Which signature restaurant most kid friendly?

[Melct]

I m trying to decide on a signature restaurant to book. We have 4 adults and 2 kids ages 3 and 1. Sometimes the baby tends to get loud and don't want to ruin someones meal.

Thanks,
Mel

 

[Mouseturtle]

I m trying to decide on a signature restaurant to book. We have 4 adults and 2 kids ages 3 and 1. Sometimes the baby tends to get loud and don't want to ruin someones meal.

Thanks,
Mel

As I've only been to Flying Fish, I can comment on that, and there were plenty of kids of all ages (and babies too) - I say it's Disney and if people can't deal with kids getting a little loud they need to book at Sandals or something!

Enjoy - do what you want and who cares what people think. IMHO Life's too short to plan on accommodating someone else.

 

[Melct]

As I've only been to Flying Fish, I can comment on that, and there were plenty of kids of all ages (and babies too) - I say it's Disney and if people can't deal with kids getting a little loud they need to book at Sandals or something!

Enjoy - do what you want and who cares what people think. IMHO Life's too short to plan on accommodating someone else.

Thank you so much, you just made my day. You are absolutely right, it is Disney and it should be expected that kids will be there. I do worry too much about what others will think...I need to get over that.

mel

 

[lemondog]

Brown Derby is very kid friendly, I guess because it is inside a park. We ate there last time and it was filled with kids.

I would imagine the same goes for CRT!

 

[Tisha_PA]

We've eaten at Yachtsman Steakhouse, Narcoossee's, and Cali Grille. Of the 3, I though Cali Grille was the most kid friendly.

 

[TDC Nala]

California Grill is loud, but if they want to take the baby out of the restaurant for any reason, there isn't anyplace to go. There's no lobby area to speak of, or anyplace to walk a kid around without leaving the restaurant (which in that case means taking the elevator to another floor)

Personally I'd like to thank the OP for their consideration of other diners.

 

[winterman]

DH and I recently ate at Narcoossee's for the first time. There were a few kids there, of all ages. But the family with an infant and a toddler took them out onto the deck for a while. This was towards the end of the meal. Keep in mind that these meals can run long. We were there for 2 1/2 hours.

I would also like to point out that there is a big difference between 'happy' loud and 'cranky, fussy' loud. Use common sense.

 

[goofy4tink]

Have to agree with TDC Nala...thank you to the OP for being somewhat concerned. While I completely understand that you are going to find children everywhere at WDW, that doesn't mean that everyone should be subjected to screaming children when eating. And I don't particularly care if it's Cosmic Rays or Flying Fish! My kids had expectations when eating out..they were expected to have certain manners. Babies are different though..they can't be expected to have 'manners'. But, their parents can. If a baby gets grumpy and starts screaming, I always appreciate it when a parent takes the child out and tries to calm them before returning. While I understand that you aren't going to see any of those people again, do you really want to sit there, with a screaming child, trying to have an enjoyable (and expensive) meal??? And I'm not even thinking about those around you!!!

So...should you be concerned with what others are feeling? Yes, but only to a point. Let me share a story with you.....a friend and I were eating at Tuttu a few years ago. There was a youngster who was really acting out...yelling, screaming, just making everyone around that table miserable. And the parents didn't seem to be doing anythng about it...just kept talking and eating. Others in the area were staring at that table, and making faces, and comments amongst themselves. Well...long story short....my friend posted that incident as part of her trip report, in not very glowing terms. Is seems that the mother is a DISer...and took exception to what was posted about her child. Now...nothing was said that was a lie, or an exageration..only what everyone saw. But, that mother was not a happy camper..she let everyone know that her child has 'issues' and they deal with it as they see fit..and didn't really appreciate seeing her family being discussed in an open forum!! Oh, it was a wee bit uncomfortable.
But. my point is this....yes, that child may have had 'issues',and that family had every right to eat wherever they chose to. But, they needed to understand that their child's actions impacted other's dining experiences that night. Those other people had also paid for their meals and had every right to expect to be able to carry on a conversation without having to yell over a screaming child in order to be heard.


So.....feel free to head to any of those signature meals. We ate at Flying Fish in August and there were plenty of families there. The kids were all nicely behaved and no one had any reason for complaint. I'll be eating at several signature dining spots in Dec...I expect to see kids there, of all ages.

 

[si-am]

As I've only been to Flying Fish, I can comment on that, and there were plenty of kids of all ages (and babies too) - I say it's Disney and if people can't deal with kids getting a little loud they need to book at Sandals or something!

Enjoy - do what you want and who cares what people think. IMHO Life's too short to plan on accommodating someone else.

I expect to see children everywhere at Disney.

I do NOT expect to share my meal with a screaming infant. That's unreasonable. I also think the "don't accommodate anyone else" attitude is what's so wrong with society today. There's nothing wrong with showing a little respect for others.

 

[PoohsFan1]

I agree with the other posters that showing a little bit of common courtesy is always good when dining out. I would never have my children run around a nice restaurant screaming and crying. Luckily my 2 girls are very good natured and are quiet and keep to themselves while we are out in public, they always find something to do when they get bored before the meal comes. With that being said, I would say that Cali Grill is a good place for kids because just watching MK from the top floor of CR is going to keep their attention spans for awhile. But like one PP mentioned, if your 1 yr. old gets out of control and you need to leave, there really isn't anywhere to leave to unless you want to take an elevator down to the 4th floor. The only other signature restaurant that we have been to is Artist Point but that could be a bit boring for them since there really is nothing for the kids to look at (even though inside it is beautiful)....good luck, if I were you, I would wait a few years for your kids to get a bit older before taking them to Signature Restaurants, but you are the only one that knows your kids the best and if you know they could handle it, then by all means go.

