Fine Dining with Toddlers--Six Reviews

[jmkst58]

Originally posted by crisi
jmkst58

My girl is way worse than my boy - always has been. She was born with PMS.

Two changes things, but by the time your baby is old enough to start causing trouble, your daughter should be through the worst of whatever trouble she will cause (until the teenage years). Mine aren't even 13 months apart - one I'd take fine dining with two adults - even my daughter (as long as she wasn't overtired). Two still in diapers (the situation we were in on our last trip) is too much like gambling.

hee hee....guess you can never tell. I'll take another one like my first anyday (boy or girl), but of course I'll just pray for "healthy and happy."

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by lomillerin
I think some of you are being too hard on parents. I, as a mother of an 11 yr-old and 4 yr-old., I feel that Disney is a place to be able to take kids.
I know that some people go there without children and I probably will too when mine are grown until I can take grandkids.
I know that a perfectly happy child one minute can turn into a difficult child the next, sometimes without warning.
Disney can overstimulate anyone and cause a breakdown.
If children are crying or upset or unhappy about something does not mean they are monsters.
I agree about not letting them run through a restaurant yelling, but all kids fuss and as parents we do not get to pick and choose those times for our convenience.
Being around kids is just part of being in Disney.
I would bet there are not too many parents out there that have not been it the shoes of some of these parents.

Who are we to judge? If I want a trip not to be around kids, I would never go to Disney.
JMHO.

And when kids fuss they need to be taken out of the restaurant immediately until they are calmed down. I've been in those shoes many times. I always did that with my son--if I couldn't quiet him down or settle him down in about 30 seconds, we were out of there until the situation was resolved. And I would NEVER allow my son to throw food, kick and flail about, take food off another diners plate, or run around in a restaurant.

Disney is for all ages, but it's not for all ages to disturb others without regard. (That goes for adults too.)

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Jordan's MOM
We have seen more problems with older kids that small toddlers. Perhaps it's that I have a lot more tolerance for a small child. We were once ran smack into by three brother running head strong though CRT at dinner. A cm quicky went to find their parents. We have also had dinner disturbed by loud early teens eating alone. This has happened at character meals when these children are kinda in between being young enough or old enough to enjoy the characters!
We have taken DS with us to eat anywhere we went. We expected good behavior and got it most of the time. If he was loud or out of control we left. I think we only had to pack the food once.

Jordan's mom

Thanks Jordan's Mom! And if you ever run into my teen misbehaving like that, you have my permission to put the almighty fear of God into him...usually accomplished by counting to three, although you'll seldom have to get past "ONE..."

Anne

 

[Bichon Barb]

IMHO, I don't think it's fair to classify toddlers as either "well behaved" or "not well behaved". Some toddlers are more high energy and some are more mellow. They can be tired and cranky. They can be not feeling well. They can be bored. I think when you take a toddler to nice restaurant, you can either get lucky or unlucky . And they don't have the ability to reason.

When our high energy boys were toddlers, we avoided fine restaurants, because we knew we would be horrified if they...well...acted like themselves .

In any event, it is WDW, for Pete's sake.

Now, let's start working on the cell phone in restaurants issue. LOL.

 

[Tetonman]

I don't want to get into the behavior of toddlers, boys, girls, etc. I think many of you make excellent points as it comes down to manners and respecting those around you when you are dining with your kids... SO... here's my question as a first time visitor to WDW with my boys:

My wife loves seafood. With our boys (4,2, & 5 mos), which restaurant would you suggest? My boys are very well behaved in restaurants, but I fear that WDW will be overstimulating to them so my angels may have a meltdown towards the end of the day... Are there any seafood restaurants that you've taken your little ones to and enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere?

Thanks for your advice and reviews, I am learning a lot.

Tetonman

 

[spyhill]

Flying Fish Cafe. Then you can walk around the Boardwalk after dinner.

 

[BCV23]

Another idea would be Coral Reef. they will love watching the fish and it's dark and relaxing. Or Narcoossee's where they can look out at the lake. Most importantly, I would dine early after a nice resort break.

 

[ducklite]

The Flying Fish would work, however the Cape May Cafe Clambake would be another, much more family friendly option.

