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ktrm
07-05-2007, 01:09 PM
Are children allowed in the Cove Bar at DCA as long as they don't sit at the bar but at one of the tables? I would love to get my mojito and let my kids have a shirley temple and some appetizers while we enjoy the great view.

dawnid
07-05-2007, 02:10 PM
I have a very fond memory of my son and husband naming the calamari before they ate them at the Cove Bar. So they did about 7 years ago and we sat at one of the tables for a little break.

jackyb
07-05-2007, 02:38 PM
I believe they still can

rmarino74
07-05-2007, 03:31 PM
Are children allowed in the Cove Bar at DCA as long as they don't sit at the bar but at one of the tables? I would love to get my mojito and let my kids have a shirley temple and some appetizers while we enjoy the great view.

Absolutely! We were there in April of 2006 with 4 adults and 4 children (10, 4, 2, and 6 months)!:D

Have fun!

Infinitely
07-05-2007, 03:35 PM
I have a very fond memory of my son and husband naming the calamari before they ate them at the Cove Bar.

What did they name them?

Darkbeer
07-05-2007, 04:48 PM
The key is not sitting at the bar, you must be 21 or older by California Law to sit there, but any of the tables are available, and the Cove Bar does offer table service, including its limited menu of food, and plenty of non-alcoholic drinks. Of course, those at a table 21 or older can enjoy adult beverages, but if you get caught "sharing", you could be banned from the parks by security, so no passing around drinks to those under 21.

SoCalSteven
07-05-2007, 07:18 PM
Do they have everything at the Cove Bar that you'd find at the other bars in the Hotels? Single malt scotch especially?

cstephens
07-05-2007, 11:53 PM
Ok. I'm going to be the "spoiler" here. First, what message do you think you are giving your child by taking him into a bar/cocktail lounge? These are no places for kids. There are so may places to have family time, you really don't need to take them into a bar. Second, think of the other patrons...don't be so selfish...maybe we want to be there to get AWAY from kids. Some adult time. (do you know what that is?). It is really a dumb idea, and (in my opinion) dumb of parents to do this. Chuck...

Have you been to the Cove Bar? It's not a cocktail lounge. It's got a great view of Paradise Pier. It used to have great food. Now it has ok food. If you want to get away from kids, perhaps you ought to go somewhere that's not on Disney property. I'd be sure of what I was talking about before I make comments that come off sounding ridiculous.

Darkbeer
07-06-2007, 06:48 AM
First off, yes, the Cove Bar has a fully stocked bar, basically the same types of Liquor as the Lost Bar at DLH. (The Hearthstone does carry some higher end Liquors you can't find at the Cove Bar).

And the Cove Bar is basically the waiting area for Ariel's Grotto, similar to the Bar at Red Lobster or the Rainforest Cafe, mainly families decide to have a drink while waiting for the reservation for Ariel's Grotto downstairs.

How about the ESPN Zone, adults can walk around the game area with an adult beverage while watching their kids.

Heck, even places like Club 33 and the Napa Rose welcome kids.

About the only place I can think of at the Disneyland Resort that has a age restrcition is during some of the concerts being held at the House of Blues, sometimes 21 and over, sometimes 18 and over, sometimes all ages are welcome, depending on the band and what type of crowd the expect.

Now, would an Adult only area or two be nice, yes, but Disney has decided to offer that on their Cruise ships, but not at their parks, look at the decision to remove the fences/turnstiles at Pleasure Island at WDW.

Now, looks like Knott's Soak City in Buena Park will be getting an Adult only area. Its sister park at Cedar Point has a "Bubble's Swim Up Bar" area, which basically is an Adult only pool with bar stools in the pool on one end plus a whirlpool spa area, and a Beer and Wine request for Liquor license has been posted on June 22nd.

Knott's also restricts the serving of beer inside the park to limited areas (Sit Down Restaurants and the Calico Saloon) (no walking around the park as in DCA).

But I have seen many kids at the Cove Bar, and IMHO, most folks have no problem with it.

California Law allows children to be in the bar, since the establishment serves food. If it was "just a bar", then it would be restricted to those 21 and over.

rmarino74
07-06-2007, 07:37 AM
Ok. I'm going to be the "spoiler" here. First, what message do you think you are giving your child by taking him into a bar/cocktail lounge? These are no places for kids. There are so may places to have family time, you really don't need to take them into a bar. Second, think of the other patrons...don't be so selfish...maybe we want to be there to get AWAY from kids. Some adult time. (do you know what that is?). It is really a dumb idea, and (in my opinion) dumb of parents to do this. Chuck...

