Fine Dining with Toddlers--Six Reviews

[jlieblaw]

I would be happy if my child went to sleep while I dined at CG. I know when I was little my parents often took us to dinner and we would fall asleep across the booth and no one had a problem. There are a couple of reasons that a parent might take their child with them when eating at a restaurant like CG: 1) the child might not do well with sitters they don't know, 2) they are on a family vacation and don't want to stick their child with a sitter, or 3) they were able to budget the money for CG but couldn't afford to have a sitter on top of that. Only the parent knows what will work best with their child. Perhaps the parents of those kids at CG chose to eat late because they knew their children would fall asleep and they would be able to linger longer over dinner. Ducklite, I think you're being too hard on those parents. Just be glad they were asleep and therefore weren't running around the restaurant or screaming and disturbing your meal.

 

[ducklite]

Please don't get me wrong, the sleeping kids didn't bother me, it just didn't seem very fair to them. I can see that some kids don't do well with a sitter, and yes, it's possible some can't afford both dinner and the sitter. The family vacation thing I can't agree with, if the kid was sleeping what difference does that make?

The three sleeping kids I saw last night weren't sleeping across a booth. Two were across two chairs, and that can't be comfortable, and the third was in his mom's arms, while she struggled to eat (he was probably 3, maybe even a small four...big kid.)

I just don't think it's fair to the kids.

Anne

 

[Planogirl]

ducklite, I agree with you. This is one reason that I made it a point to eat early or take my son to the Neverland Club. He would doze off during the meal and wake up feeling miserable, and what was the point of him sitting there sleeping? As for the family trip thing, we have always made family trips and us spending a few hours apart didn't change that. DS is an only child and was more than thrilled to have the chance to play with other kids for a few hours while his parents had a quiet meal. But I believe firmly that every family has to do just what works best for them.

Now me avoiding settings that would put DS to sleep certainly didn't apply to his baby days. Then he would happily sleep anywhere and I was more than glad to let him do so!

 

[Sharby]

Originally posted by Colexi's Mom
Thanks for the wonderful review. We are going in May with DD who will turn 4 on the trip, and DS will be 15 months. Unfortunately for us, both of our kids are highly energetic and don't like to sit still, which is making me very nervous about dining at sit down restaurants at Disney. . . .

This might be the ideal time to start your kids off with a few sit down meals at restaurants - I'd just carefully choose which ones and for which meals.

I'd start with breakfast (regular or character) and work up to lunch. Find a site with menus and from the menus you'll be able to see which are geared to serving fast. Make PS whenever you can - and if the kids are tired/cranky - you can either call and cancel - or just not show (there is, of course, no penalty if you don't show)

 

[raidermatt]

I just don't think it's fair to the kids.

If they're sleeping, they must be fairly comfortable. Now, if the children were tired and could not sleep, and were getting chastised for cranky behavior, that's where unfair would creep in.

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'm sure this is true for some people, but for others, dealing with their children in a restaurant is just a part of life and it doesn't detract from their experience at all. For some, whatever drawbacks exist are more than made up for by the pleasure added by having their child or children with them.

This is why I try not to tell somebody they should or shouldn't bring their kids with them without at least qualifying with "you have to do what's best for your family". For us, that has always meant bringing our son with us, but of course, that's just what works best for us. Certainly there are no restaurants at WDW that would even make us think twice about bringing a child who is capable of behaving him or herself

 

[CarolA]

I don't have kids and am not always the most patient person. However, most of the times I see kids acting out in resturants it is VERY late and they are just exhausted.

