Kids/No Kids Restaurants

[stczt]

I am putting on my suite personally I dont see the need to go to disney if you dont have young children or grandchildren. we went last year my kids are 7,8 &11 and dh wants to go again. we've been 2 times already and I'm like there are other places to go. the kids are getting to old.
The thought of leaving my kids and getting a sitter to me is silly. Family vacation is just that family vacation. I can pay a sitter less at home and eat just as good a meal for cheaper. And if anyone needs a night out its us. we get a date night 2 x's a year valintines/my b-day and his b-day/annivasary in august.
kids that act up bother me when I eat also, I complain at any resturant, simple fact my kids never acted up it was not tolerated. they knew they would go to the bathroom and get a swat right then.
bottom line if you dont want to be bothered with kids, then dont go to a family park. If you do then be ready for tired cranky and excited kids.

 

[crisi]

I am putting on my suite personally I dont see the need to go to disney if you dont have young children or grandchildren. we went last year my kids are 7,8 &11 and dh wants to go again. we've been 2 times already and I'm like there are other places to go. the kids are getting to old.
The thought of leaving my kids and getting a sitter to me is silly. Family vacation is just that family vacation. I can pay a sitter less at home and eat just as good a meal for cheaper. And if anyone needs a night out its us. we get a date night 2 x's a year valintines/my b-day and his b-day/annivasary in august.
kids that act up bother me when I eat also, I complain at any resturant, simple fact my kids never acted up it was not tolerated. they knew they would go to the bathroom and get a swat right then.
bottom line if you dont want to be bothered with kids, then dont go to a family park. If you do then be ready for tired cranky and excited kids.

Cool for you. We like Disney because it has some pretty darn nice golf courses. We currently go with kids, because we currently have kids, and spend all our time in the parks, but we are capable of taking a vacation at Disney and not going to the parks, but playing six hours of golf every day. Disney advertises itself as a golf resort in golf magazines. The expectation of golfers going to a golf resort is not the same as people going to a theme park with their kids.

Disney also spends a lot of money marketing to the convention business. Once again, the expectations of people going to a business conference is not the same as the people going to a theme park with kids.

So Disney itself, in marketing itself to these groups, does not agree with your assessment of their resort as a small vertical market that caters to families.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We can only try to make the situation as pleasant for everyone around us as we can, rather than saying...'Well, they're just kids, this is WDW and it's all about the children here...so get over yourselves.'

I couldn't agree with this statement more.

Personally, I don't care to be around children (laughing/talking loud or screaming/having a meltdown) at all but I do realize it's WDW (and just like many other tourist destinations) there will be a huge diversity of people and unfortunately, I can't have WDW all to myself . I have to respect people who bring their kids to Disney, but I expect the same respect back. People who don't bring kids to Disney should not get any less of a magical experience as the people who do bring kids. I truly appreciate parents who have well behaved children or remove their children if they're getting out of hand, and I have seen this many times at WDW. But also a child being obnoxious/having a meltdown is not going to completely ruin my meal, if it bothers me enough I'd just ask to move, or if I couldn't I'd just try to enjoy my meal and spending time with my family the best I can. After all, I'm happy to be in WDW!

 

[yearbook50]

Personally, Parents should know their kids. If your kid has been known to throw fits in public, don't take them.

I practically grew up in Disney. I went to the restaurants that most people want "adult only." I was expected to ask like a "little adult." I did so. It wasn't hard. My first experience at Victoria's and Albert's I was 8 years old. I behaved better than one of the adult tables around me. My parents were complimented by a table of two older couples saying that I'm the first child they had seen so well behaved in V&A. Had my parents not instilled in me how to properly behave in an "adult" restuarant, I wouldn't have the tastes I do today. I'm lucky in that aspect. Don't take it away from every kid. Parents just need to learn how to teach their children to behave.

 

[The Sweetness]

Do you think the CMs would be happy having to organise this? A serious question.

Most families like to do a bit better than counter service. We shouldnt have to eat counter service as we have young families.