It still always amazes me that people assume and make judgements and know nothing about the people or circumstances to which they are referring.

The day that we went, the entire patio was EMPTY! So I am very sure that the children just thought that we were sitting at an empty table in the middle of a Themepark, and not a bar/lounge.

While we were there, one other group came in to sit at a table near the bar. We sat at a table near the exit gate in the back so that the children could watch the California Screamin launch as well as take turns going over to the carousel as we had a perfect view of it from where we sat. We ordered a bunch of appetizers and a couple of the adults had a cocktail while we rested. Even if someone was sitting anywhere near us, our children are all VERY respectful of others around them as they are parented well!

If I remember correctly, Walt Disney said "to ALL who come to this happy place...Welcome...Disneyland is your land". I don't think he said "to all who come to this happy place...Welcome...Disneyland is your land, well except THIS area, THAT area is only reserved for people who meet this criteria".

I can understand having the "adult only" areas on the ship, because you are trapped on a boat in the middle of an ocean for 7 days! But at the parks, you can come and go as you please.

Honestly, what you are asking for is YOUR own place in Disneyland, because that is what YOU want, not what others want. I see from the comments already, that other "adults" don't mind children at Disneyland. What a concept! Honestly, I always love it when people say things like "don't be so selfish" as well, because if you really stop and take a look at it, usually the person making the comment is acting selfishly on his/her own accord. Seriously, anywhere in your comment did you think anything of "adults" with children, or were we all supposed to move out of your way so that you can have "your" private area to get away from kids at Disneyland. (that even sounds more incredibly rediculous when I read it..."get away from kids AT Disneyland")

In fact, since it's inception, Disneyland always was a place that served NO alcohol (except Club 33) until they opened DCA. There are plenty of places you can go in the world and have a ball, WITHOUT children. Believe me, I know as I was raised and still live in Las Vegas, the "Adults Disneyland". You can have an entire city if you want!

rmarino74
07-06-2007, 07:43 AM
Oh. And I believe that the ACTUAL bars in the ESPN Zone, Rainforest Cafe, House of Blues, Tortilla Jo's, Uva Bar, etc. don't allow children @ the bar. Even if they did, I would most definitely agree that they do not belong @ the bar. In fact, when we sat at the table in the Cove Bar, I would never let the children get anywhere near the ACTUAL bar itself, for obvious reasons.

My 2 cents...:D

Darkbeer
07-06-2007, 08:48 AM
ESPN Zone allows kids in the entire establishment, the only rule is not to sit at an active bar, just like the Cove Bar, so that is 3 counters, but for example, the Screening Room's Bar seats about 20, but has MANY tables right behind it, where folks are all ages are allowed to sit.

Tortilla's Jo's is the same policy, to the best of my knowledge, pretty sure I have seen kids sitting on the tables by the bar on the patio.

House of Blues has plenty of tables next to the bar where kids are allowed if they are serving food (California Law requires food service if kids are allowed, if its just drink service, then it is a "Cocktail" lounge.).

As for the UVA Bar, I believe they have decided that it is just for 21 and older, but not sure, kids might be allowed on the tables.

The Rainforest Cafe allows kids to order in the bar area, in fact, I have even seen kids sitting on the bar stools multiple times. But if the place is busy, almost always at least a couple of the bar tables have kids, since this is a way to avoid the wait for a "dining" table.

But I find it interesting that the ESPN Zone allows the alcoholic beverages in the game room with all the arcade games. But then, this is a similar policy to Dave and Busters, though Dave and Busters asks all underage kids to leave at 10 PM, but that is when the main dining room closes, so it is probably to meet Liquor Laws.

There are plenty of kids at the Lost Bar, the family sits down and watches sports and enjoy food and beverage, in fact, Disney has made a decision to keep a limited menu at Croc's Bits N' Bites to allow children to stay in the bar area. (And why you can get table service at the Lost Bar from Croc's Bits 'N Bites).

Disney wants the kids around, and are following California Law.

Now, as a parent, you have the choice to bring your kids into the area, or avoid it. Nothing wrong with that.

And as looking for an Adult place, even in Las Vegas you need to make some decisions, places like Circus Circus and Excaliber have a lot of kids around walking down the aisles, etc. If you don't like the atmosphere, you can always take your business to other locations.

going2disneyAZ
07-06-2007, 08:55 AM
As for the UVA Bar, I believe they have decided that it is just for 21 and older, but not sure, kids might be allowed on the tables.

