I wanted to fit in as many great meals into our Disney/Florida holiday as possible. After quite a lot of research into restaurants, I decided that a themed restaurant was something I really wanted to experience. It was a tough choice between the Rainforest café and T-Rex Café both at Disney Springs.
I had a feeling that we would love either equally, however, there is a Rainforest Café in London so T-Rex swung it in the end. I also really wanted to experience Disney Springs while we were there however time was tight in the end and we only managed a few photo opportunities and a quick whizz around the Disney store. Disney Springs even has a bowling alley, Splitsville Orlando, with great food options.
It is currently free to park at Disney Springs and I hope that it stays this way. To me, all of Disney should have free parking and it’s very disappointing that they will also be charging to park at their resort hotels. If you are heading to a particular restaurant or store it’s a good idea to look at the directions on Google first and work out which car park is close to where you are going as Disney Springs and the car park is huge. You can also take a bus to Disney Springs from your Disney Resort Hotel.
There is an incredible amount of restaurants at Disney Springs, stores and there are also a few things to do such as balloon rides and amphibious water tours. I had at least 7 restaurants that I really wanted to try! Why not check out this great guide to all the restaurants at Disney Springs?
There are plenty of photo ops at Disney Springs, especially at the Lego Store
Make sure you pop into the World of Disney store
T-Rex Café Disney Springs Restaurant Review
Do you need to book T-Rex Cafe?
To be honest, unless it’s the summer holidays I’d say no. I booked our table almost 30 days in advance and for the whole 12 days that we were either staying at Disney or near to Disney, I only found one free reservation time. This was 3 p.m. and not completely ideal for us. However, I was concerned we’d miss out so I kept the reservation.
When we arrived we were 5 minutes early and after announcing ourselves at the front desk we were asked to wait over by the Jeep.
It was warm and humid and we were disappointed that there was nowhere cool to sit or stand. At first, it wasn’t an issue but we waited and waited. We saw many other people being sat at tables who hadn’t made a reservation. Yes, they had to wait but we spoke to a few people and they only waited around 5-10 minutes. We waited 15 minutes for our 3 p.m. reservation and we probably would have got in quicker had we just turned up.
When we went to sit down we realised that those with reservations were sitting in the same area and there was a set amount of tables for those with reservations. There were a lot of empty tables so we were quite disappointed that we had to wait so long.
What is it like inside the T-Rex Café?
Our four-year-old boy was in his element. Apparently, it’s all he’s talked about at school since. He loved it and for him, it was completely unique and like nothing he’d ever seen before for his dinner. This kid has eaten out a lot so for him to be sat amongst moving dinosaurs he could not have been happier. He was so into it all roaring and talking back to the dinosaurs.
Our son adored the dinosaur theme and really got into the spirit of the place
From an adult perspective, we were a little disappointed by the animatronics of the dinosaurs. They moved quite slowly and didn’t appear very ‘life-like’. The sounds were good and the atmosphere was also good. We were both also a little disappointed by the meteor shower that happens a couple of times an hour. The lights changed colour a little and they played different noises. I think this could have been done a lot better.
Before the ‘Meteor shower’During the ‘Meteor shower’
Maybe that’s the reason you can’t film it? I loved the Woolly Mammoth and the Ice Cave. We wandered around a couple of times after we had finished our meal so that we could see what the rest of the restaurant was like.
The very impressive Woolly MammothIn the Ice CaveWe loved the large fish tanks and we would have loved to have been sat next to one
Our Meal at T-Rex
The kid’s menu is also a colouring and activity sheet so our little boy was happy although, to be honest, he soon gave up on it which isn’t like him. Why? Because he didn’t need one as the restaurant was stimulating enough. He hadn’t been very well for the past two days so he didn’t eat a lot.
He ate from the lunch menu which was $11.49 for each main meal (entrees) for kids. We found T-Rex to be one of the most expensive restaurants that we ate at all holidays (first came Coral Reef in Epcot). The meal included a drink in a T Rex café cup that he took home with him.
Kids Menu
There was a large choice for kids with meals such as lasagne, dinosaur chicken, macaroni and corn dog. Jamie opted for dinosaur chicken which seemed a lot better in quality than we’d expect in the UK. He had fruit with this but he could have had rice or chips.
Kids Dinosaur Chicken
He insisted on dessert having forgotten he still wasn’t all that well. For $4.99 he had ice cream and a chocolate chip cookie.
Kids’ cookie and ice-cream dessert
Main Menu
There was an overwhelming choice on the main menu. Starters (appetisers) started at $14.49 for mozzarella sticks and went up to $15.99 for a flatbread, $20.99 for a sharing starter for two and $32.99 for four with four different things to try.
We decided to try and pick a large main meal and skip a starter and dessert. There were soups and salads, burgers for around $20, seafood from $25 plus pasta and meats. We were handed a special menu with no prices. We both loved the look of one of them though and for $28 each, we had their version of surf and turf.
There was a steak, prawn and vegetable kebab, prawn mornay and rice. We both really enjoyed it, especially the steak. So yes it was expensive but it had quality ingredients and it tasted good. It wasn’t a gastronomic delight but it was better than expected.
We found the service a little slow in the sense that when we actually needed something we were very much ignored. However we really were in no hurry and we would certainly return as it’s very unique, especially for kids who love dinosaurs! (and adults as well).
We were far too full I’m afraid to sample any desserts.
