Cynthetiq

Respite from the children and madness that is Disney World Theme Parks. I may have to put this on my list of places to visit when down in Disney World just because it is the absence of children.

I enjoy places that are children free and do enjoy upscale restaurants. There is something to be said for good food, good service, and unrushed staff and atmosphere.

One small restaurant in Salzburg Austria turned us away one evening for dinner. When we asked when we can come back for a table the reply was "Tomorrow, come earlier."

The more I go to Europe, the more I enjoy their dinner experience. It's very relaxed and enjoyable. The staff is attentive but not hovering and checking for upsells and refills.

The most amazing part of dining in this manner is that like a good movie, you shouldn't have noticed that 3 hours has passed by.

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World's King

Good for them. Kids can ruin a nice meal.


I love all Disney theme parks... And I'd love them more if there were so many kids around.

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Plan9

Whew. God, I need to go to Europe.

Nice post.

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surferlove007

I agree. Kids can totally throw off a meal when they're running about like hooligans stepping on jello in the aisles. Makes you want to throw your ankle out and trip them. Good Job to the restaurant. There are family restaurants like Chuck E Cheese and there are adult restaurants where you spend a lot of money for a nice relaxed meal without the high-chairs.

I don't hate kids, I just prefer toddler-free sections.

snowy

I am fortunate to live in a town where there are a number of restaurants who cater to people who would prefer to dine in this manner. You just have to know where to go.

One of the great things about Disney (and there are a surprising number of them, at least in my mind) is that they know that their audience isn't just kids. They cater to families--and families aren't just kids, after all. Even on their cruise ships, there are adults-only sections.

It's funny, my best friend's aunt is a Disney fanatic (I'm talking about a season ticket holder who lives in Oregon), but she doesn't like kids, so I think it's safe to say you can have a pleasant experience with the Disney franchise even as an adult who would rather avoid children.

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World's King

I go to Disneyland once a year. I'm not a child. I think it really is the Happiest Place on Earth.


I've been trying to get into Club 33 for years.

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flstf

Having a child free place in Disney World is like having an adult free place in a red light district. Although I did notice that when we were in Amsterdam there was a porno shop next to a McDonald's.

noodle

I think it's perfectly fine.
It's not in Disney. It's inside the Disney resorts, yes?
The Grand Floridian is a bit pretentious and not the most kid-friendly resort in the first place. And damn good for them. If you want to have the best experience with your kids, go to the Polynesian or one of the other resorts that caters more to the kids. Thank goodness they have one place that is more adult focused. I find absolutely nothing wrong with that. I love other people's kids, most of the time, but when I'm dining out I typically wish I had a roll of duck tape when kids are present. Time and place. Congrats to Disney.

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shesus

My question is: Why would you want to take a kid to a restaurant like that in the first place? The menu alone should keep parents with small children away. I don't think I'd spend $125 on a meal for me, let alone a child.

Before JJ and I left Chicago, we went to a semi-formal restaurant. I had a family sitting at the table behind me. I was amazed that they would actually spend $30+ on a meal for their 2 kids, who was under 10. During our meal, their son accidentally spilled his drink on me. The parents apologized profusely and the child was clearly upset. How traumatic for him.

Why not take kids to fun restaurants and let them be kids? They'll have all the time in the world to learn how to behave in stuffy, upscale places.

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World's King

Shesus, it's the same reason people spend ungodly amounts of money on clothes for children that they are gonna grow out of in three months or destroy in three days.


Rich parents like to show off just how much money (and lack of self-control) they have.

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analog

Thank God. Good for them.

Redlemon

Disney has on-site babysitting services as well, so the child-free restaurant is even available to parents.

And Cynthetiq, I went to a 3-hour restaurant in Vermont a bit north of Woodstock. They took reservations in 15 minute intervals, but each table was only booked once for each night. Very relaxing, wonderful meal.

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filtherton

If it's anything like my experience at disneyworld, it involves an hour and a half wait for a either a really good 3.5 minute meal or a really boring 15 minute meal.

Ustwo

After having been to Disney with my wife a year before our first child I just have to ask....

Why the HELL would you go to Disney if you didn't have kids? As a kid, the park is awsomely awsome and stuffed with awsome with awsome sauce. As an adult the park is greatly overpriced with long lines and limited entertainment. We were sitting at one point in view of the haunted house line which is like 6 people wide and 400 people deep. Its 90 degrees and humid. I turned to my wife and said 'seeing this I have a lot more respect for parents now than I did when I was a kid here'. We were just bored out of our mind.

