Bariatric Surgery and WDW

[Chim Chiminy]

Not sure if this is the right forum. Feel free to move it if it is not.

We are going in December with some close friends. The wife had bariatric surgery, a lap band. She cannot eat very much at all anymore. If she drinks a glass of water, she cannot eat for 45 minutes. She cannot drink along with a meal. If we have them over for dinner, she may eat 1/2 cup, maybe 1 cup of food. When they eat out, she will order chicken fingers off the kids menu wherever they eat.
If she eats a good breakfast, she may not be hungry for the rest of the day. And she cannot eat close to bedtime or it causes her to vomit.

We will have a total of 12 people on this trip, most of whom want to be on the dining plan. Including her husband and DD. She has said she won't do the plan, she can't see spending $38 a day for food when she eats so little.
She had actually planned for buffet meals to just eat off her DHs plate or take a doggy bag back to the villa.....I told her that is a no-no. You can't do that at Disney and they don't do take out meals for buffets.

She wants to know if she wants to go in to a buffet meal, will she just be able to sit there with us and not pay? Or will she be charged just for being there? Do they make an exception for people with specific eating requirements?
She emailed WDW directly and never heard back.

Personally, I think it would still be worth it for her to spend the $38. No she won't eat $38 worth of food, but she would still get to enjoy the character meals she wants to take her DD too. I don't think she quite understands that some of the cost is paying for atmosphere.

 

[AllyandJack]

My mother called ahead and she was able to order from the children's menu and get the children's rate for the buffets. She didn't want to spend all that money just to eat a piece of chicken and some rice, so the children's rate was good for her. It also took a lot of careful planning - we'd have to make sure she knew when we'd be eating so she could plan her day around it. If she didn't eat at certain intervals, she got sick, so she'd carry peanut butter crackers with her. However, if she ate them too close to the meal, she wouldn't be able to eat with us. I'd call and make priority seating for the meals and tell them the story. That's how we got my mother to get the children's meals and rates.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Personally I don't know, but I've read on the dining forum that with documentation from a dr that a person can be charged the kid's meal rates at buffets. I don't know how it works with the dining plan. Maybe try posting over there, also, and someone can give a definite answer.

 

[goofyforlife]

This is one of those big controversies amonst bariatric patients.

Some want to pay kids rates. Some just pay adult rates (cause you are an adult) and eat less.

The controversy centers around the issue that when people eat more (they don't charge you extra) so why should WDW charge you less if you eat less.

I would think she'd want as little extra attention brought to her situation as possible.

(but she'll still need to get in her proteins and such during the trip; IMHO WDW chicken fingers isn't really quality protein anyway.)

A lap band just gives you a smaller stomach; she doesn't drink with meals because the water pushes food through the band and defeats the purpose.

If it were me; I'd pay the full rate to avoid the embarrassment. Some sit down meals do offer doggie bags though.

I know that LTT will let you attend the character meal for an entertainment charge though. (around $5 or so last time I saw it mentioned). Not familiar with how the other restaurants handle it though.