Disney Bans Kids from Victoria & ALberts

[mhead]

I agree 100%. I am also a teacher, but sometimes all I want is to be anywhere that children aren't. I have been to V&A once and of course there was a 7 year old there. She was fairly well behaved, but she got loud and disruptive a few times. Her father thankfully took her outside those times though.

I think this is a good move on Disney's part. After all, people who dine at V&A are spending massive amounts of money on a dinner. They should be able to enjoy their meal in peace and quiet. Honestly, I am surprised they only raised the age to 10. I would have thought they would have gone for 16 as the age minimum.

I am on the fence about CA Grill. It is a very nice place of course and they offer a children's menu. However, even the things on the kids menu require a child with fairly sophisticated tastes to really be enjoyed. I wouldn't be surprised if they are the next restaurant to get a ban on young children.

As for certain PI clubs, I think children have absolutely no business in either of those places. Nightclubs are nightclubs. Alcohol is served in great quantity throughout PI and its just a stupid policy that children are allowed in certain places. :brick:

Well - I am a school principal and also like to get a way from kids - HOWEVER we are talking about Walt Disney World - and I don't necessaril;y think this is an appropriate move as it is a place for families and if a family so decides they want to eat at any spot on property they should be allowed to if they are willing to spend the money. There are way too many of us here that have forgotten that WDW does not exist for our own personal benefit - but for the enjoyment of families and as Walt said when creating DL " a place where the children and the parents can have fun together."

Of course none this will affect me as I have no desire to eat at V&A with or without my children. Also ate at Cali Grill once and thought it was the worst meal I have ever had on property.

 

[Kristamouse]

When we make our ADR's I always ask the CM if they would take thier 2 and 3 year old to eat at whatever place I am trying to book. I totally respect that there is a place for kids and a place for adults and my kids will not be eating at V&A's until they can pay for thier food! I was even hesistant on booking Tony's Town Square, we did eat there and it was good and my kids were great! Right as we sat down I assured a very lovely couple next to us that at the first hint of a problem I would remove the kids from the area. The couple was so sweet and told us when we left that watching my son eat P'sekette, all buy himslef was a treat for them.
I am gald to see that most parents here are on the same page with our kids and have no problems with the new policy. I am looking forward to V&A I hope to make it there in Sept!

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

Here's to hoping that the California Grill will be next. I'm a teacher, I adore kids. Its just really nice to get a break from them and have a quiet adults only dinner.

I am okay with the ban. I'm a teacher, too. This allows me to see the best and worst of kid behavior. I'd take some kids to meet the Queen of England and never worry once about manners. Others...I'd be wary of letting them meet my dog as they would corrupt its good manners. I understand the ban. I don't have a problem with it at all. I think V&A would bore a lot of kids.
My DH and I had a horrible experience with unruly kids once at Le Cellier. These two boys (probably about 3 and 5) were with both of their parents. They threw food. (Some of it landed on us.) They stomped food and crayons into the carpet. They screamed, cried, yelled, and sassed. They talked to their mother horribly. I was ashamed for her. Their father sat there and stuffed his face doing NOTHING to help mom. When they left, it took several wait staff to clean up their table. The server breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the funniest thing happened. This woman DH and I had never seen in our lives came over to our table, leaned down, and whispered "Don't let that keep you from having kids. Not all kids act like that." Too funny. However, it was quite annoying because Le Cellier is not cheap. I expect some noise in a WDW restaurant, but that was too much. If that had been V&A rather than Le Cellier, I would have been seriously ticked.:fork:
Kids don't bother me. Rude behavior and poor parenting do. I see the effects of it on our world everyday.

 

[gelan]

Here's to hoping that the California Grill will be next. I'm a teacher, I adore kids. Its just really nice to get a break from them and have a quiet adults only dinner.

And then Crystal Palace. Kids make the place so noisy and they are always hogging all the characters.

 

[Eeyore]

And then Crystal Palace. Kids make the place so noisy and they are always hogging all the characters.

I would never suggest that any of the in park restaurants ban kids. Just one or two of the resort table service would be nice to give the adults the option of having a kid free dinner. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me. :shrug: There are hundreds of kid/family friendly options.

 

[Victoria]

Well - I am a school principal and also like to get a way from kids - HOWEVER we are talking about Walt Disney World - and I don't necessaril;y think this is an appropriate move as it is a place for families and if a family so decides they want to eat at any spot on property they should be allowed to if they are willing to spend the money. There are way too many of us here that have forgotten that WDW does not exist for our own personal benefit - but for the enjoyment of families and as Walt said when creating DL " a place where the children and the parents can have fun together."

Of course none this will affect me as I have no desire to eat at V&A with or without my children. Also ate at Cali Grill once and thought it was the worst meal I have ever had on property.

I am well aware of Walt's desire to have a place that everyone can enjoy together. However, adults can enjoy a trip to WDW without children as much as a family of 5 can. I don't think it is too much to ask for a handful of places that are oriented to adults anyways to be kept child-free.

