DS has major stomach problem, can quick service dining work?

[moliuchick]

I am planning a trip to The Disney world in late Feb with my husband, 10 and 12 year-o sons. Recently, my 10-yo has been having a lot of stomach problems. He gets reflux and stomachache quite frequently.

As I remember, last time when we went to Disney, we all over ate because of the quick service meal. I feel like I was forced to eat because I wanted to make my money worth. I know I can possible use some snack credits to get some pop corns and cotton candy from their gift shops.
My worry is with the quick service deal, he will feel like he is being tortured because he can hardly find any healthy food to eat.

I am wondering if there is anyway that we can get only 3 quick service deal for the family and not get my son's? And how do people eat if they have stomach problems all the time? What can they eat really?

 

[smbowtie]

Sorry, there is no way to have one person not on the dining plan. It's all or none.

 

[sharonabe]

If it's not too late to cancel the dining plan, I think I would do that and just do OOP for the whole family. That gives you the freedom to feed him whatever his stomach can handle instead of trying to maximize the plan.

Of course, if it was free or you're on Stay/Play/Dine, then don't worry about maximizing and just eat what you want. Almost all QS have healthy options. Check out the menus at allearsnet.com

 

[clanmcculloch]

Do you know what triggers his GI problems? If you do then you'll get much more specific advice.

It is pretty easy to eat relatively healthy foods while eating on QS meals at WDW. Just take a bit of time to look over the menus. Sites like allears.net and wdwinfo.com have menus posted on their sites under the restaurant sections. If you're splitting meals, ask if you can get fruit or a salad instead of dessert (if the location has it) to make the meal a bit more "splittable" (I think they're more likely to say yes to fruit but it doesn't hurt to ask) and so you're not over-indulging like you have in the past. Most places even if they say no to fruit or salad will let you get bottled water instead of dessert.

You can easily split CS meals but you might end up with meals left over at the end of your trip unless you make a point of having 3 meals some days rather than just 2.

You're under 45 days out so unfortunately if you decide to take the dining plan off your package you'll be charged a change fee. I'm guessing you got the Stay/Play/Dine package so consider the fact that you didn't pay full price for the plan. Don't think about "getting your money's worth" out of the plan (even if you did pay for it, at this point you're better off ignoring money's worth concept anyway). If you want a cheaper meal then get it (some of the healthier options are cheaper ones) without worrying if it's the best bang for your buck.

 

[disfan07]

Do you know what triggers his GI problems? If you do then you'll get much more specific advice.

It is pretty easy to eat relatively healthy foods while eating on QS meals at WDW. Just take a bit of time to look over the menus. Sites like allears.net and wdwinfo.com have menus posted on their sites under the restaurant sections. If you're splitting meals, ask if you can get fruit or a salad instead of dessert (if the location has it) to make the meal a bit more "splittable" (I think they're more likely to say yes to fruit but it doesn't hurt to ask) and so you're not over-indulging like you have in the past. Most places even if they say no to fruit or salad will let you get bottled water instead of dessert.

You can easily split CS meals but you might end up with meals left over at the end of your trip unless you make a point of having 3 meals some days rather than just 2.

You're under 45 days out so unfortunately if you decide to take the dining plan off your package you'll be charged a change fee. I'm guessing you got the Stay/Play/Dine package so consider the fact that you didn't pay full price for the plan. Don't think about "getting your money's worth" out of the plan (even if you did pay for it, at this point you're better off ignoring money's worth concept anyway). If you want a cheaper meal then get it (some of the healthier options are cheaper ones) without worrying if it's the best bang for your buck.

Agree. Do you know what triggers the stomach problems? What does he usually eat at home? If its reflux and GI problems has he been checked for allergies?

I have really bad reflux (semi controlled by meds) along with GI problems and more than a dozen allergies. We've eaten at CS places every time we've been. But my advice is to look at the menus on allearsnet and see what places have food similar to what he usually eats at home.

 

[moliuchick]

Do you know what triggers his GI problems? If you do then you'll get much more specific advice.

It is pretty easy to eat relatively healthy foods while eating on QS meals at WDW. Just take a bit of time to look over the menus. Sites like allears.net and wdwinfo.com have menus posted on their sites under the restaurant sections. If you're splitting meals, ask if you can get fruit or a salad instead of dessert (if the location has it) to make the meal a bit more "splittable" (I think they're more likely to say yes to fruit but it doesn't hurt to ask) and so you're not over-indulging like you have in the past. Most places even if they say no to fruit or salad will let you get bottled water instead of dessert.

You can easily split CS meals but you might end up with meals left over at the end of your trip unless you make a point of having 3 meals some days rather than just 2.

You're under 45 days out so unfortunately if you decide to take the dining plan off your package you'll be charged a change fee. I'm guessing you got the Stay/Play/Dine package so consider the fact that you didn't pay full price for the plan. Don't think about "getting your money's worth" out of the plan (even if you did pay for it, at this point you're better off ignoring money's worth concept anyway). If you want a cheaper meal then get it (some of the healthier options are cheaper ones) without worrying if it's the best bang for your buck.

Thanks for your reply. I think DS problem is gluten and dairy. I have stopped him from eating after 7pm. And if he wants to eat after 7pm, he will need to eat very little. I will give him fruit or gluten free cereal with a few spoonful of milk. It sounds bad because he is already 10 and he has to eat like a baby. I can see a great improvement in his digestive system with me monitoring what he eats. He does not have any stomach problem at night now and I have been giving him Pepto-Bismol 2 hours before sleep too. So hopefully if we can find something healthy and gluten free at Disney, he should do fine. I think I will pretty much share stuff with him like you said. I can probably get some sovereign snack stuff at the gift shop with our leftover credits.

