How will my 3 year old deal with these places???

[RobMax]

I have a 3 and 1 year old. We are considering trying some different places to eat this time and I was looking for input on

1. How your kids did (food, entertainment, etc.)? Was it worth the time, effort, money, etc?

and/or

2. How you would expect young kids to react?

and/or

3. Any other suggestion you may have!!!


Thanks so much - here are the places we are considering...

Breakfast
Kona - Polynesian

Lunch
Brown Derby - MGM
Chefs de France - Epcot
Coral Reef - Epcot

Dinner
Boma - AK Lodge
Marrakesh - Epcot
Ohana - Polynesian
Palio - Swan
Teppamyaki - Epcot

 

[snoopy]

My kids are a little older, but there is no way I'd consider taking them to Pailo's. There isn't any entertainment there, its sort of a dark, romantic restaurant meant for couples, imo.

The Brown Derby is sort of stuffy too. We went there once when my kids were little, around 1 and 4, and got terrible service. The waiter did not tell us the specials, and when I asked him if there were no specials, he said he didn't think we would be interested. I guess he thought because we were parents of small children that we should eat hot dogs all day.

The rest on your list are just fine, imo. Chefs de France may be a little iffy, its very close and crowded in there, but fast paced and fun for people watching. My kids loved Coral Reef, we were lucky enough to get a seat right next to the aquarium, I never remember my kids being so well behaved in any other restaurant - they were spellbound! Ohanas is also a great place to take small children - lots of activity, a bright, fun atmosphere.

 

[JulieWent]

In looking over your list, I didn't find any place (except Palio's -- which I honestly haven't been to before) that I absolutely wouldn't take a child to. I do have some observations, though.

DS is now 7, but he's been going to WDW off and on since he was 3. He really loves the character meals (Crystal Palace being his all time fav.).
He has had breakfast at Kona and done fine. (Not particularly entertaining, but good food, and kid appropriate.)
Coral Reef is one of his favorites. (High entertainment value for a kid and great food. He loved the "build your own sundae.")
He also loves Chef de France because he loves the desserts. (He is my son after all!) If you get a seat where you can watch the goings on outside, it's nice.
He also really liked the food at Boma. The entertainment value was only so-so, and it was very loud, though. (I think it's worth going to, though. Soooooo good.)
DS HATED, I mean HATED Marakkesh. I know this is maybe not typical, but the food was not at all to his liking, and for some reason, the music struck a raw cord for him. He kept his hands over his ears the whole time.
We haven't been to any of the others, but I will tell you that we tried to take him to a local teppanyaki dining establishment last year for New Year's Eve, and it scared the bejeezus out of him. (They spend a lot of time in 1st grade talking about fire safety. He was just thrilled when the chef walked up and set our "table" pretty much on fire. )

Hope that helps. I think you've made some great choices!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I think that if you are planning for you and just want to make sure the kids are OK, that you will be fine with any WDW resturant. If however you are looking for places that the children will enjoy the most, I would make some changes. They will like the coral reef and Ohana's might be fun though they might be too little for the activities. I would look at booking several character meals. Look for ones that have the characters they are most comfortable with. Other fun choices might be Rain Forest, Prime Time Cafe or Sci-fi. You know your children best and how well they will handle a more formal setting. All WDW resturants are kid friendly.


Jordan's mom

 

[geffric]

When my kids were little, we loved and stilll do, Crystal Palace in MK. There is mac and cheese and pizza for kids plus a really nice meal for adults other kids and great ice cream and cookies dessert.

We always tried the various buffets because the little ones could get what they wanted and would eat. AK breakfast is fun and kids will eat there for pancakes etc. Wildernes Lodge is fun because the kids get to run around and trade crayon and ask for ketchup.... great meal too.

 

[vicb]

When my DS was 3 1/2 he did really well at Crystal Palace (with Pooh and friends) and 'Ohana's. I have not eaten at Coral Reef but from descriptions it sounds like the aquarium tank might fasinate them while you ate!

 

[aprincessmom]

DD has been going to restaurants since she was an infant. I think if your children are used to being required to sit quietly and eat in a restaurant setting you shouldn't have any trouble. The kids menus are pretty standard (hot dogs, nuggets, grilled cheese) but if you have an adventurous eater they will enjoy sharing your meals and the waitstaff is very gracious about this.

BUT (and this is a big but) when DD was 3 she was very frightened by non-human characters. Just seeing them come around the restaurant set her into a panic -- they do understand not to come to the table when they see a child in distress but they will still visit your table area for the other children. I know you don't have any character restaurants listed but just keep it in mind if you decide to do some while you are there.

We avoided character meals until she was 5 and that worked for us. When she was youger, she loved all the others -- particularly Marrakesh, San Angel, and Le Cellier.