For example, my boyfriend and I went to a local mexican place last weekend. This is NOT a fancy resturant and it is very kid friendly. However it was 9 pm and the little boy just across from us was gone. You could tell he was exhausted and he just kept causing problems. I don't blame him. That kid needed to be home in bed!! I see that a lot at Disney. Total overload meltdown. Based on my experience with my neices and newphews at that point you are NOT going to get good behaviour. You might buy a few minutes, but not a full dinner! I always feel sorry for the kid and want to throtle the parent. Of course the parent who then proceeds to SCREAM at the kid does not help the situation at all. No wonder the kid is screaming.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I think the sleeping on the chair thing is so funny because when my DS, now 10 ,was little he would sleep ANYWHERE. He never got fussy when he was tired, he just went to sleep and you could not wake him up no matter what. His normal bed time at home was 7:30 and IF you were lucky you might get 8:00 out of him. Yep, he slept on two chairs more than once while we had great dinners. He also slept through concerts, movies, plays, you name it. He slept while we put him to bed and never woke up till the next morning.
At home we of course left him with sitters on occasion, but for our family, child care on vacation was never an option though I respect those who choose this option.
A sleeping child never bothers anyone,except if they snore too loud.LOL. For each person this is a personal choice but I relaxed and enjoyed my dinner much more knowing my child was there with me rather than with a sitter I did not know. I am not sure however that taking him to nice places so young was a good idea. On our next trip his #1 resturant pick is California Grill and he is 10!!!!

Jordan's mom

 

[ducklite]

Ate lunch today at 50's PT. A large group with four toddlers and a cranky pre-teen were seated next to us. One of the toddlers had a new toy which was VERY loud and disruptive--even to the parents, as they tried to take it away, but then the child had a hissy fit and screamed a piercing shreiking scream that actually had a couple servers come running to see what was the matter. They ended up giving the obnoxious toy back to quiet him down. Another of the toddlers had a meltdown, opened her cup and dumped her juice all over the floor, and generally made a mess. They were very loud and we were very glad to be out of there as soon as possible. Even my teenage son and his friend (both of whom are generally oblivious) commented on how the kids "needed naps."

Not a good lunch.

Anne

 

[Princesstimes2]

Thanks for your reviews. I have two little ones and I am glad to see you found it easy dining nicely with them.

 

[lizzie64]

-Ducklite - I truly wonder , with the amount of negative posts and experiences you have had, why you continue to inflict yourself with this vacation destination.

I'm surprised you don't run screaming from WDW. LOL

- As for my child falling asleep at the restaurant- How lucky could a parent get. A child sleeping comfortably and quietly, probably dreaming of his fantastic day at Disney, and an enjoyable dinner for mom and dad. And it really doesn't bother me a bit to hold my little one while he sleeps. Dad always cuts everything for me and he and I get to enjoy a nice glass of wine and a wonderful meal.

- Parents know their children. If you feel your child can handle a sit down, don't be discouraged and go ahead and make that priority seating. Families with children are in the majority at Disney, so you won't be looked at or down at for trying to eat a decent meal.

- Bring toys, books, coloring books, crayons, little snacks to keep them busy.

- It is so important that parents teach their children that they are accepted. But, they also must be taught what is expected and what proper behavior is.

- Go forth and make your priority seatings. Eat, be happy.

 

[ducklite]

Uh, Lizzie you'll notice that I posted earlier in this thread about happy and well behaved children at Kona, Cape May, and even the CG... it wasn't until lunch today that I ran into the bunch from he!!

Anne

 

[lizzie64]

Oh Anne I did read that post but
I wasn't referring to the "kids from he**" as you so put it .

I was referring to your poor hubby. I didn't consider that to be a good experience for you since your poor hubby had a tray of drinks dropped on him.

Hope they at least gave him a towel!!

 

[PrincessAurora]

I can see both sides of this issue. Thanks for your reports Ducklite! I'm sure that you reacted better to the drink spill than I would have. Usually its the parents that don't care which is sad.

As a small child my sister and I ate out with our parents and were always well behaved. We knew if we weren't, we would be going home or spending the time in the car. (Not something you would do now, but it worked back then.)

I usually dine early so I can go party at Pleasure Island (Adventurers Club) afterwards. For the most part I have never encountered badly behaved children at a nice Disney restaurant. I did ask to be moved to another table at Citricos once. They sat me next to a baby in a high chair and while the baby was well behaved - babies will be babies and my fur was within food throwing range. No fuss, just asked the Hostess quietly. It was my issue, not theirs.

I would hope that parents are sensitive to their kids moods and don't drag them to a boring 2 hour dinner because THEY want to and the kids aren't up to it.