FYI, I had drinks at UVA a couple of weeks ago and there were kids at the tables...

Darkbeer
07-06-2007, 08:59 AM
If I remember correctly, Walt Disney said "to ALL who come to this happy place...Welcome...Disneyland is your land". I don't think he said "to all who come to this happy place...Welcome...Disneyland is your land, well except THIS area, THAT area is only reserved for people who meet this criteria"....

In fact, since it's inception, Disneyland always was a place that served NO alcohol (except Club 33) until they opened DCA.

As for Walt's quote, what about Club 33???

And as for serving alcohol in Disneyland, the area where the Haunted Mansion is used to be "Holidayland" a picnic area that opened in 1957, that offered all the beer you could drink for one price. It also had playgrounds, horseshoes, a baseball field, volleyball, and other activities. It was also noted because it was the only place in Disneyland that sold beer. Holidayland closed in 1961 due to its lack of shade, nighttime lighting, and restrooms.


And I remember going to the Monorail Bar with my father (I was underage), it was just a few yards from the Disneyland Hotel Monorail exit, on the upper level in the 60's and early 70's. It was quick and easy for folks to just jump on the Monorail and grab a beverage

And there have been plenty of private events with alcohol, currently the Big Thunder Ranch area. The folks that book the area can request Alcohol to be served in the area, even during park hours

rmarino74
07-06-2007, 10:56 AM
As for Walt's quote, what about Club 33???

And as for serving alcohol in Disneyland, the area where the Haunted Mansion is used to be "Holidayland" a picnic area that opened in 1957, that offered all the beer you could drink for one price. It also had playgrounds, horseshoes, a baseball field, volleyball, and other activities. It was also noted because it was the only place in Disneyland that sold beer. Holidayland closed in 1961 due to its lack of shade, nighttime lighting, and restrooms.


And I remember going to the Monorail Bar with my father (I was underage), it was just a few yards from the Disneyland Hotel Monorail exit, on the upper level in the 60's and early 70's. It was quick and easy for folks to just jump on the Monorail and grab a beverage

And there have been plenty of private events with alcohol, currently the Big Thunder Ranch area. The folks that book the area can request Alcohol to be served in the area, even during park hours

That is sooo funny. I knew when I wrote that quote that someone would come back with Club 33. But the reality is that EVERYONE is still allowed to go to the Club as long as you pay the admission for the membership, so the rule that everyone is welcome still applies. After all, you are typically only welcome to Disneyland if you pay your admission.

Maybe I didn't make my point clearly. The entire area that is called "Disneyland" is for people of ANY age to enjoy and is not segregated in any way.

The point is that Disneyland Is what it Is, so why waste your time trying to change it? If you are looking for an "Adult" experience without the presence of children then maybe you should think about another location away from a themepark as there are plenty of places to go that are FAR from kid friendly. To me, that is like saying I want to go to the beach, but I really would like to go with no sand and water.:rolleyes:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, although I find it ignorant to group people together in "classifications" and calling them names. It does no good for anyone and brings no value to this post to bring negativity while calling people names, especially for something that is just an opinion, keeping in mind the original post was just asking for facts and not opinions.

dawnid
07-06-2007, 11:05 AM
Infinitely - I'm not sure if the calamari is the same but they used to be tiny little octopi and my husband had a Mr. Bill moment and said, "no don't eat me" and then they would just pick random names which got sillier as they went along.

No one is allowed to sit at a bar without valid id. I've got another story where we tried to sit at the UVA bar and my 50ish friend, who doesn't drink, she left her id/purse in the limo, when she tried to order a coke the bartender asked for id from all of us (everyone was over 40 at the time) and since she didn't have id we had to sit at a table (it was hilarious - she asked him where he thought all the gray hair came from).

I've got to say I took my kids everywhere, how else do you show them how to act. We would have a face to face talk about what was expected before we went and they knew if I counted to 3 they got walked out of whereever and got a pop on the tookus. I always told my kids, "I won't embarass you if you don't embarass me."

