Totally agree. I was thinking about saving a slot in my upcoming December vacation for this but with an 8 year old, I think first seating at CA Grill and Narcoossees are both better choice as being lighter, brighter and more fun. As a BWV owner since 1999 I would have preferred what you described over dark and stuffy.
The thing I think Disney does best hands down is theming. The old FF was just so disney meets jersey shore meets signature restaurant. I will never forget my first time in there sitting at a table next to Pat Sajak and his family and it was just so awesome. We were all dressed the same - the men in khakis and polos (beachy business? lol) and the women in linen slacks or sundresses. It was just casual enough and just fancy enough to be a nice dinner out on vacation. Those charcoal walls and white tablecloths could be anywhere and it definitely is not whimsical. But they also took a lot of whimsy out of the DVC rooms too in the latest remodel. I still remember the boardwalk carpet and railings sea grass behind below the chairrail wallpaper there.
Do you have the link by any chance? I have a ressie for December too!
the decor is better looking in the videos than the still images. That said this is NOT a kid friendly signature (not that they all need to be). The menu and the decor all pretty much say "adult only." This seems to be the trend as Tiffin is pretty light on kid menu items as well... I only hope that this is not the trend going forward for ALL signatures because one of the awesome things about disney is that I can take my son to a "fancy" restaurant without worries about what he will eat and whether there will be other kids there or if it is appropriate for him to be there in the first place.
LOL, for me, my 2 year old will eat from the adult menu- scallops and salmon so I'm going for it! As long as they have a high chair, I feel it's child friendly enough although I hope it's not very quiet.the decor is better looking in the videos than the still images. That said this is NOT a kid friendly signature (not that they all need to be). The menu and the decor all pretty much say "adult only." This seems to be the trend as Tiffin is pretty light on kid menu items as well... I only hope that this is not the trend going forward for ALL signatures because one of the awesome things about disney is that I can take my son to a "fancy" restaurant without worries about what he will eat and whether there will be other kids there or if it is appropriate for him to be there in the first place.
The new FF kid menu has 3 items, one of which my son would eat (but not the sides that come with it so it would be grilled chicken breast and bread for him). Tiffin has 4 again with one thing he would eat (minus the sides). I guess if you don't like "ancient grains" at either of these restaurants you are out of luck for a side dish if you are kid
Narcoossees has 8 items on their kids menu, 5 of which my son would eat.
CA Grill has 5 items, 4 of which my son would eat.
I'm hoping both CA Grill and Narcoossees keep their kid friendly menus at least through the end of the year.
But for a nice adult dinner I would like to try it someday.
the decor is better looking in the videos than the still images. That said this is NOT a kid friendly signature (not that they all need to be). The menu and the decor all pretty much say "adult only." This seems to be the trend as Tiffin is pretty light on kid menu items as well... I only hope that this is not the trend going forward for ALL signatures because one of the awesome things about disney is that I can take my son to a "fancy" restaurant without worries about what he will eat and whether there will be other kids there or if it is appropriate for him to be there in the first place.
The new FF kid menu has 3 items, one of which my son would eat (but not the sides that come with it so it would be grilled chicken breast and bread for him). Tiffin has 4 again with one thing he would eat (minus the sides). I guess if you don't like "ancient grains" at either of these restaurants you are out of luck for a side dish if you are kid
Narcoossees has 8 items on their kids menu, 5 of which my son would eat.
CA Grill has 5 items, 4 of which my son would eat.
I'm hoping both CA Grill and Narcoossees keep their kid friendly menus at least through the end of the year.
But for a nice adult dinner I would like to try it someday.
Thank you so much for this! Looks great and I'm excited to try it out!
LOL, for me, my 2 year old will eat from the adult menu- scallops and salmon so I'm going for it! As long as they have a high chair, I feel it's child friendly enough although I hope it's not very quiet.
Thank you so much for this! Looks great and I'm excited to try it out!
LOL, for me, my 2 year old will eat from the adult menu- scallops and salmon so I'm going for it! As long as they have a high chair, I feel it's child friendly enough although I hope it's not very quiet.
it is definitely easier for kids to blend into the background noise in louder restaurants but it makes my kiddo zone out and not have a good time. So we'll stick with what we've got I think shame as we are staying right there!
The new FF kid menu has 3 items, one of which my son would eat (but not the sides that come with it so it would be grilled chicken breast and bread for him). Tiffin has 4 again with one thing he would eat (minus the sides). I guess if you don't like "ancient grains" at either of these restaurants you are out of luck for a side dish if you are kid
whatever they found lying around in the store room from when walt was aliveWho doesn't love ancient grains.
What grains are they?....
Hmm, I guess it would depend on the child. As a kid, my sisters and I are more exposed to Asian cuisine and I dont think there are separate kids menu in regular Asian restaurants so we always ate whatever the adults ate. My mom would always order soup for us as our 'kids' choice. I don't remember ever ordering from a kids menu as a child. Granted, most children here are used to this but I do see some reports in the dining reviews wherein they were happy their kids could order from the adult menu. For my son, I'm hoping he would just go on eating whatever is on the adult menu.What is child friendly for a baby/toddler is different than what is child friendly for older kids. I could take my kiddo anywhere at that age and he'd munch bread if nothing else, but a $50 (average) entree is usually not what most parents are looking to spend on their kids even at a signature restaurant. CA Grill was great, between the view and the fun decor and the early time (I am definitely a fan of bringing kids to nicer restaurants earlier in the day as service is quicker and it's less crowded and less of a date-night crowd and more of a family one) and made to order pizza, he was in heaven. With all of those hard surfaces it probably will not be super quiet though so there is that
Everything is relative, of course, and this may change in a couple years but I have my fingers crossed. I'm with you on eating a little earlier... seems better for families all around Since you own DVC, I think you would go again soon enough and would get to try this. I think we're all pretty much set on where we have made our ADRs 
It looks like any other restaurant on the inside now, and there doesn't seem to be an outdoor seating option to make up for it. Oh well.
Thank you. I was AWOL for a while.
Thanks for the link. 18 days and counting and we'll be there!!!!
Same for me, sans the high chairLOL, for me, my 2 year old will eat from the adult menu- scallops and salmon so I'm going for it! As long as they have a high chair, I feel it's child friendly enough although I hope it's not very quiet.
We will be there, kid and all, in a few weeks. My daughter is 5 and with rare occasions she just eats whatever I eat for dinner. Good news is that after 5 years of doing this, there is literally no food she won't eat. So bring on the scallops! 
