Signature restaurants and young children

[tgarre06]

Are there any signature restaurants that you think would be appropriate for an almost 2 and 5 year old? I've been dismissing signature restaurants because I have young children, but I'm not sure if I'm correct in my thinking. Thanks!

 

[Nancyg56]

With the exception of V&A, all the signature restaurants are appropriate for children. We have taken Kady since she was 4, however we had been taking her to dinner with us everywhere we went since she as a baby. Personally, I see no reason not to give a little one a coloring book or something to keep occupied, and we did that.

I think that you know your children, so if they are not able to stay up late, don't plan California Grill for Wishes, and you all will be fine.

 

[loves to dive]

All of them are fine. You might not want to take them to Victoria and Alberts but if your kids are well behaved go for it. I was a single mom so I took my son everywhere with me.

 

[jdisnut]

Outside of Victoria & Albert's at the Grand Floridian, none of the signature restaurants are particularly upscale -- just upscale by Disney standards. Nearly all of them are bright and loud and filled with children, especially early in the evening. As long as you're comfortable your kids can handle sitting through a meal without any entertainment (besides the food, of course), you have nothing to worry about.

 

[MrsIncredible1974]

Depends on the children for me.
Are they ok seated for 90 minutes (with or without colouring / ipads / favourite toys)?
If so, book if you're happy with paying either oop or using 2 credits.

 

[LilyWDW]

Are they well behaved at restaurants in general?
Will they be able to sit for a long time?
Are you willing to remove them from the restaurant if they start getting loud so that they don't bother other diners?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Starting at age 1, my DS (now 9) has been to every signature on property. I would look at the menus and see which ones appeal to you. Of all of the signatures, with a younger child, we enjoyed Cali Grill and Artist Point the most. The food and atmosphere are lovely and I found the service to be a little quicker than the other signatures. Personally, I would avoid Narcoosee's and Flying Fish. Flying Fish became a 3 hour meal on our last visit. No one enjoyed that!

 

[nursejackie]

For the last 6 years we've had dinner on Christmas day at Narcoosee's at GF with a now 9 year old child. The food is amazing, you can see the castle across the seven seas lagoon and we always eat early so watch the lighting up of the castle from our table.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Actually, OP cannot take children of those tender ages to V&A. V&A does not allow children under age 10. It is the only restaurant at Disney with that age requirement.

(There are several bars that are 21+ for some hours, but they are bars.)

 

[tgarre06]

Thanks for the responses. My children are well behaved, I just didn't want the stares like what is she thinking bringing children to eat here. That is what always has been my concern.

 

[Dean Marino]

With the exception of V&A, all the signature restaurants are appropriate for children. We have taken Kady since she was 4, however we had been taking her to dinner with us everywhere we went since she as a baby. Personally, I see no reason not to give a little one a coloring book or something to keep occupied, and we did that.

I think that you know your children, so if they are not able to stay up late, don't plan California Grill for Wishes, and you all will be fine.

THIS - dear lady, WDW is the PERFECT place to introduce your children to Fine Dining . This must occur sometime.... and the WDW Staff, at EVERY Sig, is very GOOD at dealing with small children . Now - same basic parenting decisions apply: in the event of a "fit"? Trade off with Hubby - do timeouts. Good for those around you, and VERY good for the child - they begin to understand "special place". But if you can't take a child to a GOOD WDW Restaurant? Something is horribly wrong .

Father of four.... all of them are now 30-40 . They got their fine dining intros at WDW Sigs .

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

THIS - dear lady, WDW is the PERFECT place to introduce your children to Fine Dining . This must occur sometime.... and the WDW Staff, at EVERY Sig, is very GOOD at dealing with small children . Now - same basic parenting decisions apply: in the event of a "fit"? Trade off with Hubby - do timeouts. Good for those around you, and VERY good for the child - they begin to understand "special place". But if you can't take a child to a GOOD WDW Restaurant? Something is horribly wrong .

Father of four.... all of them are now 30-40 . They got their fine dining intros at WDW Sigs .

I agree with all of this. Our kids have been eating in signature dining restaurants in WDW since they were toddlers. We luckily never had to deal with fits or tantrums in them, but if we had, one of us would have taken him/her out rather than disturb everyone -- that's just how we are. Our kids were always very adventurous when it came to trying new foods, and we started ordering for them off the adult menu at times pretty early on -- sometimes an adult menu app instead of a kids' meal entree. Go for it, and enjoy!

