raidermatt
Be water, my friend.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2000
Whether Victoria & Alberts is for kids seems to me to be a little different from whether Walt Disney World is for kids. The thread could be headed a bit off track.
I agree. Whether WDW "is for kids" isn't really relevant.
I'm not really trying to say that everything at WDW is for kids, or that it should be. What I'm saying is that given the number of guests who visit WDW with children, ANY change that bans children where they previously were allowed is a risky move.
Of course if the ban is for safety or legal reasons, like with parasailing for example, there's not really any debate.
But for a restaurant, where there's no inherent reason why kids shouldn't be allowed, it's a different matter.
Again, this has no bearing on me personally. I have never been to V&A and didn't intend on going at anytime in the near future anyway. I'm questioning the decision based on issues it might cause.
First, there's the three families a month that did take their children. A very small number, I know.
Second, anytime there is a policy that is not consistent in the restaurants, it creates guest confusion. The dress code in the signature restaurants is a perfect example of this. Even among the posters on this board, who are probably in the top 10 or even 5% of Disney guests when it comes to knowledge about WDW, there is often confusion about what is allowed and in which restaurants.
Imagine how much confusion there is for the average guest, or the guest in the bottom 25%.
No, that's not necessarily a reason to do away with dress codes, but it is something to consider, and probably has something to do with the code being as casual as it is.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the issue that most V&A guests are concerned about is unruly or disruptive children. I know, some consider any child to be a detriment to their V&A experience, but certainly not all do.
In other words, if there could be an iron-clad guarantee that any child in the restaurant would not be disruptive to others in ANY way, I'm pretty sure most people would be ok with that.
There can be no guarantee of course, and that's why even those who don't mind well-behaved children like the ban. As an earlier poster said, they just fear that a child will become disruptive.
But what Disney CAN guarantee is that, in V&A, they will deal with any situation where a child becomes disruptive, and that's what I think they should do. Deal with the actual problem, rather than take the easy way out and tell ALL parties with children under 10 they are not welcome.