I would still like to know more about your idea as you havent made it very clear. Would there be an age cut off point say if the family have children under 3 they wouldnt be welcome.

I am not trying to start a fight, i am simply curious to know how you think this would work.

I think that WDW does employ people who look after children while their parents are elsewhere. In this case, the parents just wouldnt have to do a seperate drop off/ pick up.

All parents would have a pager given to them on arrival, incase the child was tantruming out of control, sick, or in need of a change. The childrens area could have food available for them. So they could eat dinner, just like mom and dad are doing. Just with other kids, allowing for a calmer dining room situation.

If a parent could not get their child to calm down (tantrum, or dangerously wild/ violent)They would have to leave, sad but true. In *that* restaurant, there would be no unruly children in the dining room.

I am not saying that these restaurants will haappen, I just said I'd like to see it. It wouldnt be for *everybody* just for families who this set up worked out for. I would do it, provided that I had children of the appropriate age to do it. (Not this time for me. I wouldnt count on my 2y old being left w/out me/ DH/DD14 for an hour or longer while I ate dinner. But Id take advantage, esp for a nice break for a late lunch, when she was ready (maybe 3, or even 5... Every family is different)

Now as for disruptive adults, thats a whole other can of beans involving *man-cribs*, to give naughty adults a T/O

 

[vatmark]

Me and DH are going to Disney without kids. It's a ridiculous statement to say that anyone w/o kids shouldn't go to Disney.

The problem is not with the restuarants. It's with parents who are not controling their children. I would never stay in a restuarant with my child who was carrying on or running all over the restuarant. I think some parents think it is so cute and they think the other customers in the restuarant think it's cute that junior is running all over and crawling under tables. It is not cute and shouldn't go on in any restaurant.

I do not think there should be a seperate section for families with children because of the few parents that let their kids cry and scream and run amuck. I think kids should be welcomed at restuarants.

We took our 7 and 9 year olds to Artist point in Oct. and they were well behaved. Poor behavior would not be tolerated. If they started acting up they would have been hauled out of the restuarant.

I have no problem at all with kids being in a restuarant. They can laugh and talk loud and squirm in their seat. This would not phase me in the least. It's the kids that are screaming, crying, throwing things and crawling under tables with the parents not doing a thing about it that is the problem.

Some of these parents have no consideration for the people around them.

Annie

 

[Brooknwdw]

Maybe I am just an inconsiderate b***h, but for the kind of place I described, if it wouldnt work out for that family, they wouldnt be seated in that restaurant. There are still other TS choices in EVERY park (even AK has1, and is working on another), and at least CS in all resorts. If people dont like the rules, they dont have to play the game

Most familes with kids plan & save to go to Disney FOR their kids, and to be with their kids, not sit in different areas of a resturant. This may work for some, I guess, but not enough familes to make it a reality, I'd imagine.

 

[nascarcheshirecat]

here is a thought....I am new here......
what if disney had a couple of restaurants during the week
monday to thursday only, had adult dinner hours only
(and rotate it around) so it would be 1 resort and one park once a week offered adult only dining, 7-10 pm. those with kids, you can eat there 4 to 7, with a small "early bird" discount.
just a thought......no flames please!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

here is a thought....I am new here......
what if disney had a couple of restaurants during the week
monday to thursday only, had adult dinner hours only
(and rotate it around) so it would be 1 resort and one park once a week offered adult only dining, 7-10 pm. those with kids, you can eat there 4 to 7, with a small "early bird" discount.
just a thought......no flames please!

I kind of wish Disney would do this but mainly for character meals (but in reality this is unlikely as the characters are what bring the money in). I always hoped they would have one day a week that was charachterless. I would love to enjoy a meal at Crystal Palace without characters and some kids running around tables screaming. But our last meal at Crystal Palace was by far the most peaceful. We asked for a table as far away from the buffet as possible. We had a table in the corner with two older couples on each side of us and it was soooooo quiet! I think we'll do this again on our next trip (and hopefully luck out as you never know who's going to be sat next to you).