For what it is worth, I don't think Walt would like the idea of adults-only travel parties feeling left out because everything catered ONLY to children either. :shrug:

As for Disney not existing for my own personal benefit, I respectfully disagree. I spend my hard earned cash to go there. I expect to get certain things from a trip there. I want relaxation, amusement, and exciting experiences from a vacation in Disney. If I wasn't looking to benefit from anything that Disney has to offer, I would just send them a check for $2000 every year and never step foot on Property.

 

[Vernonpush]

Well - I am a school principal and also like to get a way from kids - HOWEVER we are talking about Walt Disney World - and I don't necessaril;y think this is an appropriate move as it is a place for families and if a family so decides they want to eat at any spot on property they should be allowed to if they are willing to spend the money. There are way too many of us here that have forgotten that WDW does not exist for our own personal benefit - but for the enjoyment of families and as Walt said when creating DL " a place where the children and the parents can have fun together."
Of course none this will affect me as I have no desire to eat at V&A with or without my children. Also ate at Cali Grill once and thought it was the worst meal I have ever had on property.

Are children allowed in Club 33 in DL? I don't think they are.:shrug:

 

[DisneyWood]

wow

Since when are children not welcome at a certain place in WDW. That is a complete joke. I think they are setting a dangerous precedent here.

I have never had any interest dining @ V&A anyways, but I can assure you that I will never go there now. Children can be absolutely disruptive, but can also be a joy to watch. I am a father of 4, and wouldn't even consider going to tihs place, just b/c it would be stressful. If you don't want to be around children, go to the spa, golf or something.

I am sure that V&A had a lot of complaints, resulting to them banning children from the restaurant.

I just find it disturbing that they would resort to this type of action due to pressure, even though it doesn't effect me one way or the other.

 

[TwoTigersMom]

Since when are children not welcome at a certain place in WDW. That is a complete joke. I think they are setting a dangerous precedent here.

I have never had any interest dining @ V&A anyways, but I can assure you that I will never go there now. Children can be absolutely disruptive, but can also be a joy to watch. I am a father of 4, and wouldn't even consider going to tihs place, just b/c it would be stressful. If you don't want to be around children, go to the spa, golf or something.

I am sure that V&A had a lot of complaints, resulting to them banning children from the restaurant.

I just find it disturbing that they would resort to this type of action due to pressure, even though it doesn't effect me one way or the other.

Can't go there, I take my 6 year old with me to play. :lol: Actually, the last time we went, we played Magnolia and I noticed quite a few kids on the course. Some played rather well.

 

[GenerationX]

I have kids, and I completely agree with this policy. There are places in the world (and the World) that are geared towards adults. V&A and PI are two of them.

 

[tigsmom]

Since when are children not welcome at a certain place in WDW. That is a complete joke. I think they are setting a dangerous precedent here.

I have never had any interest dining @ V&A anyways, but I can assure you that I will never go there now. Children can be absolutely disruptive, but can also be a joy to watch. I am a father of 4, and wouldn't even consider going to tihs place, just b/c it would be stressful. If you don't want to be around children, go to the spa, golf or something.

I am sure that V&A had a lot of complaints, resulting to them banning children from the restaurant.

I just find it disturbing that they would resort to this type of action due to pressure, even though it doesn't effect me one way or the other.

I'm a parent and I disagree with you totally. Why shouldn't adults be afforded a nice quiet meal every now & then if they choose?
I haven't eaten at V&A and probably never will because it doesn't appeal to me, but that just my taste. There are clubs at PI that children are not welcome in either or has everyone forgotten that? What about the bars onsite? Just because WDW is a family vacation destination it doesn't mean that everything should be open to all ages. Families are made up of many age groups and some have no kids at all.

If there were only 2 or 3 restaurants in WDW then I would say people have something to complain about, but one restaurant out of hundreds does not a dangerous precedent make. It was never geared towards children in the first place ...the food is not your typical fare and there is no children's menu and the prices are not what most of us would call family friendly.

I really don't see this spreading to other restaurants, but I really wouldn't complain if Disney made some "family dining hours" in some of the more up scale restaurants and left the later hours for those 16 and up.

 

[mousermerf]

I would never suggest that any of the in park restaurants ban kids. Just one or two of the resort table service would be nice to give the adults the option of having a kid free dinner. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me. :shrug: There are hundreds of kid/family friendly options.

I would generally say the same thing, but with the exception of the second floor restaurant in France, which would I could understand having a similar 10 and up rule - not a total ban.

 

[happymom52003]

Since when are children not welcome at a certain place in WDW. That is a complete joke. I think they are setting a dangerous precedent here.

I have never had any interest dining @ V&A anyways, but I can assure you that I will never go there now. Children can be absolutely disruptive, but can also be a joy to watch. I am a father of 4, and wouldn't even consider going to tihs place, just b/c it would be stressful. If you don't want to be around children, go to the spa, golf or something.

I am sure that V&A had a lot of complaints, resulting to them banning children from the restaurant.

