How can dh & I eat at Ohana with such a picky dd?

[pjynx]

DD (12) is incredibly picky. Doesn't like most meats but also has not adopted a true vegetarian menu (mostly because she is too picky to try new things). She also doesn't like much in the way of sauce/seasonings. We've learned to live with it because her doctor isn't concerned and it's not worth fighting with her over food. Most of her meals are a variety of cereal, plain pasta, white rice, bagels, eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, fresh fruit & veggies.

DH & I love Ohana. Would really like to eat there on our upcoming trip but what do we do about dd? There is nothing on the menu that she would eat, not even the noodles or veggies (looks like there is some kind of sauce or flavorings on these?). I know sometimes the restaurant is able to put something together, such as pizza or chicken nuggets, but would they really charge us the $33 for that since she is 12?

Would it be unheard of to feed her at counter-service ahead of time and have her just sit there with us not eating (and not getting charged)? She would play a game on her ipod or something while dh & I eat? Some of you might be aghast at that thought, but believe me.....it wouldn't be the first time it's happened with us. If dh & I like a place well enough, we just feed her first and she brings something to entertain herself while we eat. I wouldn't even care if they charged us a small "no eating" fee. But it certainly wouldn't be worth a full $33 fee.

Any thoughts? I hate to miss Ohana, but I'm at a loss for ideas on dd Thanks!

eta: she will eat grilled chicken, as long as there is no sauce/seasonings. We have to cut off the out layer (even if it's not skin....the outer layer of meat that was exposed to heat has a different texture). I would be ok with paying the full adult price if they would be able to grill up some chicken special without seasonings. Is that unheard of there?

 

[Nadjalu]

Sorry to inform you that even if she doesn't eat anything you will be charged the adult fee for just her being there.

We have run into this issue at Ohana before. My friend (who lives in orlando) likes to visit us during a couple of our resort meals and has joined us twice for Ohana. The first time we didn't know that everyone is charged whether they eat or not and she brought her 11yr old with her. My friend begged and then got upset, but no budging, she still had to pay for her daughter.
The next time she brought her again forgetting what happened (a couple years later). The server offered to prepare her something vegatarian but the girl said she wasn't hungry...and again didn't matter, she was charged the adult price for her sitting there.

I am not sure if they would be willing to prepare her something else. They did offer my friend that option, but it would've been the same charge for the meal. There is no "partial" charge of anything at Ohana or a buffet.

So your only option is to take her and pay, or leave her with a sitting service (I do believe they have them for tweens) if you want to eat there.

Sorry, just being honest. Would hate to see what happened to my friend twice, happen to you.

 

[pixarmom]

We have three boys - a pre-schooler and two pre-teens. One of our pre-teens is a very picky eater and orders nearly exclusively from the kids' menus at WDW and elsewhere.

For years, our server at Ohana offered a very extensive kids' menu immediately when we were seated. I've never seen anything in writing - they just asked our kids whether they would like chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, etc. On our last visit, our server did not proactively offer the kids' items, but when we asked if they were available, he gave us a long list of possibilities. Just like everything else, the kids' items were unlimited. Of course, we paid adult price for both of our pre-teens even though one ate the regular meal and the other ate only the kids' items, which is fine.

We switched our Ohana meals to breakfast this year, and our most recent Ohana dinner was last year. Not sure if things have changed since then, but our experiences with a picky eater at Ohana have been great!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

What about having her try some of the things at least (they have very yummy bread, broccoli, and noodles, even though they are not white pasta noodles) I
would not let her spoil where you really want to eat, but at 12 if she refuses to even *try* something new I would have her eat with you or she can pay for it out of her spending money.

 

[pjynx]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Not what I was hoping to hear, but hey, at least I was trying to find a way around it. Not going to make her try just a bite of this & that. She is incredibly stubborn and honestly, her refusal just leads to her & dh being mad at each other the rest of the day. Not going to ruin my vacation over something that we haven't enforced at home and suddenly try it while on vacation. Food wars are just not worth it.

Glad to know the answer ahead of time though!

 

[buzz5985]

I was at Boma one night when the table beside us was brought a few special meals for people at the table. We noticed the same thing at the Hoop Dee Doo review.

Call the restaurant and ask if you could just get a boneless breast of chicken with no added fat/spices etc.

If not that - can't you leave her at the kids club?? The Poly has one, it's 11.50/hour, 2 hour minimum, they feed them, there are computers and things for them to use. This way you and DH get a nice enjoyable meal together without the stress.

Janis

 

[pjynx]

I was at Boma one night when the table beside us was brought a few special meals for people at the table. We noticed the same thing at the Hoop Dee Doo review.

Call the restaurant and ask if you could just get a boneless breast of chicken with no added fat/spices etc.

If not that - can't you leave her at the kids club?? The Poly has one, it's 11.50/hour, 2 hour minimum, they feed them, there are computers and things for them to use. This way you and DH get a nice enjoyable meal together without the stress.

Janis

I will give that a try (contacting the restaurant to see if they will be willing to make some chicken without anything on it).

Re: the kids club....is that available even for non-resort guests? We're staying offsite this trip.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

[KathleensKid]

Re: the kids club....is that available even for non-resort guests? We're staying offsite this trip.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

Anyone can use them - ages 4-12. Call for a reservation for the same time as your ADR.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/kids-activities/

 

[TDC Nala]

I know sometimes the restaurant is able to put something together, such as pizza or chicken nuggets, but would they really charge us the $33 for that since she is 12?

Yes.

