Dining with a Toddler at Disney World
As you can likely tell from a lot of my previous blog posts, we have been to Disney World quite a bit. I have been an Annual Passholder for two years, and I hope to be one again once we feel comfortable enough to travel back to Orlando. Over the last four years, we have been taking Melody to Disney and still eating at nice sit down restaurants at Disney World. We also do quick service, but we have made sure we still continue to eat at our favorite places even though we have a baby or toddler in tow. Today I wanted to share how we handle this and some advice I have.
1. If you have a sleeping baby or toddler in a stroller, ask nicely if you can bring said stroller inside of the restaurant. Strollers are typically not permitted inside of any restaurant. However, if you have a sleeping baby, it cannot hurt to ask if you can bring the stroller inside until your baby wakes up. Be prepared for them to say no, but if you are really nice about it, they likely will let you bring it in especially if they are not busy or there seems to be plenty of room. You will find that some places this is difficult to do. For instance at Chefs de France, the tables are already crammed together. So bringing a stroller inside likely won’t happen. But we have succeeded a few times. Often we do this at quick service restaurants or hotel food courts, however. I don’t think we have ever encountered a need for this at a table service restaurants (see #2 as to why).
2. When making reservations at table service restaurants, try to get a time where you know your child will want to eat and be awake. One, this solves the sleeping baby dilemma, but it also is likely your child will want to actually eat while you are there vs. wanting to leave and go play or ride rides. If this isn’t possible, try and at least make it during a time your child may want a snack. And if it still isn’t possible, read #3…
3. Bring entertainment. We are not above an iPad or a favorite toy to occupy our toddler while dining at Disney. This goes for quick and table service restaurants. Sure, you might catch someone judging your parenting ways of resorting to technology, but if your kid is quiet, do you really care? Disney offers free wifi throughout the parks, and if you bring an external batter charger, this provides you even more time to entertain your child while trying to enjoy that pizza and glass of wine. You might even get lucky to be seated near an outlet, so be sure to bring your charging cables! And if you bring a favorite toy (or any toy), don’t forget it when leaving the restaurant!
4. And IF you forget said entertainment, ask the server if they have any crayons and a kids menu. We were not always given these everywhere we went. That is primarily because we don’t always order a meal for our child (see #5), but if you ask, they likely have some to give you. However, today during the COVID-19 times, I recommend bringing your own. We stock up with the play packs from Target that are only $1. We pack two a day knowing we can throw them away after each meal.
5. If you have a picky eater, don’t be afraid to bring your own food for your child. Melody is exceptionally particular about her food. For lunch and dinner she only wants some form of peanut butter. When she was a young toddler she did eat a larger variety of foods, but she would just eat off of our plates then since she did not eat enough to justify a kids meal. And before you judge about sharing meals with my toddler, they don’t offer a meal plan for kids until they are 3. So I don’t feel at all guilty about sharing my meals with my 2 year old! We typically pack each of her meals to take with us regardless of if we are eating quick or table service. Most places will provide you with a plate for your child and the food you bring for them if you ask. At hotel food courts, you can actually find plates near the microwaves and drink stands. And if you don’t want to ask, just sit it on a napkin or bring disposable place mats. We have even brought in food from a quick service restaurant to a table service restaurant for Melody. For instance, she will eat French Fries, but some table service restaurants do not serve them (thing Chinese, Japanese, etc.). So we bring them with us. I have never had anyone complain or say anything to us. She is eating, she is quiet. And Disney is still getting plenty of my money…see #6.
6. Order dessert for your child if you feel guilty. We don’t order because we feel guilty we are bringing our own food for her. We order because we don’t want to share our dessert, ha! Most restaurants have some form of vanilla ice cream, so we always order her a scoop. It may not be cheap, but it makes her happy.
7. Most table service places will provide your child with a free drink even if you don’t order them food. Melody loves milk and ice water. So we typically order both. Water is always free, but milk is usually free. You will have to pay at quick service places, but we rarely have had to pay at table service. The only place I can recall being charged is Chefs de France. And that was for a refill.
8. Don’t be afraid to order yourself the kids meal! I found that at hotel food courts, the kids meals are plenty for Melody and I to split. For instance, she loves green apples, and it usually comes with an entree, two sides, and a drink. So if we are at our hotel, I get that and eat the entree and one side. She gets the apples and milk. Then I use my refillable cup for my drink. Most quick service places won’t bat an eye if you order a kids meal. I have never ordered one at a table service place just because I love the adult options, but I have even heard this to be true there too.
9. Be prepared for your kids to freak out during a character meal! Melody’s very first trip to Disney she was not afraid of the characters at all. She didn’t giggle or get super excited, but we could easily eat with them and she would be ok. Her first visit you can see Dale playing with her at our breakfast at Garden Grill. That was such an easy trip. We visited just 9 months later, and she has had a fear of costume characters ever since. The only meal we now do that is character dining is Garden Grill. It is our absolute favorite can’t miss meal, and we can easily see characters coming and can hide her.
10. Most of the tips above can be used in a lot of instances at Disney World. We did a DVC tour, and we applied a lot of the scenarios above to that visit. Even in room dining we try to keep her entertained and well behaved!
And even if your child cries and throws a fit at a nice meal, you are at Disney World. People may look and even get frustrated, but you are paying for your meals too. When Melody has gotten too upset, we have had one of us walk outside with her until she calmed down, but that is rare. Usually if we are prepared with all of the above, we can calm her down before the panic sets in!
