Dining near Boardwalk with small children at Christmastime

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

Have a trip coming up the week before Christmas of 2018 at The Boardwalk Villas. My wife and I are bringing our 2.5 year old and 6 month old up to Disney for a week (19-25th) We are also bringing a family friend as backup. We are pretty adventurous eaters, but we like basics like burgers and pizza too. I have 3 questions in regards to dining:

1. Any good restaurant recommendations for the area around The Boardwalk and Epcot especially with 2 little ones?

2. We are planning to eat in Epcot and want to park hop there multiple evenings for food... how should we manage the crowds close to Christmas in regards to dining?

3. We are going to spend some time in MK, what are some good kid-friendly restaurants either in that park or in nearby hotels that we can use for a break in the afternoon? I was not impressed with the food at Be Our Guest and love O'hana but am worried that a terrible 2 year old may be too noisy there.

Thanks!

 

[holden]

1. Beaches and Cream is a very casual ice cream/burger type place at Beach Club (short walk from Boardwalk).

2. Make all restaurant reservations 180 days in advance as soon as online bookings open. Book reservations in order of most difficult to get (character meals, etc.) to least difficult.

3. The Wave at The Contemporary would be quiet for lunch. It's a short walk from MK. Kids also like the character meal at Crystal Palace in MK. You could also grab a bite at Grand Floridian Cafe and then let the 2.5yo burn off some energy in the lobby.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Have a trip coming up the week before Christmas of 2018 at The Boardwalk Villas. My wife and I are bringing our 2.5 year old and 6 month old up to Disney for a week (19-25th) We are also bringing a family friend as backup. We are pretty adventurous eaters, but we like basics like burgers and pizza too. I have 3 questions in regards to dining:

1. Any good restaurant recommendations for the area around The Boardwalk and Epcot especially with 2 little ones?

2. We are planning to eat in Epcot and want to park hop there multiple evenings for food... how should we manage the crowds close to Christmas in regards to dining?

3. We are going to spend some time in MK, what are some good kid-friendly restaurants either in that park or in nearby hotels that we can use for a break in the afternoon? I was not impressed with the food at Be Our Guest and love O'hana but am worried that a terrible 2 year old may be too noisy there.

Thanks!

Right on the Boardwalk, you'll have Trattoria al Forno (we actually had Christmas dinner here in 2015). It's casual with a varied menu from pizza to Italian entrees. It's very good and very family-friendly. Quite honestly, all of the restaurants will have children, so pick whatever interests you. In the EP resort area, we particularly like bluezoo as well.

In order to manage crowds, simply make ADR's at your preferred restaurants in EP. This will get you a table with little wait. If you are heading into EP from BWV just to eat, one strategy would be to stick to restaurants that are closer to the IG entrance - our favorite in that area is Spice Road Table in Morocco. Rose and Crown and Tokyo Dining are also decent choices.

All restaurants in MK are kid-friendly. We especially like Skipper Canteen in MK. No one is too noisy for O'hana. O'hana has a ton of children dining there for both breakfast and dinner. If you are looking for casual, more laid-back restaurants for an afternoon break, I would suggest The Wave at CR (you can walk there and the food is very good), Trail's End (nice boat ride to Ft. W plus you can visit the horses at the stable), GF Cafe and Kona. For something a little more rambunctious, go to Whispering Canyon at WL.

 

[JZCubed]

Have a trip coming up the week before Christmas of 2018 at The Boardwalk Villas. My wife and I are bringing our 2.5 year old and 6 month old up to Disney for a week (19-25th) We are also bringing a family friend as backup. We are pretty adventurous eaters, but we like basics like burgers and pizza too. I have 3 questions in regards to dining:

1. Any good restaurant recommendations for the area around The Boardwalk and Epcot especially with 2 little ones?

2. We are planning to eat in Epcot and want to park hop there multiple evenings for food... how should we manage the crowds close to Christmas in regards to dining?

3. We are going to spend some time in MK, what are some good kid-friendly restaurants either in that park or in nearby hotels that we can use for a break in the afternoon? I was not impressed with the food at Be Our Guest and love O'hana but am worried that a terrible 2 year old may be too noisy there.

Thanks!

