Yes, You Can Enjoy Good Food And Entertain The Kids At The Same Time!

Walt Disney World offers up many top-quality restaurants for you to sample. With the advent of the Disney Dining Plan and Free Dining offers, more and more people are taking advantage of these renowned restaurants on their vacations when they might have normally opted for less-expensive meals. But just because these restaurants are more accessible than before doesn't mean your kids are completely ready and willing to experience them. With a little foresight and some consideration for others, you too can enjoy these grown-up meals with your whole family... and maybe even broaden your children's taste at the same time.

Children are permitted in all Walt Disney World Table Service restaurants except the very high-end, very expensive Victoria and Albert's. Even the most well-mannered of children would probably not gain much from the menu there, which really does cater to a mature palette. As much as I love and advocate for children, I agree with the policy here. If you wish to experience it, arrange for babysitting (a big topic for a future post!) and by all means, enjoy it.

In a previous post on the basics of dining at Disney, I listed my choices for the most kid-friendly table service restaurants at Disney and some of our readers listed theirs in the comments. But you don't have to stick to those suggestions. Do you want to try Citricos with your kids? It's in the Grand Floridian, which is shi-shi enough all by itself. The fare is Southern European. My kids have recently proven to me that they are just not into risotto, but I sure am and I have found the food at Citricos to be very well-prepared and delicious. So can I bring the kids?!

Well, of course you can. And Disney will let pretty much anything fly. We've seen people in their shorts and flops, kids running around playing tag, chairs being rocked back and forth until they fall... you can do it all at a Disney restaurant. But we prefer to take the opportunity to teach our children how to behave in a nicer restaurant. I have these flash-forwards of my daughter on her first date when she is 25 and completely graduated from medical school (*ahem*) and she doesn't know why the waiter drops the napkin in her lap. Then, in the middle of the meal, she says, "Wait everyone! Quiet!" And then belches loudly and laughs. Nononononoooo... this is not what we do in nice restaurants.

To ensure cooperation from our offspring, we do limit the number of times per trip we take our kids to the nicest of the restaurants Disney has to offer. And we set some expectations with them. Sitting still is first and foremost, and then practicing their best manners is just after that. We also use it as a chance to dress up a bit. My daughter will wear a ball gown and tiara anywhere if given the opportunity, so she's not so tough to convince. For my reluctant son, I don't attempt anything as rash as a tie (although he'd look totally SMASHING in one), but I do go with a collared shirt. I might even add a sweater vest if he is less surly that particular evening. My husband and I dress up a bit as well. Sure, theme parks are about vacation, but by fussing a little over clothing and distancing ourselves from our theme park wear, we send a message to the kids that the evening is special and different and their little inner-adult sometimes comes out. (Sometimes... but not always).

We try to bring some small toys to entertain the kids at the table. Sure, it's not great manners to have Ironman and Wolverine fighting on the white tablecloth (hey... in my son's world, it happens). But it does tend to keep him seated at the table and helps pass the time until food arrives. Disney restaurants are also completely prepared in case your own props don't do the trick. They have crayons and coloring sheets and they will bring the kids' food before yours is ready instead of holding all food for the table. Don't be hesitant to ask for them to do this. We try to order for the kids immediately upon arrival. Then with that done, we can peruse the menu for ourselves a bit more leisurely. Their food sometimes arrives shortly after we've placed our order.

Speaking of food, get what you know your kids will eat. Don't fret that you are at a nice restaurant and all little Suzie wants is a hot dog. If it's not on the children's menu at that restaurant, ask anyway. Chances are, if it's typical kidfood, they can get it for you. That said, these are great opportunities for kids to try new things. But let them sample from your plate rather than ordering something that they may turn their nose up to. You never know what sorts of new, grand things they will enjoy, and being at Disney always seems to put my kids in a better frame of mind for branching out. My daughter tried a tomato-based soup at Marrakesh when she was three years old. She had been pretty against the "red" food group up until then. Especially the subset of "liquid." She really enjoyed it!

So brave those nicer restaurants with your kids. Just be smart about it and don't overdo it. A fancy restaurant every night will eventually wear on them. And of course, that will wear on you.

Do you have other suggestions for preparing your kids to enjoy a white-linen restaurant? Leave them in the comments! We love to hear from you.

