Kids in Signature Restaurants

[kristenm514]

I promise I'm not trying to stir up any controversy regarding where children should or should not be, just have an honest question. We are currently scheduled for an 11:30am lunch @ '50s on our DHS day, and a 7:10 dinner @ FF. Our kids are 1.5 and 5. We go out to eat often at home, but usually in more family type restaurants, Olive Garden or Lone Star Steakhouse is probably as fancy as they've ever seen. I want to eat at FF sooo badly, but I am concerned about a few things:
Are meals there generally very slow? I appreciate a well-paced meal as much as the next grown up, but I don't know if they'd sit still for 3 hours after spending all day in the parks and having a sit down lunch.

Are two ADRs too much with the littles? I thought it might be, but I spaced them out a lot. We will probably finish at DHS by 3 or 4, and chill out/nap in the room for a little bit before dinner (staying at YC, so easy walk to FF).

And the dreaded question...is FF really appropriate for kids their ages? I know that children are present all over WDW, even in nice restaurants, but I'd hate to be "those people", kwim? We'd of course be willing to take them outside if they got fussy, as we would anywhere, but the level of acceptable indoor fussiness at Chef Mickey's is going to be vastly different from a signature. Are we setting ourselves up for certain failure? Any experiences with little ones in FF?

 

[vicki_c]

Signature or not, FF is always filled with families and kids. It's one of the loudest And most kid friendly signatures, IMO. I think you will be fine If your kids are decently behaved and if you're willing to step out with one of them if there's a problem. You sound concerned, so you are probably that kind of parent anyway and will be fine!

It should not be a 3 hr meal or even a 2 hour meal normally.

 

[Pakey]

Flying Fish is a very small restaurant with an open kitchen and tightly squeezed tables. I've dined here many times and it's never taken 2 hours to dine.

The noise level is pretty high in my opinion, not a restaurant I would pick for a quiet romantic meal. The sound really carries and I've been able to hear the conversations at tables next to me. I've seen many families dining here and at 7pm I would expect to see almost every table for 4 or larger to have children seated at them.

I hope you enjoy your meal. The restaurant decor is somewhat fanciful and between that and the open kitchen, your children will probably enjoy it too.

 

[Donna in NJ]

My husband and I our in our 40's with no children but expect when dinning in Disney to see children at most tables in the signature restaurants. I think it is great that parent get a chance to eat at upscale restaurants with out feeling people are getting upset. FF is colorful and loud, I think a place kids would love. The have the cutest kids desert served on an artist paint pallet with a paint brush to decorate the cupcake.. With the exception of V & A I think all Disney restaurants are fine to take children.

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

My husband and I our in our 40's with no children but expect when dinning in Disney to see children at most tables in the signature restaurants. I think it is great that parent get a chance to eat at upscale restaurants with out feeling people are getting upset. FF is colorful and loud, I think a place kids would love. The have the cutest kids desert served on an artist paint pallet with a paint brush to decorate the cupcake.. With the exception of V & A I think all Disney restaurants are fine to take children.

I could not agree more!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) No problem at Flying Fiush.
2) It is a poorly designed eatery for noise reduction/control.
3) Your kids can SCREECH & SCREAM any no one will notice.

 

[jenjersnap]

My younger two have been dining at WDW signatures their entire lives. FF is a fine choice. Typically, we do two TS a day because we like the break and don't enjoy many CS places. Our kids are/were fine with it. The server will likely understand that you want a less-leisurely paced meal but feel free to mention it if s/he doesnt.

 

[kristenm514]

Yay! So glad to hear it! The menu just sounds so good and the decor is adorable. I am very excited to eat there, and feel better knowing it's more kid friendly than upscale restaurants we'd visit (and get a sitter for!) outside the World.

 

[jwfla422]

Been taking dd to FF since she was 3 and never had a problem--we also enjoy sitting at the open kitchen area because there's plenty to watch!

The chef had even come out on an occasion or 2, one of those times he came out to stir her Mickey pasta LOL!

Don't think we've ever been there more than an hr. It's a very easy, convenient walk to YC (or you can even take the boat). There's also some fun entertainment on the BW after.

 

[jhryb]

Wow - you have two great meals planned on the same day. Lucky you. Have fun.

 

[mmmhf]

This is one of the nicest threads I have read. So glad to hear the great responses regarding children in signatures. I always worry about that and even though I have none planned for this trip, I won't worry so much next time. Thank OP for a great question and PP for kind responses.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . So glad to hear the great responses regarding children in signatures. I always worry about that . . .

1) At Flying Fish, loud kids are not a problem.
2) However, kids are expected to be more behaved at
. . . Artist Point
. . . Citricos
3) In fact, waiters/managers will ask guests to quiet their kids.
. . . talking is, obviously, fine
. . . misbehaving or really loud conversation will be mentioned
. . . both places do have elevated noise levels with kids present
. . . but, management keeps it far more quiet than FF or places like Kouzzina

 

[JimmyV]

People who look cross-wise at families dining together at WDW, Signature or not, really need to re-evaluate their vacation destination. Family dining is one of the great joys of a WDW vacation, so don't let anyone or anything steer you away.

That said, just as with any other restaurant, if a child has a meltdown during a meal, it would be polite (and expected) that the parent(s) attend to the child and not ignore it. If you would pick up a child and take them for a walk when you are at Olive Garden, you should do the same at WDW. Being at WDW does not create a cone of silence around other guests such that they all of a sudden develop an immunity to hearing screaming little ones. Common sense still applies, and you alone are the best judge as to what your kids can handle.

 

[topmonkeygirl]

I had a horrible experience at Narcoossee's once with kids. 6 of the little boogers all under 8 no adult with them. The adults were seated 2 tables over and behind them, they didn't even know they were there. They were crawling on the floor, playing with the fake candle, throwing bread, playing with the plates. One kid had to be brought back to the table from the restroom by a server because she couldn't find the table. The waitstaff was wonderful. When he came to our table he said he had put a rush on both the adults and kids meals where they would hurry up and leave. I think we left him with about a 30 -35% tip just for being so nice to us, and he probably didn't get a very big tip from the parents of the brats either.

It's Disney kids are more than welcome anywhere except the bar and V&A. Even bad ones. (I'm not saying yours are, I'm just saying bad ones are accepted also.) You'll be fine.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Being at WDW does not create a cone of silence around other guests such that they all of a sudden develop an immunity to hearing screaming little ones. Common sense still applies . . .

Well said!

 

[hgeisler]

This is one of the nicest threads I have read. So glad to hear the great responses regarding children in signatures. I always worry about that and even though I have none planned for this trip, I won't worry so much next time. Thank OP for a great question and PP for kind responses.

Me too! I'm going to be doing Citrico's and Le Cellier with my dd 5, ds 3, and dd 22 months in October. It makes me less stressed about it

 

[hgeisler]

I had a horrible experience at Narcoossee's once with kids. 6 of the little boogers all under 8 no adult with them. The adults were seated 2 tables over and behind them, they didn't even know they were there. They were crawling on the floor, playing with the fake candle, throwing bread, playing with the plates. One kid had to be brought back to the table from the restroom by a server because she couldn't find the table. The waitstaff was wonderful. When he came to our table he said he had put a rush on both the adults and kids meals where they would hurry up and leave. I think we left him with about a 30 -35% tip just for being so nice to us, and he probably didn't get a very big tip from the parents of the brats either.

It's Disney kids are more than welcome anywhere except the bar and V&A. Even bad ones. (I'm not saying yours are, I'm just saying bad ones are accepted also.) You'll be fine.

I've had this as well. When dining with my own children (not at Disney), a large group was sitting near us, and the adults were just sitting there allowing their children (all 8 of them) to run around and climb on our table while we were sitting there trying to eat. Even my kids, who are far from saints, looked at me and knew the behavior was not kosher:/

 

[ttintagel]

If your kids do OK at nice sit-down restaurants at home, they should be fine.

 

[Wendy31]

I think kids who know how to behave in restaurants are generally fine in most signature restaurants.

That said, I'll share our experience w/ you!

Background: We eat out frequently at home, & our kids have always done well in restaurants. (We've even received compliments on their behavior from other diners & servers.)

In 2011, our younger DS was 2 (he turned 2 in July, & we were at WDW in Sept, so he was a young 2).

On our DHS day, I had scheduled Sci-Fi for lunch & Flying Fish Café for dinner. This was the 3rd day of our trip, & we'd already eaten at CRT, Le Cellier, & Garden Grill. And younger DS had been great!

(As an aside, at Le Cellier, there was a family sitting beside us w/ 3 young kids, & the kids were all over the place - crying, screaming, under the table, etc. I felt so sorry for the parents. At one point, DH said to me, "I'm glad that's not us." And I replied, "Don't speak too soon! This is just the beginning of our trip!" Cue the theme from "Jaws"...)

So, anyway, on our DHS day, younger DS had spent most of the day in his stroller - there's just not a lot for a younger child to do at DHS. He had gotten out to ride Toy Story Mania, see the Playhouse Disney show, & ride the Great Movie ride. The rest of the time, he spent waiting w/ either DH or myself while his brother & sister rode the other rides. We let him walk a bit to stretch his legs, but he hadn't really had a chance to expend any energy.

At lunchtime at Sci-Fi, he was asleep & only woke up near the end of our meal.

By the time dinner at Flying Fish rolled around, he was tired & antsy.

The tables at Flying Fish are close together, & it's not a quiet restaurant. And it's lovely & bright & has a "busy" feeling to it. In addition, I had made our ADR for 5:30 - more of a "family dinner" time.

However, even w/ all that, DH & I spent most of our time taking turns w/ younger DS outside the restaurant. There's a small outside lawn area just to the side of Flying Fish. And, while I fumed that I was missing our signature dining experience, younger DS ran around.

I don't know what happened! However, from the time we sat down, younger DS just went crazy! He would not sit still & stay in his seat, & he was being loud & disruptive.

There was an older couple sitting next to us, & I was just mortified. I felt like we were totally disrupting their dinner (like I said, the tables are close together), so we took younger DS out.

I said all that to say that, even though your children may know how to behave in restaurants & do well in restaurants at home, WDW is a different experience. So just be prepared!

Looking back, it was just a bad day for younger DS - not enough for him to do, &, by dinner time, he was ready to be free - not sit through another meal.

But I do think Flying Fish Café is a fine restaurant for children! There's a really good children's menu, & our server was wonderful w/ our kids. Bless his heart! He tried so hard to engage younger DS. And, as I was getting up to leave w/ younger DS, he urged me to stay - "May I bring him some crackers or anything?"