I wouldn't take them to a bar-bar but most restaurants have bar/waiting areas where they ask you to wait, children included.

crazi4dlr
07-06-2007, 11:48 AM
Actually in the state of California, at least, children can sit at the bar in some restaurants if food is served. We have seen it at Chili's and when we were at Island Burgers a couple of weeks ago we sat at the bar while we waited for our table. Also at the Spaghetti Factory. I also don't see how it is being a bad example to the kids if you are having a cocktail in a bar? Is it the drinking part that is the bad example or the bar itself? My kids don't seem to be worse for wear because they have sat in a bar or two in a restaurant. Now if we were hanging out in the local saloon, playing pool while they sat in a corner.....

When my DH and I celebrated our anniversary last month we decided to go to a high priced, fancy foodie restaurant and we had reservations for a patio table. When we arrived we noticed that there was a large party with children seated on the patio so we asked the hostess for a table inside because we had left our kids at home and wanted a children free evening. She was very accomodating. Unfortunately, there was a small group at the bar with a very loud person who had too much to drink. He was disturbing the entire restaurant and the manager had to speak to him more than once. Personally between this guy and the kids...I'd take the kids.

I think it's great that the powers that be have provided a family place for the adults to unwind and have a cocktail if they want to. I'm also glad that they decided to keep DL virtually alcohol free.

hefferdude
07-06-2007, 11:56 AM
And I remember going to the Monorail Bar with my father (I was underage), it was just a few yards from the Disneyland Hotel Monorail exit, on the upper level in the 60's and early 70's. It was quick and easy for folks to just jump on the Monorail and grab a beverage


That brings back memories of the Monorail cafe. :crying:

Anyway, there was also the Neon Cactus. And many a warm evening we 'd go to the Lost Bar just to get away from the crowds. We'd order a couple of chardonnays for us, large sodas or smoothies for our two boys, some baskets of chicken tenders with fries and listen to the band while our boys zipped in and out pumping coins into the boats ( and at one time radio cars ) just outside. Some of our best evenings went like that. I will take umbrage with anyone labeling it a negative messege.

cstephens
07-06-2007, 12:01 PM
That brings back memories of the Monorail cafe. :crying:

Yeah, I miss them too. We had so much fun there. I think we still have a menu lying around from closing night.

shna
07-06-2007, 12:07 PM
... I'm just saying there should be places where adults can be with other adults and no kids. After all, what makes you think I want to be constantly "entertained" by your kids? Just a thought. Chuck...

If the DLR powers that be decide to create an "adults only" lounge in the area, I will be more than happy to keep my child out of it. However, why should your desire to be away from kids in a public place supercede my desire to relax with an adult beverage while my child admires the view, has a snack, and rests her feet like the rest of us?

Not everybody's views of alcohol use are the same. I don't think it's unhealthy for kids to see adults drinking alcoholic beverages as long as said adults don't try to drive when they're impaired, and don't become obnoxious after having a drink or two. My child going to be exposed to alcohol sooner or later -- I'd rather it not be a huge mystery to her before that happens. If beer or wine is more or less "just another beverage," maybe she won't be quite so frantic to get her first taste of it when the adults aren't looking.

cstephens
07-06-2007, 12:10 PM
I just think it's funny that someone thinks the Disneyland Resort is a place you should be able to go to if you're trying to avoid children! :D

rmarino74
07-06-2007, 12:17 PM
I just think it's funny that someone thinks the Disneyland Resort is a place you should be able to go to if you're trying to avoid children! :D

That was my point!:D

Again, let's go to the beach, but I don't want any sand or water to get near me! It just get's on my nerves!:rolleyes:

jackiedee
07-06-2007, 12:17 PM
I just think it's funny that someone thinks the Disneyland Resort is a place you should be able to go to if you're trying to avoid children! :D

Ditto!

crazi4dlr
07-06-2007, 12:18 PM
I just think it's funny that someone thinks the Disneyland Resort is a place you should be able to go to if you're trying to avoid children! :D

Hahahahahahahaha :D I need the rolling on the floor laughing smiley here!

We went to Puerto Vallarta with our kids a few years ago and stayed at a family resort. There were these three older couples there and I overheard the women complaining because "children shouldn't be allowed at the pool". Hahahahaha! Do you understand the term "Family Resort"?

Adults who don't like to be around children and want adult time shouldn't be allowed at a family resort. IMHO

Mrs Mouse
07-06-2007, 12:19 PM
If the DLR powers that be decide to create an "adults only" lounge in the area, I will be more than happy to keep my child out of it. However, why should your desire to be away from kids in a public place supercede my desire to relax with an adult beverage while my child admires the view, has a snack, and rests her feet like the rest of us?

Amen to that! Couldn't have said it better myself.