Are disney restraunts strict???

[magic kingdom park]

My son is autistic, he is a very picky eater, we have only done counter service at disney where I would order him a hotdog, most of the time he would not eat it it was wasted, nothing else on the menu he eats, no hamburgers no french fries nothing, last year we done the breakfast at cafe may (sp) he will eat grits and crunchy bacon, he really enjoyed this with the characters but he did not even eat but maybe 2 bites total of grits and maybe one slice of bacon, we would like to try a dinner this time maybe chef mickeys but I can't see paying the high price for a child if he will not eat that much. Has anyone else had any ideas for problems like this, or should I just not attempt it, I hate to throw money away like that if he won't eat it..

 

[SueM in MN]

Has anyone else had any ideas for problems like this, or should I just not attempt it, I hate to throw money away like that if he won't eat it..

First of all, for the character meals, it might help to look at as a character interaction that you are paying for, rather than the meal. If someone doesn't eat anything, they typically still charge an "entertainment" fee for the character buffets, which is less than the full fee, although a few people have reported not being charged for their "non-eating" member.
We have already been charged the child fee rather than the adult for DD at Crystal Palace because the server could see that she was eating very little (and most of it was from the children's portion of the buffet). I'm not sure how they handle it for the character meals that are not buffet, but for the buffets I know it is up to the discretion of the server.

In the full service restaurants, you where you order off a menu, you can choose not to order for your child and either he won't eat or he'll eat off someone else's plate.

 

[riu girl]

magic kingdom park:
I don't know if you have considered the character dining experience at the Swan hotel. At this character meal you can order off the menu, instead of paying a set price for buffet or a preplated meal. We did this in 12/04 and the price worked out to be much less (by ordering from the menu). So for your child you could simply order a glass of water and fries or something. Then you won't have to worry about wasting $ on food he won't eat. DD had severe eating issues as a baby/toddler so I understand your concerns. Once we went away for a weekend when she was about 2 and she would only drink water/eat potato based food for the whole weekend.

Depending on what night you want to go, you can either see Goofy and Pluto or Timon and Rafiki. The restauarant is lovely also, the fanciest my children have ever been too. We had a great night there.

Suzy V.

 

[mapark]

My entire family is planning a group vacation for August. We have just made reversations for Hoop Dee Doo but my mother does not eat ribs or chicken. Do you know if you can order off the set menu?

 

[Talking Hands]

There is no menu. The meal is chicken and ribs. But if she has medical reason for not eating these things she could ask for a special meal to be prepared. It needs to be done ahead of time. As a diabetic who trys to stay basically low carb I usually ask for Baked, broiled or grilled chicken, ribs without sauce with steamed veggies and 1/2 a small baked potato or 1/3 cup of rice. Dessert is 3-6 strawberries with whipped cream which has not been sweetened in any way.

 

[Heather Smith]

Talking Hands

How do you request this meal? We have reservations for the Hoop Di Doo and my husband is diabetic and trys to stay very low carb. Are the other restaurants accommodating with substitutions? We've never eaten at DW before, but we have the dining plan for Sept.

Thanks

 

[tinkerbelle22]

To Magic Kingdom Park: My son is 8 yr old autistic and all he cares about when we go to DW is interacting with the characters. He does eat at these meals, but IF he didn't I would still pay any amount because of the joy he gets from meeting "his friends" The character breakfasts are the one place where you get a lot of attention from them (and since you're paying you don't feel guilty spending a couple of extra minutes with them!) If you worry that you're wasting money, it's not about the food.

 

[Talking Hands]

Talking Hands
How do you request this meal? We have reservations for the Hoop Di Doo and my husband is diabetic and trys to stay very low carb. Are the other restaurants accommodating with substitutions? We've never eaten at DW before, but we have the dining plan for Sept.
Thanks

I request it when I make the reservations for Hoop Dee Doo. Then when I pick up the tickets at my resort I again remind them of my needs and they usually call Hoop Dee Doo and we go over what I can have and what they will serve me. I always am sure to get my tickets 24 hours before I am attending. At most restaurants though I have lttle problem in finding appropriate foods.

