Child Friendly Restaurants

[trish1970]

I know this is WDW and everything appears to be "child friendly" however I was hoping to get some more input on this subject. My DH and I love to eat at sit down restaurants and my 2 1/2 ds ususally tolerates it for a bit especially if there is something to keep him entertained. This will be our first trip to WDW with a child and would love some suggestions on true kid friendly restaurants for lunch/dinner that we all can enjoy!! Thanks!

 

[crisi]

I would avoid most of the "top tier" WDW restaurants - the atmosphere tends to be a little quieter and the service a little slower.

Ohana's and Whispering Canyon are both noisy, loud and fun.

In the parks, our 2 1/2 year old did well at San Angel Inn and Marrakesh (she danced with the belly dancer - quite charming).

Characters make dinner appearances at Chef Mickey's and Garden Grill.

The fish tank at the Living Seas is supposed to be good at keeping kids entertained.

Consider whether you are a buffet parent or not. After two WDW trips with small children and a Disney cruise, we've pretty much decided we really really prefer not to have to balance our own food and our childrens and jump up every time picky eater wants more grapes. Other parents like the freedom and the chance for Junior to get out of his seat and "help."

Some hints - look over the menus before you go (or as you are waiting to be seated) so you can get moving right away. Let the host seating you know you are traveling with someone with a short attention span - usually Disney CMs will bend over backwards to get your courses quickly. Consider eating just an entree - and having dessert in the parks afterwards on the go, although if your DS is still doing fine when the entree is finished, you can certainly give dessert a whirl! We discovered our kids had been so busy all day they were surprisingly well behaved for dinner - even as toddlers. However, other parents discover their kids have been over stimulated and are in full tantrum mode by mealtime.

 

[Sandy297]

We LOVE eatting at Liberty Tree in WDW!!! The kids love it as well!! You will usually have a character coming by you every 3-5 mins!! Foods is GREAT!! The real good tasting things that the little ones will like!! Enjoy!!
Sandy

 

[Jolie]

We just returned from 7 days with our 2 1/2 year old.

She liked Crystal Palace at MK (buffet with Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore and Piglet) for breakfast.

Chef Mickeys at Contemporary for breakfast and dinner (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto)

Lots of quick food court meals...

Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge was great, no characters except for the waitstaff.

She also loves the shows: Hoop de Doo at Fort Wilderness and Spirit of Aloha at Polynesian.

Hope that helps!!!!

Have a great trip.

 

[AppleSister1]

Hi! My two nephews (ages 1 and 3 at last trip) LOVED the Princess breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. In fact, they've both asked (now 2 and 4) if we can do it again this trip. If you want a nicer meal, the fish tank at Coral Reef did indeed keep them entertained for nearly the entire meal. (Auntie did take one of them outside for a little run around between the main course and desert. ) But overall, they did well there. They also liked the Hoop-de-Doo Revue. This time we're also going to try Chef Mickey's.

Have fun!

 

[cdpa4d]

I can tell you what my 2 yr old DD went through last year. Your DD may not have the same experience. She was very frightened of the lightening and thunder at the Rain Forest Cafe. She was also intimidated by the animals. Like I said your DD may not mind it at all. She may even like it, but my DD was terrified to the point that we almost had to leave. We probably should have left, but we ate quickly and got out. It made for an uncomfortable meal.
ADP