Crystal Palace....gastric bypass

[rwdavis2]

This is a crazy idea but maybe with a Drs note you could order at a kid's price?

As a general FYI, virtually nobody honors notes/letters anymore. They are too easily forged.

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't think it's unfair at all. We asked if she could pay the children's price. Why should she pay $50-60 to eat literally 2 bites of food? I guess she could just not eat at all and ask to not be charged at all as she's really just accompanying the rest of us. (I mean, is there a 'rule' that if you're at a restaurant you HAVE to eat?)
And I've heard numerous instances of this happening on this board over the years.

I have no idea where you have heard this, and while I do not doubt you I do not think this is as normal a practice as you contend that it is. There is no rule you have to eat, but there are rules in place that you enter? You pay. FWIW, that is the rule in Disney AYCTE, Buffet, and fixed price meals. You are charged per eat, not per bite.

wow, unfortunately my "luck" doesn't carry over to my purchase of lottery tickets.....but in WDW, every single restaurant we've eaten at the past few years (most buffets) - the manager on duty always had NO issue whatsoever charging her the children's price. And probably half the time, they didn't charge her at all. And at non-buffet restaurants, there was never an issue with her ordering off the children's menu either. They never once said no, and never batted an eye at our request. Doesn't seem so much luck to me at standard operating procedure. That's just been my experience on every trip, and we do a lot of character buffets.

You are lucky. Most guests will not be given this latitude and should not be led to believe this will happen.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think it's unfair at all. We asked if she could pay the children's price. Why should she pay $50-60 to eat literally 2 bites of food? I guess she could just not eat at all and ask to not be charged at all as she's really just accompanying the rest of us. (I mean, is there a 'rule' that if you're at a restaurant you HAVE to eat?)
And I've heard numerous instances of this happening on this board over the years.

Why should she pay? She should pay the adult price because she is not a child. And that is how Disney charges, by age. I can tell you I in no way eat my money's worth of food. I know many people that don't. At any character meal you are paying a price for that, the characters.

And btw, if someone sits at a table at a buffet or family style meal at WDW barring some miracle they will be charged. No one looks at who is eating what. You sit, you pay. You were exceedingly lucky to only have to pay the child's price. And I'm honestly a little upset that they allowed that. It is unfair to thousands of other guests who do not eat their money's worth of food.

 

[TJDisneymama]

I'm not saying everyone who has a small appetite should not pay the full price, but if you have a VALID MEDICAL REASON that you physically can NOT eat a lot or any solid food....then I think it's fair to ask for special pricing. We will continue to ask on my mother's behalf. If they say no, fine. I'm not demanding it, just asking!

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm not saying everyone who has a small appetite should not pay the full price, but if you have a VALID MEDICAL REASON that you physically can NOT eat a lot or any solid food....then I think it's fair to ask for special pricing. We will continue to ask on my mother's behalf. If they say no, fine. I'm not demanding it, just asking!

Not saying you are doing this, but the problem is, what would then keep people from claiming a medical reason when they didn't have one? That is the problem, once Disney makes an exception for one or a few, then not so honest people will start claiming they can't eat a lot. And then go and fill up.

Not to mention, how is a medical reason different from just having a very small appetite? Why should one have to pay less than the other? The offerings are all the same. Again, Disney charges by age, not by how much you eat.

Also, you are not paying for just the food. You are paying for the theming and the characters. Honestly, very few people can eat $30 worth of food. If you know what the rules are, then maybe eat somewhere that works for your family. Asking for an exception to be made, yeah, really not right imho.

 

[rlk]

I'm not saying everyone who has a small appetite should not pay the full price, but if you have a VALID MEDICAL REASON that you physically can NOT eat a lot or any solid food....then I think it's fair to ask for special pricing. We will continue to ask on my mother's behalf. If they say no, fine. I'm not demanding it, just asking!

How is it different than my son who aged out of the child's pricing, but will only eat a slice of pizza or a few chicken nuggets due to SPD/food aversion? If we want to eat at Crystal Palace, we suck it up and pay full price for him.

 

[Lisa F]

How is it different than my son who aged out of the child's pricing, but will only eat a slice of pizza or a few chicken nuggets due to SPD/food aversion? If we want to eat at Crystal Palace, we suck it up and pay full price for him.

it's not. that's really the point, there are so many reasons that could cause people to feel like they get less than their value in food, Disney can't keep track of all of them. The only truly fair thing is to adhere to the age pricing structure for everyone. At what point does someone eat enough volume to qualify as an adult and why should disney spend the staff and resources to police that when these places are fully booked 6 months in advance by people who are willing to just pay by price? Everything basically boils down to a medical reason, whether you've had bariatric surgery or you're a kid with SPD or you're 90 and your metabolism has slowed to the point where 3 oz of food at a sitting is all can consume... everything.

But I (as others have) made the choice to have this surgery done. It is elective surgery and I knew when I had it done that sometimes I'd have to pay the same as everyone else even though I can't eat like everyone else to be part of and participate in the world in a normal way. I choose to not make it into a "thing." When I have other options such as sharing or ordering a GOOD kid's meal I avail myself of those options, but I'm not interested in making the world financially accommodate my decision. I would rather spend $30 to eat 3-4 oz of food at a character breakfast a hundred times than be able to "eat my money's worth" and have the weight back. We all make choices in our lives and the world is not always responsible for making that decision more palatable. Sometimes you have to live with the downsides of your decisions. The downside of having bariatric surgery is that at Disney World, they are not going to cut you a break because you can't stuff yourself disgusting at a buffet anymore.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Why should she pay? She should pay the adult price because she is not a child. And that is how Disney charges, by age. I can tell you I in no way eat my money's worth of food. I know many people that don't. At any character meal you are paying a price for that, the characters.

And btw, if someone sits at a table at a buffet or family style meal at WDW barring some miracle they will be charged. No one looks at who is eating what. You sit, you pay. You were exceedingly lucky to only have to pay the child's price. And I'm honestly a little upset that they allowed that. It is unfair to thousands of other guests who do not eat their money's worth of food.

Don't believe everything you read on here. The DIS is not always a bastion of truth.


Once maybe "every time". Hmmmmmm

 

[Pumbaa_]

I have no idea what you mean

 

[DisBuckMan]

I know exactly what OCC means, and I agree.

 

[HarleenQ]

dont most character meals charge before you enter? Are they just taking your word for it then?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

My wife recently had the bypass surgery, and only eats very small meals.
Does anyone know if its possible to order a la carte at Crystal Palace????

1) Alas, no.
2) Buffets do not have the ability to cut the price due to dietary habits. *
3) With the surgery, it is called grin, bear-it, pay-it.

* With people just walking up for more food, how could they monitor it if she only went once?

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm not saying everyone who has a small appetite should not pay the full price, but if you have a VALID MEDICAL REASON that you physically can NOT eat a lot or any solid food....then I think it's fair to ask for special pricing. We will continue to ask on my mother's behalf. If they say no, fine. I'm not demanding it, just asking!

How on Earth can one know what is valid? You cannot ask for a medical note, and who would know what is real and what is not? Who chooses what the limit is in regards to medical concerns pass in a Disney restaurant?

My DDIL has had GBP and we have never asked for any concessions from any restaurant. My DGD was restricted for food choices when she was younger and we paid whatever the meal cost. One time in NYC the server noticed she only had a few slices of bacon and a sausage, and asked if the food was okay. Once he was told she could not have anything else that was there he came back and told us she would not be charged her meal. I never would have asked, we chose to go there for breakfast.

I know exactly what OCC means, and I agree.

I have no idea.....

 

[mombrontrent]

When we go to an AYCTE restaurant at Disney we know for our family we are going for the experience. We are in no way ever getting anywhere near our monies worth in food consumed and we know that going in and are ok with that, we know the price and are willing to pay for the experience not the over priced food.

When we went in January it was a trip with me, Dh, dd14 and dd10. All of us are considered adults and we ate at a couple character meals and 'ohana because we enjoyed the atmosphere as food and the over all experience. I am vegan and a light eater so I am consuming very inexpensive foods, dd10 is a vegetarian and dd14 is a very picky plain eater. At 'ohana we paid $45+ tax and tip for her to eat mac and cheese but we enjoyed the atmosphere and view of magic kingdom and we knew going in what the cost was and were prepared to pay it, wouldn't have crossed ours minds to ask for a discount.

While we did a few expensive meals like this the rest of the time we ordered kid meals or split adult meals ect. It works for us.