A few hints--let them run off steam by swimming in the pool at your hotel for a little while before you get changed to go eat. Give them a snack before you leave the room as well. Most WDW restaurants provide crayons and paper to color on, but you might also want to bring a small quiet toy for each. Book a PS for the second the restaurant opens, so your kids are still awake and not as tired. If you decide on the Flying Fish, when you are seated, let the server know that you have no problem having the kids food brought out as soon as it's done, don't wait for your food to come out with it. That gives the added benefit of having their food cut up and them eating when yours comes so you can eat your food while it's hot. If the kids are having a bad day, rescedule the PS for another day.

You might also want to think about an in-room sitter so you and your spouse can have a nice romantic and relaxing meal alone one night.

Anne

 

[gina2000]

The best advice I can give any parent with a child in a restaurant is to skip before dinner drinks and appetizers. Most kids...even the rambunctious ones, will sit through one course.....especially if they are eating. The problem begins when you sit down, have a drink, peruse the menu, have another drink, order....have appetizers....and then have a meal. At this point the child has either already eaten (at Disney they are wonderful about bringing a child's meal out right away) and are looking for something else to do, or are hungry as heck while you are enjoying your drink and appetizers.

Stick to one course. If your child is behaving....have dessert. Order your libation with dinner.

Truthfully, we did this for years. It got our son used to being in a fine restaurant for limited periods of time so that he could learn how to behave and sit still. It still gave us the opportunity to experience different restaurants but without embarrassing incidents. If he didn't behave (and that did happen), one of us walked him around until dinner arrived and then we promptly departed without dessert.

You CAN take a child to a fine restaurant without disruption. The trick is knowing how much a child can handle.

 

[Colexi's Mom]

I agree with Gina2000. We have learned to skip the appetizers because it draws out the length of the meal. We try to have our orders ready the first time the waitstaff comes over to the table to keep things moving. Like she said, if things are going well, there is time for dessert. I certainly don't need an appetizer, meal, and dessert. I plan on only gaining hopefully 5 pounds on this trip, not 15 .

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I think another point that can help is that these wonderfuly behaved toddlers in these nice resturants did not just happen. Their parents worked hard at getting them there. In addition to the wonderful comments on expectations of behavior, and having well rested, not starving children is to understand that while adults and older kids can enjoy just sitting and taking, it's not going to happen with small kids. Being prepared can not only keep your kids from disturbing others, it can make a meal that you want to do a lot more fun for your kids.
Come to the resturant armed with things to keep you little ones in their seat and quiet. Small books, stickers and paper, crayons, small action figures, a tiny container of ceral to munch while they wait can all make things go so much better. If you are trying for a special meal, why not try a little harder to make things go your way. If you are paying 100.00 for a meal at the California Grill, spring for another 5.00 and stop at the gift shop on the way up and get a new coloring book or a set of tiny disney figures that will keep your little one happy for a while. Also remember they are sitting still in the resturant you want to eat at, try to reward them for thier behavior. Even a two can understand that after you all sit still for this nice dinner you will all go back to the resort and go for a swim.
Sitting still is hard for little ones,why not make it as easy as possible.

Jordan's mom

 

[Tracie]

ducklite,
I think we were at the yachtmans steakhouse the same night with the 2 little girls running through the the place screaming!
My then 4 yo said "oooo mom they are bad"

We have always taken our children to the fancier places, but they know how they are expected to act. Our Poor sever that night at the YSH had to dodge the 2 girls while bringing our food to the table and then gave my 2 DS free deserts for their good behavior.

I think if you expect the good behavior at home or at fast food places you have no problem at nicer places.

 

[CarolMN]

I am one of those who discourage parents from bringing young children (especially toddlers and pre-schoolers) to some of the "finer" restaurants. It's NOT because I think those children will be unwelcome there or that they will misbehave/disturb others. It's because the food and the atmosphere at those restaurants deserve to to be savored. IMHO, that's hard to do if you are a parent worrying about how your youngster is doing, even if he/she is perfectly well behaved. I think it is very hard for young children to sit quietly for an hour or more. There are lots and lots of less expensive options for families and IMHO, parents will enjoy the experience more if it is not rushed or focused on the kids. I would not feel very good about paying for expensive meals in a restaurant like JIKO or CG and then having to get in and out in a rush! JMHO.

