Best ADR with high energy preschooler?

[Magickat]

I'm going to Disney with my 4-year-old at the end of September and our ADR opens tomorrow! This is his very first trip, so I am trying to keep everything open and our schedule very loose, but I am going to try to get a Chef Mickey reservation and I'm wondering about one more. If you had an ADR recommendation, what would it be? My son is high energy, so a place where movement is frowned upon would not be... great. (Think getting up from the table, wanting to check out some decorations up close, etc.) I would love something special, though. Any of the parks, possibly any resort on the monorail loop.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The one that came to mind, even though it's another character buffet, is Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom - might be worth a look. And they certainly have some interesting things to look at, along with characters!

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

My suggestion was going to be Chef Mickey's so good to hear that's already on your radar.
I'd also consider Roundup Rodeo BBQ and Rainforest Cafe.
Those are a couple I can think of that seem high energy and kind of loud already so a bit of a hyper child would not be too much of a distraction.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

My suggestion was going to be Chef Mickey's so good to hear that's already on your radar.
I'd also consider Roundup Rodeo BBQ and Rainforest Cafe.
Those are a couple I can think of that seem high energy and kind of loud already so a bit of a hyper child would not be too much of a distraction.

I would second Round Up Rodeo BBQ or Beaches & Cream.

 

[StarCruzer]

Maybe Whispering Canyon!

 

[sponica]

Just a reminder, the kid who goes on vacation with you, isn't necessarily the kid you live with (just in case you didn't know this already).

But my jack-jack meets stitch second born child enjoyed looking at the scenery in Space 220, anything with characters, and was fine with Le Cellier (it's so loud and cramped in there, nobody notices extra movement). My favorite memory is at Akershus and Ariel was about to come by and she yelled at my husband "ARIEL NEEDS A PEN"

My kids enjoyed Whispering Canyon but I absolutely could not stand the shtick there and I'm usually fine with shtick...but that one I'll never go back to again.

Pro-tip: make ADRs before you would normally eat to account for a slow kitchen and pack snacks to stave off a hangry 4 year old. My kids like to color, so we usually have crayons and coloring books in our bag whenever we go out to eat.

 

[Magickat]

Just a reminder, the kid who goes on vacation with you, isn't necessarily the kid you live with (just in case you didn't know this already).

But my jack-jack meets stitch second born child enjoyed looking at the scenery in Space 220, anything with characters, and was fine with Le Cellier (it's so loud and cramped in there, nobody notices extra movement). My favorite memory is at Akershus and Ariel was about to come by and she yelled at my husband "ARIEL NEEDS A PEN"

My kids enjoyed Whispering Canyon but I absolutely could not stand the shtick there and I'm usually fine with shtick...but that one I'll never go back to again.

Pro-tip: make ADRs before you would normally eat to account for a slow kitchen and pack snacks to stave off a hangry 4 year old. My kids like to color, so we usually have crayons and coloring books in our bag whenever we go out to eat.

Ha!!! Jack Jack meets Stitch is also a pretty apt description for us.

Thank you so much! And I will be very curious to see how he is on vacation. This will be our first real one, airplane and all.

 

[sponica]

Ha!!! Jack Jack meets Stitch is also a pretty apt description for us.

Thank you so much! And I will be very curious to see how he is on vacation. This will be our first real one, airplane and all.

With mine she'll at least sit still if she's occupied and engaged, so when I get really desperate I have some Bluey episodes downloaded to my phone and throw those on if I need to.

 

[Magickat]

With mine she'll at least sit still if she's occupied and engaged, so when I get really desperate I have some Bluey episodes downloaded to my phone and throw those on if I need to.

Ha! Same.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

In Epcot garden grill, the characters come by more than once, laid back atmosphere, and it's spinning with a view of the land ride. When we went my 2yo was watching videos on a phone and my 4yo kept going to the railing to look at the view of the ride (and I could see her from the table)

 

[sponica]

I was looking back at the trips we took with both kids and we did A LOT of TS (my husband find CS too overstimulating and will only do it if the food is above and beyond standard counter food, like satuli canteen).

Obviously anything with characters went over well, but my favorites are Garden Grill, Ohana Breakfast with Stitch, Topolino's.

The kids also loved trekking out to AKL and going to Sanaa (the trip was an 8 night trip, so we had plenty of time to play with).

I was also pleasantly surprised by Liberty Tree Tavern, even though I can get colonial/early americana in my own backyard, we were surprised by how much we enjoyed the theming and the food.

You will see kids in basically all restaurants, but in my experience it's much easier to have a wild child at lunch or during the early dinner hours...

 

[Anna131517]

Tusker House, Garden Grill, and Sci-Fi have all worked really well for us with kids. There’s enough to entertain them and for some reason the darkness of Sci-Fi calms my kids down. Let your 4 year old walk as much as possible to burn off energy and then hopefully pass out in a stroller after lunch.

 

[Mle8308]

Just a reminder, the kid who goes on vacation with you, isn't necessarily the kid you live with (just in case you didn't know this already).

But my jack-jack meets stitch second born child enjoyed looking at the scenery in Space 220, anything with characters, and was fine with Le Cellier (it's so loud and cramped in there, nobody notices extra movement). My favorite memory is at Akershus and Ariel was about to come by and she yelled at my husband "ARIEL NEEDS A PEN"

My kids enjoyed Whispering Canyon but I absolutely could not stand the shtick there and I'm usually fine with shtick...but that one I'll never go back to again.

Pro-tip: make ADRs before you would normally eat to account for a slow kitchen and pack snacks to stave off a hangry 4 year old. My kids like to color, so we usually have crayons and coloring books in our bag whenever we go out to eat.

I absolutely love this description!!!

 

[unrequited23]

We like AYCTE family style meals better than buffets with young kids because you aren't making multiple trips to the buffet, carrying multiple plates, navigating a crowded restaurant while wrangling a preschooler.

I also want to second the pro tip from above regarding making your ADRs earlier than you normally eat. Sometimes it takes a bit to get seated and it seems like kids get hungrier earlier at Disney.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Biergarten - seriously!