How do you do the Dining Plan with little kids?

[bellelab]

We are going with two 3 year olds and a baby. DD is pretty good to sit at a restaurant for the min. time required, meaning we usually order right away, get our entree, and no appetizer or dessert. How do you manage to keep your young kids entertained in the time it takes to eat an appetizer, entree, and dessert? Do you get any of these to go? I'm a little scared of how it's going to be already, not only with DD, but with my niece and nephew both of whom are pretty restless. Thanks!

 

[dana1003]

we have 3 year old twins and we went in dec..we were on the dining plan also..we stayed at ASM..bfst was good cuz with all the noise and kids it was a good distraction for them..we did at least one character meal a day so that was a no brainer..we took them to sci -fi so the movie and the cars all around entertained them enough..and we took them to coral reef and got a table by the glass(see pic)..that being said..kids are kids so they will still squirm and annoy..oh yeah we took them to garden grill and they loved that it spun,,they saw chip and dale and then at the end they got to make their own cupcakes..have fun

 

[petew]

We've got a DS4 and a DS2. Just like you, no apps, no dessert, and get the bill soon after the entree to be safe.

A good trick my DW has come up with is to stash some cool toys in the diaper bag, and bring them out as the kids start to get restless. It buys a little more time

 

[mom2aredhead]

Make reservations for times you know they can handle. Meaning, if the only ADR for Le Cellier is at 8:30 and your kiddo's are usually ready for bed by then, you'll be skipping that restaurant this trip.

Plan ADR's for the parks you plan on being in that day, and plan ADR's for resorts on days you either won't be at a park or at a time where you can leave from your resort to go directly there. If you need to drag your kids out of Fantasyland to get on a bus and take them somewhere else to eat, it's like setting yourself up for disaster.

A few small "table toys" - magna doodle, a set of the small size characters (in almost any gift shop) - they go a long way!

CHARACTER MEALS! Generally have kid-friendly food, servers and atmosphere on top of the characters walking around. Bonus - most are buffets, so you can pace your time there according to the kids.

And just because you're on DDP doesn't mean you HAVE to eat the app and dessert

 

[Hoosier Mom]

We did some small toys too. Our 18 month old loved the Coral Reef, Rain Forest, Cosmic Rays, Primetime, Rose & Crown, Sci-Fi, and even LeCellier.

For Coral Reef and LeCellier, we explained that we needed to put our dessert order in right when the entrees came out. That sped things up a little. The servers didn't seem to mind.

We were on the dining plan, but our son was not. He helped us eat our portions, plus I usually brought a peanut butter sandwich and applesauce along. We ordered him a milk each time on a room charge. The Garden Grill was really nice. They gave him a child's meal and drink complimentary. Our little guy loved meeting Mickey, Chip, Dale, & Pluto. Made for some nice photos.

We ate all our breakfasts at the CBR foodcourt (room charges). Saved our dining plan meals for lunch and suppers. We purchased milk from the resort gift shop to keep in our room.

Also for our ADR's, we got early mealtimes so that there would be no wait time to be seated. Lunches were 11:15 and suppers were 4:30 or so.

Have fun!!

I think this is the link to our trip report with our 18 month old:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1233888

 

[all4fun]

Another thing we've brought in with us to occupy ds are those mini-containers of play dough. Those entertain him a lot longer than coloring does. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[Schmeck]

Start training the kids to stay at the table longer at regular meals at home - just a few minutes of family talk, or have them wait a few minutes before you bring them dessert, etc. Kids don't just magically learn to be patient, they need your help to guide them on their way!

Also, the restaurants at WDW are very active and entertaining, so that helps as well.

 

[tink_about_it]

My kids sit well, but if you are worried about it...ask if you can order your dessert with your meal and when the server drops off your food, ask if he/she can bring your dessert out soon.

 

[MomofKatie]

-Try to get ADRs for early dinner times- less chance of having to wait for your table.

-Order everything at once- appy, entree,. and dessert- so you won't have to try to flag down your server later in the meal. Ask for boxes when you order, so if you need to pack anything up, you can in a hurry.

-Ask your server if you can get the check with your entree, same reason as above.

-Bring small toys, crayons, etc- anything small, quiet, and able to occupy the little ones for a few minutes.