You'll be able to get alternative selections for her if you ask, but without reductions in price.

 

[jcemom]

The kids club is available to non-resort guests, but your DD might feel too old for it. I'd ask her what she thinks. My DD is almost 9 and she loves it. It's on her must-do list for every single trip. She enjoys having other kids to hang out with (her brothers are much older, so she's almost an only child). I think she also likes getting away from me for a few hours, lol. DD has been to several of the Disney kids clubs and Neverland at the Poly is her hands-down favorite.

 

[dvcHammer]

Get a sitter for the evening and leave the picky eater out.

Simple choice for the child, eat what is available or wait for Mom & Dad to get back from a really nice dinner.

IMHO, Picky eaters are pretty simple to cure. Hunger always wins.

 

[Mrsjvb]

Get a sitter for the evening and leave the picky eater out.

Simple choice for the child, eat what is available or wait for Mom & Dad to get back from a really nice dinner.

IMHO, Picky eaters are pretty simple to cure. Hunger always wins.

concur wholeheartedly.

no such thing as a picky eater when I was growing up. you ate what was available/served to you. period. none of this caving to a stubborn child's orneriness. she doesn't wanna eat, fine. she can starve and then pay for whatever she likes out of her own money later since Mum and dad already paid for Ohana.

 

[Minnesota!]

Kids Club - my kids love them and you guys can enjoy your meal

 

[Kricketnp]

My sister is 16 and an extremely picky vegetarian eater. When we went to Ohana last summer, my parents ordered her Macaroni and cheese in advance and were only charged for that dish. They didn't have to pay for her as an adult since she wasn't eating any of the other food.

 

[tammz]

sending her to the kids club will cost about the same wont it? so why not bring her to a great dining experience and have a "special" item made for her (nuggets Grill cheese, PBand J ) even If you do pay full price either way its gonna cost about $30 I wont even comment on her picky eating status as I am 35 and am one of the most picky eaters in the world so is my 4 yr old! I am having a horrible time trying to find restaurants that both of us can find something enjoyable to eat Hope it all goes well

 

[MickeyNicki]

The time we ate at Ohana there was a mother and young daughter next to us and the waiter told the mom the daughter could get an Uncrustable or a grilled cheese sandwich.

 

[pjynx]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We really don't want to put her at the kids club, as she is a little old to be left with a sitter.

I made a reservation and I plan to contact them ahead to time to give them a head's up and find out our options (chicken, veggies & noodles without seasonings on them or grilled cheese or pb&J). I figure even if it's a pb&J at the full adult menu, it'd be no different than if she loved their menu and she ate what we ate (meaning, she'll be just as full, so who cares what it actually is).

I'm just glad to know that they are good about offering alternate meal choices! Thanks again for the replies.

 

[si-am]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We really don't want to put her at the kids club, as she is a little old to be left with a sitter.

I made a reservation and I plan to contact them ahead to time to give them a head's up and find out our options (chicken, veggies & noodles without seasonings on them or grilled cheese or pb&J). I figure even if it's a pb&J at the full adult menu, it'd be no different than if she loved their menu and she ate what we ate (meaning, she'll be just as full, so who cares what it actually is).

I'm just glad to know that they are good about offering alternate meal choices! Thanks again for the replies.

Eh, at 12 if she's still being so picky that she is ruining your dining plans, then maybe going to a kid's club would be a good "lesson."

Maybe Ohana will be able to work with you though.

 

[Woodcourt]

Our kids have very severe allergies to eggs, nuts and seafoof and we were nervous about Ohana...however..it was one of our favorites for the kids. They brought us white rice, steamed and unseasoned broccoli and plain chicken. They were wonderful.

Also...my nephew is a very picky eater and most all of the restaurants we went to with them...the chefs were accomodating as best they could. Plain noodles was always a big hit!

 

[pjynx]

I would not let her spoil where you really want to eat, but at 12 if she refuses to even *try* something new I would have her eat with you or she can pay for it out of her spending money.

IMHO, Picky eaters are pretty simple to cure. Hunger always wins.

no such thing as a picky eater when I was growing up. you ate what was available/served to you. period. none of this caving to a stubborn child's orneriness. she doesn't wanna eat, fine. she can starve and then pay for whatever she likes out of her own money later since Mum and dad already paid for Ohana.

Eh, at 12 if she's still being so picky that she is ruining your dining plans, then maybe going to a kid's club would be a good "lesson."

Maybe Ohana will be able to work with you though.

This is SO not about teaching her a lesson. She is picky. She also has some "texture" issues (which started as young as an infant....for example, she gagged on jarred baby food. I had to grind our own baby food because jarred was too weird for her). She also has anxiety issues, which then causes stomach problems. She has a hard time controlling her anxiety and when she feels "out of control" about things, she uses food as her control mechanism (meaning SHE wants to choose what to eat, not be FORCED to try something). If letting her choose her own food makes her less anxious because it helps put HER in control, I'm all for it. I refuse to make a battle over food choices. It's just not worth it. Have you ever dealt with a child who gets so worked up over anxiety issues that she spends the better part of a day in tears with stomach problems and sitting on the toilet because she feels so rotten?

Honestly, I can't believe how many people have come on this thread to tell me how "picky eaters don't exist in our house" or that I should make her pay for her own food. I didn't come here looking for parenting lesson. We do what works for our family. Geeesh!

I asked for advice on how far the restaurants are willing to go to accommodate special requests. Thank you to those who gave me that information and didn't criticize my parenting skills at the same time.