 

[BarbieGal457]

As a person dealing with "eating issues" I will chime in here. I have very severe gastroparesis, meaning most of my stomach is basically paralyzed (for ease of explanation) and I need to take medicine to digest every meal. At 29, I eat extremely small meals of limited food choices. I also book plenty of buffets while in Disney and have never once even THOUGHT of asking to pay a reduced/child's price. I know going into it that I will in no way be eating enough to justify the cost (and suspect many people don't eat $40+ worth of buffet foods), and I accept that because I want to do whatever experience it is.

I am honestly surprised that it is claimed a poster's family was given a reduced price on multiple occasions and frankly, I agree that it's a little upsetting to hear. According to a previous post, I also have a "valid medical reason" yet I expect no special treatment anywhere, ever. I would never in a million years ever think I should expect or request special pricing anywhere in the world - or World. Disney is WONDERFUL at making the certain dietary requirements I may need and honestly that is all I ask. I also try to book places where I can see that the menu already allows for at least one meal I can eat without changes. Frankly, even if I had a "normal" digestive system, I don't think the Disney buffet food is anything special and really, my money's worth is going to see the characters/experience and not the food. To me, it is on ME to determine if a restaurant is suitable for my dietary needs, and if I want to accompany a friend to a buffet or go myself, I determine if I am okay with paying $X for honestly not a lot of food I can have. I just can't imagine thinking Disney should give me a break because I can only eat the toast and fruit.

 

[Nancyg56]

As a person dealing with "eating issues" I will chime in here. I have very severe gastroparesis, meaning most of my stomach is basically paralyzed (for ease of explanation) and I need to take medicine to digest every meal. At 29, I eat extremely small meals of limited food choices. I also book plenty of buffets while in Disney and have never once even THOUGHT of asking to pay a reduced/child's price. I know going into it that I will in no way be eating enough to justify the cost (and suspect many people don't eat $40+ worth of buffet foods), and I accept that because I want to do whatever experience it is.

I am honestly surprised that it is claimed a poster's family was given a reduced price on multiple occasions and frankly, I agree that it's a little upsetting to hear. According to a previous post, I also have a "valid medical reason" yet I expect no special treatment anywhere, ever. I would never in a million years ever think I should expect or request special pricing anywhere in the world - or World. Disney is WONDERFUL at making the certain dietary requirements I may need and honestly that is all I ask. I also try to book places where I can see that the menu already allows for at least one meal I can eat without changes. Frankly, even if I had a "normal" digestive system, I don't think the Disney buffet food is anything special and really, my money's worth is going to see the characters/experience and not the food. To me, it is on ME to determine if a restaurant is suitable for my dietary needs, and if I want to accompany a friend to a buffet or go myself, I determine if I am okay with paying $X for honestly not a lot of food I can have. I just can't imagine thinking Disney should give me a break because I can only eat the toast and fruit.

I am not ever upset if a restaurant manager decides to either reduce or remove a charge for a guest due to any medical condition, and would think nothing of it if you were granted that courtesy. I am irritated that there are posters who are telling people here that Disney WILL do this, and that they have the right to a reduced price. Disney is not doing this, individual managers are making these decisions and that decision should be considered a gift. It is not fair to anyone to set the expectation that meals will be "comped" when they are most likely not to be is unfair to all involved.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I am not ever upset if a restaurant manager decides to either reduce or remove a charge for a guest due to any medical condition, and would think nothing of it if you were granted that courtesy. I am irritated that there are posters who are telling people here that Disney WILL do this, and that they have the right to a reduced price. Disney is not doing this, individual managers are making these decisions and that decision should be considered a gift. It is not fair to anyone to set the expectation that meals will be "comped" when they are most likely not to be is unfair to all involved.

