G-tube fed & Character Meals???

[DizNee Luver]

Just wondering if anyone has had this situation & what happened........

We have a set of twins that will turn 3 before our trip to DL. One of the twins is 100% g-tube fed, huge oral aversion....so no tasting, she's on the autism spectrum & cognatively a 6-8mth old. I called Disney Dining to inquire about a possible reduced rate for the character meals & was told NO!! I was told that we would have to pay full price because of the entertainment/character experience. Isn't this ALSO a meal?? Wouldn't you think a policy would be in place for children/adults that don't eat orally to still be able to enjoy these meals but not break the bank in the process???

Even the entertainment & character interaction with her would be very minimum as she would not be able to handle it. We want our other children to be able to go & enjoy these meals....but I can't afford to just be throwing money at these places for a child that will get nothing out of it.

I've actually had people tell me to fudge on the age thing & pass the twins off as 2 yr olds.......I have a problem with this....as it's dishonest & would eat at me. The other girl is cognatively about 15-18mths, eats very little solids, still drinks a bottle for her main nutrition, probably also on the autism spectrum, and only has about a dozen words total. (the other one has zero words). So mentally & developmentally they are not anywhere near 3....but physically they are.

HELP!!!!

 

[cm8]

hi!!! I have never been in that situation, but I hope that you can find someone that can better answer your question as to how to handle the situation. Maybe they could offer you a 2 for 1 kind of deal?. I think that if this is something that you really want to do, you may just have to bite the bullet so to speak. I hope that you can get someone to strike a deal for you. Good luck!

 

[DizNee Luver]

hi!!! I have never been in that situation, but I hope that you can find someone that can better answer your question as to how to handle the situation. Maybe they could offer you a 2 for 1 kind of deal?. I think that if this is something that you really want to do, you may just have to bite the bullet so to speak. I hope that you can get someone to strike a deal for you. Good luck!

Thank You.....I think it was just the initial shock of having to pay for a non-eater who won't care about the going ons at a character meal. I probably will just need to budget accordingly.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I guess I can understand where Disney is coming from, but considering the "entertainment" of most of the character meals we have had is only a few minutes I would think in all fairness they should reduce the rate, but I don't make the rules. Have you tried calling and asking to have a member of management call you? We had to do this to have a special need addressed; I don't know if it would work, but it wouldn't hurt. Either way, I hope that you and your family have a great time and enjoy your trip.

 

[KAYzEyes]

Just wondering if anyone has had this situation & what happened........

We have a set of twins that will turn 3 before our trip to DL. One of the twins is 100% g-tube fed, huge oral aversion....so no tasting, she's on the autism spectrum & cognatively a 6-8mth old. I called Disney Dining to inquire about a possible reduced rate for the character meals & was told NO!! I was told that we would have to pay full price because of the entertainment/character experience. Isn't this ALSO a meal?? Wouldn't you think a policy would be in place for children/adults that don't eat orally to still be able to enjoy these meals but not break the bank in the process???

Even the entertainment & character interaction with her would be very minimum as she would not be able to handle it. We want our other children to be able to go & enjoy these meals....but I can't afford to just be throwing money at these places for a child that will get nothing out of it.

I've actually had people tell me to fudge on the age thing & pass the twins off as 2 yr olds.......I have a problem with this....as it's dishonest & would eat at me. The other girl is cognatively about 15-18mths, eats very little solids, still drinks a bottle for her main nutrition, probably also on the autism spectrum, and only has about a dozen words total. (the other one has zero words). So mentally & developmentally they are not anywhere near 3....but physically they are.

HELP!!!!

I have both a g & a j tube (fed thru the j, g is for ventilation). I "can" eat certain soft foods, but if I do I end up (sorry for being graphic) vomiting, and either way have to empty whatever does reach my stomach out the g-tube within a half hour.

I generally just rely on the liquid nutrition thru my j-tube, as it's just not fun tossing my cookies when I DO try & eat.

I have a card from my gastric surgeon... this is what is on it (I have it laminated and carry it in my purse):

"Dear Owner/Manager - the above named person has a condition which impedes absorption/consumption of food. We kindly request s/he be afforded a discounted meal or child portion. Thank you for your cooperation."
(with physician's signature & ph#)

I've only used the card a handful of times and as of yet have had no problem with establishments honoring the request. I do plan to use it on my next trip to DW.

Perhaps you can discuss this all with your child's physician and come up with a card that would fit your little one's situation. I've seen many different versions of the discount card for a variety of gastrointestinal issues and conditions.

