I love the Disney Dining Plan. I know that some people love it and others not so much, but for my family we really enjoy it. I am able to book meals in advance, there usually isn’t too much of a wait when checking in, and the food is DELICIOUS! The problem is (he really isn’t a problem) my 2-year-old! He is an incredibly active child, he is always on the go, he runs and doesn’t walk, sitting for 5 minutes is like sitting for 5 hours to him. We ran into our fair share of problems while waiting for our first sit down meal of our trip.
John was very impatient…he started banging on the table, trying to get out of his highchair, he wanted to run around the restaurant…all behaviors that are totally not acceptable. I am not one of those parents that let my kid run wild because I want everyone else to be able to enjoy their dining experience too! Here are a few things that my husband and I have figured out to make our sit down dining experiences a success!
- Once you are seated, look at the menu, choose who is going to order for everyone (in our case one meal I order, the next my husband orders), and take the kids and your cell phone and exit the restaurant. Allow your kids to be kids outside of the restaurant (we let our son explore, and he isn’t becoming agitated from sitting too long). Once the meal arrives, the person that is at the table calls the one that has the child, we take our son back into the restaurant and we all are able to enjoy our meal because he isn’t antsy! After we are finished it John is looking for activity, one of us again takes him outside to wait for the bill to be paid and then we are on our way to our next attraction!
- Character meals! We LOVE booking character meals. Our child is one of those kids that cry because Mickey leaves him not because Mickey approaches him! A character meal is a great way to keep your kid entertained! They love watching the other children interact with the characters, and the excitement really builds for them while they are waiting for the Characters to visit. One of our favorite character meals is at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. It is a breakfast, the food is delicious, the theming is great, and the Characters are always fun and exciting. I know that the morning is a great time for my son because he is well rested and not overwhelmed yet! Choose the time of day that works best for your child’s schedule to enjoy your sit down meals!
- Come prepared! We always have some activities with us to keep the kids entertained. We always bring his blankie, his Disney stuffed animal of choice, he loves trucks so we always have some kind of car or truck, and we have books and coloring materials on hand! If you are able to keep your kids occupied the waiting doesn’t seem too bad for them!
What are some things that you do to keep your kids occupied while waiting to eat? How do you make sure that they are a joy not only to you but to the guests around you? Share your tips, tricks, and ideas with us!
Heather is a Disney Gal, who loves the chocolate smell of pop century in the morning, dreams of being Snow White in a parade, and happily skips down the middle of Main Street USA while wearing Mickey ears!
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Taking the 9 month old in October. Going to be a challenge at meals maybe. We have gone out a lot with her already and she has always been very good. She really likes to watch what others are doing.
love the idea of having the one person order and have you come back after!
The Disney Jr. app on the iphone is a savior. My son watches an episode of Octonauts while waiting for his food to arrive.
Prepare them in advance. I make sure to tell my kids what they can expect, and what I will expect of them. I remind them beforehand that they will have to wait their turn to see characters, but that when the characters come to our table, they get to hug them, get autographs and a picture, etc.
I tell them they will have to sit and eat nicely, but may get out of their seats when characters come, etc.
I really think letting them know in advance what is expected helps cut down on a lot of restaurant chaos.
We play I spy with the kids. I start and the winner gets to start the next round. Of course, this is not for little kids, but more like preschool/kindergarten kids.