Kid Friendly & Dress Code ??'s

[ninaeve]

Okay, in April I will be 6.5 months pregnant traveling/vacationing with my dh, 4.5 yr old dd, and 1.5 yr old ds. We are staying onsite at POR.

My questions...I have read many a complaint on these boards from adults not traveling with kids(or I guess using a babysitting service) griping about kids in restaurants. We don't currently plan on eating at any resort restaurants other than our home resort(POR). So, INSIDE the parks, are there any particular rest. that come to mind that are not as kid friendly/welcoming or where you personally would not like to see kids/enjoy a more relaxed and quieter meal?

Also, what is the typical dress code for the restaurants INSIDE the parks? I would not enjoy even semi dressing up in Florida heat, being pg, lugging around strollers/diaper bags, not to mention 2 young kids onto the bus and throughout Disney. Do people go back to the resort just to change or wear their casual summer wear in the sit down restaurants INSIDE the parks? The past few times I have been to Disney, we just ate counter service or outside of the parks.

Thanks.

 

[Bob P]

With the exception of the "finer" restaurants on property, such as California Grill or Artist's Point, you can dress down as far as you like! We've eaten in almost every other restaurant in t-shirts and shorts. Don't worry about a dress code--you're at WDW!!

All restaurants at Disney are kid friendly; it's just that some have a more "sophisticated" menu, for lack of a better word. We've seen kids of all ages and all behavior patterns at every restaurant we've been to.

Don't worry about what others might think. Just eat in places you would like to eat. Anyone who gets crabby about kids being around at WDW is in the wrong place!!

Peace,

Bob

 

[madalex]

The only restaurant inside a park where kids might be somewhat less welcome would be Bistro de Paris at Epcot. It is a "white tablecloth, waiters in tuxedos, fancy French food" type of place. I've certainly seen children there, but it is less kid friendly than other places in the parks.

 

[tiredmommy]

I'd love to hear how you make out Nina. We are going in early may DD is 4.5, DS is 2.5, and I will be 6.5 mo pregnant. We have been with our kids many times (6 with DD) and we take them to every restaurant. One of our favorites is Coral Reef. If you make 12N priority seatings and get there a little early you get a table by the tank. The kids are entertained and you get a GREAT meal. We stayed at POR last time and although Boatwrights is OK, don't limit yourself. Everyone expects kids at Disney. If they came not expecting them, they must have been mistaken. We tend to make dinner PS early 5:30 or so because we know that's when they like to eat. We also always wear whatever we have worn to the park. T-shirt, shorts, sandals, etc.

Good luck.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Although many of the those gripes are about kids in general, some seem to concern themselves with "misbehabving" kids--out of control, running around, throwing food, crawling on tables, etc etc. That's a different gripe altogether.

Anyway--you can take your kids ANYWHERE in WDW to eat. Don't be afraid to do so just because somebody at a restaurant might not like kids eating there.
I agree with Madalex about Bistro. Tho we have seen kids there, not as many "per capita" as most other Theme park spots. Also heard on a previous post that they are sometimes enforcing a "dress code" and preventing folks with T-shirts, etc from entering the restaurant. If so, it's a place you'd want to avoid.

 

[fun & fancy free]

My family consists of DH,2 DD's(4&6) and myself. We try to stay away from the better restaurants. Not because my children can't behave but I don't want to spend that kind of $$$ for a kids meal. One thing I would like to add is that this is Disney and children are in abundance. The're excitement is at it's peak. I belive there are limits to be set but if you at a restaurant like character dining or Whispering Canyon this behavior is encourage by the staff. Granted there are always exceptions but on the defense of the parents. On any given day even the best behaved child (adult) could have a bad day. If it is mine I usually apoligise to the neighboring tables and the response is often "oh, it's fine we have been there at some point ourselves". I enter all restaurants expecting excitement and has never been dissappointed. I think this is why Disney offers different levels of dining.

 

[akghutton]

We have taken our two DS(4 and 1) to several of the "finer" restaurants at WDW and have never felt unwelcome. That being said, we always go in with the understanding that if one of the boys does start misbehaving, one of us will leave with the child, either to step out of the restaurant and regroup, or to head back to the resort. This is the same way we deal with that type of behavior when out at home too.

Funny sidenote, when we were waiting for our PS table at California Grill for over 1 hour and 45 minutes in October, our kids were much better behaved than most of the adults waiting. Our DS(4) kept asking why this one woman kept yelling at the nice hostess. He felt that maybe she needed a time out to calm down

 

[kirbsam]

As long as your kids are wellbehaved, you can take them anywhere, including the nicer restaurants. Anyone who complains about kids in general, and not just misbehaving kids, isn't worth your time worrying about.

 

[Uncleromulus]

akghutton:
Was she a "correctly dressed" woman--the one doing all the yelling?

 

[akghutton]

The yelling woman was casually dressed.

She was very fond of saying to any host/hostess that passed her way, "I made reservations for dinner, NOT BREAKFAST!" My Dh just smiled and asked me, "How mad do you think she will be if she has to wait another hour and 10 minutes?", as she had only been waiting for 20 minutes when she started her "tantrum."

I have to agree with my 4 year old; I think that a time out would have helped. Maybe WDW should have time out chairs available in their parks and restaurants for all naughty children and adults