Sci-Fi Drive in Theatre or 50's Prime Time?

Sci-Fi is so cool and I had one of the best burgers I've ever had on property. We've been to Prime Time twice but it was years ago, just not feelin' it. I would think the whole 50s antics thing would be lost on kids. They go for a "Leave It To Beaver" type setting that would just be weird if you hadn't seen it before.
 
If I had to choose one, I would do Sci-Fi Drive-in Theatre, one of the best-themed restaurants on property. I think 50's Prime Time is OK but it not as fun as Sci-Fi Drive-in Theatre.

Sci-Fi Drive-in Theatre, simple good food in a great atmosphere, its a winning combination.
 
As others have said, it really depends on what you want.
Sci-Fi has great theming, really good burgers and shakes. Can't beat sitting in a car watching bad Sci-Fi movies.
50's diner is much more comfort food, and a very 50's feel to it. There is much more interaction with the cast members there. You will get scolded for elbows on the table, or not eating all of your veggies. My wife and daughter loved it.
 
We have done both Sci-Fi and 50's, and found the food and theming is great at both. However, I would cast my vote for Sci-Fi.

I'm not sure if you have kiddos in your party, but when we went to 50's, we had sort of an unusual experience. Our waiter was very nice, but pretty intense. He called himself Cousin Ryan, and he was pretty into the whole "hey, you're part of the family/make yourself useful/mind your p's and q's" concept of the restaurant. We had a good natured back and forth with Cousin Ryan during our meal, and our food was very good. I can't remember exactly what my youngest son ordered, but I know it came with corn, because towards the end of our meal, Cousin Ryan gave him a hard time about not eating all of his vegetables. Cousin Ryan scooped up a spoonful of the corn and fed it to my son. My son laughed nervously and ate the corn, but then was quiet the rest of the meal and begged to leave. Once we had settled our bill and left 50's, he started crying and said he didn't want to eat there again, because it was embarrassing being made to eat his food.

To be clear, we had no idea that our kiddo felt this way. We all thought it was fun to have the back and forth with our waiter, but it really made my son uncomfortable. If it were just my hubby and me, we'd definitely go back to 50's. We enjoyed the good natured ribbing from our waiter, and the food was good. However, when we have family trips in the future, we've promised our youngest we won't go back because of this experience.

As for Sci-Fi, we find it to be a really good "escape". It's dark and quiet, and it's a nice respite from the heat and crowds of the parks. The times we have been there, we find it relaxing to just sit, chill out, and watch the silly movies. The food is good, and we leave feeling refreshed and ready to have more fun in the parks.

Just thought I would share our experiences. Either way I'm sure you'll have a magical time!!
 


Never been to 50 prime time due to my eating habits.. I hate veggys and always have my elbows on the table and if im paying for a meal i dont want someone fake scolding me.. lol

just read the poster above me.. and If i was your son I would have cryed right too. Dont make me eat food I dont want to. thats just crossing the line.
 
We have been to both and enjoyed them both. But for first-time Disney experience, I would go with Sci Fi.
 
We have done both Sci-Fi and 50's, and found the food and theming is great at both. However, I would cast my vote for Sci-Fi.

I'm not sure if you have kiddos in your party, but when we went to 50's, we had sort of an unusual experience. Our waiter was very nice, but pretty intense. He called himself Cousin Ryan, and he was pretty into the whole "hey, you're part of the family/make yourself useful/mind your p's and q's" concept of the restaurant. We had a good natured back and forth with Cousin Ryan during our meal, and our food was very good. I can't remember exactly what my youngest son ordered, but I know it came with corn, because towards the end of our meal, Cousin Ryan gave him a hard time about not eating all of his vegetables. Cousin Ryan scooped up a spoonful of the corn and fed it to my son. My son laughed nervously and ate the corn, but then was quiet the rest of the meal and begged to leave. Once we had settled our bill and left 50's, he started crying and said he didn't want to eat there again, because it was embarrassing being made to eat his food.

To be clear, we had no idea that our kiddo felt this way. We all thought it was fun to have the back and forth with our waiter, but it really made my son uncomfortable. If it were just my hubby and me, we'd definitely go back to 50's. We enjoyed the good natured ribbing from our waiter, and the food was good. However, when we have family trips in the future, we've promised our youngest we won't go back because of this experience.

As for Sci-Fi, we find it to be a really good "escape". It's dark and quiet, and it's a nice respite from the heat and crowds of the parks. The times we have been there, we find it relaxing to just sit, chill out, and watch the silly movies. The food is good, and we leave feeling refreshed and ready to have more fun in the parks.

Just thought I would share our experiences. Either way I'm sure you'll have a magical time!!
Your poor son! I'm struggling with this decision as well and currently have both booked, but I'm unsure about 50's. My DD can be sensitive so I've already cancelled and rebooked 50's twice! I'm so on the fence and I don't want her to end up in tears.
 