 

[caliope]

We don't hesitate to take our 4 year old to any restaurant, at WDW or otherwise. We enjoy the signatures and appreciate their acceptance of younger guests. That being said, we don't take advantage of it being Disney and let our DS misbehave. We try to plan accordingly to maximize success: we go at off times or for an early dinner; we don't let DS get too tired or hungry (and thus too restless) before we go; we bring something to entertain him; we order his food first and ask for it to come out with appetizers; and we review dining rules frequently (stay in seat, inside voice, etc.), reminding him of consequences (timeout, leaving, etc.) if he doesn't follow them. In all our travels and all our dining experiences at home and on vacation, we've only ever had to leave a restaurant once. And he definitely remembers it and understands it can happen again!

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks for the responses. My children are well behaved, I just didn't want the stares like what is she thinking bringing children to eat here. That is what always has been my concern.

You may get a few looks, but they will not be the ones you are worried about. I know I love to see little ones enjoying their dinner and little one in Disney especially will get a smile from my DH and me.

THIS - dear lady, WDW is the PERFECT place to introduce your children to Fine Dining . This must occur sometime.... and the WDW Staff, at EVERY Sig, is very GOOD at dealing with small children . Now - same basic parenting decisions apply: in the event of a "fit"? Trade off with Hubby - do timeouts. Good for those around you, and VERY good for the child - they begin to understand "special place". But if you can't take a child to a GOOD WDW Restaurant? Something is horribly wrong .

Father of four.... all of them are now 30-40 . They got their fine dining intros at WDW Sigs .

Mother of three, also 35 to 41. I remember taking them all to dinner at young ages, and now we take our granddaughter, who also enjoys a nice meal in a lovely restaurant. I never thought that children should be kept away from fine dining experiences, and wonder why some folks choose to avoid experiencceing kids at their very best.

I have coworker who had never taken her kids to dinner, not once. She thought WDW would be a great place to dive in. OMG! Her dinners were a nightmare, and I shudder to think what it was like for her neighbors.

 

[T00dles]

I agree with the advice to eat early! Try to get one of the first reservations of the booking period. It takes some time to be seated and get food so with a 5 pm rez you're probably not eating until close to 6.

 

[MrsIncredible1974]

Thanks for the responses. My children are well behaved, I just didn't want the stares like what is she thinking bringing children to eat here. That is what always has been my concern.

I love to see well behaved children in upscale restaurants. And I get a huge kick from anyone who comments on my children's manner. So it sounds as if you'll have no issues

We don't hesitate to take our 4 year old to any restaurant, at WDW or otherwise. We enjoy the signatures and appreciate their acceptance of younger guests. That being said, we don't take advantage of it being Disney and let our DS misbehave. We try to plan accordingly to maximize success: we go at off times or for an early dinner; we don't let DS get too tired or hungry (and thus too restless) before we go; we bring something to entertain him; we order his food first and ask for it to come out with appetizers; and we review dining rules frequently (stay in seat, inside voice, etc.), reminding him of consequences (timeout, leaving, etc.) if he doesn't follow them. In all our travels and all our dining experiences at home and on vacation, we've only ever had to leave a restaurant once. And he definitely remembers it and understands it can happen again!

Excellent parenting advice. Explaining expectations and repercussions, then being prepared to go through with the threats if necessary is always going to work.

 

[amberpi]

I love seeing well behaved children at restaurants!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

You'll see tons of small children and most seem well behaved. We have always brought lots to entertain of DD. Headphones with any electronics and you should be golden.

 

[Granfan]

Are they well behaved at restaurants in general?
Will they be able to sit for a long time?
Are you willing to remove them from the restaurant if they start getting loud so that they don't bother other diners?

Important questions. Although not a signature, I was looking forward to Liberty Tree Tavern. Sadly, my meal was ruined by a family who allowed a toddler to scream for 45 minutes without any kind of intervention. It couldn't have been enjoyable for them or anyone in that small crowded area.

 

[LilyWDW]

Important questions. Although not a signature, I was looking forward to Liberty Tree Tavern. Sadly, my meal was ruined by a family who allowed a toddler to scream for 45 minutes without any kind of intervention. It couldn't have been enjoyable for them or anyone in that small crowded area.

I don't care what "level" a restaurant is. Kids should not be allowed to scream, run around, mess with other people's tables, or disrupt meals. I'm not talking about a kid getting a little excited and then quieting down when reminded about "inside voices". I mean true disruption like you speak of. That should NEVER be allowed.