But I think it would be too confusing to do every single restaurant with rotating "adult hours", making it difficult for people with families to plan their meals without knowing the hours of every restaurant they wanted to eat at.

 

[hedwig]

here is a thought....I am new here......
what if disney had a couple of restaurants during the week
monday to thursday only, had adult dinner hours only
(and rotate it around) so it would be 1 resort and one park once a week offered adult only dining, 7-10 pm. those with kids, you can eat there 4 to 7, with a small "early bird" discount.
just a thought......no flames please!

But wouldn't that take away from the Blue hair crowd early dining??

(sorry if anyone is offended, just a little humour)

 

[ducklite]

I've got another thought. How about rather than a "family section" there is an "adults only" section in every signature restaurant. A section of tables is designated in each restaurant as "adult ony." At Citrico's it could be the rear area, at Jiko the elevated portion of the restaurant or even the wine room, at California Grill there is a "natural barrier" between the two sides, etc.

With minimal to no changes in "architecture" or table layout this could be easily adapted in almost every signature restaurant.

If adults wished to be seated in an adult only section they would have to wait for a table to open, or could choose to sit in the general area without a wait. That seems to be a fair and equitable solution. Families wouldn't feel that they were being "stuck into the kiddie area," rather they would be in the general seating area, where they might be next to other families, or next to a table of adults. In that respect the demographic in the general area would be about the same as it is now. It would at the same time allow those who want to be seated in a kid free zone to have their wishes met.

I would suggest either 10, 13, 16, or 18 as the cut-off for the adult only area, my preference would be to lean towards 16 or 18, only because it is being called "adult dining." (Although I do believe that *most* ten year olds are perfectly capable of behaving very well in a nice restaurant.)

Anne

 

[robinb]

I really don't care about squirmy kids, noisy kids, kids under the table, toddlers throwing food or even kids pitching a fit. My DD was prone to all of the above and I have been that parent who is at their wits end and just trying to make it through the day without killing my child. Instead of viewing those parents with disdain, I view them with sympathy. When I go to WDW restaurants I know that any and all of that can happen and there is not a darn thing I can do about it.

That being said, when I pay for sitter or the kids club for my daughter when I want a grown-up meal with my husband I really don't want kids around. Even well-behaved ones. That's where an adults only restaurant would come in. It would give me the opportunity to have a grown-up meal without kids around. I don't think that's going to happen, but we all have our own little wish lists.

 

[Texa]

I don't think having different times or sections will work because it's trying to enforce courtesy. If you try to enforce people to be considerate of each other it's usually backfires in some way. I don't think it is a black and white issue over whether a child should go to a signature restaurant (except V&A, I don't know why anyone would bring a very young child, what would they enjoy about it, my DH wouldn't even enjoy that experience. My 9 year old on the other hand is a foodie and very well behaved - I would take him in a heartbeat). Every child is different. If you want to take your 4 year old to cali grille THEN GO. If they misbehave THEN LEAVE. It should be that simple. You can't predict what they will do when they are tired or stimulated, but you can resolve it.

We took my DD to Olive Garden one night when she was 2 with visiting family. She had a short temper at the time so I was terrified and on red alert throughout dinner. But she behaved perfectly. So go if you want but be prepared to box up your food and leave if necessary. I think if everyone did that, and was courteous of others around them, we wouldn't be having this debate on whether or not children should be there in the first place.

 

[Texa]

I've got another thought. How about rather than a "family section" there is an "adults only" section in every signature restaurant. A section of tables is designated in each restaurant as "adult ony." At Citrico's it could be the rear area, at Jiko the elevated portion of the restaurant or even the wine room, at California Grill there is a "natural barrier" between the two sides, etc.

With minimal to no changes in "architecture" or table layout this could be easily adapted in almost every signature restaurant.

