How long does dinner take?

[kuhltiffany]

We're travelling with 5 kids under 7. And more than a little worried about how long an average sit-down dinner will take from one of the main restaurants. If we have the early sitting, how long will be in the dining room?

 

[com_op_2000]

Talk with your servers if you want a quicker dinner than what is being served. They can go as fast as you like. Be sure to have a request in to be seated at a table by yourselves.

 

[sambycat]

you don’t have to sit by yourselves even if you take forever to eat or are done in 5 minutes! that may not be possible although it seems like many on the boards do request it and you can certainly ask! good servers (and most of them are awesome!) are used to pacing the whole thing towards kids, adults and families so no worries, they are used to it and can help! also, there is that whole kids club dining meal thing so kids can eat quicker and then get taken to the kids club to play!

 

[sambycat]

oh you asked how long?! you could be done in 40-45 minutes which may sound like long but thats from walking in the door. it can be pretty quick if need be! hth!

 

[starch139]

On The Dream in Sept. we had early seating and we were there about 2 plus hours each night. The kids did great (ages 4 and 1) but next year we will ask for it to be faster because we felt rushed after leaving the restaurant. I will say that the dining experience never seemed like it took that long, it was a very enjoyable time but made the rest of the evening packed.

 

[jlwhitney]

A lot of factors affect how long the dinner takes.

1. How good the server and assistant server work as a team.

2. Being on time to dinner, not late at all. The servers don't take the order till everyone is there. This can be a big issue if you have tablemates you don't know come late all the time.

3. Everyone not getting all the courses.

 

[Nimrod32]

We're travelling with 5 kids under 7. And more than a little worried about how long an average sit-down dinner will take from one of the main restaurants. If we have the early sitting, how long will be in the dining room?

It can take as long as you want, but remember the teams need to reset for the next sitting, so no more than 2 hours. Most take around 1.5 hours, but there is so much going on that you don't feel it. If you need the children feeding first then just tell the servers adn they will get their food very quick. They also have the program where the counselors will come around the dining rooms about 45 minutes into dinner and can take the kids away to the ids club, which is great if you want to take your time, relax and drink another bottle of wine by yourselves.

 

[kcashner]

60-90 minutes is pretty much the norm. As others have said, there are issues that can be related to the servers, but most are fairly efficient.

Late seating has a program called Dine and Play where the CMs will come to the dining room and check in the kids there. Tell the server you are participating and they will expedite the kid service. Early dining--YOU can do the same thing. Parents did it for years before the program existed. Ask the server to hurry the kid meal. When they are finished eating, one parent excuses themselves and takes the kids to the programming...then returns to the dining room to finish dinner quietly~

 

[kuhltiffany]

Thanks for all the great replies! We're travelling with a total of 11 people, so I'm assuming we'll be sitting by ourselves. And we'll definitely be taking some of the kids to the club as soon as they are finished

 

[cyclenut]

When on our Alaska trip we asked our servers to go faster several times and they could never get us out of there in less than 90 minutes. If you want to go faster, you'll have to skip courses or just have them bring all the food to you at once. Our dinner routinely took two hours.

 

[kcashner]

When on our Alaska trip we asked our servers to go faster several times and they could never get us out of there in less than 90 minutes. If you want to go faster, you'll have to skip courses or just have them bring all the food to you at once. Our dinner routinely took two hours.

Did you talk to the head server?

There are teams that just can't seem to get their act together--we has a slow one on one cruise. Until we had those jokers, we really thought people were kidding as we'd always been blessed with great servers. If your team is slow on the first night, talk to the head server--from that point on, he should either move you to another team or keep his eye on things and help out if they are running slow.

As more head servers have come up through the ranks (rather than hiring in as head servers), we have noticed a lot more "hands on" from the heads. We once had our group of 6 and our team had a table of 16 as well. The 16 were just obnoxious. They would change places multiple times during the meal (so the team couldn't keep track of them by seats), sent back multiple items as unsuitable (come on...once or twice maybe, but EVERY night???) and had large alcohol orders. Our head server brought our food to us a couple of times. When I thanked her, the comment was something about her not wanting us to be ignored when our server was so busy with the other table. Note--this was NOT the fault of the server. We had this server on another cruise and had specifically requested her for that cruise.

It is the job of the head server to make sure you have the service you want/need. Let them know if it isn't working for you.

 

[ILoveWD]

I read this thread and now I am worried about our dinners. Am I understanding this correctly ?

1. Dinner will not start until everyone is seated. We have 4 people in our family and I am assuming we will be put with others.

2. Each course for everyone comes at the same time. If I do not want salad or appetizers, then I have to wait for others to finish those courses before getting my entree. Everyone gets dessert at the same time also.

3. I can request my kids food earlier but then they would be waiting on me to finish my food.

I have a DD5 that eats very little and rather quickly. She tries very hard but has a hard time sitting for long meals. I love to meet new people but wonder if requesting our own table (even though we may not get it) may be a good idea. 7 nights of 90 minute to 2 hour dinners may wear me out ! We are at the early seating.

 

[kcashner]

I read this thread and now I am worried about our dinners. Am I understanding this correctly ?

1. Dinner will not start until everyone is seated. We have 4 people in our family and I am assuming we will be put with others.

