Bringing kids to signature dining?

[ekleiber]

Do people bring children to signature dining restaurants?

 

[mickeynut1]

Do people bring children to signature dining restaurants?

Yes. At V&A's, kids must be at least 10 years old, but there are no age restrictions (that I know of) for any other signatures.

 

[Hopefully]

As Mickeynut1 noted children are allowed at all restaurants except Victoria & Alberts.
Signature dinners generally take about 90 - 120 minutes so you need to judge whether your children can sit quietly and be happy for that length of time. You generally see more children earlier in the dinner seating, as more and more adults and couples dine later in the evening.

 

[pavicich]

Except for V&A the Sig restaurants aren't really any different than a nicer restaurant at home. More upscale menu choices yes however there are still kids everywhere.

 

[B-Ride]

Absolutely but whether it is appropriate depends on the kids. Only you can decide but just remember they will be tired after a day in the parks.

Our kids were angels (like their parents) so it was never an issue.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Our 15 month old ate with us at every restaurant including 3 signatures. He was well behaved for the most part, but we knew going in that we may be limited by his attention span. We always try to take the other diners into consideration and one of us was always ready to take him out if needed. At one restaurant my DH got his dessert to go and took him out early, but otherwise he did quite well.

 

[sookie]

My 8 y/o and 13 y/o will be eating at a signature every night of our trip. It just works out that way. My son even saw the webpage for the "Flying Fish" and liked the look of it so much that he has asked about it more than once (LOL).

I really can't wait for this trip. I think the kids will enjoy the dining as much as we will!

 

[Jdismom]

It's Disney - kids are everywhere!

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We brought our kids to Narcoosee's and California Grill. We took them to a kids club for Citrico's and Jiko for "date night", but there were kids at Jiko. Citrico's seemed a bit more stuffy and I probably wouldn't bring my kids there (or go back there because I didn't like the food). Bottom line, as other poster said, kids are everywhere at Disney including Signature dining

 

[disnut8]

It doesn't matter if the restaurant is signature or not, if a child can sit in his/her seat for the entire meal and talk in a normal voice, they can enjoy any meal at Disney World and so can everyone around them (except Victoria and Albert's if the child is under the age of 10).

That being said, the same holds true for teenagers and adults

 

[maxiesmom]

Sure! I've seen lots of the at the California Grill. Just keep in mind that like any other restaurant, if you child(ren) get too loud or start to throw fits, the polite thing to do is remove them.

 

[jerseygal]

Do people bring children to signature dining restaurants?

We started bringing our YOUNGEST at age 10!
Worked our FINE!

ENJOY!

 

[pardilia]

Something others haven't mentioned - make sure your kid/s are up for the over an hour long meal. I haven't gotten out at a signature restaurant in less than an hour for a "full" meal. I've seen a few times kids have fallen asleep at the restaurant - just last trip we saw a girl that appeared to be about 10 years old fast asleep at California Grill not even halfway through the meal. Luckily, her family found it a bit funny, but I've seen other instances where a parent is constantly waking their kid up and trying to force them to have this awesome experience the parent envisioned.

Of course, it's totally up to the parent/s, but if you've got a child that gets really cranky the more tired they get or want your child/ren to be awake through the whole thing, a signature restaurant might not end up being the most magical experience.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Curious, the OP never said they HAD kids. They could equally be seeking child free dining as seeking advice about bringing kids.

OP, if you are seeking child free dining, then the only options are V&A (only over 10) and - one of the Swan/Dolphin restaurants used to have a kids-free section (not sure if they still doo, I'm not sure which place it was.)


It might also help to consider, many of the folks who book signature meals are celebrating a special event like a milestone birthday or anniversary. It makes sense to invite the kids to celebrate grandma's 75th birthday.

 

[Marthasor]

Just took DS7 to Le Cellier on Friday for lunch and Cali Grill last night! Both have fabulous children's menus and he was definitely not the only child at either restaurant. We always go on the early side as that is when DS is used to eating dinner.

 

[Melanie B]

I've seen plenty of kids at signatures. For the most part they were well behaved. We did have a bad experience at Narcoossee's due to 2 large tables of kids running around and screaming. The parents were totally oblivious to the fact that they were disrupting other diners.

 

[GregShiner]

Curious, the OP never said they HAD kids. They could equally be seeking child free dining as seeking advice about bringing kids.

OP, if you are seeking child free dining, then the only options are V&A (only over 10) and - one of the Swan/Dolphin restaurants used to have a kids-free section (not sure if they still doo, I'm not sure which place it was.) /QUOTE]


V&A is no longer "child free", though this idea is so wide spread that it has remained almost child free. V&A's Disney Dining profile states:

Age Limit
This dining experience is designed for Guests ages 10 and older and may not appeal to younger children. /QUOTE]

10 and younger are permitted. There are no kids meals and I would imagine the vast majority of children would not feel at home there. Plus I am sure the looks from the 90% of people that think the aren't allowed in the restaurant will not be pleasant.

If you ARE in fact looking for child-free dining, seems like a good option.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Do people bring children to signature dining restaurants?

We have brought our daughter to every place we have eaten that was allowed. V&A being the only exception.

 

[GillianP1301]

I take my 6 year old to signatures, no issues and there are plenty of other kids, it is Disney after all. As others have stated, V&A would be the exception.

Unless you have a child who really is not able to sit through a meal, then I would not be concerned at all with taking your kids.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thanks GregShiner.

Funny you added this. I just looked this up when replying to another thread.

There was an announced 'ban' in Jan 2008 (or maybe it was 2009).

I distinctly remember the reaction threads on the DIS.

I just looked at the same wording on the Disney site last night. It merely suggests that it might not be a great place to take kids under age 10. For that matter, I'm not sure it would appeal to many ten year olds, just looking over the menu.

Ha! Your post almost sounds like a challenge! I've been on all the WDW coasters a hundred times, but I've never dined at V&A. And certainly never with kids.

The cynic in me is thinking it might be pretty funny to show up for a reservation there with a bunch of kids in tow and a hidden camera. If only the menu appealed to me, and I had that kind of $ to throw around.