Hi Mariah,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am delighted to discuss dining with 9-year olds. It can be a fabulous experience!
At that age, our girls still loved some character meals, so I would suggest that you let them pick which ones. Some of our favorites are Cinderella's Royal Table, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, The Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, Hollywood & Vine and 'Ohana. We love to dine at The Crystal Palace for breakfast and 'Ohana for dinner during the
Happily Ever After fireworks show. We always arrive about 30 minutes prior to our reservation time and request a window table. Although not guaranteed, the views are lovely during the show. Remember that, at dinner, 'Ohana is not currently a character experience.
For non-character dining experiences, our girls enjoy Coral Reef Restaurant - Epcot, Be Our Guest Restaurant - Magic Kingdom, 50's Prime Time Café - Disney's Hollywood Studios and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant - Disney's Hollywood Studios. They especially love the milkshakes at 50's Prime Time Café. Remember that there are some fabulous restaurants at
Disney Springs as well. On our upcoming trip we have reservations for The Edison and T-REX ™ . I am excited about dining with dinosaurs!
Mariah, once you have decided which restaurants will work best for your family, be sure to make
advanced dining reservations. I do have one additional recommendation - if you plan to do Jedi Training - Trials of the Temple, try a pre-park opening dining reservation at Hollywood & Vine so that you can sign up the recruits early.
May the Force be with you,
Donyell