Now EPCOT has some nicer stuff for adults but basically you are paying something like 70 bucks just to get in (not including parking) for the privilege of eating at a ok overpriced restaurant and shopping for higher end type tourist stuff. Kid problems are far less of an issue here.

Now I don't have an issue with Disney doing this, based on how some raise their children I think its a good idea, but if you are going to spend that kind of money on a vacation without kids, for the love of god anywhere but Disney.

When I was a kid my parents took us to Europe. They were constantly told what well behaved children they had and how polite we were. The reason being that my parents would take us out to dinner, even some stuffy places from an early age and we learned how to behave properly in public.

Undoubtedly the Europeans were so used to the American standard of out of control children that children who could sit in a chair for an hour and say 'thank you' must have been a shock.

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PonyPotato

Well, if you're a kid at heart like me, deciding to go to Disney as an adult is kind of a no-brainer (especially when you went once when you were 7, don't remember it, and the person you want to go with has NEVER gone). I went last winter with an ex, and we were 21 & 22 at the time.. had one of the best times of my life. Staying in a resort made it pretty stress-free and relaxing (I guess more of an "adult" vacation), but I'm seriously a child inside.. I love all the rides, all of the interactive activities, people watching.. I really enjoy the fact that Disney rides are designed around education. I learned something new on nearly every ride or activity, and I think that's important.

Maybe I'm just a big, childish nerd, but I had a great time. Magic Kingdom was my least favorite of the parks (geared obviously to the littlest kids) but I still managed to not get bored there for something like 9 hours. MGM was a lot of fun (I went the week before Christmas and they had an awesome light show), but I also loved the safari at Animal Kingdom and most of the "space-y and science-y" rides at Epcot. Epcot also had an amazing light/fireworks show at the end of the night that was great. My friend Scrub works at Disney on and off (he's required to put in 30 hours a year to keep his status as an employee), so he took us to do miniature golf and to find some of the other activities at Disney that a lot of people miss because they're not geared or advertised toward kids.

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Ustwo

Well 21 is a bit different 33 when I went with my wife but you do have a good point. I was thinking more of the 'traditional' magic kingdom side of Disney, where I got bored after about 30 minutes, my wife made it about 2 hours before she did. We had a much better time at Sea world.

Cost wise though, I still don't think its worth the money, we spent more there in 3 days than we did in Hawaii for a week, and that was staying at the 'value' resort which is sort of like the official Disney motel 6.

I'll add that I hate lines more than just about anything, so perhaps my personal bias is the issue.

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shesus

I've never been to Disney and don't have a desire to go to Disney. My parents have been to Disney twice in the past few years. They love it. They go to shows and ride some rides. Although they do feel a bit out of place without a child. So, they want a grandkid for the next time they go.

UsTwo, I completely agree with kids learning how to sit and behave in a restaurant. However, a 3 hour meal is asking a lot out of them. Especially when Mickey Mouse and the gang are right outside the door.

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Ustwo

Heh, ok thats true.

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StanT

This is actually one of the things I disliked about Europe. A three hour meal for a special occasion is fine, but as an every day thing it gets a bit much. Probably just a North American cultural thing, but I generally wanted to get up, leave, and get on with my evening about half way through.

Disneyworld seems a peculiar place to do this, but what do I care?

TotalMILF

Having a toddler, I know what a pain in the ass they can be (to myself and to others) and I would NEVER consider taking my son to a restaurant like that. I'm floored that people would even consider taking their young children to a five-diamond, 7-course-meal, $235-a-head restaurant in the first place. It's just plain rude (and you know the kids don't even want to be there, anyway).

Good for Disney!

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genuinegirly

For most in Europe, eating out isn't an every-day thing. It's an occasional special treat with friends and/or family.

I have found that even well-behaved children are unbearable to sit near. Some restaurants, you expect to find them. So you avoid them when you expect a quiet meal.

I can only imagine how frustrated someone could have become, spending $150 on a meal, only to be harassed by the child at the table beside. 10 is a good age to set the limit.