Other than Victoria & Albert - every place at Disney is child-friendly.

1.) There are no specific restaurants that I would recommend when traveling with an infant. You need to bring a big bag with a sense of humor. I remind our child that she had a near-perfect score of ruining each and every meal at Disney when she was lower than the age of 4.

2.) What's inside Epcot that you are Park Hopping for food? The kiosks? If so - that works. But if you are purposefully 'hopping' for table service - nearby Swan & Dolphin Signatures and/or casual table service along Boardwalk are likely to be less-crowded options. Some places, like ESPN & Big River Grill do not take reservations - which may be better if 'nap time' is part of your calculus. Inside Swan & Dolphin there are not only the 'best' Signatures at Disney, but they also have The Fountain, which has an ice cream & sandwiches menu similar to Beaches & Cream. Dolphin also has a cafeteria-style Qwik Serve called Picabu.
https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/

3.) The Wave @ Contemporary, Cafe @ Grand Floridian, and Kona @ Polynesian are the casual table service spaces. My two cents is that Grand Floridian has the most diversions for a toddler & adults (i.e., there are a few shops to pop in-and-out of, live music, and a good bar @ Mizner's).

 

[crabbygal902]

Have a trip coming up the week before Christmas of 2018 at The Boardwalk Villas. My wife and I are bringing our 2.5 year old and 6 month old up to Disney for a week (19-25th) We are also bringing a family friend as backup. We are pretty adventurous eaters, but we like basics like burgers and pizza too. I have 3 questions in regards to dining:

1. Any good restaurant recommendations for the area around The Boardwalk and Epcot especially with 2 little ones? We love Cape May Cafe breakfast in the Beach Club, it is perhaps my favorite character meal on property. It is much more laid back than other venues. One of my very favorite WDW pics I've ever taken is Minnie at Cape May with my then-6 month old son. He was really into the characters and loved playing with their noses. A great spot for a quick bite is the Boardwalk To Go Kiosk with open seating beside the water. It is as un-fancy as you can imagine but it is great for littles who need some space, they can be as loud as they want to be. Their BBQ sandwich and fried macaroni and cheese bites are very tasty. You can use the same outside tables if you get food from Boardwalk Bakery. Their sandwiches and cupcakes are delicious.

2. We are planning to eat in Epcot and want to park hop there multiple evenings for food... how should we manage the crowds close to Christmas in regards to dining? We've often stayed at the Boardwalk resorts during Thanksgiving Break when things are pretty nutty, and we slip in and out of Epcot to eat or have beverages. Avoid peak dining times, try to eat lunch at 11 or dinner at 5. However, if you wait until after traditional dinner time to eat, you will run into crowds wanting to see the fireworks. France (CS-Les Halles) is to your right and UK (CS-fish and chips) is to your left as you enter, stay in that area to eat CS if it appears that there there are lots of folks in the World Showcase crowding the walkways. Les Halles in France is particularly good CS location for breakfast or a snack. The crowds in Mexico will make you want to lose your mind. In Morocco, there is hardly ever anyone in the back of their pavilion and their CS is fantastic!! The garden in the UK is often quite serene as well. It's nice to take a beverage and snack over and find a bench to relax. (Shhh...don't tell anyone!) Make your ADRs 180 days before your arrival date. Normally i wouldn't bother but Christmas week is a whole different story. We enjoy Biergarten, Teppan Edo, Tokyo Dining, La Hacienda...there are so many great TS choices around World Showcase. If you are looking for lively where your kids would be able to be kids, Teppan Edo has chefs that cook the food in front of you and they would probably like that. Biergarten has a dinner show if you time your ADR right.

3. We are going to spend some time in MK, what are some good kid-friendly restaurants either in that park or in nearby hotels that we can use for a break in the afternoon? I was not impressed with the food at Be Our Guest and love O'hana but am worried that a terrible 2 year old may be too noisy there. I would think that a noisy 2 year old would fit right in at 'Ohana with its live entertainment and games for the kids. Crystal Palace is another good choice for littles, there is so much happening and it is not a quiet place to eat. The kids would enjoy the 100-acre Wood characters. Chef Mickey's is super fun and the loudest of all these choices. You would not have to worry about your kids disturbing anyone.