I don't want to seem harsh and I definitely did not mean that 'people should just deal' with annoying kids while in Disney World. However, if you're planning a vacation away from your own kids, or just alone if you don't have any kids, because you want to be in an adult atmosphere, I don't think Disney is the perfect destination for that purpose. That's what I meant, that when you go to WDW, you have to expect kids, not that you should expect loud, irritating kids. Disney World is where practically every child anywhere wants to go, it's their ideal vacation spot. And that's the idea, that it's a family vacation destination. Yes, families include childless people too, but I think that if I was trying to escape kids, I'd defnitely pick another destination. We're honeymooning in WDW next June and though I won't have kids with me, I expect to see many of them while we're there. If we chose to honeymoon in Bora Bora and we were surrounded by crying children, I think I'd be a little annoyed, but since we chose to go to Disney instead, I have to go thinking that I will encounter toddler meltdowns.
My mother, fiancé, and I spent NYE in WDW this past year and we went to Cali. Grill on NYE. As some of you may know, this is a very expensive event, so you'd think that at $500/person and $300/child, there would not be many kids around. When we arrived, however, we found many children of all ages there, from app. 10 mos-teenagers. 3 small kids, ages 2-6, ran around the place all night unsupervised, not near the tables, but on the dance floor, hallways, etc. When the Jammitors came to do a show, these little boys ran right up on the dance floor and joined in on the Jammitors act! I'm sure some people were annoyed by this, but they were so cute that I could really only think 'wow, these kids are really having a blast!' The way I saw it was that if CG didn't want kids there, they would have specified that instead of making a separate rate for them and bringing in video games, pinball machines, etc.
No matter what destination, I agree that kids like Ducklite mentioned that throw food and eat off of random plates are bothersome to a meal. That type of behavior would bother me whether I was alone or with many kids of my own. But what I was referring to is the child who might get a little antsy and instead of staying in her chair the whole night gets up to sit with Mom or Dad, talks a lot, maybe even a bit loud, whines to leaves, etc. I dont' mean in a tantrum, but just generally. I expect that in WDW because it's hard for a kid to sit through a long meal anywhere, but especially if they know that Mickey might be outside. Also, even if they take naps, kids can still get cranky and whiny and I think that just goes along with being away from home in a new environment and having so many things to do and see each day. But I don't think parents should have to leave these kids out of the family dinner, especially if they are used to going to restaurants with their families at home and they may not be as anxious to leave then.
Maybe being a child psychologist and having worked in a day care with 1 year olds makes me not notice the noise so much since I am immune to it at this point, but it really takes a lot for a child to actually disrupt my dinner, they'd have to be doing the things Ducklite mentioned. A whiny child on vacation, however, really wouldn't bother me. Hey, even I get whiny after the long days in Disney World so I can imagine how a child feels!