 

[Selket]

I usually feel like I'm paying the price for the character meal just to sit down inside in the air-conditioning and have the characters come to me - LOL! My 3 yr old has dietary needs (type 1 diabetic, allergic to peanut/tree nut) and the chefs at most places will pretty much make anything I have asked for him. Usually this is a hotdog (if not on the menu already), noodles or rice, a certain vegetable, fruit he likes, and a dessert he can eat.

He actually eats very well - we get our money's worth for him It is my 7 year old who has no dietary needs that eats about 2 bites of food.

When you make the priority seating tell them that your son has dietary needs. They should give you a phone number to call about 7 days out. Talk with them about what your son would eat (something like bacon or grits generally may not be on the menu - especially at dinner). They will usually be able to have the food available for you. We've had especially good luck with Le Cellier (they were willing to make him anything we could think of - very very nice chefs), and Crystal Palace. CP is a character meal with Pooh and friends. Chef Mickey's was fine too (except for dessert! but that was an allergy issue that you don't have I think).

I can understand not wanting to pay the high price if your son will not eat! Perhaps if you think having his favorite foods there won't work check into the "entertainment fee" someone else mentioned. Or perhaps pay the buffet fee and arrange beforehand with the chef to prepare some favorite foods and box them so you can take them away - perhaps he would eat better later in a quieter place? Then you'd have some food for him. Chefs have offered to box things for William so he would have safe choices.

Good luck with your trip!

 

[magic kingdom park]

Thanks for all the info, one more question do you think these restraunts would mine if I didn't order him a plate and just brought like snacks and things or maybe something from home that he would eat such as one of those kids kitchen micro meals??

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for all the info, one more question do you think these restraunts would mine if I didn't order him a plate and just brought like snacks and things or maybe something from home that he would eat such as one of those kids kitchen micro meals??

I'd suggest you call the dining number and ask, but be prepared that they might say no, especially if you are goinng to a buffet. It's very possible that the chef in the restaurant would be able to "special order prepare" some food that you know your son would eat if you ask ahead of time. I don't know about food service rules in Florida, but it's also possible that they may not be permitted to heat a meal you bring in.

 

[Odie]

I have a 6 year old autistic son. We did Chef Mickey's when he was four. One thing to bear in mind is whether your son cares about the characters. My son does not interact much and he's not the best around crowds and noise. Chef Mickey's can get noisy. We still gave it a try becaue we also have another child with no disability. Our son also has a limited diet, and bacon is one of his favorites. We noticed that it was the crunchiness of bacon that he likes. We then started making hamburgers and steaks well done, almost to the point of burnt, and he started eating them. He loves the crunchy parts. Just a thought for you.

 

[seashoreCM]

(copied from another post)

One way to avoid wasting food on picky eaters, don't order an entree for each person but instead order only what everyone together can and will finish. Then share.

If it turns out that the finicky eater eats more on one particular meal leaving others with not quite enough, then be more permissive about between meal snacks that day.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[mlwear]

The crunchy foods are part of my son's sensory diet. I have to send in something crunchy for his snack each day. I don't know if it is just an oral stim or maybe the pressure of having to bite down hard. Know it doesn't relate to your ?, but thought that was interesting. We use granola bars, carrots, those big sour dough pretzels.

Well, now that I look at seashore's comment, maybe it does fit. These are great in between meal snacks to have on hand.

 

[magic kingdom park]

So if we go in a restraunt and I know there is nothing there that he would even touch, I could not order for him and bring him in several snacks, I could tell them if he does eat he could eat off my plate, which is doubtful, but he will fill up on snacks such as cheez-it fruit snack, apples, popcorn. Do they say anything about bringing in your own food?

 

[dj2]

i don't think you'd have any trouble at a disney restaurant. i've been in restaurants with others and have not ordered (even at character meals) and sometimes have snacked on carrot sticks which i'd brought in, or other similar things. i did so discreetly, not setting up a whole picnic, and have never had a problem.

dj