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Seer666

In a place full of screaming brats, it's good they gave people some place to get away from them

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Redlemon

You went at the wrong time. We just went in October. No more than 10 minute wait on any of the rides or events that we chose (of course, we were with a 5 year old, so no Haunted Mansion or Space Mountain). And there was only one really hot day out of the 5 that we were there.

Plan ahead.

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Ustwo

Sounds more like a personal issue than a child issue.

Sometimes you gotta go when you can go, not when its best to go.

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Crack

As someone who has never been to a Disney park, I can't speak from experience. But I can see where people would want a respite from children.

On to the next order of business, banning old people, dwarfs, fat people and Sweedes!

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Daniel_

This is one of those cultural things.

I take my child to "decent" restaurants several times a month (she's 7). We generally run to about £35 ($70) per head for normal 3 course meal (our local itallian place), but I've spent over £100 a head for one of the best local restaurants (5* place).

My daughter is welcome in all of them, and we've never been turned away.

She's learned how to be polite in a restaurant (first went into one aged 2 days).

In my travels all over the world, North American kids have been the worst behaved in restaurants - shouting, attention whoring, insisting on refills and so on.

American waiting staff have been the worst I've experienced too - pushy, rude, argumentative, and automatically expecting a tip. I tip if I get good service, that is polite and not pushy. I have NEVER had decent service in a US restaurant unless it was a mom & pop place.

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xepherys

I was worried while reading the article that this was going to be a "How Could They Be So Mean?" post! Bravo to them and hats off to my fellow TFPers for seeing the good in this.

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Merlocke

I've been there - took my wife there for our last anniversary. I didn't see any signs of "no children" but I'd hope that the price tag prevents people with misbehaving children from showing up. I specifically pay for uppity restaurants to spend some quiet time with my wife while we enjoy a classy meal.

Besides, when I was a kid - I didn't ask for pan-seared foie gras... I just wanted a friggin burger and fries, and to go play in the play area!

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filtherton

I don't know if it's a testament to the parenting skills of my fellow minnesotans (judging from other things it isn't), but i've never had a meal ruined by children. Even when they are unruly, it doesn't "ruin" anything, or necessarily detract from my meal.

Methinks this whole "childbanning" thing could be avoided if the restaurant were to ban the self righteously sensitive instead. Then again, children are less willing to pay for food, so there's that.

ItWasMe

Ah! A nice relaxing dinner alone after a hectic day with enthusiastic kids. I might prefer to spend it on room service in the hotel room, though. That is, if I can get one with a hot tub in the room and eat my dinner while sitting in it. (pssst you get the kids and a grandparent a room across the hall)

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Willravel

"Man, I'm in the mood for a AAA 5 star meal without the kids."
"You know where we should go? Disney World. That's not a place where children belong! Nope, nothing but a good old adult time for all at Disney World."

Morons.

Redlemon

Wow. Way to miss the concept.

The restaurant has been there and successful for 20 years. Rarely, someone brings kids. There were probably some complaints about kids. Disney decides to make it no kids under 10.

The other 99.95% of Walt Disney World is still available for the kids. I doubt that people are going to WDW just to go to the restaurant. This is just another way to retain people within the grounds.

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Willravel

The concept is having an adult only restaurant in a child's theme park. It's a dumb concept.

Orlando has plenty of fine dining. Disney World is not an adult attraction.

Redlemon

The restaurant is not in the theme park. It's in a hotel.

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Willravel

Oh. I was thrown off by the title: Disney World bans young kids from fanciest restaurant. A better title would have been: Disney World bans young kids from fanciest hotel restaurant

I've not been to Disney World since I was a young boy, and wasn't aware that Victoria and Alberts wasn't in the theme park.

New response: who cares?

Cynthetiq

Actually it is still on the Disney property.

As far as adult interaction, Walt Disney Co. disagrees with you will, Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney cater to the adult demographic of their visitors.

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ItWasMe

I've never been to Disney World or Disneyland. *sighs* someday...

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Ustwo

We went to pleasure island, complete misnomer

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Willravel

But kids are allowed. That's the point I was trying to make. If you go to Disney World without kids, you're sad. A nice hotel near other great locations? Go for it.

Cynthetiq

Beg to differ on the sad point since the wife and I enjoy theme parks and roller coasters and have no children. I especially enjoy going to Disney theme parks. Our last trip to Disneyland California and California Adventure involved no children for us.

I look forward to going to Hong Kong Disneyland one of these days and will probably not have any children with us on that trip either.

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