Cautious Family Dining Options

[Crusader10hky]

What would everyone's picks be for 'safest' dining options regarding social distancing and shared airspaces.

My ADR 60day window opens in a few days. I usually have this down to a science, but with COVID I find myself scratching my head. My family has been ridiculously careful since this whole thing started, not going anywhere at all. We are only considering taking our 2020DVC trip because we believe that Disney is likely doing a better job than any other entertainment venue.

We (DD2,DD5,DD10,DW, and I), are staying 4nights at BLT followed by 2 nights apiece at BCV and BWV in early DEC. I figure, we'll probably need to eat at some point during these 8 days. We usually love BoG, CRT, at least once, but I'm super concerned about sitting and eating indoors with a billion people around.

I'm thinking I need a list of ADR locations I should target that have outdoor or open-air seating.

Also feel free to list your favorite spot to sit in the shade and grab a bite. We're planning on all 4 parks.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We are very cautious, too, and have not eaten indoors much (home or Disney). I am just as concerned about table spacing as I am the space itself since research seems to show airflow plays a big role in transmission. So I feel more comfortable with big open spaces vs lower ceilings - this may all be in my head but it makes me feel better

Table service spots we've eaten recently:
- The Wave (breakfast); while tables may have been 6-8 ft apart, they were very full and the ceilings aren't very high. We aren't sure we'll return again anytime soon.

- Chef Mickey's felt incredibly comfortable as the restaurant is in the lobby and "open air" from a circulation point. They had tables spaced much further apart than The Wave, too. It's hard to snag a reservation there but might be worth it esp when you're at BLT.

- Trattoria felt okay (breakfast) - much more spaced out than The Wave and very few people dining. Recent reviews indicate it may be troublesome at dinner so we avoided. It has been VERY busy when we walked past during dinnertime (unfortunately one of the few Boardwalk area spots open so it's to be expected).

- Topolino's felt comfortable, too, given the huge space and very spaced out tables. It's not a bustling restaurant, which helps ease my mind some.

- CityWorks (breakfast) felt comfortable; it's a huge space and parties were very spaced out. Probably helped that there weren't many people there, either. They have a patio but my husband was dying for some AC...

If someplace offers a patio, we usually take it but Disney has very few table service spots with patio dining. Most are at Disney Springs. I've felt very comfortable with every patio we've dined at.

There are some lists floating around of what restaurants offer outdoor dining; you may be able to find one linked here if you search. I *think* WDWPrepSchool has one...

 

[Crusader10hky]

@Aimeedyan Thanks for the first-hand info, that's exactly what I 'm looking for!


Found this on DisneyFoodBlog.com Looking on the bright side, this will make me try some different places. I have a feeling I'll be waiting for a while despite an ADR if requesting an outdoor table in some locations with a small porch/patio (Tonys?).

 

[Skippyboo]

Safest would be outdoor dining. That will limit your table service options especially in the parks.More options at Disney Springs. I went first week of August and only table service meal was on the patio at Tony’s. No one else was on the patio.

 

[B-Ride]

Here is my opinion for what it is worth. Given that the U.S. in general and Florida in particular are having problems with the virus and given that WDW is still open after quite a bit of time, I would pretty safe with the precautions they are taking.

 

[Cynt]

One safe dining option - You might want to consider booking a dvc room with a full kitchen in order to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. This way you can relax and enjoy your meals in your dvc room without being concerned about C19.

 

[Crusader10hky]

One safe dining option - You might want to consider booking a dvc room with a full kitchen in order to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. This way you can relax and enjoy your meals in your dvc room without being concerned about C19.

Ya we had larger villas reserved bc the extended family was coming when we originally booked. However we pushed those plans to next year and dropped down to studios. We are pretty good at quick meals in the room. Heck, the kids could live on easy Mac alone! But I was hoping we would still find some comfortable places to eat real food when in the parks beyond the Mickey pretzels and ice cream. We will definitely do breakfast in the room every day though.

 

[erinch]

We are here now. In general, if you book lunches right when places are opening, you will almost have a dining room to yourself. Tiffins has huge spaces between tables. Coral Reef also felt spacious right when they opened. Jaleo has distanced tables and tells you if you don't feel comfortable to let a manager know.

But as crowds have increased, if you want to keep a perimeter around yourself, you might want to think again. Walkways and exits from attractions aren't keeping even a fiction of social distancing. We are comfortable, as we keep moving, but consider your comfort levels carefully!

 

[Crusader10hky]

Well ADR morning has come and gone. Most of the outdoor options that we would consider do not require reservations anyway. We typically would get a grocery delivery to our villa but staying in a studio reduces that capability to basics. However we decided that due to the reduced hours at the park, we would stick to counter service snacks/small meals in the park then have a door dash/Uber eats/ grub hub dinner back at the room where we are more comfortable.

We are already resigned to the fact that this will be a much different trip than normal so we may as well keep it rollin’