I just find it disturbing that they would resort to this type of action due to pressure, even though it doesn't effect me one way or the other.

I think some of you are blowing this way out or proportion (or making a mountain out of a mole hill as my grandmother used to say!). We are talking about ONE restaurant out of....how many??? I dont know the exact number they have on property, but I know the number is pretty high. I'm surprised they have not done more of this....alot of other family friendly places we have vacationed at other than WDW have policies like this in place for certain restaurants, and even have adult only pools.
And I ask you.....should WDW take away the activities that are for "kids only" (like the pirate cruises and the Wonderland tea party) since families can't participate in those together? While families with children make up the majority of visitors, there is still a good percentage of guests who do not have kids. What about the honeymooners? I think it is only fair to these guests that they have at least one restaurant that is kid free. It is not like Disney is taking away a character meal or another family friendly place. V&A is not family friendly. It just isn't.

 

[mousermerf]

A quick "list-o-restaurants" i wouldn't be surprised nor think it bad if they switched to this rule:

Jiko
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Upstairs France

And places I think should have the rule for like after 9 or 10pm:

Narcossees
Citricos
California Grill

 

[Enderikari]

A quick "list-o-restaurants" i wouldn't be surprised nor think it bad if they switched to this rule:

Jiko
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Upstairs France

And places I think should have the rule for like after 9 or 10pm:

Narcossees
Citricos
California Grill

I agree with this list, and would add Todd English's Bluezoo(first list), and Artist's Point(second list)

 

[Captain Hank]

Since when are children not welcome at a certain place in WDW. That is a complete joke. I think they are setting a dangerous precedent here.

I have never had any interest dining @ V&A anyways, but I can assure you that I will never go there now. Children can be absolutely disruptive, but can also be a joy to watch. I am a father of 4, and wouldn't even consider going to tihs place, just b/c it would be stressful. If you don't want to be around children, go to the spa, golf or something.

I am sure that V&A had a lot of complaints, resulting to them banning children from the restaurant.

I just find it disturbing that they would resort to this type of action due to pressure, even though it doesn't effect me one way or the other.

Keep in mind that Victoria and Albert's, more than any other restaraunt on property, has been geared towards adults. A meal there costs, minimum, $125, with wine pairings costing $60/person. There is no children's menu. While I would love to try just about anything on the menu there today, when I was younger (say, under 10 years old), I would have turned my nose up at nearly all of the offerings.

Victoria and Albert's is not a typical Disney restaraunt, and caters primarily to affluent adult Guests who are traveling without children (i.e., those who are visiting WDW for the spas and golfing, along with the theme parks) or those traveling with children who have made other arrangements for them for the evening. While I'm sure that there will be a few guest situations regarding the new policy, I don't expect very many problems will arise. Also, due to the unique nature of Victoria and Albert's, I don't necessarily see the 10 and over policy being extended to any other restaraunts on property.

 

[wedway71]

Hell when I was 10 and under thats the last freakin place I would wanna be anyways. Give me chicken nuggets and frys and I was GOOOOOD to go.

I have 2 kids myself but would not take them. This was and has always been for adult dining. They used to make u wear a jacket( maybe still do).

Even as a parent I have no problem with this at all.

 

[dox]

I really have no issue with this whatsoever. Although if I was at WDW I seriously doubt I would go off to dinner without my kids. And I know my parents never did that to us as kids during all our family trips to WDW stretching back to 73. I see nothing wrong with what amounts to one sole restaurant in all of the World instituting this policy. Additionally, lets not forget that V&A, as well as several other higher end WDW hotel restaurants, also cater to central florida residents. On several of my visits to Cali Grill I sat next to couples or groups without kids from Central Florida or just people out of town on business.
Unfortunately, I think this whole thing has to do with alot of parents today lacking good judgment and having someone have to come in and do it for them. V&A is clearly not a restaurant suitable for kids under the age of 10. One would think not having a children's menu would be enough of a signal but I guess not for many. Why would you even consider taking a kid under the age of 10 to a $125 a plate dinner?? But nowadays I notice far too many parents taking their kids to places not b.c. they want a family dinner or outing together but because the parents selfishly want to have their cake and eat it too. BEST example of this for me recently (although non restaurant related) were two young parents with their 3 year old at a screening of Sweeney Todd.
WDW since 1971 has always offered experiences geared towards adults and this is not inconsistent. I still remember the fancy restaurant at the Empress Lily in the 70s and the Top of the World supper club in the 70s/early 80s.

 

[jstainfield]

I agree California Grill should be next, I was there 12/23 it was around 9:30 and this family was being seated next to us and they were carrying their sleeping toddlers, which were not happy when they were woken up. I like little kids, but what were those parents thinking.

 

[mhead]

Are children allowed in Club 33 in DL? I don't think they are.:shrug:

Could be - don't really know as it is a PRIVATE CLUB! If wants to create a private club that has a membership fee and such and then implement such rules so be it.

Comparing apples and oranges here.