Adult only restaurants

The danger of this is the over tired children. This can even well behaved children misbehave.

It also really depends on what kind of sleeping patterns your kids have. These guys are night owls to the core and god forbid you wake them before they are ready.
 
I'm curious about the lounges - are kids welcome in all of them? I think in California there are laws about kids certain kind of establishments - maybe it's just that they can't sit at the bar.

We brought our kids to Geyser Point, but I didn't feel comfortable bringing them into Territory Lounge. It was a nice adult respite, but I'm sure people do bring kids. We dined at Artist Point and Narcoossees (both before 7pm) with the kids and we felt more than welcome. The servers do a good job catering to them and keeping them happy (bringing their entrees during our salad courses and what not). We also didn't see any kids running around like wild people.

I'm curious what happened when the kids were done and the adults were still eating entrees and/or dessert but the kids had finished everything? I know on the cruise ships, they have the option to go to the kids' clubs. But in the land-based restaurants?

I'm not saying it's not a good idea...I'm just trying to figure out how feeding them a course earlier than the adults helps with keeping them occupied.
 


Try California Grill later in the evening. We have ate there many times and we are the only ones that bring our kids. I swear I haven't ever seen any other kids other than teens. Our girls (4 and 7) are very well behaved at dinner so they never cause an issue but it is open seating with a bar so it can get a little bit loud.
 
For me, misbehaving adults is more annoying than kid. But I also hate when parents start threatening spanking and yelling so those parents move into the misbehaving category for me (I am a biochemist and so I see a kid throwing a tantrum and think cortisol is flooding that kids brain right now and I watch the parents do more things to reinforce that chemical reaction instead of resolve it and refocus the brain into using the prefrontal cortex- drives me nuts). So, a kid misbehaving, I can zone out. Drunk adult, much more likely ruining my meal).
 
I'm curious what happened when the kids were done and the adults were still eating entrees and/or dessert but the kids had finished everything? I know on the cruise ships, they have the option to go to the kids' clubs. But in the land-based restaurants?

I'm not saying it's not a good idea...I'm just trying to figure out how feeding them a course earlier than the adults helps with keeping them occupied.

If my kids are fed they are willing to sit and color quietly or take part in the dinner conversation. They are 9 and 6 so are old enough to sit through a dinner. I think 4 and under is a different story.

We ate at a local fine dining establishment recently and the girls entrees came out with ours - there was a lot of “when is are food coming?” Hungry children are not happy or quiet children!
 


I'm curious what happened when the kids were done and the adults were still eating entrees and/or dessert but the kids had finished everything? I know on the cruise ships, they have the option to go to the kids' clubs. But in the land-based restaurants?

I'm not saying it's not a good idea...I'm just trying to figure out how feeding them a course earlier than the adults helps with keeping them occupied.

I have a 2 & 3 year old. I don’t specifically request their food to come out first but sometimes servers offer that and we take them up on it. It can be helpful for a few reasons:
- My kids both take their time to eat. Giving them a head start means they probably will still be nibbling when we are finishing our entrees that came later.
- Once they are fed, they are more content and interested in coloring/playing with any small table toys we have brought (action figures or little puzzles, etc.) A hungry toddler can be a cranky toddler!

At Disney, most of our ADRs are buffet or family style character experiences so it doesn’t apply to us there (immediate food and built in entertainment!) At restaurants at home, when offered, we’ll have the kids’ food come out earlier.
 
If my kids are fed they are willing to sit and color quietly or take part in the dinner conversation. They are 9 and 6 so are old enough to sit through a dinner. I think 4 and under is a different story.

We ate at a local fine dining establishment recently and the girls entrees came out with ours - there was a lot of “when is are food coming?” Hungry children are not happy or quiet children!

I have a 2 & 3 year old. I don’t specifically request their food to come out first but sometimes servers offer that and we take them up on it. It can be helpful for a few reasons:
- My kids both take their time to eat. Giving them a head start means they probably will still be nibbling when we are finishing our entrees that came later.
- Once they are fed, they are more content and interested in coloring/playing with any small table toys we have brought (action figures or little puzzles, etc.) A hungry toddler can be a cranky toddler!

At Disney, most of our ADRs are buffet or family style character experiences so it doesn’t apply to us there (immediate food and built in entertainment!) At restaurants at home, when offered, we’ll have the kids’ food come out earlier.

Very interesting. Thanks for answering.

I honestly did not know - my sister and I were raised that we all ate at the same time - and we'd talk as a family while waiting (no toys or books), so it's an example of how different families are and how times have changed.
 
Very interesting. Thanks for answering.

I honestly did not know - my sister and I were raised that we all ate at the same time - and we'd talk as a family while waiting (no toys or books), so it's an example of how different families are and how times have changed.

I'm guessing you don't have kids? Anyway, we are eating together. Just that we're eating salad or appetizers and they are eating their mains. And yes, my kids color on the menus provided! I am not the type to let them use an ipad in a restaurant but I can not judge parents who just want to make it through a meal.
 
Things may be different today, but I'd like to echo being raised in a more stricter, if that's the right word, atmosphere - not saying it was right or wrong - but the baby boomers who raised me just simply didn't do the things parents tend to do today for kids - again there is no judgement at all there either to my parents or today's but I too, ate at the same time as my parents in eateries and we didn't have toys or coloring books at tables and that was just how it was and we had to behave because my parents raised us sternly with discipline, the kind where there was the rarely used but still possible occasional spank or wack that could happen if my sis and I got really out of hand, which was seldom, because we didn't want to get punished in that way, and yes, it kept us in line and we always behaved in public for sure.