2. Each course for everyone comes at the same time. If I do not want salad or appetizers, then I have to wait for others to finish those courses before getting my entree. Everyone gets dessert at the same time also.

3. I can request my kids food earlier but then they would be waiting on me to finish my food.

I have a DD5 that eats very little and rather quickly. She tries very hard but has a hard time sitting for long meals. I love to meet new people but wonder if requesting our own table (even though we may not get it) may be a good idea. 7 nights of 2 hour dinners may wear me out ! We are at the early seating.

No.
First, tables are 4, 6, and 8 top (bigger are available for large groups). So, with a family of 4 you have no way of knowing/guessing what you will get UNLESS you put in a request to be "just us."

It is normally considered polite to wait till everyone has been seated to order--the server will supply a menu as soon as you are seated. However, if your tablemates are more than 5 minutes late, let your server know that YOU would like to get started.

Yes, normally the courses come out at the same time, so if you don't order a salad you'd have the bread to munch on till the entrees came out.

The point of asking them to expedite the kid food is so they can eat more quickly (including dessert) and then they can be excused to go to the programming (or other activities if they are old enough. The idea is not for them to sit and watch you eat.

If your tablemates are late more than once, you might say something to the effect that your children are hungry, so while you don't want to offend YOU will be on time and ask the servers to start your service.

I don't mean to be obnoxious, but it seems that you are sort of looking at the worst case. You're making the assumption that you will have tablemates and that they won't be on time...or won't eat the way you want. If you are concerned about dining companions, just call your TA and ask them to put in a request for a table for just your party. We have usually loved our tablemates, but there have been a few......

 

[jpeppers]

Thank you very much for this info about how long dinner can last. I was trying to decide whether to do the fancier dinners or not because I'm a very picky eater (as is my daughter), it sounds like I would be better off eating quicker service and taking advantage of the shows, aquaduck and maybe some cocktail time. I love the Dis!

 

[ILoveWD]

I really appreciate all the information. Knowing what to expect helps me to mentally plan my trip. The disboards are a great place to learn.

I am not worried about tablemates as I am about the dynamics of my own family. I want dinner to be pleasant for everyone. Thanks for the tips. We are really looking forward to our first cruise.

 

[luv2sleep]

This thread has me nervous. No way my son is going to be able to sit for 90-120 minutes for dinner. Waiting on all the courses is probably going to drive me to drink and I don't normally drink, lol. Guess I'm going to need some wine with dinner!

 

[pixarmom]

We were first-time cruisers last August, and this was one of my biggest concerns going into the cruise. At the time, our boys were ages 4, 11 and 12. Our older boys are fine, but I was concerned about our youngest. We do signatures at WDW all the time, but we don't order multiple courses and we're finished with dinner within an hour. When I heard about 2+ hour dinners on a Disney cruise, I was concerned that our youngest wouldn't do well. On these boards, I asked the exact same question as OP.

I'm not sure how to describe it or why it worked so well, but it did! It was only a three night cruise, but our dining experience was wonderful. We requested a table "on our own" because our youngest has some disability-related issues that made this important. Our servers were amazing - especially our assistant server, Delarno. Service was quick but not rushed and our boys were always entertained. It was funny because after all my worry about the length of dinner, we were often among the last families out of the restaurant in the evening - by choice! Our dinner was over and we were still talking with our boys and having a great time.

 

[mmouse37]

Dinner is not often 2 plus hours.....the only time we experienced this was on the MV of the Dream when the majority of servers were new on a new ship with new routines, etc.

Give the dining rooms a chance before you decide you don't want to eat in them. the dining experience onboard is one of the highlights. I know this is not true in every case but kids are surprisingly adaptable. You may be worrying for nothing. Give the dining rooms a chance for a few nights and then if you feel you just "can't do it" then look for other food options.

MJ

 

[Renysmom]

Your kids will not have to wait for you to finish and get bored and restless nor do you have to let your meal get cold while you take them to the clubs.

There is a program where you let your servers know when you arrive that your children would like to take part in the kids club meal program.

Your family is seated as always and your children have their orders taken immediately, they are served quickly while the adults are served at a slower pace. At about 30 minutes or so into the dining time Kids Club cast members come to the tables and collect the kids who wish to go to the club and escort them there. You the parents never have to leave the table or feel rushed and you still get to spend some dinner time with your child(ren) and ensure they eat a good meal.

 

[ILoveWD]

Dinner is not often 2 plus hours.....the only time we experienced this was on the MV of the Dream when the majority of servers were new on a new ship with new routines, etc.

Give the dining rooms a chance before you decide you don't want to eat in them. the dining experience onboard is one of the highlights. I know this is not true in every case but kids are surprisingly adaptable. You may be worrying for nothing. Give the dining rooms a chance for a few nights and then if you feel you just "can't do it" then look for other food options.

MJ

Thanks for the great advice. I am not going to request to sit alone and we will give the dining room a chance for several nights.

My question is:

I thought the cast members taking kids to the clubs was only for the late seating. Is this correct ? We are at the early seating and are planning on going to the shows. Even if my DD5 would go with them, I don't think I want to send her off and then go get her later so we can see the shows.
Thanks everyone for the info.