 

[GlennandAnn]

We took our then 3 y/o DS to Boma, and he loved it. They have a whole section of the buffet dedicated to kids (chicken nuggets, fries, spaghetti, etc) so if they don't like the "real" food, they can eat kid food. There is a lot of activity there, and they provide crayons and paper for the kids, so he wasn't bored or obnoxious. I think in pretty much every Disney restaurant, there are going to be kids, so everyone is pretty tolerant of kids and their behavior.

Ann

 

[dennis99ss]

I think if your kids can sit through a meal at home, they can at Disney. However, put at least a 10% "I gotta run around and be loud factor" on them. If you eat a bit later, you may luck out and be able to put two chairs together, and let them sleep, stretched out. When our oldest was just less than 2, he fell asleep at V & A, sometime before the main course but after the initial one. A couple of chairs by out table, and he was able to stretch out, and didn't move for the rest of the meal. They even brought a pillow out for him.

 

[Debbie7452]

Hey Glenn,

My just turned 4 yr. DS LOVED Marrakesh. We went at lunch. He couldn't take his eyes off the belly dancer (he's all boy that's for sure!). DD (10) had a hamburger and the other 2 kids had beef shish-k-bobs. It sounds exotic but once removed from the sticks it was just very delicious tender steak. What a nice change from chicken fingers!! Two of them fell asleep on the soft seating while we finished our meal in wonderful peace. I highly recommend this restaurant. Oh yes, The dancer invites girls in the room to join her for a "lesson". One of my girls enjoyed trying this. She came around to each table and would pose for pictures if desired.

 

[ducklite]

Kona--no entertainment, but a lively atmosphere, on the loud side, pretty fast service, your children should be fine.

Brown Derby (almost all park reatsuarnts should be fine, most are pretty fast service). no entertainment here though.

Chef's...no entertainment, pretty boring for kids, but pretty fast service for lunch, you should be OK.

Coral Reef, they will love it. try to get a table right up front by the tank.

Boma--the only problem I see here is that my sister had a hard time with buffets and the kids, just too hard to relax when she had to bring back all the food, it was easier at full service places.

Marrakesh, should be fine, they'll like the music.

Ohana, should be fine.

Palio, slow, leisurely service in a very adult setting, I wouldn't bring a toddlers and babies here. If you decide to do so, book for the first seating and let them know you need to move the meal along, and be prepared to leave immediately if the kids get fussy. besides, yu can get better food and service for half the price at Mama Meroses in MGM

Teppanyaki, the chef puts on a show for you at the grill table, your child should enjoy it. The only worry I have about this palce with younge kids is keeping those little fingers away from that hot cook table.

Anne

Anne

 

[GaDisneyDad]

My kids are 14 and 15 and they would die if I tried to take them to any of those places...

 

[>>^..^<<]

Originally posted by GaDisneyDad
My kids are 14 and 15 and they would die if I tried to take them to any of those places...

Huh? sorry.. I don't get what you mean? lol

>>^..^<<

 

[Terk-1]

After going to WDW with my nephews when they were that age a little older, I would be very hesitant about almost all of the places you listed. We found that even bringing things for them to do (crayons, books, toys, etc.), unless it was a character driven restaurant, they were not interested in staying put for long periods of time. We would do one sit-down meal a day and typically it was a character meal. We would then switch off and have 2 adults go and have a nice meal and the 3rd adult would stay back at the room with the kids. On my last trip, I went solo, so I had the chance to dine at some nice places. Several times there were parents bringing in really young kids and after 10 minutes, the kids were screaming or running around and I just got the impression that they really did not want to be there. And to be completely honest (I am not being mean here, so please do not flame me), I really did not want to hear their screaming either.

For a non-character meal at MGM, I would recommend either the 50's Primetime or Sci-Fi. I think there is so much going on around them, it will keep them occupied.

 

[deb305]

In all honesty when my daughter was 3 at WDW sit down dinners were a dismal failure, this year the 1 year old did not do much better. First we don't eat out at home very often, waiting till they get older and can enjoy it.Second, they know they are at WDW at figure there are more exciting things to do. The impatience factor is very high.
Instead, to fulfill our need for gourmet food, one day we ate ourselves around World Showcase at Epcot. We hit almost everyone of the counter services in the countries, ordering a dish to be split 4 ways. The kids loved it. They sampled the foods, and since we were outside there was always something to watch. We had an opportunity to taste some really great food. (Beaver tails, fish and chips, creme brulee, sampler at Morroco etc).
Bottom line, you know your kids best, try doing your plan. If it doesn't work cancel the remaining PS, and find something you can do together.

 

[RobMax]

.... and I would love more!!!


BUMP

 

[punky'smom]

I can't believe someone finally mentioned the Beaver Tails! They are soo good. Take one to go and sit on the balcony and watch the fireworks. Don't forget a cup of coffee with it. Sooo yummy.