The culture today is very, very different and how kids are raised is very different, but it's not shocking at all if you were raised from prior generations in different times that it is more than possible to raise kids in different and very effective ways that work, too and that don't involve the methods that parents tend to use today.
 
Very interesting. Thanks for answering.

I honestly did not know - my sister and I were raised that we all ate at the same time - and we'd talk as a family while waiting (no toys or books), so it's an example of how different families are and how times have changed.

I am in my 30s and I used crayons and coloring pages at restaurant dining tables when I was little too. This is not a new concept. And our family still had very lively conversations together :) We do go out to eat more with our kids than my parents did when I was little, though.

My toddlers may color or have a little Elsa or Mickey action figure but they are still very much involved in the table chatter. It’s not a babysitter. They’re not allowed to do it while they’re eating. We love our meals together and they’re important to us.

Different strokes, and all that!
 
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I'm 45. When I was a kid my parents dragged me out to dinner all the time (they didn't make my older siblings babysit). These would be two hour long dinners with extended family at restaurants.

They would bring me a pile of Archie comic books and I would just sit there and read. Or try - our table was always very loud between my parents and my cousins/aunts/uncles. :rotfl:
 
My experiences==more adults at Jiko at AKL, Tiffins at AK, Monsieur Paul's at EP. Also, if you eat at the bar at the Wave at CR, they have a full menu from the restaurant--adults only there since it's totally separated from the dining rooms.
 
I think you'd have good luck eating a later dinner at Kimonos in the Swan hotel. We enjoyed it on our honeymoon :)
 
Look at this OP's history, you guys. Drive by questions.

LOL! I know, however this question intriqued me. I did not expect teh OP to return.

Very interesting. Thanks for answering.

I honestly did not know - my sister and I were raised that we all ate at the same time - and we'd talk as a family while waiting (no toys or books), so it's an example of how different families are and how times have changed.

Times have not changed. I am a Nana. We all ate every mel together. Every night. When we were blessed with our DGD, she was raised in a family that ate together every night. Fairly late I might add, becuase of the hours her Dad and my DH kept. She accompanied the family to every meal we had outside the home, however those meals were way different Thant the ones WS he enjoyed in the home. They took longer. There was way more distraction. And she was confined to a chair without having the opportunity to leave if the rest of the family hung around after the meal was completed. My DD brought her coloring books etc to keep her occupied after her attention span was long exhausted. She was still with the family, however when the conversation turned to subjects a 4 YO was not able to keep up with, she continued to use her manners, sit quietly and keep occupied.

WDW dining is an animal that is tough on children. Wait times can be crazy. Kids are off schedules that are often written in stone while at home, and they are often over stimulated, tired, and wired for sound. Parents who plan ahead to keep children occupied while they are duct taped to a chair during a meal that may have draggged on way longer than expected are often the happiest people around.
 
@old lady - If you are truly looking for an adults-only experience (since you asked about resorts as well), I honestly do not think a Disney trip is right for you.

That’s a little harsh Dug

Nothing wrong w preferring more of an adult atmosphere

I don't think that post implied that there was anything wrong with wanting adult time at all - just that the OP was unlikely to find that with any reasonable degree of certainty at Disney World.

WDW dining is an animal that is tough on children. Wait times can be crazy. Kids are off schedules that are often written in stone while at home, and they are often over stimulated, tired, and wired for sound. Parents who plan ahead to keep children occupied while they are duct taped to a chair during a meal that may have dragged on way longer than expected are often the happiest people around.

I agree. Preparation is 9/10 of success!
 
Things may be different today, but I'd like to echo being raised in a more stricter, if that's the right word, atmosphere - not saying it was right or wrong - but the baby boomers who raised me just simply didn't do the things parents tend to do today for kids - again there is no judgement at all there either to my parents or today's but I too, ate at the same time as my parents in eateries and we didn't have toys or coloring books at tables and that was just how it was and we had to behave because my parents raised us sternly with discipline, the kind where there was the rarely used but still possible occasional spank or wack that could happen if my sis and I got really out of hand, which was seldom, because we didn't want to get punished in that way, and yes, it kept us in line and we always behaved in public for sure.

The culture today is very, very different and how kids are raised is very different, but it's not shocking at all if you were raised from prior generations in different times that it is more than possible to raise kids in different and very effective ways that work, too and that don't involve the methods that parents tend to use today.
May I ask how often you dined out as a child? Or do you have kids now?

Our generation is much more out and about with our kids than previous generations, or so it seems. Where my parents (who are still fairly young at 57 and 60) didn’t take us out much so dinners at home were easier to control and dinners out were for special occasions.

Now as a parent myself I don’t want to miss out on a new place so I bring my son (5) where he is expected to behave, but we also play question games or color or take a walk around to see the restaurant. Servers regularly ask if we want his food at first and since he is usually hungry and takes forever to eat it’s a lifesaver. Hard to imagine any long term damage is done from this sort of dinner time interaction. Fingers crossed!
 
I wasn't being snarky, I was being honest. Lol
If you want kid-free, try somewhere off property/park (ie somewhere else) or expensive.
 

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