Ive been reading this thread since the beginning and finally decided to don my flameproof suit and chip in my 2 cents (plus 18% mandatory gratuity since Im on the DDE)
I hear the arguments that this should not be a policy since parents should use common sense and either teach their children proper manners or not go to V&A. I totally agree with the theory but the reality is there are those few parents who simply do not use common sense (those who think heelies in a crowded theme park is a good idea for example). I also hear those who say the staff should ask people whose children are disruptive to leave. It sounds good in theory but in reality by the time the staff could intervene the dining experience for everyone else around the family has already been disrupted.
Then theres the But my 8 y/o DS wants to go to V&A arguments. When I was 8 I wanted to drive but there were rules that prevented me from doing what I wanted. I wasnt thrilled about it but learned thats part of life. Im sure there are a number of people who have taken young children to V&A and had a great experience and their children were very well behaved. Unfortunately there have been enough bad apples to spoil it for them. Disney has to balance when there are competing interests...in this case, the privilege of a guest to bring their children to V&A to act like little barbarians versus the privileges of the other guests who are paying hundreds of dollars to enjoy a nice quiet 5 star dining experience.
I disagree with those who say it should be extended to all the signature restaurants but I do agree with those who say extending it to a single restaurant would be a good idea. I particularly like the idea of alternating the restaurants to prevent any single restaurant from excluding children entirely. Im not sure if it would really be feasible in practice but I love the idea. As others have noted, Disney is shifting its marketing towards the adult crowds and offering the option of dining in a child-free restaurant is something that will definitely fit in with that strategy. Disney has offered this on its cruise line and there have not been wide-scale protests nor has it remained empty because people do not want it. To the contrary it seems to be quite popular which shows there is a demand for this type of dining experience.
We had our honeymoon at WDW and have gone back for our anniversary each year. We always enjoy our anniversary dinner at one of the signature restaurants and each time there have been some children running around the restaurant disrupting the dining room. The vast majority of kids are very well behaved but there are those few who arent and the parents do not even try to control their behaviour. It can be debated endlessly whether the problem is the parents or the children but Im not going there. We just look at it as part of the experience and something to be expected at WDW. That being said, if there was the option I think it would be nice to have a quiet and romantic anniversary dinner and we would definitely take advantage of an adult-only restaurant for that particular meal.
Im not quite sure why someone who wants to celebrate a special occasion with a quiet, romantic dinner without children running around is branded here as a child hater. I understand the wishes of people to have fine dining experiences with their children and think thats great but there are also people who would like the option of child-
free dining for special occasions. I dont understand why that seems to be so offensive.
Again, just my own opinion.
Lee
Now you are talking!
, part of the fun of a meal at 'Ohana is watching the hula competitions and coconut races. And although I know there are plenty of adults who'd love to have a child-free character meal, I don't think I'd support a character restaurant going child-free, either.