 

[moliuchick]

Agree. Do you know what triggers the stomach problems? What does he usually eat at home? If its reflux and GI problems has he been checked for allergies?

I have really bad reflux (semi controlled by meds) along with GI problems and more than a dozen allergies. We've eaten at CS places every time we've been. But my advice is to look at the menus on allearsnet and see what places have food similar to what he usually eats at home.

Sorry to hear about your reflux problem. DS doctor recommended prevacid for him. I don't want to start him with prevacid quite yet because it is not good for his bones. I was a GI nurse and I have heard a lot about the pros and cons about these meds. Anyhow, I think I really have to watch what he is eating and also need to teach him what to eat as well. I will check out allears.net to plan ahead of time. Thanks for your reply.

 

[nighttowll]

If you get a chance, you should check out the new Garden Kiosk at Animal Kingdom. It just opened this past fall. It is specifically for information and snack options for healthy eating and allergies. They even sell gluten free products there. It might be a good place to start, and they might even be able to help offer suggestions for other parks was well.

I also noticed quite a few kiosks this fall in different parks that had allergy friendly food or healthy food like fruit, so I think Disney is really working on improving their quick service options. We actually had the opposite problem. The kids just wanted chicken strips, hamburgers, and fries, and we had a very hard time finding those. I was in heaven because I hate all that fast food crap, but they weren't too happy about options like wraps, hummus, or fruit. I know I saw somewhere they are opening a new healthy cart in MK too. Not sure if it is open yet or not. I think it was supposed to be near the Seven Dwarf area.

I'd definitely check either Allears or the Disney website to have a look through menus, so you can get a good idea of the options available to you. With a little planning, I'm sure you will be able to find some healthy choices. I think HS was the only park that I really had issues finding healthy quick service at. I ended up with chicken and fries one day and nachos another, but all the other parks I was able to find non "McDonalds" type quick service food.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thanks for your reply. I think DS problem is gluten and dairy. I have stopped him from eating after 7pm. And if he wants to eat after 7pm, he will need to eat very little. I will give him fruit or gluten free cereal with a few spoonful of milk. It sounds bad because he is already 10 and he has to eat like a baby. I can see a great improvement in his digestive system with me monitoring what he eats. He does not have any stomach problem at night now and I have been giving him Pepto-Bismol 2 hours before sleep too. So hopefully if we can find something healthy and gluten free at Disney, he should do fine. I think I will pretty much share stuff with him like you said. I can probably get some sovereign snack stuff at the gift shop with our leftover credits.

WDW is the absolute best place to vacation when you're gluten & dairy free, or really with food allergies in general. Check out the disABILITIES! board for all sorts of gfcf dining reviews. I've got a bunch of my own linked in my signature including a bunch of CS meals. They even have gfcf chicken tenders, hamburger buns, cookies, pizza, and so much more at WDW. Just let the CM you're ordering from know that he has allergies and a manager will be called out with a big binder that shows ingredients and allergens. The manager will personally prepare the food in an allergy area of the kitchen to avoid cross contamination. At Sunshine Seasons in Epcot and at resort CS locations you'll talk to a chef who has the ability to customize a meal to be safe as long as he has the ingredients.

 

[moliuchick]

If you get a chance, you should check out the new Garden Kiosk at Animal Kingdom. It just opened this past fall. It is specifically for information and snack options for healthy eating and allergies. They even sell gluten free products there. It might be a good place to start, and they might even be able to help offer suggestions for other parks was well.

I also noticed quite a few kiosks this fall in different parks that had allergy friendly food or healthy food like fruit, so I think Disney is really working on improving their quick service options. We actually had the opposite problem. The kids just wanted chicken strips, hamburgers, and fries, and we had a very hard time finding those. I was in heaven because I hate all that fast food crap, but they weren't too happy about options like wraps, hummus, or fruit. I know I saw somewhere they are opening a new healthy cart in MK too. Not sure if it is open yet or not. I think it was supposed to be near the Seven Dwarf area.

I'd definitely check either Allears or the Disney website to have a look through menus, so you can get a good idea of the options available to you. With a little planning, I'm sure you will be able to find some healthy choices. I think HS was the only park that I really had issues finding healthy quick service at. I ended up with chicken and fries one day and nachos another, but all the other parks I was able to find non "McDonalds" type quick service food.

Wow, that's a lifesaver. I will definitely check out the New Garden Kiosk. BTW, I love the Turkey legs at HS. It is comparatively healthy as long as you share one with someone else. I think they said it is about 1500 calories each! It is big like a dinosaur leg! It is sure delicious though!

 

[moliuchick]

WDW is the absolute best place to vacation when you're gluten & dairy free, or really with food allergies in general. Check out the disABILITIES! board for all sorts of gfcf dining reviews. I've got a bunch of my own linked in my signature including a bunch of CS meals. They even have gfcf chicken tenders, hamburger buns, cookies, pizza, and so much more at WDW. Just let the CM you're ordering from know that he has allergies and a manager will be called out with a big binder that shows ingredients and allergens. The manager will personally prepare the food in an allergy area of the kitchen to avoid cross contamination. At Sunshine Seasons in Epcot and at resort CS locations you'll talk to a chef who has the ability to customize a meal to be safe as long as he has the ingredients.

awesome! I will check that out! BTW, it is weird that all those infos. are in the disABILITIES board??????? What the?

 

[gdrj]

I would definitely drop the dining plan, and just pay as you go this time, to give you the most flexibility and that you are not running your vacation around it, especially if he has any type of flair up.

 

[clanmcculloch]

awesome! I will check that out! BTW, it is weird that all those infos. are in the disABILITIES board??????? What the?

That's just where all the different types of special needs discussions happen. This is a dietary special need.