Charged for meal if child doesn't eat??

[JD698]

Both of my kids are picky eaters (one way more picky than the other) - We are getting the Dining Plan and was wondering if DH and I decided to feed the boys before heading to a table service restaurant would a table service meal be subtracted from them just for sitting at the table.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Depends on the restaurant. At a buffet or all you care to eat meal, yes. At an individual service location, probably not - although there have been rare reports of restaurants requiring each person at the table to order.

 

[cmwade77]

No, if they are not asting, they will not be charged. If it is a buffet, you may be charged an "entertainment fee" upon informing them that the child will not be eating at that meal.

To my knowledge this has been Disney's policy for a while.

 

[dixonsontour]

TS credits are divided into adult and child so you would be left with unused child TS credits.

If you note the reservation and ask the restaurant may be able to accomodate your son in the same way they accomodate allergies.

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd, now almost 18, has been the queen of picky eaters. Peanut butter, pasta with butter only, chicken nuggets, some pizza were her staples. Eating at WDW was never an issue. She was always able to find something to eat at any restaurant. Disney is set up for picky eaters.
She was always able to find chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, mini-hot dogs at almost every restaurant.

She finally outgrew most of that pickyness....now she even eats steak and cesear salad!!! We're so proud...

 

[RMulieri]

No, if they are not asting, they will not be charged. If it is a buffet, you may be charged an "entertainment fee" upon informing them that the child will not be eating at that meal.

To my knowledge this has been Disney's policy for a while.

Most buffets have done away with the entertainment fee and now charge ALL guests.It got too hard to police who was eating and who wasn't

 

[Nadjalu]

Most buffets have done away with the entertainment fee and now charge ALL guests.It got too hard to police who was eating and who wasn't

This is what we have encountered. We don't have children yet, but my friend who lives in Orlando meets us for dinner. She usually brings 1 or 2 of her kids and they have been charged even though 1 doesn't eat.
She couldn't believe it, I had tried to warn her, but she wouldn't listen. Now she comes alone when meeting us.

 

[TDC Nala]

I believe there are reports that even persons who are physically unable to eat have been charged at buffets. But I am not sure if I am mixing this up with the fact that they are unable to opt out of the dining plan if the rest of the party wants it. but Disney doesn't do entertainment fees anymore. If it is an all you can eat restaurant and the child is at the table you might as well use a credit for him.

I can't imagine there would be nothing at a WDW buffet that a kid would eat...although if I remember correctly the OP is the one whose child will eat only breakfast foods and pizza slices and then only if the slices are triangular. I am not sure I'd recommend the dining plan for this family...they're going to have a lot of leftover child credits if they do a la carte restaurants. Maybe the quick service plan if they use most of their quick service for large pizzas at food courts. If they're sold on character meals, they will still have to use a credit for the child, even if he eats nothing, so it might make sense to have the plan if they're all going to go to buffets anyway.

 

[Wendydagny]

I believe there are reports that even persons who are physically unable to eat have been charged at buffets.

This is correct. My four year old daughter is in intestinal failure and is fed by an IV 24 hours a day. When we took her MAW trip, we were charged for her at Crystal Palace.

We are taking a trip in 10 days, and I spoke at length about the issue with Disney dining. We will have to pay full price for her at CRT and Akershus. Which totally ticks me off, but I'm not going to deny her the princesses.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I was at Hollywood and Vine a couple years ago with a friend. Her son did not feel well, and didn't eat, and we were not charged. So it's really up to the individual restaurant and server.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

Ditto here. Last year, we ate at Tusker House for lunch, and my DD (6) fell asleep at the table as soon as we sat down. I fully expected to pay for the meal, because it is a buffet. But when the waiter came by to bring me my check, she was still out like a light.

The server asked, "Did she even raise her head during the meal?"

When I said that she had not woken up, he said, "Let me adjust this check for you."

That was really nice of him.

 

[clanmcculloch]

The rule is that everybody is charged at fixed price restaurants whether a single bite is eaten or not. Occasionally a server may take it upon him/herself to not charge but you should never count on that and it is not the norm.

At restaurants where you order off the menu and pay for the items you order then no you should not be charged anything if nothing is ordered for them. That being said, there seem to have been reports at a few restaurants around the WS that are not owned by Disney that are requiring each person to order a meal, especially when using a dining plan.

If you note the reservation and ask the restaurant may be able to accomodate your son in the same way they accomodate allergies.

People with allergies are charged same as everybody else. That being said, some restaurants may be able to whip up some pancakes. Waffles will be out if it's not a breakfast buffet because the waffle irons will not be heated up but they may be able to pull out some pancake mix and cook up a couple in a frying pan. The restaurant has to have the mix handy though so it'll be hit or miss. After breakfast is over, most places will put it out of the way when they prep for the next meal.

