Our two girls ate off the kids menu. I think we spent
about $80 including tip but we planned for it. We liked the
atmosphere and the kids got glow in the dark frog pajamas
in the gift shop.
You also mentioned eating at Sci-Fi. I had read somewhere
that the food is just average for the price you pay. We went
there just for dessert. The kids and I got sundaes which
came with sprinkles and M&ms and my husband got some
kind of chocolate cake. We also got the souvenior cups with
the glow in the dark ice cubes. Hope this helps.

 

[lisaes]

Thanks so much for all your helpful replies. Madmac, the dessert only idea is a really good idea. We'll still get to "see" the restaurant in air conditioned comfort while still keeping an eye on our $'s.

 

[Lizzydoll73]

Since you are not leaving until October why not buy gift certificates from their website now. That way you don't have to worry about having enough money when you get down there.

 

[frannn]

I have done it a few times in the past, though. The first time, I earned gift certs from computer reward programs. We also got a discount with our Disney Club card. Then, we went back with the lunch vouchers last year, sharing a meal between DH, DD1, and me. The voucher cost about 30.50, and we shared steak and lobster. We did this twice during our trip. I brought a jar of baby food to supplement DD's meal. I would not have gone if we weren't sharing; I would have done a big character lunch buffet and maybe had a small thing for dinner at the resort food court or parks instead. The food was good every time we went, and it was good to go right after we did things in AK. I'll probably get an adult and child's lunch voucher to use for our Sept trip, as there will be 4 of us- DH, DD11, DD1, and me. We will probably have enough food, but it still won't be "budget". It will cost about 43.75 for the meal (before additional tip), which is about 15/person, not including DD1 because we normally share our meals with her anyway. Again, I will only do this because we will be sharing better quality food than what we would get at the food court. From what I've heard, you can join the RFC Safari Club & get special benefits & discounts, like a 10. gift cert upon joining and $ off your meal or a free appetizer, as well as PS type benefits.