I want to preface by saying I in no way at all direct my comments to the OP or anyone else.

i agree it should be considered a "gift." I have had food removed from my bill by surprise when it was noticed I really did not touch the food (because it's always asked was something wrong with it, to which I respond not at all, I just have a chronic illness that affects my ability to eat). Each time I have considered it a lucky break. I think I feel strongly about topics such as this because this is the hand life dealt to me, that I will have to deal with all my life, and I have learned that while it stinks, if I really want to do a culinary experience, I'm going to end up paying for more than I get most likely. If I were pregnant I wouldn't ask Disney to pay a kid's price ticket because I can't ride all the same ride as non-pregnant adults. The same goes for set-price meals. Many of us with issues that prevent us from eating certain foods/amounts of food (gastroparesis), riding certain rides (heart conditions), etc would love to pay the kid's prices for those things, but it's accepted that we are adults and that's how it goes, because it is fair to base X on age. Heck do you know how much money I'd have saved if I was given dietary concessions? LOTS! There is no slippery slope with your age, but there sure is with going the "valid medical conditions" route, and to me it's fair that I pay X based on the fact I'm 29 and not 9. I will always be paying for more than I can eat, and it's up to me alone to decide if I want to eat wherever and accept that. It's a nice break for the customer if the manager makes exceptions, I would just personally feel I was rather rude if I were to continually ask for discounts because I book places that I went in to knowingly won't eat what I consider full value.

 

[Lisa F]

I am not ever upset if a restaurant manager decides to either reduce or remove a charge for a guest due to any medical condition, and would think nothing of it if you were granted that courtesy. I am irritated that there are posters who are telling people here that Disney WILL do this, and that they have the right to a reduced price. Disney is not doing this, individual managers are making these decisions and that decision should be considered a gift. It is not fair to anyone to set the expectation that meals will be "comped" when they are most likely not to be is unfair to all involved.

this isn't happening frequently. I follow some bariatric surgery support boards and there is this card you can get from your doctor or print out from the internet that is supposed to legitimize asking for a lower price at restaurants and there are a lot of people bent that Disney won't accept it... I can't tell you how much this bugs me for reasons I adequately explained above. The DISboards is by far not the only place reporting that Disney doesn't honor this. I'm guessing most managers don't either again for the many reasons already stated!

 

[Lisa F]

I want to preface by saying I in no way at all direct my comments to the OP or anyone else.

i agree it should be considered a "gift." I have had food removed from my bill by surprise when it was noticed I really did not touch the food (because it's always asked was something wrong with it, to which I respond not at all, I just have a chronic illness that affects my ability to eat). Each time I have considered it a lucky break. I think I feel strongly about topics such as this because this is the hand life dealt to me, that I will have to deal with all my life, and I have learned that while it stinks, if I really want to do a culinary experience, I'm going to end up paying for more than I get most likely. If I were pregnant I wouldn't ask Disney to pay a kid's price ticket because I can't ride all the same ride as non-pregnant adults. The same goes for set-price meals. Many of us with issues that prevent us from eating certain foods/amounts of food (gastroparesis), riding certain rides (heart conditions), etc would love to pay the kid's prices for those things, but it's accepted that we are adults and that's how it goes, because it is fair to base X on age. Heck do you know how much money I'd have saved if I was given dietary concessions? LOTS! There is no slippery slope with your age, but there sure is with going the "valid medical conditions" route, and to me it's fair that I pay X based on the fact I'm 29 and not 9. I will always be paying for more than I can eat, and it's up to me alone to decide if I want to eat wherever and accept that. It's a nice break for the customer if the manager makes exceptions, I would just personally feel I was rather rude if I were to continually ask for discounts because I book places that I went in to knowingly won't eat what I consider full value.

to be fair the OP just asked if you could order a la carte at CP... there are some hybrid AYCTE/a la carte restaurants so it's not a crazy question to ask. It was someone else who insisted they were owed a discounted price because someone in their party couldn't stuff themselves silly at the buffet.

That said I agree with everything you said and I'm sorry you're dealing with that issue

 

[BarbieGal457]

to be fair the OP just asked if you could order a la carte at CP... there are some hybrid AYCTE/a la carte restaurants so it's not a crazy question to ask. It was someone else who insisted they were owed a discounted price because someone in their party couldn't stuff themselves silly at the buffet.

That said I agree with everything you said and I'm sorry you're dealing with that issue

Oh for sure about the buffet OP was wondering about. I was more going off of the other posts re: the reducing price issue. Those buffets you mention are my best friend since I can order more specifically for my needs! I do hope OP and their family have a wonderful time. In my experience, Disney is absolutely fantastic with any needed accommodations and will really go out of their way to make sure you have a great dining experience. Disney has never once made me feel like an annoyance for having needed accommodations and it just makes the trip even more relaxing! I think I just got off on a tangent because dietary topics are a daily thing for me!