If adults wished to be seated in an adult only section they would have to wait for a table to open, or could choose to sit in the general area without a wait. That seems to be a fair and equitable solution. Families wouldn't feel that they were being "stuck into the kiddie area," rather they would be in the general seating area, where they might be next to other families, or next to a table of adults. In that respect the demographic in the general area would be about the same as it is now. It would at the same time allow those who want to be seated in a kid free zone to have their wishes met.

I would suggest either 10, 13, 16, or 18 as the cut-off for the adult only area, my preference would be to lean towards 16 or 18, only because it is being called "adult dining." (Although I do believe that *most* ten year olds are perfectly capable of behaving very well in a nice restaurant.)

Anne

Excellent! Then it would be an adult choice, rather than a family assignment (for anyone who would view it that way)

 

[curiouser]

I am putting on my suite personally I dont see the need to go to disney if you dont have young children or grandchildren. we went last year my kids are 7,8 &11 and dh wants to go again. we've been 2 times already and I'm like there are other places to go. the kids are getting to old.
The thought of leaving my kids and getting a sitter to me is silly. Family vacation is just that family vacation. I can pay a sitter less at home and eat just as good a meal for cheaper. And if anyone needs a night out its us. we get a date night 2 x's a year valintines/my b-day and his b-day/annivasary in august.
kids that act up bother me when I eat also, I complain at any resturant, simple fact my kids never acted up it was not tolerated. they knew they would go to the bathroom and get a swat right then.
bottom line if you dont want to be bothered with kids, then dont go to a family park. If you do then be ready for tired cranky and excited kids.

I'm glad you have your "suit" on, but honestly I feel sorry for your kids. I'm glad no one ever decided how old was too old for me to go to WDW or I'd miss some of the best trips of my life.

 

[Laura]

I think having adults-only restaurants would be fine with me, or not having children booked in at a later time. Like others mentioned, Disney's cruise line has figured out that adults like their own spaces away from unruly kids. So why not WDW? Little kids can't do everything the adults do (minimum height requirements on rides) and adults can't do some things the kids do (certain activities like the pirates cruise, we don't get picked to start fireworks or pull the sword from the stone), so I think having adults-only restaurants here and there would be nice.

 

[MJMcBride]

I think if you go to Disney you be prepared for kids. Go to Pleasure Island if you want to escape kiddies. I don't think these ideas will ever happen.

 

[Laura]

At the very least, I think WDW should have a rule in place that if someone (adult or child) is acting up in a restaurant and disturbing others, the management should kick the person out or move them somewhere they won't bother others. Yes, obnoxious guests are still guests, and you might lose a bit of money from one table, but it's better than losing tips or extra $$ that would have been spent on dessert from the tables in half the restaurant.

 

[ducklite]

I think if you go to Disney you be prepared for kids. Go to Pleasure Island if you want to escape kiddies. I don't think these ideas will ever happen.

You're kidding, right? Pleasure Island is over run with kids as well. ANd worse yet most are out long past the time they should be asleep and utterly disruptive. I saw two chasing each other around with pool cues in R&R Beach Club one night.

Anne

 

[crisi]

I don't like the time thing, simply because it isn't really reasonable for someone who comes from the West Coast to suddenly have "dinner" at 4:00 their time simply because they have kids. With some kids, adjusting their bio clock slowly is a good idea. For a West Coast family used to dining at 7:00 pm (which a lot of families do) - that is 11:00pm Disney time. Its reasonable to expect them to dine at 9:00 (5:00 pm their time) - it doesn't seem reasonable to have them finish by 7:00 (3:00 pm their time).

Granted, after a few days, their bio clocks switch, but I still think the time thing isn't the best solution.

Setting aside an adults area in the signature restaurants (and I think most people here with a problem limit their problem only to the signature restaurants - most of us expect loud kids at WCC or Spoodles or Crystal Palace) seems like a reasonable solution. As does Disney starting to have the manager say "let us wrap this up for you to go" when anyone at Disney is so inconsiderate as to really disturb other diners (kids, drunks, or just obnoxious people).