@22Tink If I had known then what I know now, I would have talked with the 50's folks that checked us in to maybe ask for a waiter that wasn't so intense? I've heard of a lot of folks who have waiters who weren't so into the "all in the family" concept at 50's. Maybe keep your ressie and ask for a more laid back server when you check in?

My kiddo definitely shook it off and we were able to have a terrific time...lesson learned! :)
 
@22Tink If I had known then what I know now, I would have talked with the 50's folks that checked us in to maybe ask for a waiter that wasn't so intense? I've heard of a lot of folks who have waiters who weren't so into the "all in the family" concept at 50's. Maybe keep your ressie and ask for a more laid back server when you check in?

My kiddo definitely shook it off and we were able to have a terrific time...lesson learned! :)
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind!
 
On HS days...we always do Sci-Fi-Fi for lunch (burgers & Shakes) and dinner at 50's.....we like both of them equally
 
Sci-Fi is our family favorite too. We ALWAYS have to dine there at least once. The food is ok but with WDW, I've just accepted that food will always be passable or OK, rarely really good. Though being able to get vanilla Cokes made how they're used to be is my highlight! I choose places for the most part for the ambiance. The family LOVES it being dark in there and the kids are always entertained. Even the teen. It's his favorite actually.
 
Definitely sci fi. The menu is much more diverse. Plus, the atmosphere is just cool. Nice escape from the outside hustle and bustle of the park and crowds.
 
Personally, I'd pick Sci Fi.

But I also think a first time visit really depends on 1) the makeup of your party (Are they ok with the seating arrangements at Sci Fi? Are they ok with the antics at 50s?) and 2) which menu you prefer.

My kids LOVED Sci Fi when I took them last August, and on a visit the December before, my extended family loved it as well. My kids loved watching the movie clips, they loved the wait staff (they were giving out popcorn and playing a trivia game in the wait area before we were seated) and they loved their meal (the boneless wings app, burger, shake). The atmosphere there is just so amazing, and the menu is a bit more varied for a party with different tastes. However, it can be dark (we had to use our phone to look at the menu during my first visit) and you'll likely be separated by the seating arrangements in the cars, which make up most of the seating. Personally, my family was ok with the seating, as we just wanted to relax with our food and chill rather than socialize...but if you expect the meal to be a social time, Sci Fi isn't really set up for that kind of interaction. Also, the food is good, but nothing amazing. We stick to basics (salads, burgers, shakes) and leave satisfied. But overall, we love Sci Fi for the theming and because we find eating there a nice, relaxing break compared to some restaurants.

50s is also really good if your party loves comfort food. We went a few years ago, and our server was ok (did a few of the 'antics' but wasn't hugely into it), but the atmosphere was still terrific. I'm a big comfort food person, as are most in my family, so we enjoyed our meal as well. Keep in mind, the portions at 50s are HUGE. We split meals during our visit to 50s and were still stuffed the rest of the day. 50s is also livelier than Sci Fi in our experience. At Sci Fi, with the seating arrangements and movie clips, we find that the people eating tend to be quieter...concentrating on their food and the screen up front. At 50s, the tables around you can be very animated, especially if they're interacting with a server. We really enjoyed watching other tables at 50s getting into the antics, but the overall experience was 'busy'...while both times I've eaten at Sci Fi, I was able to kick back and relax quite a bit.

Whichever you pick, I hope you have a great time!
 
We usually go to 50’s. We had an amazing waitress that made us answer trivia questions before we were served dessert and the whole room was playing along with each other. It was a blast. However the food quality has really gone downhill. Our food arrived 45 seconds after we ordered. I know it’s not made to order but it tasted like it was made in 45 seconds. The fried chicken was pretty good but that’s about it. After we got our food our waitress was no longer engaging and we had our desserts and check 2 minutes into the meal.
My kids really enjoyed sci fi. The food was casual but good. It’s always been consistent. They enjoy the drive in theater atmosphere and last time couldn’t believe people used to pay to watch a movie in their car. I guess we just seem to have a better time at sci fi.
 
Whilst I love the theming in both restaurants-I do prefer the surroundings in sci-fi.
The food and service however-50's is the winner.
 
We love both, really, but for your first visit, I would do SciFi for the theming. It's pretty darn unique.

That's where I usually take first timers and it's always fun :)
 
I would go with 50s PT, we looooved our meal there last week. The food was all delicious and the theming and servers were great!
 
Been to both multiple times. 50s is fun, but we don't think the food is anything more than mediocre at best. Sci Fi is definitely neat, but we've decided it's best to stick to burgers and shakes when going there (onion rings too), as everything else we've had is a bit disappointing. Still, at the end of the day, I'd go with Sci Fi. Both meals have neat/fun factors, but the burgers we've had at Sci Fi are better than anything we've eaten at 50s.
 

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