Can I just vent about something? V&As new kid ban...

[StephM]

Okay, apparently someone at Disney realized that even at $150 a pop and no kid's menu, some nuts were still taking toddlers to V&As for dinner. So they banned kids under 10. Count me among the first to stand and applaud.

Of course, over on certain boards, there are a few whining about it (Disney is for kids, how can you ban them?)

I mentioned in a post that I thought it might be nice for Disney to institute this same restriction on a restaurant that did not have a $300 tab for 2 at the end of the meal. Maybe 1 or 2 of the signature restaurants.

One lady's 9 yr old is a foodie. Now that I understand, but it would not kill him to wait 1 year to eat there. DD15 is a foodie, but she won't be able to eat at Palo for 3 years. She is getting through it without needing therapy.

But someone else said they eat at a signature every night and if Disney made them over 10 only, they would have to leave their toddler in the room and that is "Not a family vacation."

Listen...we are foodies. We have 4 kids, 2 under 5. You know what we do? WE FOREGO SIGNATURE RESTAURANTS when the kids are with us. Don't want to leave your 3 yr old in the room? Don't eat at the 10 and up restaurant, then. Good lord. Would it kill ya to skip a signature meal to spend time with your kid? I can hear the response in my head "but it is MY vacation too!" Yeah and it is also the vacation of the couples in California Grill who paid for sitters or don't even have kids. My 3 year old would rather gouge out his own eyes than sit through a meal there or Jiko or whatever.

If this offends anyone, sorry, but it just irks me. People bring their kids to everything. Reminds me of Liar Liar. "You brought your kids to your divorce??"

[darph nader]

Never heard of V&As.

[StephM]

Sorry, I keep forgetting about all the West Coasters on here. Please don't beat me. :D:

Victoria and Albert's is the fancy schmancy 5 diamond restaurant at the Grand Floridian in WDW.

[darph nader]

Thanks. Sounds pretty snooty. For that kind of $$,I wouldn't want to listen to some munchkin crying or sniveling the whole time.
(don't get me wrong,I loves kids)

[Kwahati]

I'm with you Steph. I'm originally from California, trained as a Sous Chef to a very well known Italian chef who's lived (and owned restaurants) in California for decades, and I guess I'm a "foodie," although I hate the term as it's overly broad. My distant family has owned wine vineyards since long before America was located by anybody (except those people who lived here before us...) and I actually have formal training in the culinary arts and have had the pleasure of cooking along side some of the greats at food & wine festivals and shows on the west coast. I feel that goes way beyond any term you could also apply to a 9 year old.

My roommates and I shell out big bucks to eat at V&A every time we're in Florida and we've also done lots of the other signature spots. Honestly, most of them don't feel worth the money when there's a screaming brat at the next table over. I was assured that California Grill was one of the greatest experiences at WDW and I was appalled, upon arrival, at the noise level. I'll be able to enjoy it next time simply as a bar, but I cannot fathom paying those prices to 'enjoy' five courses in an upscale Chuck-E-Cheese. Thank God they're giving us a refuge and backing it up with an iron-clad gaurantee. Actually, how iron-clad can that be? It's not like they'll be carding the kids... If the family had any class at all, they could simply smile and say "Yes, we know children under 10 aren't allowed, little Timmy just turned 10 last week." That's the problem with the Nuveau-Riche, they have not had time to develop the class required in the places their money can get them into.

Tell me where this board is that's complaining and I'll happily sign up just for the joy of telling the frickin' Clampetts to get their low-life, white-trash butts back to Wal-Mart and McDonalds where they belong. :D: (Hey, maybe while they're at Wal-lyWorld, they can find a nice book about food with some French and Italian words in it so they won't butcher the pronunciation of everything on a respectable menu!) :twisted:

Edited to add: Oh yeah, I'm a snob. I think everyone here knew that already. If you didn't, I'm sorry this comes as such a shock.

[vixen101485]

Besides being above my budget, I still have no desire to eat there. If someday down the line I feel like eating there and happen to have my underage DD along on the trip...ooopss oh well, guess I will have to hire a fairy godmother cause I am sorry and I agree with Disney's decision, that place is NOT for children.
They have to alllow some adult only things, after all the kids have some things just for them that the adults are not allowed to attend. Only fair.

