T-Rex Restaurant at Disney Springs With Kids: Tips, Wait Times & Review
Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment area at Walt Disney World, with around 70 different restaurants to choose from. Out of all of them, one of our kids’ favorites is T-Rex Restaurant.
In this post, I’ll share what it’s like dining at T-Rex with toddlers and young kids, including what to expect, a quick look at the menu, and a few helpful tips for visiting with little ones.
This highly-themed prehistoric dining experience transports you back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. You’ll come face to face with a T-Rex, look up at pterodactyls, and sit side by side with a wooly mammoth while you eat.
Depending on where you’re seated, you could find yourself in a color-changing ice cave, under a giant octopus, or in a jungle surrounded by oversized insects.
Every 20 minutes, a meteor shower brings the entire restaurant to life with lights, sounds, and moving animatronics.
T-Rex Restaurant Wait Times & Reservations
T-Rex is extremely popular, which means that wait times can be long, especially for larger groups. Reservations are accepted (and highly recommended). Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel can book dining reservations up to 60 days in advance, which gives you the best chance of securing a table.
We’ve personally had trouble getting reservations because many of our visits are more spontaneous, especially on weekends. If you’re unable to get a reservation, plan for at least a one-hour wait, with longer waits possible for bigger parties.
I recommend heading to T-Rex as soon as you arrive at Disney Springs to put your name in. You’ll be given an estimated wait time and you’ll receive a text message when your table is ready.
While you wait, you can explore nearby shops or stay close to the restaurant. If you’re looking for more ideas to pass the time, you can also check out our list of favorite things to do with kids at Disney Springs here.
What to Do While Waiting at T-Rex (Store, Build-A-Dino & The Paleo Zone)
If you’re waiting for a table at T-Rex, there are a few things nearby that can help pass the time, which is especially helpful if you’re visiting with younger kids.
T-Rex Store
Located right inside the restaurant, the T-Rex store has a variety of dinosaur-themed toys, clothing, and souvenirs. While prices are what you’d expect for a theme park store, there’s a surprisingly good selection for the size of the space.
In the back corner of the store, there are also a few touchscreens with simple dino-themed games that toddlers can enjoy while you wait.
Build-A-Dino
As you move further into the store, you’ll find the Build-A-Dino experience (similar to Build-A-Bear Workshop).
Kids can choose their own dinosaur stuffed animal and customize it with outfits and accessories. Even when the restaurant is busy, we’ve found that the wait for this experience is usually pretty manageable.
It’s a fun option if you’re looking for something a little more hands-on while waiting for your table.
Paleo Zone
If your kids are starting to get restless while you wait, the Paleo Zone is a great place to let them move around for a bit.
It’s a free play area with a large fossil digging site where kids can dig and search for hidden treasures. It’s also covered, so it’s a nice break from the sun while you wait.
And one of the best parts is that it’s not filled with sand. It’s more of a small pebble material, so you’re not dealing with a total mess afterward.
T-Rex Restaurant Menu & What We Ordered
T-Rex is a casual dining restaurant that leans toward American-style favorites. You can expect to pay around $20-$30 per adult entree, while kids’ meals are typically about $12 and include a side and a drink.
The portion sizes are large, and overall we’ve found the food to be better than you might expect for such a highly themed restaurant. For my husband and me, our go-to order is the Brontosaurus Burger (cheeseburger). It comes with two patties, classic burger toppings on the side, and a serving of seasoned waffle fries.
If you’re visiting with picky eaters, this is a pretty safe menu overall. There are plenty of familiar options like burgers, pizza, and chicken tenders. For our youngest, we usually bring food from home. And for our toddler, when he’s feeling a little more adventurous, he’ll go with the kids’ cheese pizza.
Tips for Visiting T-Rex with Toddlers
Below are a few tips we’ve found to be especially helpful when visiting T-Rex with our two little ones:
Plan ahead for the wait.
T-Rex is a very popular restaurant, and wait times can be long. Once we put our name in, we usually walk around the nearby shops until we get the text that our table is ready. Average wait times often exceed one hour during peak times.
Review the menu ahead of time.
Having a general idea of what everyone will order can help speed things up once you’re seated. Even though the service is very efficient for such a busy restaurant, minimizing wait time at the table can make a big difference with toddlers.
Bring small distractions.
We keep a small backpack stocked with toys, books, and puzzles just for sit-down meals. I try to rotate the items so they feel new and keep their attention a little longer.
Pack backup snacks or food.
If you have a picky eater, having a few familiar options can make things much easier. Our toddler only eats a handful of foods, so we always bring a few backup options to make sure he’ll eat something.
Prepare your kids for the meteor showers.
About every 20 minutes, a meteor shower takes place and the restaurant comes to life with dim lighting, loud sounds similar to thunder, and moving dinosaur animatronics that also roar. It can be a lot for some kids, especially if they’re sensitive to loud sounds or darkness. My toddler was pretty unsure at first and covered his eyes, while our baby didn’t seem to mind at all.
Bring your own cups and silverware if needed.
The restaurant provides small kids’ cups with lids and straws, but they don’t always work well for younger kids. We usually bring our own spill-proof cups and pour drinks into them. The same goes for utensils—having familiar silverware can make it easier for little ones to eat, especially if they’re still getting used to using regular utensils.
Final Thoughts
Overall, T-Rex is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney Springs and that’s mostly because of how excited our kids get every time we visit. Between the theming, the moving dinosaurs, and the meteor showers, it’s a really fun and memorable experience for little ones.
The biggest thing to plan for is the wait. With a little preparation, whether that’s making a reservation ahead of time or having a plan to keep kids busy while you wait, the experience is much easier to manage.
If you’re visiting Disney Springs with toddlers or young kids, T-Rex is definitely worth considering. It’s not just a place to eat, it’s part of the experience.