No Reservations

In general, you can take a trip down to Disney with very little advanced planning. There are those who would argue that your experience is better with planning, and that may be true, but it CAN be done. Last-minute trips happen all the time and are quite successful. However, the main issue you will most likely run into with a last-minute or casually planned trip is dining. Specifically, I'm referring to Table Service meals where you sit down, order food from a waitperson, and leave a tip at the end of the experience. And it's worth it to experience at least one of these restaurants while you are there. Disney knows how to do food. Some restaurants are quite exquisite and even the worst of the lot are still a worthwhile experience.

Disney does not take official "reservations." What I mean is they don't hold a specific table for you at a specific time. What they do instead is take a "Priority Seating" call, where you are essentially holding your place in line for a restaurant at a given time. This process is very similar in appearance to a reservation, but you do usually have to wait 5-10 minutes between the time you check in at the podium and when you are seated. This is similar to when you call Outback at home before you leave, holding your place in line so that by the time you get there, you only have a short wait for the next available table.

The catch here is that you make your call to hold your spot 90 days in advance. And on October 27, 2009, that window becomes even larger. You will be able to call 180 days before your checkin date. If you are "math-challenged" like myself, that's about six months in advance. If you are "planning-challenged" like myself, you will find this more than frustrating. While it's true that you are not REQUIRED to call 180 days in advance, you will find that thanks to offers of free dining and other incentives through the year, you will have trouble holding a spot in line at your top restaurant choices if you do not.

The Disney slang term for these "reservations that are not reservations" is ADR -- short for Advanced Dining Reservation. (See? They even call it a "reservation" just to confuse you.) The suggested strategy to ensure you get to eat where you want is to call exactly 90 days (or 180 starting on October 27) at 7am when the phone lines open with your list ready. This means that you are expected to have thought out which parks you will be in on which days of your trip and what food you might like to ingest on those days.

If you sense that I am biased against the large time frame that reservations are open, you are right. Personally, I am more of a spur-of-the-moment traveler. But I do understand not everyone is like that and I certainly can plan ahead when called upon to do it. If you feel strongly about where you'd like to eat and (most importantly) what time, here is how to prepare:

• Plan your days in general. - Where will you be on which day and which restaurants will be closest to you? You can also reverse this... choosing your restaurants, then planning where you will be around that. You need to take park hours into consideration when you do this, especially if you like to dine late and travel in the cooler months, as the parks close earlier. We'll discuss how to map out your days in a future post, if you are at a loss as to where to begin.
• Choose your restaurants and dining times, along with second choices. - Keep your plan open. When I call, I have a general time in mind such as "We'd like to get the earliest reservation available for lunch" or "We want to eat as close to 7:30 pm as possible." And if the only lunch reservation is at 2pm, know if you are willing to take it. The younger your kids, the less flexibility you might have. But remember, there are plenty of snacks around the World, so a late lunch is doable and frees you up to visit attractions while most people are eating a meal.
• Call Disney Dining (407-WDW-DINE) at 7am exactly 90 (or 180) days before your checkin date. - There is an online reservation system now, but I don't recommend using it; especially if this is your first or second trip. Talking to a person is far more flexible and they can "poke around" to look for times better than the online system. If you wish to explore online ADRs, the website is http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/.
  
  
  Disney's online registration system - ©2009 Disney
  
  
• Remain flexible. - You can change your ADRs as time goes by, but it will be harder and harder to get exactly what you want. With Disney's frequent offers for free dining plans, more people are crowding into restaurants they normally wouldn't try, making it harder to come by exactly the time and place you want.

For those like me who really dislike planning so far in advance, TouringPlans.com has created a fabulous chart that tells you which restaurants book faster than others and which ones are likely to have priority seating available right up to when you are ready to eat. This way you can easily see that if you REALLY want to eat at Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion in Epcot (which I highly recommend doing), you want to plan that out. But maybe you can wait another month or so before mapping out the rest of your food experiences. I am hopeful they will update this chart once the 180-day window has been implemented for long enough to capture good data, but I still expect it will give you a generally accurate idea of where you need to book early even after they move to the 180-day window.