The World can task the most upright constitution. Even I get cranky at times until I have a cocktail. Kids dont have that option. So adults need watch their kids' limits.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by lizzie64
Oh Anne I did read that post but
I wasn't referring to the "kids from he**" as you so put it .

I was referring to your poor hubby. I didn't consider that to be a good experience for you since your poor hubby had a tray of drinks dropped on him.

Hope they at least gave him a towel!!

Sorry Lizzie, misunderstood.

Actually I think I wore more than he did. Ah well, things happen, and at least the hot water had been put on the table before the tray went over.

Anne

 

[lizzie64]

Well Anne, that's a good thing.

How's the weather in Disney today? Hopefully it's gotten warmer.

 

[ducklite]

Dinner last night was Shula's. DS decided to ditch mom and dad for DQ. Despite the clearly stated dress code outside, they were still seating people in wife beaters and scuzzy t-shirts and shorts. That's another thread. They also make it very clear there is no kids menu, and offer free childcare at the Dolphins group childcare center. In other words, they don't want the kids there. They don't come right out to say so, but it couldn't be clearer.

The atmosphere was dark and testosterone driven, the food was good, although I prefered the filet at Jiko. We opted for the chocolate souffle for dessert. We split an entree and appetizer, as well as a side and the desert is for two. We weren't charged the $10 split fee, which we had no problem paying if we had been. Service was a little TOO slow, we waited over ten minutes for the check when we were done with dessert.

We were seated in a smaller side room, which was good as there were several very large groups of people obviously there for business purposes, and they were rather loud. Not a kid in sight. The dark wood and high ceilings reflect the sound, so it's not a quiet atmosphere--it was almost as loud as the CG!

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by lizzie64
Well Anne, that's a good thing.

How's the weather in Disney today? Hopefully it's gotten warmer.

Simply gorgeous. A few puffy clouds in the sky and high around 80 today

Anne

 

[lizzie64]

That's great to hear, considering it's 18 degrees here in Jersey and there's another snow storm coming tomorrow into Friday. Can't wait for my trip to sunny orlando.

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[raidermatt]

Despite the clearly stated dress code outside, they were still seating people in wife beaters and scuzzy t-shirts and shorts.

No such dress code information has been provided to us when making reservations here, so I'm assuming there are others who are not told of a dress code until they arrive either. Its a bit difficult to comply when you are not told.

Further, unless they have changed, the phrase "resort casual" or "business casual", whatever it is, is hardly what anyone would call clearly stated. The only place we saw it was printed on the menu that is posted, which we had no reason read when we arrived for our reservation. We only noticed it when strolling out after our meal.

(For what its worth, we would have been in compliance with the dress code anyway, but I can't see having a problem with anyone who wasn't)

They also make it very clear there is no kids menu, and offer free childcare at the Dolphins group childcare center. In other words, they don't want the kids there. They don't come right out to say so, but it couldn't be clearer.

Again, no such information has been provided to us when making our ps/reservation. In fact, I only recently learned they offered childcare.

While I haven't seen this place crawling with kids, I've also never seen it "kid-free". The lack of a kids menu is not a problem at all, since the portions are large and the sharing of sides is encouraged. The staff has done nothing to make us feel our child is not welcome.

If they don't want kids, all they have to do is say so. Offering parents the option by providing child-care hardly means kids are not welcome. It merely means that the atmosphere may not be optimal for some children, and rather than lose those customers, the restaurant offers an option.

 

[inaminute]

Just a word aobut kids sleeping in restaurants...

I would MUCH rather see a child asleep in a quiet restaurant than in a stroller in the middle of 8-Trax at PI at 11:00 p.m. I felt so sorry for that little girl.

I have no problem with a toddlers behaviour in a restaurant as long as the parent is on top of the situation. I do have a problem with school-age children running around, screaming, throwing food, etc. We experienced that particular display at the table behind us at Boma last week. Even the server was happy to see that particular family leave. You should have seen the mess on the floor these kids left! I was really surprised that management didn't step in. I wish they had. We felt sorry for our server, so left her a little larger tip than we normally would have.