Any Signature restaurants not appropriate for kids?

[TwoAtDisney]

Thank you MSTMP. Sounds like you have it all figured out to keep the "family" happy - good for you. I think what happens to some of the WDW families that we see is the objective of the family vacation has gotten hijacked. The objective seems to be to go to WDW & see & experience everything! The objective should be for "the family to have family fun", not to fulfill an adult's dream (do that before having children or after the kids are grown!), or even to cater to the children. Also, from some posts on this board, I think the adult desires cause the family budget to be badly blown. Great family memories do not require lots of money.

When the kids are grown and reminisce about the family vacations, they will not talk about how many attractions they got to ride, or sitting thru sit-down dining, or how fancy the resort was, or how much money was spent. They will remember the vacations that were truly "fun" for them & gave them a "loving family feeling". Those fun trips are the ones with lots of laughter (lots), hugging, & everyone feeling enjoyment of the experience. I don't understand why some of the WDW parents don't realize that unhappy children will not remember the trip as a happy trip.

Parents on vacation with kids, please note this - when your child is unhappy, & you are frustrated with their behavior, YOU are the problem, NOT the child. STOP the activity. So you paid thousands of dollars & want to see everything & dine everywhere - too bad - that's your fault for inappropriate expectations. An exception, of course, is those children who have learned to "rule" the family via bad behavior. That is so sad for the child & is a parenting problem easily recognized before any family vacation. That problem is very serious & will cause the child problems thruout their life. It may take a while, but for the child's sake, please fix that problem immediately & definitely before any vacation & sit-down dining. And don't support such behavior by allowing the child to control the parents during sit-down dining! Better to avoid setting the child up to fail than to reinforce controlling behavior.

Sorry if I appear harsh on the parents, but it so terribly disturbs me everytime we go to WDW & see all of those unhappy children & parents. They are missing so much & don't even realize it. Remember if you & your children are not laughing a lot thruout the day, something needs to be changed. Afterall, isn't WDW a "laughing place"?

 

[vinotinto]

IMO, the correct questions for a baby & toddler are - "Why would any parent want to subject themselves to taking such a young child to an adult venue?" Shouldn't the decision to adjust one's pleasures to a child's capabilities be decided before having children? And the other question is - "Why would any loving parent make a child sit thru an adult venue?"

Why subject the kids to "adult" eating venues? Some kids love eating out. I can tell you that my two kids absolutely love what some would consider to be "adult" dining experiences. For example, no sooner had we sat down at a restaurant this past Saturday that my DS was asking for the artisanal cheese plate. He also seemed miffed when I *only* selected *one* blue cheese (gasp!). We were also fighting over who was going to eat the Monte Enebro

Seriously though, some people don't know how to act in restaurants - period - and it has nothing to do with whether they have children or not. I was surprised by some adult group behavior I witnessed on our last trip (yes, loud, obnoxious, and mean behavior in restaurants and lines ).

 

[PoohsFan1]

Victoria & Albert's do not serve children under the age of 10 10 & above is fine My son who is 11 dined there at Christmas

This is good to know, I always thought the minimum age was 16...thanks . However, I may wait until the girls get older to try this out (at least with them), since they probably won't eat anything on the menu....their taste buds will have to mature a little more before they go

 

[mstmp]

Why subject the kids to "adult" eating venues? Some kids love eating out. I can tell you that my two kids absolutely love what some would consider to be "adult" dining experiences. For example, no sooner had we sat down at a restaurant this past Saturday that my DS was asking for the artisanal cheese plate. He also seemed miffed when I *only* selected *one* blue cheese (gasp!). We were also fighting over who was going to eat the Monte Enebro

Seriously though, some people don't know how to act in restaurants - period - and it has nothing to do with whether they have children or not. I was surprised by some adult group behavior I witnessed on our last trip (yes, loud, obnoxious, and mean behavior in restaurants and lines ).

