Dining Review T-Rex [Archive]

disneynarula

10-17-2012, 09:59 AM

DS saw this on the website and insisted that we go for his Birthday Dinner. He loves Dinosaurs. I saw how expensive it was and talked to him about it. He opted not to have a party back at home and insted have a dinner with the family at T-Rex.

Food Reviews: DH had the Mushroom Ravioli, My mother had the French Onion Soup. I had the house salad. DM and I split the huge appetizer sampler as well. DSs had pizza and dinosaur chicken. All the adult meals were very good. The salad that came with my bread and the bruchetta on the appetizer sampler was so yummy! Everything was plated very nice and flavored well.

Atmopshere: LOUD! Maybe it is from living in Europe too long but I actually like to linger over a meal with some nice conversation. We could not hear anyone at our table. DS (the Birthday Boy) spent most of the meal with his hands over his ears.

Service: Not so great. They were rushing us to order and then to clean our plates away before we were done. Then we sat for thirty minutes waiting for the check. We had also brought a special cake for DS since he has food allergies. We waited forever for that. I get that this is a busy place but maybe they need more waitstaff.

natstroop

10-17-2012, 10:49 AM

TinkerbellT421

10-17-2012, 11:38 AM

Natstroop, if you DH has sensitive ears then I have to say this is a baaaaad place for him! My mother has very sensitive ear levels, and if it's anything like you describe with ear plugs, this place will absolutely bug him. Like the OP said, it is tremendously loud. If you have a future trip planned then I suggest during your next trip take a stroll by, ask if you can see the decor, maybe explain your situation and see if they will let you stand in there for about ten minutes or so and try to catch the animatronics when the meteor shower comes on that's when it gets REALLY loud. I'm not ear sensitive, at all, I actually wonder if sometimes I have hearing issues lol, and it is loud for me! Try to judge if you really want to eat there, you know his sensitivity better than anyone so see if you can somehow get a feel for it and then if it isn't as bad as I am making it out to be try to go there your next trip. :mickey:

Yea, Disneyarula, the wait staff was never "on point" for me there either. I was "eh" about that whole experience and would not care to do it again.

disneynarula

10-17-2012, 08:22 PM

Thanks for the review. We were planning on eating here on our trip in Dec. I've been on the fence about changing for awhile now and think that I'm going to finally do it. The kids DD15, DS13, DS12 are really not that big into dinos anyway. I'm more concerned about the noise level. My DH has sensitive ears and usually needs ear plugs for ball games, concerts, etc. I'm sure he wouldn't want to wear them while eating, so I'll just find some place else.

I would not go there if your DH has sensitive ears. Mine does and he was miserable there. This is the loudest restaurant I have ever eaten in. It was even louder than the Rainforest Cafe. We could not wait to get out.

natstroop

10-17-2012, 09:48 PM

I changed our ADRs. I decided to switch our Grand Floridian Cafe ADR to lunch in place of T-Rex and booked Boatwrights (we're staying at POR) for dinner. My DH can't even go to my DD's swim meets without ear plugs because of the echo in the pool areas. I'm sure he would not do good at T-Rex. I will try to take the kids in to see some of it while we're at DTD. Thank you all for the information and tips.

BrerGnat

10-18-2012, 10:19 AM

We ate here for the first time in August. My 2 DS's are on the Autism Spectrum. The younger one (6 yo), who really was the one who wanted to go to TRex, has MAJOR auditory sensitivities. This kid covers his ears or runs away when I turn on the blender at home. He can't even stand to hear the sound of a low flying helicopter or airplane.

He had absolutely NO problem inside TRex. I was amazed, quite frankly. It seemed to actually have a calming effect on him.

We found our food and service to be way above and beyond what I was expecting (based on Rainforest Cafe experiences of the past). I was pleasantly surprised and would have no issue going back again.

I honestly didn't find it as loud as some other restaurants I've been to. It wasn't that bad at all.

DizneyRox

10-18-2012, 10:39 AM

It's loud and there isn't an escape from it. We like it, but it's not really a must do. If by chance we find ourselves in DTD, we would stop by, but those trips to DTD are very rare.

It's like a Chili's or Outback in terms of restaurant quality. Service for us has been what we expect. Not bad, but it's not stellar either.

It's worth mentioning it's NOT a Disney restaurant, so don't base expectations on Disney service levels (even though those have dropped dramatically in recent years as well). Actually, T-Rex, Rainforest and Yak & Yeti are all owned and operated by Landry's Inc, NOT Disney.

Gator

10-18-2012, 04:39 PM

Loud, huh? Disney restaurants are pretty loud in general, and we adapt pretty quick to it. But if it's louder than a usual Disney place, that's not good. Too bad. I've heard some great things about this place as far as atmosphere goes.

darthmacho

10-18-2012, 07:08 PM

Thanks for the review. We ate there in August and loved it. We enjoyed the food, had a little better luck with the service, and absolutely loved the loud atmosphere. Usually I prefer a quiet dining room too, but in this case, I feel it was wildly appropriate. :mickey:

BrerGnat

10-19-2012, 08:18 AM

Usually I prefer a quiet dining room too, but in this case, I feel it was wildly appropriate. :mickey:

I totally agree with this!

As an example, the one time I ate at CA Grill, I hated it because it was SO LOUD (people talking, kids yelling, servers yelling, noises from the kitchen, etc.) It felt like a zoo.

T-Rex was loud mostly due to the Dinosaurs and Meteor Shower, not just random ambient noise. I guess that's why it didn't bother me at all. Plus, it allowed my kids to be loud without anyone noticing. :blush: