Saturday Night Dining?

[mrsw94]

So we are driving down from the Bay Area the first weekend of October and will be arriving on Saturday afternoon. We won't be heading to the park 'till Sunday morning, so I'm wondering what our best options are for dinner Saturday night?

We will have a rambuncious 4 &1/2 year old boy and a 10 year old girl. (I'm really more worried about the boy.

The last Dis Boards Podcast mentioned a character dinner at the DL Hotel and I thought that sounded fun, but the hubby thought it might be a nightmare with the boy we affectionately call, "The Monster".

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

You say your husband doesn't think it's a good idea, but we loving doing Goofy's Kitchen at the DLH for our first dinner on our arrival day, especially if we aren't doing the parks that day. It helps everybody get into the mood!

ETA: Goofy's is the character meal at the DLH. There are lots of times to get up and dance with the characters, move around, get food, etc so it works well with kids who can't sit for long periods of time. Plus with the characters coming by the table, there is almost always something entertaining going on. Just make sure to bring an autograph book with you!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

So we are driving down from the Bay Area the first weekend of October and will be arriving on Saturday afternoon. We won't be heading to the park 'till Sunday morning, so I'm wondering what our best options are for dinner Saturday night?

We will have a rambuncious 4 &1/2 year old boy and a 10 year old girl. (I'm really more worried about the boy.

The last Dis Boards Podcast mentioned a character dinner at the DL Hotel and I thought that sounded fun, but the hubby thought it might be a nightmare with the boy we affectionately call, "The Monster".

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Character dining is pricey but can be very fun and might be a nice way to start your Disney vacation. Goofy's Kitchen is the character meal in the Disneyland Hotel. One thing that might be good for your rambunctious boy is that periodically throughout the meal there are opportunities to get up and dance and jump around with the characters as music plays. This then is actually a pretty good option for a kid who may not want to sit still and be quiet through a whole meal. Also, Goofy's is a buffet meal. I know my kids love getting to pick out what they want to eat. Obviously, buffets also offer multiple opportunities for getting up and moving around since there's the need to go back for more food occasionally. So if you're just talking about normal enthusiastic boy behavior, you should be fine. Can't tell from your post, but if your son has stronger behavioral challenges that concern you, I can think of a couple of things that could present problems and that you will want to consider how he can deal with. First, the environment can be very stimulating and sometimes loud. Second, during most of the meal, your son will need to wait for characters to come to your table so that he can visit with them and will have to be prevented from just running out to greet characters himself since the characters may be visiting at other tables or walking between them. If these are things that your son can handle, I say go and enjoy yourselves.

 

[helenb]

As the parent of a rambunctious boy child myself, I concur with these assessments.

Also, keep in mind that Disney is a place for children. They're used to excited kids jumping around and being happy. No one is going to raise an eyebrow if your four year old son behaves this way.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I agree. They get the kids up dancing often, he can get in and out of his seat to hug and take pictures of characters. You can decide if he can go with you to get his plate or if he should stay at the table with the other parent.

 

[runr]

GK sounds like a great idea IF the 4 year old likes characters. Has he been around any already and it's a good idea to show him how big they will be via internet pictures if he hasn't.

When we went with another couple whose daughter was almost 4 she fell apart at the sight of Rafiki at Minnie's Plaza Inn breakfast on our first morning. It was a disaster even though Lion King is one of her favorite movies. She wouldn't go back inside and the parents had to take her some food outside and then take turns trying to eat themselves while the other sat outside with her.

 

[pixiewings71]

I think GK would be fine for your first night. I also think that if you decide not to do that then maybe RainForest Cafe will work for you.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I was gonna suggest Rainforest Cafe too. Works for kids and is louder so you won't have to be embarrassed if he's louder Fun things to see. If he is scared easily, you may not want to try it. There is a 'show' every once in a while there that gets loud. My kids LOVED it at 2 and 4 however