I do not think she meant not take kids at all. If your children love that astmosphere then great you know best. But if the trade off is walking around with one child to keep he/she busy or have a sleeping child on your lap just so you can eat at a signature restaurant just does not seem fun or fair to the child. Which I agree. Let's face it when they are young we go by there schedule. I am not talking about discipline I am talking about how tired they can be and that can dictate there mood no matter how well bahaved they are.
If your son/daughter is in good spirits and loves the restaurant then go for it. We are taking our son to CG and I know he will love it. If that day so happens to be a very exhausting day and he just seems to be too tired then no we will not go. We will get dinner elsewhere and still have a great time! It is all about having a good time and memories - I have so many of them growing up going to Disney and I hope the same for my own family!!

 

[smalltowngirl504]

I am sure I wont be among and majority here but, I have a 1,2 and 6 year old, we have 4 signature dining, ( well one is le cellier that wasnt when we booked it ) 3 of those our kids will be there, including a CG at 925, for the fireworks...Kids are in the parks for the fireworks, why should I not also get the best view in the park because I have kids , if you dont want to dine with kids, I too believe that maybe disney shouldnt be the first option..... There are some places I wouldn't take my kids there, out of respect, but if I chose to take my kids to a restaurant I wanted to eat, I feel I should be entitled to it , I paid for my trip and my food that same as you've paid for yours... right? That being said, I do not allow my children to run around tables, or even get up from the table unless its for the bathroom, my 6 year old can sit through a meal, my 2 year old can sometimes, and my 1 year old, hes a whole different story.. but I will be at, Californa Grill, and Le Cellier with my kids, okay theres only two, I thought there were 3...lol!

ETA- We plan a late nap and long afternoon day at the hotel the day of CG, and my kids can stay up late, its this crazy ability they have to never sleep, I wish they would teach me!

 

[mfulk]

I think this thread has wandered rather far from my original question.

I'm not looking for opinions on whether or not children should eat at sit down restaurants, etc. Nor was I asking whether anyone thinks my children specifically should be at any restaurant. I know my children, what our expectations are of them when out in public, and what they can and can't handle as far as length and timing of dinners.

My question was simply of the signature restaurants are there any that would be best to avoid with younger children. Maybe that wasn't a clear question. But I think it was answered anyways by a few people - if we eat earlier there will be other families and we won't feel out of place with our kids.

 

[ccgirl]

I think this thread has wandered rather far from my original question.

I'm not looking for opinions on whether or not children should eat at sit down restaurants, etc. Nor was I asking whether anyone thinks my children specifically should be at any restaurant. I know my children, what our expectations are of them when out in public, and what they can and can't handle as far as length and timing of dinners.

My question was simply of the signature restaurants are there any that would be best to avoid with younger children. Maybe that wasn't a clear question. But I think it was answered anyways by a few people - if we eat earlier there will be other families and we won't feel out of place with our kids.

As you said, I think eating earlier is key. Have fun!

 

[MSLRAC]

I do not think she meant not take kids at all.

I'm not so sure about that statement...read the last paragraph again.

So, should a young child be taken to a signature or any sit-down restaurant? IMO, NO. No child should be required to cater to the parent's needs, just because a self centered parent wants something. No other diner should be submitted to an unruly child, which is NEVER the child's fault, IMO. A fish out of water shouldn't be criticized for flopping about!

I think this is a rather bold statement. We have taken our kids to nice restaurants locally (and at Disney) since they were infants (DD6 dined at Cali Grill at the ripe old age of 6 months) and they have always behaved well. It was not that we were self centered and wanted our children to cater to our needs as you put it. It was because we wanted our children to become accustomed to dining out, know how to act while dining out and experience better meals instead of being annoying little brats that scream because they can't get nuggets and fries at every single meal. (Sorry if that last statement offends anyone!)

The bottom line is what works for one family does not work for all families. Our objective on vacation is to have family fun but part of that for us is the food. We enjoy sitting down together for a meal, talking about our day, trying different foods and just enjoying one another and our surroundings. Some of our best and most cherished Disney memories are from our meals. And I assure you that my kids do remember those meal and they have already been asking to hit some of their favorites again next trip.