 

[deb305]

We were at WDW the last week of January with 1 yr DS and 4.5 DD. We made it to a few sit-down dinners. Our policy was to go early when the restraunt was not crowded, let the server know our son had the attention span of a gnat and ordered our dinner first thing. I usually ordered something I could eat fast, and would be available to take the 1yr old out before dinner was done. This left DH and DD the chance for a leisurely meal, and for her to practice her manners. Bottom line, I don't think there is such a thing as a well trained 1 year old. In all honesty all of the sit-down places we ate ( Mama Melrose, 1900 Park Fair, CRT,Arhaus, and Rainforest Cafe) were noisy with kids. Thats just Disney World. Would I take the kids to California Grill, or Victoria and Alberts. No way, not worth the expense and for that money I want to be able to spend most of the night there.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by deb305
...(snip)....Would I take the kids to California Grill, or Victoria and Alberts. No way, not worth the expense and for that money I want to be able to spend most of the night there.

My point exactly!

 

[crisi]

All the restuarants deb305 mentions, I'd have brought my two little ones too as well. To me, there is a world of difference between bringing my kids to the Rainforest Cafe (although parents should be warned that some toddlers do not enjoy the artificial thunderstorms at all), and California Grill.

Some kids do have the temperment to sit well in a restaurant from a young age. Some can be distracted with books and cheerios to make dinner pleasant for the parents and other diners. And, although kids aren't welcome at V&As regardless of how well behaved they are, I don't have a problem with such kids in any other Disney restaurant. Mine were never much interested in coloring books or crayons until 3 1/2 or better, and cheerios stopped holding their attention at 14 months. My daughter can not be depended on to not throw a tantrum - even well rested. So my kids are out for anything too fancy. Partially because, as CarolMN suggests, it isn't relaxing to eat fancy with my own children, partially because I'd be mortified if one of those tantrums broke out in such a place.
I also want to remind people not to be too harsh on kids in a restaurant at 9:00pm - they may have just flown in from San Diego - a four hour time difference, and to the kids it still feels like about 5:00pm.

 

[jlieblaw]

Our two sit-down meals on our last trip were a character meal and dinner at Cal. Grill. We were able to enjoy CG longer than the char. meal. Our 18 mo. old was too excited about the characters and cried for them to stay with her. At CG, we stopped on the way and bought her a Pooh book, brought snacks with us and requested a window table where she could look at the monorail as it went by. She called it a choo-choo (she's crazy about choo-choos) and it kept her attention amazingly. By the time she was ready to get down out of her chair, we were finished eating and were waiting for the check. It's amazing how different restaurants work for different families.

 

[jpmom97]

I am going to Disney World in Feb 04' with a 6 year old son who has more energy then a rocket and a 13 month old. My son gets very excited about buffets so I am planning character meals for us and a trip to Boma because I have heard so many good things about it. I don't know how my baby daughter will do because right now she is 7 weeks old. When I go to restaurants no matter what kind, I bring a bag full of things to keep my son busy. Cars, crayons and paper, a small dry erase board. I have vowed that my children will not be the ones to bother other people.

 

[ducklite]

Writing from WDW

Yesterday morning Kona Kafe, all kids were happy, although a couple kept saying "I want to goooooooo"...maybe sit down breakfasts with kids anxious to get to the MK aren't such a great idea The server dumped a tray of drinks on DH and I, many apologies but I was suprised that the manager didn't come over to make sure we were OK (we were--luckily he had set the hot water down a second before the tray went over, but we both took baths with OJ and ice water.).

Had dinner at the Cape May cafe last night, one child having a partial hissy fit about something, but it was fairly quickly quieted, although the child was then allowed to wander around the table, luckily stayed close and wasn't much of a hazard. All in all well behaved kids (although we ate late)

Breakfast today at Donalds, Neil was up to his usual tricks Generally the kids were great

Dinner tonight is the CG...we'll see what shall happen

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Last night we had dinner at the CG. ******BEGIN RANT*****

The kids were for the most part quiet and well behaved. We were seated AFTER the fireworks, which I think helped. Saw about 20 families with little ones stream out immediately following the fireworks.

BUT....

How many of you find it selfish that a parent would take their children who don't give a hoot about eating in a "fancy" restaurant, and are so tired that they fall alseep across two chairs, out to a long, leisurely dinner? I just don't think its fair to the kids. I'm sure they would be much more comfortable tucked into bed in the room. I saw another kid, probably about three, sound asleep in mom's arm's, while she struggled to eat a $30 entree one handed.

It just doesn't make sense to me. It just seems that if you've got the money to dine in a restaurant with prices like the CG, you could afford to have a sitter come to the room. It seems that both the kids and the parents would be more comfortable.

Anne