Kids Who LIKE TS Dining?

[KAMKIM]

I know I can eat more now (13 months out) than I could right after the surgery. But not anywhere near as much as I did before. But I feel really uncomfortable with (and embarrassed by) bringing it up with a server and basically asking for what FEELS like special favors (even if it's not). I've never even asked for substitutions or sent things back. Well, except for a diet coke (I'm allergic to aspertame - my only "food" allergy...God's little joke on me).

As for other people's comments, I realized that people were trying to say "go to the parade instead of WCC", and even though I respected their opinion, I felt like they weren't getting that WCC was high on the list of places my godson REALLY wanted to go (and he didn't even know about the parade). It was a little frustrating when they KEPT telling me to skip WCC even after I posted that I was able to change the reservation, and we'd get to SEE the parade - but it's a valid point that people sometimes post after only skimming. Though it's still frustrating.

But my reason for posting this new thread was that it just seemed so many people were just piling on with the attitude that kids don't like TS, if you do TS your kids won't have enough time to do anything else, you're overplanning if you do ADRs (which really stung, since I've previously posted about NOT overplanning days with strict adherence to touring plans), and on and on in that vein. No one seemed to be standing up and saying (like they're saying here) - "Hey, my kids like to go to TS restaurants!"

It especially stung when people were implying I was being selfish by doing TS instead of QS. I felt like saying "Hey, we're not doing Narcoossee's, or California Grill, or Jiko!" (Not that there aren't kids who enjoy those.)

Here's what we're doing (I have the ADRs):

Sat:
Lunch - Crystal Palace
Dinner - Whispering Canyon Cafe

Sun:
B - Tusker House Safari Breakfast
L - Yak & Yeti
D - Boma

Mon:
B - Cape May
L - SciFi Drive In
D - 50's Prime Time Cafe
(Also Fantasmic)

Tues:
B - Crystal Palace
L - Liberty Tree Tavern
D - CRT
(Also doing Pirate League & MVMCP)

Wed.
B - Akershus
L - Coral Reef
D - Garden Grill (CP)

Thurs:
B - Chef Mickey's
L - Mama Melrose
D - Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue
(also Archery lesson)

Friday:
Liam - B - Pop Century, L - Pirate Cruise
Me - Brunch, Grand Floridian Cafe
D - T-Rex

Sat:
B - Tusker House Safari Breakfast
L - Biergarten
D - Ohana

Sun:
B - Pop Century
Bye bye WDW

I think your plans look great and any kid would enjoy that!

 

[KAMKIM]

And actually our last trip we did the regular dining plan, so we had a fair share of TS and QS - all of us liked the TS better. Next trip we're doin the deluxe dining so most if not all of our meals will be TS. I personally like the buffets as there is something for everyone in our group....even our picky DD8

 

[ellenec]

My niece and nephew ages now 9 and 11 are all about the TS. They even help select where they want to go. It must have started at Chef Mickey's.

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

Wow - well, my daughter, now almost 11, is all about the dining. She can't stand fast food (we've never taken her to a fast food place - although she's been with others). In fact, years ago we went into an upscale restaurant near us when she was around 7 and the host asked her if she'd like a children menu and her response was, "I'll have the children's menu to color on but the adult menu to order from." We still go there weekly, and they still laugh about that. She ordered a tuna tartare app and a rack of lamb entree and ate nearly every bite.

Dining is always a huge part of our family vacation!

So, you are not alone. It's funny, the people who shove crap into their kids' faces and ruin their bodies think they're doing right by their kids. Pretty pathetic, actually.

 

[Minniemama350]

My kids love TS! They are 9 and 12 now, but they've loved it since the beginning of free dining. They love all of the character meals, even the Princesses(and they are boys, but don't tell anyone!)and the castle! They also love Sci-Fi dine-in. Oldest loves Tutto Italia. That was his request for our upcoming trip. They are all about the dining. They are very excited that we finally booked Liberty Tree.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

My DD9 absolutely loves table service restaurants.

She was disappointed because in June we only ate 4 TS meals.

 

[Withacy]

When I took my nieces, I couldn't afford to do many TS - we basically did 2 or 3, that's all. They really loved SciFi & 50's Prime Time. But that was back when you could make your reservation when you entered the park in the morning. Ah, the good old days!

 

[4greatboys]

With my 9 yr old TS is a waste. He is not a big eater, nor an adventerous eater. However when I took my 7 yr old on his birthday trip we did deluxe dining. He is a great eater and likes to try new things. We had a great time.

 

[a1tinkfans]

My son LOVES the ts and helps choose'em.....hes grown up on disney food..

 

[robinb]

As for other people's comments, I realized that people were trying to say "go to the parade instead of WCC", and even though I respected their opinion, I felt like they weren't getting that WCC was high on the list of places my godson REALLY wanted to go (and he didn't even know about the parade). It was a little frustrating when they KEPT telling me to skip WCC even after I posted that I was able to change the reservation, and we'd get to SEE the parade - but it's a valid point that people sometimes post after only skimming. Though it's still frustrating.

But my reason for posting this new thread was that it just seemed so many people were just piling on with the attitude that kids don't like TS, if you do TS your kids won't have enough time to do anything else, you're overplanning if you do ADRs (which really stung, since I've previously posted about NOT overplanning days with strict adherence to touring plans), and on and on in that vein. No one seemed to be standing up and saying (like they're saying here) - "Hey, my kids like to go to TS restaurants!"

It especially stung when people were implying I was being selfish by doing TS instead of QS. I felt like saying "Hey, we're not doing Narcoossee's, or California Grill, or Jiko!" (Not that there aren't kids who enjoy those.)

Here's what we're doing (I have the ADRs):

Sat:
Lunch - Crystal Palace
Dinner - Whispering Canyon Cafe

Sun:
B - Tusker House Safari Breakfast
L - Yak & Yeti
D - Boma

Mon:
B - Cape May
L - SciFi Drive In
D - 50's Prime Time Cafe
(Also Fantasmic)

Tues:
B - Crystal Palace
L - Liberty Tree Tavern
D - CRT
(Also doing Pirate League & MVMCP)

Wed.
B - Akershus
L - Coral Reef
D - Garden Grill (CP)

Thurs:
B - Chef Mickey's
L - Mama Melrose
D - Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue
(also Archery lesson)

Friday:
Liam - B - Pop Century, L - Pirate Cruise
Me - Brunch, Grand Floridian Cafe
D - T-Rex

Sat:
B - Tusker House Safari Breakfast
L - Biergarten
D - Ohana

Sun:
B - Pop Century
Bye bye WDW

I can tell you planned everything very carefully. You picked out a lot of great "kid friendly" places. However, that schedule would just not fly for my family. These are the reasons why it would not work for us:

(1) It cuts way into park time for us. Not only would it take hours out of the day (at least 1 hour each meal) but I would feel like I was going from one meal to the next to the next. I would hate to have to plan my whole park time around when I had to be at a certain restaurant next. It's bad enough when I'm on the regular DDP and I have to schedule around a single TS ... scheduling around 3 TS's would put me right over the edge.

(2) I would especially hate giving up those important morning hours to the daily character meals. I can get so much done in the first two hours that a park is open that I am very protective of that time. Nothing gets in the way of rope drop and the first two hours . I admit that I have more of a "commando" way to park touring as we go in the late summer and over Christmas/New Years.

(3) My DD lives for the time that she can go back a swim. There appears to be no other "down time" built into the schedule other that those hours spent eating. Many of your lunch and dinner restaurants are all in the same park which indicates to me that you are not planning to go back to the resort for a break.

(4) There is just so much food ... so much eating. We would come home 15 pounds heavier. It appears that you had by-pass surgery so that probably won't happen to you.

(5) Too much of a good thing spoils the "specialness" for us. One character meal is extra special. Two character meals is special and fun. SEVEN character meals would make it all so usual and ho-hum about half way through the trip.

I'm sure that other people have said this before on the other thread that you mentioned (and I have not yet read) but I think that schedule is really not the best for a 7-year old. I think that perhaps you are too used to traveling with adults or alone and don't quite have the "pulse" on what makes most kids tick. You need to be more flexible with kids. You have to have more down time. You need to spend less than 3-4 hours a day sitting quietly and politely at a table coloring the same menu over and over. I wouldn't say that you are "selfish" but more "uninformed". I am convinced that you did your very best at making a magical and special trip for your godson. Unfortunately, I think you may have missed the mark.

I hope that you go into your vacation with a mind open to skipping a scheduled TS meal or two along the way in favor of a CS if it looks like things are not going to work out that day. I can tell that you put a lot of love into your plans and I sincerely hope that you both have tons of fun.

 

[Withacy]

I can tell you planned everything very carefully. You picked out a lot of great "kid friendly" places. However, that schedule would just not fly for my family. These are the reasons why it would not work for us:

(1) It cuts way into park time for us. Not only would it take hours out of the day (at least 1 hour each meal) but I would feel like I was going from one meal to the next to the next. I would hate to have to plan my whole park time around when I had to be at a certain restaurant next. It's bad enough when I'm on the regular DDP and I have to schedule around a single TS ... scheduling around 3 TS's would put me right over the edge.

(2) I would especially hate giving up those important morning hours to the daily character meals. I can get so much done in the first two hours that a park is open that I am very protective of that time. Nothing gets in the way of rope drop and the first two hours . I admit that I have more of a "commando" way to park touring as we go in the late summer and over Christmas/New Years.

(3) My DD lives for the time that she can go back a swim. There appears to be no other "down time" built into the schedule other that those hours spent eating. Many of your lunch and dinner restaurants are all in the same park which indicates to me that you are not planning to go back to the resort for a break.

(4) There is just so much food ... so much eating. We would come home 15 pounds heavier. It appears that you had by-pass surgery so that probably won't happen to you.

(5) Too much of a good thing spoils the "specialness" for us. One character meal is extra special. Two character meals is special and fun. SEVEN character meals would make it all so usual and ho-hum about half way through the trip.

I'm sure that other people have said this before on the other thread that you mentioned (and I have not yet read) but I think that schedule is really not the best for a 7-year old. I think that perhaps you are too used to traveling with adults or alone and don't quite have the "pulse" on what makes most kids tick. You need to be more flexible with kids. You have to have more down time. You need to spend less than 3-4 hours a day sitting quietly and politely at a table coloring the same menu over and over. I wouldn't say that you are "selfish" but more "uninformed". I am convinced that you did your very best at making a magical and special trip for your godson. Unfortunately, I think you may have missed the mark.

I hope that you go into your vacation with a mind open to skipping a scheduled TS meal or two along the way in favor of a CS if it looks like things are not going to work out that day. I can tell that you put a lot of love into your plans and I sincerely hope that you both have tons of fun.

A few points:

1. As I've already stated, the breakfasts are before the parks even open, so not really taking time away from anything except standing around.

2. It's easier to cancel reservations than make them at the last minute. When I took his sister, we skipped a couple because our plans changed.

3. This is NOT how I travel with adults, so it's not my adult schedule placed on a kid. I did this kind of schedule once before - with his sister who was less than a year & half older than he is now, and it worked very well. I used my experience with her to inform my decisions here. My experience suggests that we won't be taking hours more to eat TS than CS (I used mostly CS in my 2 other trips with children), the chance to sit and eat in a cool, indoor, less stressful environment proved to be a good break for the child, and since I wasn't directing the child's interaction with the characters (or making a big deal out of it), we had nice meals that characters just happened to be at.

And for the record, even though this was before my surgery, I lost 7 pounds during that trip. Mostly because I ate better quality food, took my time eating, and didn't feel the need to snack between meals.

4. On only 3 of the 8 days do we have dinner at the same place/park as lunch. A number of days (during my trip with his sister) we went back to the hotel - if we wanted to - and we went swimming at least half of the days we were there - though we were limited by cold weather as well.

I get that this is not how you take your trips. I get that doesn't work for you. I personally think "commando" park styles are far more exhausting and stress causing than eating in a restaurant, but I'd never suggest that you were "wrong" or "uninformed" to follow your traditional way of doing things.

If I was traveling with more than one child - even if I was traveling with multiple adults - I might not attempt this. But I HAVE done this before, it DID work out well for us, and it also makes his mother happy because she thinks the break, the food & the fact that (as she put it) he won't be sitting in "bird crap" while we're trying to eat is preferable. (Not that people who eat CS are letting their children sit at dirty tables - it's just her perception that eating TS is a cleaner environment, and is better for her peace of mind.)

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

I read your other thread before I saw this one. Your other thread caught my eye because you were upset that you weren't perfect(your word) due to not being able to see Spectro. Many, if not most people, were trying to offer you an alternative so you would be able to see Spectro. And, yes, that did include eating at a CS. I think I saw a couple of responses questioning wether or not you were doing this for you or for your nephew. For the most part, people were trying to make you feel better about having to skip a TS meal with a 7yo.

I was going to offer the same advice because I thought you wanted to be able to work this in for your nephew. It then became clear that WCC was the priority, so I didn't. That's cool--I think you realize that when you schedule that many TS meals, you probably won't fit everything in. However, I did see where you were able to switch you time for WCC and will now be able to see Spectro. It all worked out.

BTW, my kids do enjoy the TS restaurants at WDW(and at home), but they also enjoy Flame Tree, Casey's, Yorkshire and Pecos Bill's. Heck, DH has been known to eat a for lunch!


Rachel

 

[Withacy]

I read your other thread before I saw this one. Your other thread caught my eye because you were upset that you weren't perfect(your word) due to not being able to see Spectro. Many, if not most people, were trying to offer you an alternative so you would be able to see Spectro. And, yes, that did include eating at a CS. I think I saw a couple of responses questioning wether or not you were doing this for you or for your nephew. For the most part, people were trying to make you feel better about having to skip a TS meal with a 7yo.

I know that people were trying to be nice, and offering alternatives, and I appreciate that.

What a lot of people (though not everyone) seemed to miss was the tone - which understandably isn't as easy to gage from something written as it is when spoken. (That's why some people - who did catch it - indicated that they were laughing at my post. That's what I intended.)

After I made all my ADRs, and spent so much time figuring stuff out I realized that I hadn't allowed for the SpectroMagic Parade - AGAIN. I almost always seem to miss that for some reason. I started to check for alternatives to reservations I'd already made, didn't readily find them, and then (belatedly) realized how silly I was stressing over whether or not we were going to make a single parade.

Don't get me wrong. It's a neat parade.

My whole "Oh NO, I'm not PERFECT!" was meant to be a goof on myself, when I realized I was letting myself get bent out of shape over missing a parade that I have never made a priority, and my godson doesn't even know exists.

Look, there are 4 or 5 things he really wants to do - and those are set. I've added a lot of other fun things to the schedule too. I just had a moment when I realized I was going over the top - and I was making fun of myself.

But a lot of people took it seriously, and were trying to be nice. I guess I got a little exasperated when so many people didn't catch the tone - and then seemed to suggest that what I HAD chosen to plan was somehow wrong.

Yes, I did change the reservation to 5:00 - so we can make the SpectroMagic Parade if we want. But it's also a travel day. And if Liam seems tired, I'll have no problem just going back to the resort and calling it a day instead of trying to go back to the MK for another round. It's honestly NOT a big deal!

 

[momof1princess]

my daughter (age 12 now) LOVES TS restaurants, but is just as happy with CS. we only did 3 TS (biergarten, crystal palace and tusker house) on our june trip, and had a great time. tusker house has a really great breakfast buffet. we went in with low expectations and were very pleasantly surprised. we also tried a couple of new CS and had good experiences all around. have a great trip

 

[AustinTink]

I remember reading your other thread. I think what you were asking there was "Is it ok to miss out on Spectromagic and Fantasmic, because we have TS reservations." That's when people began to advise you to get him a hotdog and let him see the parade. If your original question had been "do your kids prefer TS over CS restaurants" people would have replied TS.

But your original question was which should we do? Attractions or TS meals? Any the resounding answer was don't miss those two shows, they are amazing and you can eat out anytime. Just a little context for those who didn't read the original post.

 

[Chelley00]

When DD and I first started talking about taking a trip for her birthday, her first questions was "Will you ride RNR with me?" Her second was "Can we eat at Chef Mickeys, the place with the princesses and with Pooh?" We love TS. We love the downtime it gives, the non rushed character interaction (for the most part) and being able to sit and enjoy ourselves watching the characters interact with other people, not just our table. Our first trip we did tons of character meals, last year not so much, and the kids misssed it.

With that said, I could never to do 2 TS a day, at least not everyday (we have a couple breakfast/dinner TS days), because I'd hate to give up that much park time, but we absolutely do one a day. For us, doing TS (not always character) is part of the WDW experience.

 

[Withacy]

I remember reading your other thread. I think what you were asking there was "Is it ok to miss out on Spectromagic and Fantasmic, because we have TS reservations." That's when people began to advise you to get him a hotdog and let him see the parade. If your original question had been "do your kids prefer TS over CS restaurants" people would have replied TS.

But your original question was which should we do? Attractions or TS meals? Any the resounding answer was don't miss those two shows, they are amazing and you can eat out anytime. Just a little context for those who didn't read the original post.

I'm sorry, but as I just indicated, I was saying that I wasn't able to fit in the SpectroMagic Parade because of the other things I had scheduled. I never said anything about missing Fantasmic! for a TS meal, or any other reason - it's one of the PRIORITIES. In fact, I said that SpectroMagic would be run on 4 nights while we were there, and I listed the 4 things we would be doing during the parade - and one of those nights we WOULD BE AT Fantasmic!
*sigh*

Since we keep bringing it up, here's that original post. People can decide for themselves what my tone conveyed. Whether or not I was asking if I should skip entertainment and events for TS meals, or if I was poking fun at myself for BRIEFLY stressing over missing out on ONE THING. Judge for yourself.

The Truth Hits Me - I'm Not PERFECT!!?!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm taking my 7-year-old Godson December 12-20th. I know what I want to do, I made plans, I was up bright & early on the first day I could make reservations. And yet, to get everything in - there will be no SpectroMagic Parade. I just can't get us in the park during it without losing Whispering Canyon Cafe (7:35 PM was the only time available!), Fantasmic! (he loves Wizards & dragons & stuff like that), the CP & Illuminations, or Ohanas (7:05 PM was all I could get!). All things we just have to do!



And then it hit me: We can't have it all. *I* am not perfect! How can I live with that?



He's never been to Disneyworld, or any other amusement park. His mother insists he'll have a great time, no matter what. He's beside himself, he's so excited about the Pirate League, Pirate Cuise & Archery lessons I've already made reservations for. We also going to MVMCP, T-Rex, the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue and just about every single character meal out there. And his only criteria for a perfect visit is that he have more fun than his sister had when I took her (kids!).

And yet, it's out there - taunting me.

The knowledge that I'm not perfect.

Life will go on. The sun will rise and set. The world will continue to turn. Children and Adults will still wish on falling stars, and dream Magical Dreams of Happily-Ever-Afters.

But for me, the dream is somewhat dimmed...because I'm not perfect.

 

[AustinTink]

Since we keep bringing it up, here's that original post. People can decide for themselves what my tone conveyed. Whether or not I was asking if I should skip entertainment and events for TS meals, or if I was poking fun at myself for BRIEFLY stressing over missing out on ONE THING. Judge for yourself.

I think you should just go live your life and not care what people you don't know say about your meal choices.

 

[robinb]

I think you should just go live your life and not care what people you don't know say about your meal choices.

I agree. Even though I would never make the same choices you have made. I hope everything works out for you.

 

[Withacy]

I think you should just go live your life and not care what people you don't know say about your meal choices.

Actually, I just wanted to know if there were other people who prefer to do TS instead of CS. I guess I didn't realize I'd need to defend my choices (though you're right - why should I care if other people don't approve of my personal plans?).