Table Service restaurants have always been a very special part of our trips to Disney. Although the ADR system can seem a bit much for a new traveler, the payoff is worth it. The ADR system has its flaws, but overall, it will help ensure you spend your time eating your meal and enjoying the restaurant rather than waiting in a lobby outside for your table. Bon appetite!

Learning To Eat: The Basics Of Disney Dining

Disney takes the art of complicating your dining experience to a level you really cannot imagine if you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants traveler. But to be fair, they also manage to cause even the most prepared planner a certain amount of stress. The key to Disney Dining as an experience is to sort of close your eyes and leap. The good news is... the food at Disney is generally good, with a few notable exceptions. The bad news is... it can be rather expensive and you may be a little frustrated with their pseudo-reservation system.

In this post, I don't wish to really inundate you with the ins and outs of making reservations and how to find deals while dining at Disney. Instead, this post is meant to provide you with some ideas of what types of meals to seek out for your family, depending on their ages and needs. In future posts, we'll look at Advanced Dining Reservations and individual dining experiences and break it down even further.

There are three types of experiences as far as food goes. The simplest way I know to see it is to break it down as "snacks," "counter service," and "table service."

Snacks - Various single-item foods you can get at stands and kiosks around the park, as well as resort gift shops and snack bars. Examples of snacks offered include popcorn, turkey legs, ice cream bars, and various pieces of fruit. These are designed to be eaten "on the go" and stands like this rarely provide seating for you.

Counter Service - These restaurants are similar to fast food restaurants. You walk up to a cashier or, in some cases, a computer screen; place your order; and pay. Then you step up to another counter to collect your food on a tray and carry it off to a table to eat. In some of my favorite counter service restaurants, there is a fixin's bar along the way to add all sorts of tasty items to your burger or chicken sandwich.

Table Service - A real table with real waitstaff and a real bill at the end. Some are casual, some are comedic, some are more formal, and some are a combination. Some have buffets, some have menus, and some even have characters come out to wave and pose in pictures with you and your loved ones.

TIP: Touring Plans (@TouringPlans) recently Tweeted a great tip I've found very useful. Based on your eating habits and those of your child, you can probably split an adult counter service meal with your child. This will save you some money and should still be satisfying. Especially if you are also partaking in several of the snacks around The World as well during the day!

You will always find kids' selections at the Counter Service and Table Service establishments, and snacks are, by nature, very kid-friendly. Items like chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and the trusty PB&J are often part of the menu, and if you are in a Table Service restaurant, they all CAN be if you just ask. Kids' meals come with drink and two "sides" which include items like grapes, apple slices, fries, carrot sticks, etc. You can double up, so if your kid is a future wine-drinker like mine and cannot possibly get enough grapes on his plate, you can ask for two sides of grapes rather than seeking out any sort of healthy, interesting variety.

So as you begin to plot your meals out and compare your hopes and desires to your budget and your length of stay, pay close attention to what your kids will be able to handle. When we went to Disney on our honeymoon, we ate nothing but sit down meals for four days. This was fine until about day four, when we thought we might actually have to roll back to our room at the Boardwalk from the restaurant in Mexico. We were so terribly miserable that we swore off eating for the rest of our stay at Disney. (And we stuck to it since we boarded the Disney Magic cruise ship the next day... which technically is no longer Disney!)

However, kids might not do as many Table Service restaurants as the adults in your party may want to. I wouldn't plan on more than one a day at the MOST. And remember, character meals count as Table Service. These meals are longer, require some patience on the part of your children, and keep you out of the parks where they quite possibly would rather be. That said, the downtime can be quite welcome and you do know your children's capabilities.


Here's a quick rundown of MY favorite Table Service restaurants in each park for kid-friendliness. This does not mean they have the best food, but they are fun for kids and therefore will be more fun for you.

Magic Kingdom - Crystal Palace (character meal with Tigger and Pooh, buffet)

Epcot - Chefs de France (casual French cafe setting where a little extra noise is hardly noticed)

Hollywood Studios - 50s Prime Time Cafe (great atmosphere and your kids might get the chance to laugh at you)

Animal Kingdom - Tusker House (character breakfast with the classic characters featuring Donald Duck. Buffet.)

So those are my favorites for Table Service with kids. What are yours and why?