 

[eventamy]

We chose Flying Fish because of the childrens menu. It's seemed very child friendly and there was a couple of things my kids could choose from. It's rare to have a decent menu for kids at WDW unfortunately! Especially when your kids aren't traditional "kids food" eaters.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Many excellent points are made here

It is Disney, we expect to see kids everywhere

Screaming unhappy kids at dinner is unpleasant for everyone

Question to ask, can your children handle a restaurant atmosphere for 2hours? If the answer is no, then there you go. Maybe need to wait a while for a signature

If they can, just about any restaurant can work. BD is in a park and service seems to be quicker there.

The nice thing about FF is it is easy to get out if someone needs a little time out

good luck and have fun!

 

[Lynne M]

As I've only been to Flying Fish, I can comment on that, and there were plenty of kids of all ages (and babies too) - I say it's Disney and if people can't deal with kids getting a little loud they need to book at Sandals or something!

Enjoy - do what you want and who cares what people think. IMHO Life's too short to plan on accommodating someone else.

Just because it's a family vacation destination doesn't mean that basic manners and consideration for others are thrown to the winds.

Are there lots of kids in Disney restaurants? Sure.

Is it expected that you'll see more kids at Disney signature restaurants then you'd see at fine dining places in other cities? Absolutely.

Is it acceptable to allow your child to be loud and spoil other diners' meals in a signature restaurant, "because it's Disney"? No way.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

California Grill is loud, but if they want to take the baby out of the restaurant for any reason, there isn't anyplace to go. .

I'd just like to clarify that this isn't true. The rest room is pretty big and nice. There is also the outdoor deck area. Granted, folks may not want to have a romantic evening ruined by screaming kids, but I think if the child needs a little break and a quiet area, then this would work. In winter it may be kind of cool out there.

Also, on other levels of the resort - like maybe before dinner - there are quiet areas. they are used for conventions during the day - and are not private areas, but they are often fairly quiet and empty at night.

There are also multiple restrooms that are quiet spots. The restrooms at CR are extremely clean and well appointed. I don't recall any lounges per say, but cetainly if you wanted to settle the child down before going to dinner, you should be able to find an isolated quiet spot.
I agree that kids will be found at most places, but I think the unspoken rule is that children are more present during earlier dining times. All of the places have kids menus except V&A's, which doesn't allow small kids. I also think of the places I've dined, BD and FF seemed most kid friendly. Cali takes a long time, it's one of the slowest meals we've had.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We were at Flying Fish and there was alot of kids in there but I will admit they were very loud and rambunctious and it took away from our quiet signature meal we wanted to have. Out of three times dining here this has happened three times.....

At Jiko we never saw one child, at Cali Grill there were a few kids around the 6-11 year old mark.

Never saw a child at BlueZoo or Il Mulino either.

 

[waltskids]

You will see kids of all ages at any signature that is on the dining plan. Many of us who dine without the kiddos know to stay away from the DDP signatures (restaurants such as Bistro de Paris, V&A's which doesn't allow kids under 10 and the restaurants at the Swan/Dolphin usually have very few children). That being said, please just use common sense with small children, as not everyone wants to dine with a loud baby or child. We have taken DS out of a restaurant a handful of times (and yes this includes casual dining as well) to have a 'time out' if he was getting too loud. Once he calmed down he was allowed to return and continue his meal. I know with a baby though this can be tough as they haven't learned the art of 'manners' yet. Flying Fish has a great escape to the Boardwalk if you need to leave and Cali Grill is very loud so that's a good choice for chatty kids. Really we have seen kids at all of the DDP signatures and have taken our own kids as well.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I expect to see children at all of the signature restaurants. It is Disney after all.

We eat at the signature restaurants quite frequently, and none of our meals have been "ruined" by children.

However, we do notice that families with small children, don't enjoy their meals. They are constantly worried about what the small children are doing, and have to get up several times during the meal to walk around or occupy the children. I feel sorry for them.

IMHO it seems to be a lot of work, for parents with young children at these restaurants.

It takes a long time to eat at these restaurants, and I imagine it is exhausting for the parents.

 

[Elise79]

We took DD1 to both CG & YS.

Our server at Cali was excellent and brought out goldfish crackers for her to eat and she shared our meals but he brought her own dessert free of charge - he really was very good with her too.

At Yatchsman it was fine she didn't fuss but they were not so focused on her but we still had a nice meal.

My recommendation would California Grill

 

[itchin2go]

(1) Brown Derby
(2) Flying Fish
(3) Cali Grill

We have also eaten at Yachtsman, Artist Point and Jiko. I didn't find them so kid friendly.

P.S. I assumed that when OP said the baby could get loud, she meant squealing, babbling and the like - you know - happy baby noises. I don't think OP meant the baby would cry the whole time and the family would just sit there and eat and expect the other diners to endure.

 

[Hannathy]

I expect to see children everywhere at Disney.

I do NOT expect to share my meal with a screaming infant. That's unreasonable. I also think the "don't accommodate anyone else" attitude is what's so wrong with society today. There's nothing wrong with showing a little respect for others.

100% agree. I can not stand to hear a child screaming and it would ruin my meal and if I was paying what some of these rest. charge I would be very upset.

I have children and never let them carry on in a rest. ever. If they were fussy we either didn't go or one of us took them out as soon as they started. We also WAITED to go to certain places until our children could be counted on to behave and that is what I think is missing from this current set of parents. they don't want to make any accommodations to the fact they have kids. We realized we did and some things would just have to wait.