We dine in Disney World restaurants nearly every day, and we’ve seen some WILD things.
From misbehaving guests and massive messes to problems with reservations and Dining Plans, there are SO many things that can go wrong during a meal in Disney World. But today, we’re talking to the people — these are the things we’re begging you to stop doing when you visit Disney World restaurants!
Letting Kids Roam Freely
Over our years dining in Disney World restaurants, we’ve been to a few meals where kids were roaming freely around the dining room while their parents sat nearby. Usually, this happens when the parents aren’t paying attention, but we’ve also seen parents just allow their kids to do this openly.
This can be a particular problem when the kids roam and interrupt the meals of diners nearby. We’ve had experiences with kids we didn’t know touching our belongings, crawling underneath our tables, and even removing items from our tables. Yikes! We have plenty of parents on the team, and trust us, we get it! Your little one may become antsy and need to let off some steam. Just go with them with they need to do this. Explore the outskirts of the restaurant together or step outside for a bit while you wait for your food or dinner to be served. No biggie at all! Just make sure you’re accompanying those little ones!
Getting in the Way at Character Meals
Another problem we’ve encountered frequently is when families get in the way at character meals. We’ve experienced character meals in the past where people didn’t realize the characters would stop at every table, and instead jumped up to intercept them as soon as they walked into the room.
Not only is this dangerous for the characters and character attendants, but this disrupts the flow of the characters as they move through the restaurants. When this happened to us at Chef Mickey’s, multiple characters ended up accidentally skipping our table because it was hard to tell who they’d already visited. So guys, please just sit down and wait your turn — if they skip you by accident, you can always let your server or character attendant know and they’ll come back to you. You will also have a better character experience if you have your phones and autograph books ready to go. Then you can just enjoy the moment!
Not Knowing What’s Included in the Dining Plan
If you decide to purchase the Disney Dining Plan for your trip, make sure to research it a little ahead of time and find out what your credits actually include. Especially if you purchased it for a vacation pre-pandemic, things have changed a lot!
We’ve definitely witnessed some upset diners when they discover that their Dining Plan doesn’t include what they think it does. (For instance, we’ve seen people try to eat at table service spots with the Quick Service Dining Plan.) Oftentimes, this situation involves yelling at Cast Members, which is totally unfair, because it’s typically the fault of the guest for not paying attention to the finer details.
Thievery
Guys, for the love of all that is good, PLEASE stop stealing things from Disney World restaurants. We’ve seen many a cool detail get removed from a dining location because people kept getting sticky fingers.
In recent years, we’ve mourned the losses of the giant pencils at Roundup Rodeo BBQ and the cool sporks in Galaxy’s Edge. Seriously, if you guys steal fun details, interesting utensils, or unique glassware from restaurants, Disney’s going to have to start cracking down even harder. Quit ruining things for other people. These little details help make the parks magical, so let’s all do our best to keep them that way.
Complaining About the Price
Last but not least, we’ve got to mention the thing everyone hates — pricing! We’ve overheard many a complaint to servers in restaurants about how much meals cost around Disney World. And guys…you should probably check the online menus before you visit if price is a problem for you!
For those on a budget, you can often find Disney World restaurant pricing through the menus online or in the My Disney Experience app. And if you don’t want to dig that far, you can also see how many dollar signs are listed next to the restaurant name in the app. Here’s a cheat code for you:
- $ — $14.99 and under per adult
- $$ — $15-$34.99 per adult
- $$$ — $35-$59.99 per adult
- $$$$ — over $60 per adult
Basically, you need to do your research before you dine — know how the restaurant works, what it costs, and the etiquette involved. And if you come across a problem, please be polite to the Cast Members…it’s usually not their fault!
If you’re going to dine in Disney World, make sure to be on your best behavior! Other people are there trying to have a good experience, too.
For tips on having a more affordable Disney World trip, check out the video below!
Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney World dining tips and information.
Click Here to See Restaurants Disney Fans Think Are Going Downhill!
What’s your go-to dinner in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!
There is no excuse for not knowing how expensive meals are at Disneyworld. Too many websites with that information.
Like I saw one time in comments about Victoria and Alberts: Folks, it’s not Sizzlers