Dining with Preschoolers
- Thread starter tink0412
- Start date
Summer2018
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2017
Crystal Palace, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Chef Mickeys.
Tri-Delta4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2008
On our trip last fall, these were the favorites of our 4 & 2 year olds...
Breakfast - CRT
Lunch - Tusker House
Dinner - Chef Mickey's
Be Our Guest dinner was really the only thing that was a bust for us. It ended up being our most difficult meal because we had to move from the West Wing (too scary) and then the meal took too long and they got antsy.
Family style meals with young kids are so easy. Food comes out fast. I don't have to spend time selecting (and second guessing) kids choices. No sibling food envy (I WANT WHAT SHE HAS!)
Breakfast - CRT
Lunch - Tusker House
Dinner - Chef Mickey's
Be Our Guest dinner was really the only thing that was a bust for us. It ended up being our most difficult meal because we had to move from the West Wing (too scary) and then the meal took too long and they got antsy.
Family style meals with young kids are so easy. Food comes out fast. I don't have to spend time selecting (and second guessing) kids choices. No sibling food envy (I WANT WHAT SHE HAS!)
unrequited23
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 26, 2015
Family style over buffet every time. Make ADRs earlier than you normally eat--they sometimes run late and kids seem to get hungry (then hangry) much faster than in the real world. Bring snacks. A lower priced lunch TS meal is amazing because you don't have to carry lidless drinks through a crowded dining room trying to find an open table while wrangling your kids--did I mention lidless drinks. The Plaza, Sci-Fi, Yak & Yeti have been some successful meals with kids for us.
sponica
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2017
I'm of the opinion that when it comes to kids, the where doesn't matter, it's the when. My kids are up at the crack of dawn and are HUNGRY so we'll have snacks in the room and then most mornings we do quick service at the hotel. We do have a couple breakfasts booked, but it'll be their second breakfast.
Table service lunch around 1130 (my kindergartener has lunch at 10:40 during the school day) and then we do try to do dinner on either side of 5 PM.
We also never go anywhere without goldfish, crayons and coloring books (these are our rules when we go out to eat not at Disney)
Table service lunch around 1130 (my kindergartener has lunch at 10:40 during the school day) and then we do try to do dinner on either side of 5 PM.
We also never go anywhere without goldfish, crayons and coloring books (these are our rules when we go out to eat not at Disney)
unrequited23
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 26, 2015
It's so nice to see that it's not only my kids who are on this schedule.
nancipants
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2013
Seconding the family-style restaurants. And do try to stick to their eating schedule at home as much as possible. We are locals and pack snacks or a PBJ just in case we don't get him a proper meal, especially we go to Epcot on the weekends. He loved Garden Grill when he was 9 months old. 
He also enjoyed Trail's End (we went while it was family style) and Liberty Tree Tavern. We did Biergarten while it was still family style and I think it was too overstimulating for him. He loved the bread service at Sanaa and the brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe. I'm lucky that he eats pretty much everything, but he does get hangry and bored after awhile, so we give him Disney Plus on our spare phone to keep him quiet.
He also enjoyed Trail's End (we went while it was family style) and Liberty Tree Tavern. We did Biergarten while it was still family style and I think it was too overstimulating for him. He loved the bread service at Sanaa and the brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe. I'm lucky that he eats pretty much everything, but he does get hangry and bored after awhile, so we give him Disney Plus on our spare phone to keep him quiet.
sponica
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2017
My sister has those models of kids that sleep in and eat later, it's weird.....
TigerlilyAJ
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2011
If the kids like the Disney Jr. characters, Hollywood & Vine was delightful all three times we went for breakfast (and the one Minnie's dinner we had there). The Disney Jr. breakfast is lower key with an emphasis on families with kids as young as yours. Otherwise, second on the other places mentioned. Woody's at DHS is a bust because of the terrible seating issues (there's nowhere near enough!), which is too bad because the food is good and kid friendly.
We just buy snacks throughout the day, often splitting them (their eyes are bigger than their stomachs at WDW!), and loved our souvenir refillable popcorn container.
We just buy snacks throughout the day, often splitting them (their eyes are bigger than their stomachs at WDW!), and loved our souvenir refillable popcorn container.
Favorite places are the ones that are most convenient.
By and large - young kids have 4-hours before they simply need a change of scenery.
Strollers are your friend. But.....while we found going to a meal at the end of being in the Park was effective with our time, we then typically had a child napping on the way back to the hotel after a meal. This could mean a bit more work (because you may have to close the stroller on transportation and then carry a child).
So give timing and convenience a long-view when planning.
What worked best for us when - planning to be at any restaurant (make reservations if necessary) for the first seating (i.e., if the place opens at 5pm for dinner - take that time). If a Qwik Service place opens at 11am for lunch, be there at 11am. The reason is to minimize your waits to be seated and your wait time for food, also, the lower crowd level will help your child stay more calm after stepping inside from the Park.
Regardless, after a day in the Parks, a proper sit-down dinner was nearly impossible for a few years.
To clarify - my generally well-behaved child just needed a bit of time to decompress from having to follow all the rules in what is effectively the 'cognitive overload' of being in the Parks. She benefitted from being in more familiar surroundings in a restaurant, but it still is 'overload' for most every child. So expect the unexpected.
Therefore, the most important thing to bring with you to any meal with toddlers at Disney - a sense of humor.
Honestly, don't go out of your way, because that will be the time when the kids rebel most (it's an unwritten law of nature).
P.S. the quietest place for any meal with a child at Disney is Sci-Fi Dine-In. Even the youngest of children seemingly know that they need to stay quiet in a movie theater. Food is lousy, but our child had some of her best experiences here, because it is the calmest place to eat AND it's kid friendly.
P.P.S. - daylight meals at Sanaa includes animals on the Savannah. Also, AKLodge may have some petting opportunities if you stroll the resort. But going resort-to-resort is not always easy at Disney. Similarly, Coral Reef in Epcot gives toddlers a chance to walk up the glass and wave to the fish in the enormous aquarium.
Share this page
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
