Whispering Canyon Cafe ADR

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi,

For our August holiday we have 2 Character Breakfasts booked, 1 at Cape May and the other at Crystal Palace.
Joshua is Autistic and whilst prefectly mobile is unable to talk, he does understand many aspects of his holiday and shows genuine excitement when he arrives at WDW or Universal.
We always stay in a villa , he loves watching TV and playing in the pool but we are also staying at Disney's Boardwalk for a few nights - hence we are booking some ADRs.

Has anyone any experience of a dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe? I know it can be noisy there.

 

[ducklite]

Every single WDW restaurant is ADA compliant for accessibility. WCC does get noisy, but noise isn't covered under ADA.

Anne

 

[BionicEar]

WCC is a hoot! If your son can handle hijinks, fun and humor, then by all means go!

It does get loud in there. But my kids loved it, and the DH really got into the fun too. Keep in mind, it is not your typical restaurant. Nothing is low-key there.

 

[andijean]

My son is not autistic but does have sensory issues and anxiety disorder. He hated WCC and it has been our worst Disney experience. I read how much people loved and how fun it was. For us it was far from fun. My son is very affected by noise, but we bring earplugs. With WCC it was the noise of the chaos and the echo from the huge vaulted ceilings. Then, you put into the mix these crazy people dinging bells, yelling, racing around the place and he could not stand it. All the other kids thought it was fun, but he is so practical and literal that he didn't get the jokes and antics. Others there were having a great time, but we did not b/c he was so uncomfortable. So, we asked to be moved to the back of the restaurant where it was a little quieter and less chaos.

I would base your decision on what type of environment he enjoys and what can trigger him. I was prepared for noise, but this was extreme. We also do not love Chef Mickey's b/c of noise. We did love OHana. Also, there is a lot of movement and carrying on during the meal which I thought would be fun. ie: the pony races But he had no desire, he was stressed to the max. I don't want to discourage you if this was the kind of experience he likes, but just wanted to give you another perspective. All these people raved about and we were so excited and it was a big disappointment for us. Good luck to you and have a great time!

 

[dj2]

I would base your decision on what type of environment he enjoys and what can trigger him.

i agree.

when we went my DD7, not autistic, hated it because the server commented on her eating (or was it NOT eating) of her food. she's just sensitive and after the server left she almost cried. in fact, i was the only one who wanted that type of environment on that trip. oh well.

 

[loadsapixiedust]

If your DS would enjoy the noise and fun atmosphere with servers shouting and kids racing around on hobby horses then it could be a great experience, if that is likely to stress him then think again. Maybe you could consider lunch as an alternative as it is supposed to be quieter. Also tip your server off as to how much you wish to be involved in the fun and games before they seat you.
The location of the restaurant is open to the lobby of the Lodge so there is also a certain amount of distraction from people coming and going through there, but how much this affects you can depend very much on where you are seated.
We really enjoyed it there, we ate lunch and it was one of the nicest meals we had. Our DS loved it but then he has a wicked sense of humour and noise is not a problem for him either.