 

[MHSweb79]

We will have to pay full price for her at CRT and Akershus. Which totally ticks me off, but I'm not going to deny her the princesses.

But this is the entire point. You are charged because your DD will be enjoying the character experience, which is a large part of the meal charge.

Otherwise Disney would have half of their character meals populated by lookers, not eaters, who want the fun but not the expense.

 

[supersuperwendy]

You may want to ask the restaurant manager. We took our kids to The Biergarten and our oldest daughter didn't eat anything at all. We kindly asked if she could be taken off the bill and the manager said yes. We thanked him big time!

 

[JD698]

My dd, now almost 18, has been the queen of picky eaters. Peanut butter, pasta with butter only, chicken nuggets, some pizza were her staples. Eating at WDW was never an issue. She was always able to find something to eat at any restaurant. Disney is set up for picky eaters.
She was always able to find chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, mini-hot dogs at almost every restaurant. My son is the pickiest eater. No nuggets, fries, hot dogs, chicken, sandwiches of any kind, pasta, etc. He eats breakfast foods (waffles, pancakes, some muffins), certain kinds of pizza, soft pretzels, some fruit (grapes, apples, watermelon). I wish he ate any of the things you mentioned

She finally outgrew most of that pickyness....now she even eats steak and cesear salad!!! We're so proud...

Hopefully he'll outgrow it too!!!

 

[jessica29]

If they are picky maybe you should skip the dining plan. we went in March ( high season, prices were higher). We ate at CRT lunch, 1900 park fare b-fast, askerhaus b-fast, le celliar, chefs de france, crystal palace b-fast, t-rex, sci-fi, 50's prime time, and many CS places and still came in under what it would have cost for the dining plan. I know they say if you eat a lot of character meals its beneficial to get the plan but we would have spent 200.00 dollars more! Course they were 6 and 9. We also were able to eat what we wanted and where. I think we spent 1000.00 for 9 nights 10 days.We did not go hungry! I was not really on a food budget. Granted we had water, 2 mugs, and at b-fast in the room typically.The kids menu got old real quick with my kids. Like when when we went to chefs de france, they ordered french onion soup. $5.00. Its what they wanted and could not have got that on the dining plan. I really did not need my kids eating ice cream at every meal either.LOL

 

[Cepbush106]

Hopefully he'll outgrow it too!!!

Is this a 6 year old? Yikes! Can I ask if he has any disabilities?

 

[JD698]

Is this a 6 year old? Yikes! Can I ask if he has any disabilities?

Yes, he is a 6 year old. He does not have any disabilities. He's just a very picky eater.

 

[aubriee]

I was at Hollywood and Vine a couple years ago with a friend. Her son did not feel well, and didn't eat, and we were not charged. So it's really up to the individual restaurant and server.

My grandaughter did not tell us she was ill once, until after we got into Crystal Palace. She literally took a few sips of sprite and ate like two grapes, before she laid down on the bench and went to sleep. She didn't get to see a single character. The waitress knew she didn't eat and was asleep less than five minutes after we sat down, because she mentioned it, we were still charged for her though.

 

[TisBit]

My dd, now almost 18, has been the queen of picky eaters. Peanut butter, pasta with butter only, chicken nuggets, some pizza were her staples. Eating at WDW was never an issue. She was always able to find something to eat at any restaurant. Disney is set up for picky eaters.
She was always able to find chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, mini-hot dogs at almost every restaurant.

She finally outgrew most of that pickyness....now she even eats steak and cesear salad!!! We're so proud...

Unfortunately WDW has changed quite a bit with their childrens meals and they are not as good as they used to be. It is actually pretty hard to find the "basic" kids stuff like nuggets, pepperoni pizza, etc. Most of their chicken meals are now grilled chicken, chicken pizza, etc. Our kids are not overly picky, but were not impressed with the selections they had.

My grandaughter did not tell us she was ill once, until after we got into Crystal Palace. She literally took a few sips of sprite and ate like two grapes, before she laid down on the bench and went to sleep. She didn't get to see a single character. The waitress knew she didn't eat and was asleep less than five minutes after we sat down, because she mentioned it, we were still charged for her though.

Unfortunately, it is one of those situations where guest behavior would prevent them from making too many exceptions. Parents would be complaining all day long that their kids weren't feeling well, didn't eat much or missed such and such a character so they shouldn't have to pay.

I fully expect to pay for a meal if it is buffet/all you can eat and doubly so if there is any type of entertainment involved. Dinner shows, character meals, etc are all very hot commodities and usually require a deposit anyway. So even if you didn't show up, you would still be charged (yes, there are a few exceptions, but the principal is still there).