Fav TS restaurant for ACTIVE toddlers?

[ejrj]

Hello!

My girls will be 4, 2 & 2 on our visit. My twin 23 months olds are ACTIVE and not the best restaurant goers. We are working on it...'it' is a painful waste of money,time & food .


Getting an 'Ohana res was important to me as it strikes me like it will be good choice for us - sit down but lots of opportunity for getting up, music & fast service of food. What other restaurants did you find worked well with your feisty toddlers?

 

[ktlm]

Biergarten. When DD was little she loved watching the German Band and getting out on the dance floor and dancing during the show (still does at age 6). You can get a little energy out of them during the show. It is a buffet, so there is no wait for food. DD was a picky eater and we always found plenty she would eat there.

 

[nickymaria]

Most of the character meals are pretty chaotic and some active toddlers would COMPLETELY blend in! Like Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, Akershus, H&V, 1900 PF, etc. Most buffets are just inherently chaotic. Places like Whispering Canyon and 50's PT can be a little rambunctious. I would avoid most signature restaurants, they can sometime be a bit more quiet - though when we went to California Grille over Spring Break last year it, too, was fairly loud. When you're in Disney there will be active kids EVERYWHERE you go short of Victoria & Albert's. So it's really more up to what you want - will you be self-conscious if your kids are running around? Will it bother you if they're bothering others (or even if they're just being nutty?) - If so, then schedule fewer sit-down meals. If not, then go ahead and eat everywhere your heart desires! It's Disney so people will be used to kids all over the place - that is part of the fun!!

 

[ejrj]

We don't plan to do very many ts, but I do want to do a few. Right now I have 'Ohana, CP (mostly for early MK/Main street) and BOG. BOG will be pushing it but I really wanted to experience it. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing an obvious choice.

Thank you both!

Oh, and we will be doing CG but that is on our night that the grandparents are staying in room with the kids! If I'm going to a sig, I plan to be able to eat my dinner dangit!

 

[ejrj]

Biergarten. When DD was little she loved watching the German Band and getting out on the dance floor and dancing during the show (still does at age 6). You can get a little energy out of them during the show. It is a buffet, so there is no wait for food. DD was a picky eater and we always found plenty she would eat there.

Thanks KTLM. That was exactly the train of thought answer I was looking for.

 

[NoahsMommy3]

Hello!

My girls will be 4, 2 & 2 on our visit. My twin 23 months olds are ACTIVE and not the best restaurant goers. We are working on it...'it' is a painful waste of money,time & food .


Getting an 'Ohana res was important to me as it strikes me like it will be good choice for us - sit down but lots of opportunity for getting up, music & fast service of food. What other restaurants did you find worked well with your feisty toddlers?

We enjoyed Tusker House! Much like Ohana's, the characters start a "dance train" with small musical instruments. Doesn't last too terribly long but long enough for a little ones to get up, move around & have fun! Our son was 3 the first time we went & he has requested we go back to it during this years trip!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Most of the character meals are pretty chaotic and some active toddlers would COMPLETELY blend in! Like Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, Akershus, H&V, 1900 PF

We've done Crystal Palace, Akershus, 1900 Park Faire, and Chef Mickey's. Chef Mickey's was by far the most chaotic. I wouldn't have considered any of the others at all chaotic.

 

[luvmy2babies]

I know it gets mixed reviews, but we enjoyed the food. We had breakfast at Hollywood and Vine at DHS. There are several opportunities to get up and dance during the meal. When they say play and dine they mean it. They play each character’s theme song and allow the children to get up and dance. My 9 year-old dd was a really good sport about dancing to the Jake and the Netherland Pirates song to get the younger children involved. She even helped lead the conga line. She said she did it for ds, wanted to be a good big sister since he sat through two princess meals earlier in the trip. Later after several pictures she blurted out, “I still like them okay?!”

Here’s my ds dancing to the Handy Manny theme song.

And here he is in the conga line.

I followed him to make sure he didn't take off across the restaurant, but he stayed in line and I didn't have any trouble getting him to return to his seat.

 

[okeydokey]

I would stick to CS until your kids are old enough to handle TS.

 

[Marsheliz]

I second Tusker House. Loved the music and the dancing and such. Lawson got up and danced and I didnt mind at all and didnt seem to bother anyone else. We are doing Hollywood and Vine as well this time so I am looking forward to seeing how that is.

 

[Lindana]

Another vote for Hollywood and Vine! We had one of the best character meals there. DD loved the Disney Jr. characters and they really took time to interact with her. It's also aimed at a younger audience, so active toddlers are definitely not out of place.

For a counter service restaurant, our favorite is Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland. There's an audio-animatronic alien called Sunny Eclipse there who sings and tells corny jokes. It's great for kids to have something to watch while waiting for the food, and often kids will get up and dance near the "stage."

 

[lukikam]

Whispering Canyon, for sure!! Where else can you yell for ketchup and ride stick horses around the restaurant?

 

[hgeisler]

Biergarten. When DD was little she loved watching the German Band and getting out on the dance floor and dancing during the show (still does at age 6). You can get a little energy out of them during the show. It is a buffet, so there is no wait for food. DD was a picky eater and we always found plenty she would eat there.

This!

 

[ghtx]

I would stick to CS until your kids are old enough to handle TS.

Disagree. And I agree with the majority of the PPs who say that "active" toddlers are common and accepted at nearly all of the WDW TS restaurants. In fact, WDW is a great place to introduce toddlers and young kids to dining at good restaurants.

The only exceptions would be, of course, V&A, and maybe some of the list of "signature" restaurants with a dress code: http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/dress-code.htm#Restaurant. Even among most of these kids would be welcome. Have fun!

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

My kids are usually best at Garden Grill. We usually get to see each character a couple times and they bring the food to the table. Servers have always been great.

Ohana's is usually pretty good, unless there is a long wait. We waited almost an hour after reservation time and then were at the end of the character line, we were all miserable by the end.

Biergarten is great for kids and my two enjoy it.

Sometimes buffets can be overwhelming but generally okay. One of us goes and gets the food while staying with the kids. Then we both take turns getting food.

 

[hfuellgraf]

CM or CP would both be good. Take a bag of surprises, magna doodles, crayons, toys! Good Luck and go with the flow. Get up and take them for a walk!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

CM, ohanas, whispering canyon and my twins really loved teppan edo! They also liked GG but it wasn't as chaotic as some of the other character meals, buts that's why I did like it!

 

[Deb & Bill]

As long as your "active" toddler doesn't feel the need to run around the room and can stay seated except for when you want them up, they should be fine at many of the TS restaurants. But if you plan on them being able to get up and dance, walk around, etc, there are a lot of other guests who are getting up to get their food at buffets who might not enjoy a toddler darting around.

 

[ejrj]

Parents who take the time to plan out the best places for their toddlers, aren't generally the type to allow them to act in a manor disrupting to other diners.

 

[maxiesmom]

Disagree. And I agree with the majority of the PPs who say that "active" toddlers are common and accepted at nearly all of the WDW TS restaurants. In fact, WDW is a great place to introduce toddlers and young kids to dining at good restaurants.

I agree with you in part. The only problem I can see is that the OP needs her kids to understand that they have to wait for the characters to come to them, they can't run up to them. Each table has to wait their turn. People are accepting of active toddlers to a point. They won't be so accepting if they are taking pics of their children and some other little one jumps into the shot.

Also at buffets you have the added challenge of not letting your kids bump into people walking with plates of food.