-Try to book meals with built-in entertainment- character meals are great, and places like Biergarten, WCC, 'Ohana, and Sci Fi all have a "show" element that help keep the kids interested.


Have a great time- the kids will do fine!!

 

[bellelab]

Thanks for the replies. I do think we need more character meals, not only for characters but for the buffets. We've only got one scheduled at LTT and that's not even a buffet! Our other ADR's are at Boma, Tony's, Prime Time, and Marrakash. The tricky thing I've come across is trying to get restaurants that can seat us together. My parents have insisted they will take the 3 year olds at their table. I guess that will make an enjoyable meal for me but they have no idea what they're asking for!

 

[WDWorBUST]

My biggest piece of advice regarding this is to be prepared to either miss some ADR's or leave before you might have otherwise. DD is actually pretty good at making it through a meal....but me and DH were really looking forward to our meal at Le Cellier this past trip - we have never tried it before - I scheduled it at an "off" time I thought dd could handle....but when the time came there was no way we were going to be able to go to that meal and keep our sanity - I went in and cancelled it. However....they were booked solid so I probably made somebody's day with that cancellation. I think that's the main thing - is just be ready to go with the flow.

 

[DreaGirl]

Great thread and great tips! We are going in Oct. and DD will be 17 months. We are little nervous too. Hopefully these tips will help.

 

[bellelab]

My biggest piece of advice regarding this is to be prepared to either miss some ADR's or leave before you might have otherwise. DD is actually pretty good at making it through a meal....but me and DH were really looking forward to our meal at Le Cellier this past trip - we have never tried it before - I scheduled it at an "off" time I thought dd could handle....but when the time came there was no way we were going to be able to go to that meal and keep our sanity - I went in and cancelled it. However....they were booked solid so I probably made somebody's day with that cancellation. I think that's the main thing - is just be ready to go with the flow.

We actually have done this in the past. We have just never been on the dining plan. When we went a month ago we actually ended up cancelling LTT (DD was asleep and I really didn't want to wake her) and Biergarten because I knew she would not be able to handle it that night.

This time around we are making earlier reservations. I spoke with the rest of our group and now have changed ADRs to:

1900 Park Fare
Boma
Coral Reef
Tony's
Play 'n Dine

I think these will work out well and the only ones I'd worry she'd be bored in are Tony's and Boma. If there's one thing I've learned having a toddler it is "Go With The Flow"! Thanks everyone for all the tips. I'll be using them!

 

[Schmeck]

What's Play 'n Dine?

 

[MomofKatie]

What's Play 'n Dine?

The Little Einsteins/JoJo and Goliath character b'fast or lunch at Hollywood & Vine in MGM. It is the newest character meal, and the characters meet and greet, and also do a little act- singing & dancing- and encourage kids to join in.

 

[Gillian]

The Little Einsteins/JoJo and Goliath character b'fast or lunch at Hollywood & Vine in MGM. It is the newest character meal, and the characters meet and greet, and also do a little act- singing & dancing- and encourage kids to join in.

Thanks! I'm going to check into that!

 

[bellelab]

Thanks! I'm going to check into that!

It is loads of fun. We did it last month and are doing it again on our upcoming trip. DD had so much fun. Jojo even pulled my husband up to dance with her, which was pretty hilarious as he is a pretty reserved guy! If I knew how to post pictures, I'd post some for you. Maybe I'll try to figure it out again (already tried once and couldn't do it).

 

[Colinsmom]

When you order, ask your server to bring your dessert out wrapped to go. After you go back and put the kids to bed, you can enjoy your dessert at your own pace! You could even do this with an appetizer (not a hot one) if you want a late night snack.

 

[southcarolina4]

we always schedule a character breakfast and a character dinner....
We usually use some of snack credits for breakfast...Always eat lunch at a park or back at resort then a dinner before or during our nightly plans....

 

[Brook1099]

I like All4funs idea about small containers of playdo never th0ught of that!

We use the dining plan. With our 7 and 6 yr. old We use our counterservice for a very early lunch about when things open 11 am. Crowd are light too! We skip breakfast and the kids usually have a bowl of cereal so by then everyone is hungry. Then we always make our TS between 5 and 6 so our snack is either after lunch or later in the evening. I know somewhere along the week somenone may have a meltdown but not a big deal. It happens!