I honestly think that it comes down to what is right and best for your family and only you know that. If your child can't make it through a meal at Applebee's at home during their normal meal time then they certainly are not going to make it through a meal at Citrico's an hour past their normal dinner time after 10 hours in the MK. But on the other hand, if you child does well (as many do), then I say go for it because Disney has some wonderful food.

 

[MSLRAC]

I think this thread has wandered rather far from my original question.

I'm not looking for opinions on whether or not children should eat at sit down restaurants, etc. Nor was I asking whether anyone thinks my children specifically should be at any restaurant. I know my children, what our expectations are of them when out in public, and what they can and can't handle as far as length and timing of dinners.

My question was simply of the signature restaurants are there any that would be best to avoid with younger children. Maybe that wasn't a clear question. But I think it was answered anyways by a few people - if we eat earlier there will be other families and we won't feel out of place with our kids.

I think your kids will be fine anywhere! You will not be out of place with kids at any of them and as long as they are not swings from the rafters, they will fit right in with all the other kids there. So I say book whatever siggie appeals to you and enjoy!!

 

[4orm]

Strollers are allowed in very, very few restaurants on property because they just don't fit well and once inside, they usually obstruct the walkway. So I would not count on being able to take a stroller into any meal.

We used our stroller in a few signatures with no problem. It the Stokke Xpolry and it kind of turns into a high chair. Takes up less space than most adults in chairs. It was nice not to have to transfer her in and out or disturb her if she was nodding off.

 

[si-am]

I am sure I wont be among and majority here but, I have a 1,2 and 6 year old, we have 4 signature dining, ( well one is le cellier that wasnt when we booked it ) 3 of those our kids will be there, including a CG at 925, for the fireworks...Kids are in the parks for the fireworks, why should I not also get the best view in the park because I have kids , if you dont want to dine with kids, I too believe that maybe disney shouldnt be the first option..... There are some places I wouldn't take my kids there, out of respect, but if I chose to take my kids to a restaurant I wanted to eat, I feel I should be entitled to it , I paid for my trip and my food that same as you've paid for yours... right? That being said, I do not allow my children to run around tables, or even get up from the table unless its for the bathroom, my 6 year old can sit through a meal, my 2 year old can sometimes, and my 1 year old, hes a whole different story.. but I will be at, Californa Grill, and Le Cellier with my kids, okay theres only two, I thought there were 3...lol!

ETA- We plan a late nap and long afternoon day at the hotel the day of CG, and my kids can stay up late, its this crazy ability they have to never sleep, I wish they would teach me!

I don't think it's ever a matter of people at Disney wanting to dine without kids. I just think there are so many parents out there who think it's cute when their kids make loud noises or run around the restaurant having fun... and it's not cute to everyone else.

As someone without kids, I don't mind them at all! I just don't like to listen to them screaming in restaurants.

 

[POOHDRMR]

I think this thread has wandered rather far from my original question.

I'm not looking for opinions on whether or not children should eat at sit down restaurants, etc. Nor was I asking whether anyone thinks my children specifically should be at any restaurant. I know my children, what our expectations are of them when out in public, and what they can and can't handle as far as length and timing of dinners.

My question was simply of the signature restaurants are there any that would be best to avoid with younger children. Maybe that wasn't a clear question. But I think it was answered anyways by a few people - if we eat earlier there will be other families and we won't feel out of place with our kids.

Exactly! Thats why I was trying to say that I was able to even use my stroller at some last time.I have a 9 yr old dd and we have gone to disney every year with her and have already taken my ds when he was 8 months old and will again at a year and a half.We dine out every weekend with them and whether it is a nice restaurant or a Chili's I expect them to behave and teach them so.I go during our regular lunch or dinner times and allow for naps.I asked my dd today what her restaurant choices are for our trip this time and they were Artist Point(loved the chocalate puzzle)Le cellier(loves the steak)Narcosees(fried calamari)and sci fi(she is 9!)So go and have fun!