Best Dining Experiences for NPO/strict diet kids

[DopeyDame]

As others have mentioned, Tusker House is great for a character meal. There is dancing, and instruments in addition to the traditional table meets.
Check out Whispering Canyon Cafe, too. No characters, but it's a fun meal - lots of silly stuff going on.
Or Hoop De Doo or the Luau would be good choices too, where the focus isn't on the food at all.

 

[SueM in MN]

Wooops, forgot Biergarten! Like a pp mentioned it was great! No characters but the live music was fun and kids can go down and dance if able. Buffet was excellent (again they did not charge for my dd). Lots to look at and fun music, it can also be fun to sit with other families and chat at the communal seating.
Definitely recommended!

depending on exactly when you are seated, there may or may not be music for much of your meal.
We ate there today and were seated just as one music set was ending - we came in at the last song. The next one didn't start until we were almost done eating. We probably heard half of the songs.

The communal seating can be nice or not nice. Tables seat 10, so if your party is less then 10, you will be seated with one or more groups. We've eaten there a lot of times and mostly had a very nice other family and nice conversation, but we had 2 not so nice experiences. In one, the other people were talking politics and in another one of the people spent most of the meal talking about how people using wheelchairs 'get too many advantages' - with our DD sitting in her wheelchair at the end of the table.
But, 2 not so nice out of many nice experiences is not too bad.

 

[Amanda999]

Check out Hollywood and vine for breakfast or lunch. Four preschool characters -doc, Sofia, handy manny, joke - but also birthday parade and singing a song or two from one of the shows. Kids get up and go near a cast member who leads them in singing with arm movements (like from the show). That goes on for maybe five or ten minutes, then everyone sits and eats while the characters take a break. It's all in an approx. 30 minute set, Iirc, then repeats.

I've seen that they treat MAW families wonderfully. (I'm sure every restaurant does though of course.) Made to order omelettes, Mickey waffles, ice cream pump works even at breakfast. DS loves it. I wouldn't say it's a calm meal, but it seems less frenetic than chef Mickeys or tusker, and has activities the kids get up and participate in which the others do not. And the parents and other older siblings can sit and eat and watch if they want. Many parents get up to take photos of the dancing and singing. Usually two of the characters join the kids and cm in this singing activity.

(dinner has different characters, and not sure if the activities)