[Princess Susi]

Glad to hear Disney grew a pair and is standing up this time. There needs to more restaurants for adults only. Kids do NOT need to go everywhere in Disney and I agree with Vixen, there are lots of *Kids Only* places, how bout giving us big kids a couple places to call our own. We had resses to eat at California Grill on our last trip and cancelled them when we saw the elevators full of familys with tiny ones going up and had room service instead. The Contemporary Room Service offered a pretty palatable Filet and I was overjoyed with the quiet in the room. I don't hate kids, I just cannot stand the mentality of some parents at Disney's restaurants who let their kids run wild and make noise and go up to stranger's tables and watch them eat and it drives me crazy.

My parents would have hauled our asses out of the place and reddened our butts, if we acted like some of the entitled little brats we see at the Parks. NOT all of them. Some kids are great, and often have more sense than their redneck parents.

YAY! Go Disney! Make more restaurants like this. Besides, 10 years old is still a young kid!
Sues :p:

[Ms. Matterhorn]

My family and I were eating at a family restaurant at WDW many years ago. There was a two year old crying his head off at another table and his parents were ignoring him. He was sobbing so hard, I said to my husband, "That kid is going to throw up!" Sure enough...

My point is, people who spend the big bucks to eat in a nice adult-type restaurant shouldn't have to listen to crying kids.

Most kids hate the fancy restaurants anyway.

[StephM]

Edited to add: Oh yeah, I'm a snob. I think everyone here knew that already. If you didn't, I'm sorry this comes as such a shock.

:D: I don't think you are a snob. You are a reasonable human, as far as I am concerned. I don't know if I was raised differently or what, but my parents never would have taken me to upscale restaurants like V&As when I was small.

And restaurants like California Grill, Artist's Point, Jiko to me are maybe not all the way gourmet/upscale, but they seem to be aimed at couples, adults, not 3 year olds.

I was very distressed to be informed of the situation at Cali Grill. We are going on a 3 night, no kids trip to WDW in July for our anniversary and the IPO staff is supposed to make us a "close to Wishes" reservation there for the night of our anniversary. We are really excited (also eating at Artist's point and Narcoosee's) because we can go to places we never went before because we had the kids. I thought eating later would help, but apparently it is not good at 9:30-10:00, either.

I do know some kids are very well behaved. Our DD4.5 is really an angel at restaurants. She sits. She eats. She speaks softly. She is also an exception. We went out with the little ones a week ago and the waitress was amazed by her. I honestly feel like people are going to think we drug her. :D: We say she is God's way of making it up to us since he also gave us DS3, who is just...WOW. The kid is a nut. I wouldn't take him to McDonalds sometimes.

Still, I would NEVER take her to Victoria and Albert's (the day I pay $150 for dinner for a 4 yr old is the day you all have permission to shoot me), or any of the signature restaurants. To me it is asking for trouble...what if THAT is the day she decides to act like a nut?

I am with George Carlin on this one, why does EVERYTHING have to revolve around children? Why must they go EVERYWHERE? It is mindboggling. I don't dislike kids, I have 4 and they are pretty cool. I spend most of my waking hours with at least one of them 24/7, 365 and I would never give that up. But is it so bad that I think it would be nice to eat dinner with my husband without kids around? Like we did back when we had a social life? ;)

[vixen101485]

Edited to add: Oh yeah, I'm a snob. I think everyone here knew that already. If you didn't, I'm sorry this comes as such a shock.

If you see me and say....OH MY GOD YOU ARE FAT AND UGLY AND YOUR MOTHER DRESSES YOU FUNNY. Then I will consider you a snob. Until then you are on probationary snob status. :D:

:
Still, I would NEVER take her to Victoria and Albert's (the day I pay $150 for dinner for a 4 yr old is the day you all have permission to shoot me), or any of the signature restaurants. To me it is asking for trouble...what if THAT is the day she decides to act like a nut?

But is it so bad that I think it would be nice to eat dinner with my husband without kids around? Like we did back when we had a social life? ;)

I wouldnt take my mother to V&A's let alone my almost 5 yr old. Actually I would take the kid over my mother but that is a other matter.
Not to mention, I am sorry but no food in this world is worth that much money unless it is the last bit left on the planet and encrusted in gold.

You had a social life before kids....Lucky you. :D: