A troubling Boardwalk restaurant dilemna...

[1000thhappyhaunt]

My DD10 absolutely loves hanging out at the Boardwalk in the evenings and always asks to do at least one evening's ADR at a Boardwalk restaurant. It has always been Spoodles in the past. However, the new, rather small menu has been bugging me and when we return in two weeks I am thinking of changing our ADR (if possible) to Flying Fish. We are 2 adults and 3 kids ages 4, 8 and 10. Is FF appropriate for us? We are food lovers and adventurous... all three children included. Do you have any opinions to help me decide? Thanks.

 

[Shanan]

Don't forget that Flying Fish has the business casual dress code now.

 

[MamaQuack]

Flying Fish is very accomodating. There are always lots of families when we dine there which is at least twice every visit (1-3 times a year). The earlier you go the better for the kids. Then you will have time to let them enjoy some Boardwalk games after dinner. My ds now 14 has loved this place since he was 7. I will occasionally let him wear jeans but only with a collared Polo shirt. In summer he wears nice shorts and a Polo.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I truly feel that, while at WDW, kids belong everywhere. Of course I mean well behaved kids. I think FF is an excellent choice.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I absolutely agree with wildernesslodgelover - very well put!! Every time we've eaten at FF, there have been children there. They seem to love the decor, with the circus-tent type seating in the back! This restaurant is very energetic and well, loud, so don't worry - you'll love it. And the food is delicious!

 

[Huckleberry]

I truly feel that, while at WDW, kids belong everywhere. Of course I mean well behaved kids. I think FF is an excellent choice.

I agree. My kids both love FF.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

We have had wonderful meals at FF and have always seen kids there. Go and have fun!

 

[NMW]

We love Flying Fish. We ate there with a 23 mos old, and 5 and 7 year olds and they had a great time. The server was awesome and there were other kids in the restaurant. We did an early ADR last time we ate there (around 5:30) and then after dinner spent some time on the boardwalk. It was a fun night.

 

[crisi]

We took our six and seven year old and it was incredible. As long as your kids are well behaved in a restaurant (I would have never taken my six year old when she was four! My son we could have taken from the time he was two.) and I'll second going early,

 

[sjrogo713]

We just ate there last Wed (B4 T-giving). It was great. My DS11 is pretty adventurous eating wise, he eats a great variety of things, but doesn't eat a great volume of food. I hate to pay $20-30 for an adult entree that he can only eat half of. At every restaurant, we asked for the reg menu and children's menu for him to decide what he wanted and at FF they were very accomodating. He got fried red snapper off the kid's menu and raved about it. The brownie sundae on the kids menu was awesome, the 3 of us shared it.

(At Sci-Fi, they were very resistant to giving us a children's menu - we asked the host, who only provided the reg menu and then when we asked the waiter, he said "he's big, he needs energy for the theme parks, he can order from the big menu". My son was mortified. My husband was so annoyed he just said "if you won't let us see what is on the children's menu, just bring him a cheesburger and fries in a kid's portion".) Of course, this made 11yo even more mortified.

 

[byoung]

Cape May at the BC buffet was very good in Oct.

 

[disvaclub92]

We loved the Flying Fish. We had a great waiter who kept the kids (DD 7 and 9) entertained with a Disney Movie Game. He would name a few animals in a movie and they had to guess the movie. It was great. A great restaurant with great service.

 

[MarkC]

I truly feel that, while at WDW, kids belong everywhere. Of course I mean well behaved kids. I think FF is an excellent choice.

I'll have to kindly disagree; Kids don't belong at Pleasure Island (and ever since they got rid of the main turnstilles, there have been way too many kids walking through there), and there are defintitely other restaurants where I feel only those kids that are 15+ should be at. While I agree that well-behaved kids shouldn't be a problem in most places, the problem is that most parents who think their kids are "well-behaved", are in fact, not. Beyond that even, it's not so much a fact of being behaved or well behaved, but there are certain places where adults want to be in an adult atmosphere. Being that there are soo many family places around Walt Disney World, it's hard to begrudge those who just want a select amount of restaurants that keeps kids to a minimum. When I was a kid, I never understood the "no kids" policy at some places, but now that I'm in my twenties, I've come to understand that mentality.

 

[pedro2112]

I'll have to kindly disagree; Kids don't belong at Pleasure Island (and ever since they got rid of the main turnstilles, there have been way too many kids walking through there), and there are defintitely other restaurants where I feel only those kids that are 15+ should be at. While I agree that well-behaved kids shouldn't be a problem in most places, the problem is that most parents who think their kids are "well-behaved", are in fact, not. Beyond that even, it's not so much a fact of being behaved or well behaved, but there are certain places where adults want to be in an adult atmosphere. Being that there are soo many family places around Walt Disney World, it's hard to begrudge those who just want a select amount of restaurants that keeps kids to a minimum. When I was a kid, I never understood the "no kids" policy at some places, but now that I'm in my twenties, I've come to understand that mentality.

Out of curiousity, which restaurants at WDW (other than V&A) do you feel that well behaved children shouldn't be permitted?

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

MarkC-And I will respectfully disagree with you. If you go to Disney, you just have to accept it is a place kids will be. If you dislike kids everywhere, you really should vacation somewhere else.

This is coming from someone (me) that gets VERY ANNOYED when I go to a fine, non WDW restaurant and I hear one peep out of a child. Trust me I agree with you in general, just not at WDW.

 

[erikthewise]

If you want an "adult" meal without kids, and can't be bothered to go offsite, try Shula's Steakhouse at the Dolphin. They actively discourage children. (Actually their prices discourage just about everyone.)

 

[jwfla422]

A few years back we tried FF with then 3 yr old dd. I didn't care much for my meal and thought it was over rated. This past May I thought I'd try again. DD is now 7 btw.

We sat up by the kitchen and had a wonderful dinner! It was just her and I. The chef sent over a small plate of mussels and being that this was the first time I've ever tried mussels I was in for a treat!! Why did I wait so long to try them, anyway not to get off topic but we've been here 2x since then and we keep sitting by the kitchen and keep getting to sample various menu items. DD is picky though and has taken a liking to the Mickey pasta. Although when we were there a few weeks ago they only had elbows (we called them "Mickey Smiles")--the chef even came out and mixed up some butter with her pasta for her!! Very cute.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that our recent experiences have been great. Food excellent, service excellent and a fun time, especially for my 7 yr old...as much as I hate to say it, much better than Spoodles has been for dinner. We were dressed casual, nothing fancy, just capri pants and sneakers with a comfy t-shirt and didn't feel at all out of place.

We did see many families here just like at any other WDW restaurant. I'm glad we went back as many of their restaurants do change. Depends on the management and the chef(s)...mostly for the better and sometimes unfortunately for the worse (ie. Spoodles). We do enjoy Spoodles breakfast but for dinner FF is a great choice

 

[NMW]

I'll have to kindly disagree; Kids don't belong at Pleasure Island (and ever since they got rid of the main turnstilles, there have been way too many kids walking through there), and there are defintitely other restaurants where I feel only those kids that are 15+ should be at. While I agree that well-behaved kids shouldn't be a problem in most places, the problem is that most parents who think their kids are "well-behaved", are in fact, not. Beyond that even, it's not so much a fact of being behaved or well behaved, but there are certain places where adults want to be in an adult atmosphere. Being that there are soo many family places around Walt Disney World, it's hard to begrudge those who just want a select amount of restaurants that keeps kids to a minimum. When I was a kid, I never understood the "no kids" policy at some places, but now that I'm in my twenties, I've come to understand that mentality.

I agree with your statements, just not at Walt Disney World. Before DH and I had kids we went to Disney World. We expected a lot of kids everywhere and we were not dissapointed- LOL. Had we wanted upscale dining in an adults only setting, we would have gone someplace else. Disney does have V&A, you can eat there without kids. Also as someone mentioned, Shula's does not have a children's menu.

As for Pleasure Island, I think you are going to continue to be dissapointed. Have you read the threads on the Dis talking about the changes that are coming to PP? After New Years Eve, no more fireworks, several of the clubs are being taken down along the water to allow more family-friendly dining like House Of Blues, Rainforest Cafe and Raglan Road. Other buildings are getting facelifts and there will be shopping too. I think when these changes happen, kids will be all over Pleasure Island.

 

[liamsaunt]

I would recommend Flying Fish for your family. My DH and I were there last week and had an enjoyable meal. They have a kids menu, and we saw a decent number of kids in the restuarant, all of whom were well-behaved and seemed to be enjoying their meals.

The kitchen is open, so you might like to sit at the counter across from it so your kids can watch the chefs grilling the food. It does get a little warmer there, but the action might keep them interested.

 

[ASilmser]

Flying fish is one of the best places to eat on property. We NEVER miss it when we go. They have great items for the adventurous and the traditional. Their New York Strip steak is to die for. As for kids, it's not kid friendly per se, but almost every restraunt on property is REQUIRED to have a kids menu, and FF is no exception. If your kids are into food, the best place for them may be the counter in front of the kitchen. The kitchen is open with a counter seating in front of it (at least since July when I was there last), and you can watch the culinary show if you sit there. It's fun to see the chefs at their different stations.

As for kids as WDW, I had to resolve a long time ago that there was not going to be a place where I could get away from them completely. The only thing I wish parents would do is keep their kids at the table. Speaking as a former waiter, I can tell you that a toddler or small child out of his or her seat is DANGEROUS. Forget Mission: Space, the most dangerous thing for your child at WDW or any restraunt is for them to be out of their chair, wondering around. Plates full of food are deadly--not to mention forks and steak knives, coffee, tea, and hot steaming food.