Good luck, and hope you'll post and let us know how things work out.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I guess I can understand where Disney is coming from, but considering the "entertainment" of most of the character meals we have had is only a few minutes I would think in all fairness they should reduce the rate, but I don't make the rules. Have you tried calling and asking to have a member of management call you? We had to do this to have a special need addressed; I don't know if it would work, but it wouldn't hurt. Either way, I hope that you and your family have a great time and enjoy your trip.

I do have a call into Disney Dining Mgmt Team but have not heard back from them yet. The number of different people I have talked with all come back with the same answer......full price because of the character interaction. That would be fine if I really thought she would enjoy it....I imagine this to be far too stimulating, causing her to shut down.....so really not much fun for her. I too understand Disney's take on this, but still think certain special needs should be addressed & a policy put in place for extreme circumstances. This is not a case of my child choosing not to eat or participate.

I have both a g & a j tube (fed thru the j, g is for ventilation). I "can" eat certain soft foods, but if I do I end up (sorry for being graphic) vomiting, and either way have to empty whatever does reach my stomach out the g-tube within a half hour.

I generally just rely on the liquid nutrition thru my j-tube, as it's just not fun tossing my cookies when I DO try & eat.

I have a card from my gastric surgeon... this is what is on it (I have it laminated and carry it in my purse):

"Dear Owner/Manager - the above named person has a condition which impedes absorption/consumption of food. We kindly request s/he be afforded a discounted meal or child portion. Thank you for your cooperation."
(with physician's signature & ph#)

I've only used the card a handful of times and as of yet have had no problem with establishments honoring the request. I do plan to use it on my next trip to DW.

Perhaps you can discuss this all with your child's physician and come up with a card that would fit your little one's situation. I've seen many different versions of the discount card for a variety of gastrointestinal issues and conditions.

Good luck, and hope you'll post and let us know how things work out.

I think I will get something from the pediatrician to show to the managers at those meals unless something else comes thru prior. I really believe if the managers saw the twins, they would understand that neither girl is anywhere close to a "normal" 3 yr old & treating them as a 2yr old would not be a big deal. I can guarantee if the other twin eats anything, it would be eat less than a 1/2 cup of food & again would have an issue with the entertainment.

I will definately let you know when I find anything out.

Thanx everyone!!!!

 

[3_disprincesses]

What about the reservation that you are using that could be used by someone paying for the experience? Should parents of children that eat twice as much as other children the same age be required to pay more for their children? My daughter is very petite, eats very little...I don't even buy a meal for her when we go to a restaurant at home, we share a meal. But if we're doing buffett, I still have to pay for hers even though she will eat only one piece of pizza. I do understand but you should understand Disney's position also. There are character experiences that do not require dining or any extra expense.

 

[SueM in MN]

I can tell you what people have posted happened in the past -

Most could not get confirmation of any decreased charge ahead of time, but did not have to pay the full charge. Some paid nothing for the person who did not eat, but most others paid what was called an "entertainment fee" that was smaller than the usual charge. The servers do have the authority to reduce the rate when you are there. My DD is not tube fed, but eats very little sometimes and most of what she eats is from the children's menu. Without asking for it, we have been charged the child rate for her quite often because the server saw what she was eating and charged us accordingly.

I would suggest you make the ADRs for the experiences you want, then when you check in mention it to the check in CM and also to your server.

I think the reason they do it this way is that if they did it over the phone, the parents of most small children would say their child eats very little to nothing (I've seen enough threads on the Restaurant and Family Board over the years to know that a large percentage of families with children would ask for a discount if you could do it over the phone because most small children just don't eat the amount of food you think of for the price). By having the servers/check in CMs handle it, they select out those people like your family whose children have disability related reasons for not eating.

 

[DizNee Luver]

What about the reservation that you are using that could be used by someone paying for the experience? Should parents of children that eat twice as much as other children the same age be required to pay more for their children? My daughter is very petite, eats very little...I don't even buy a meal for her when we go to a restaurant at home, we share a meal. But if we're doing buffett, I still have to pay for hers even though she will eat only one piece of pizza. I do understand but you should understand Disney's position also. There are character experiences that do not require dining or any extra expense.

We have a 4 yr old that eats one or two bites at these meals & have never argued about paying for her. She gets a lot out of these meals with the characters. But for a child that does not eat orally, I feel we should not have to pay for a meal. We are a large family of 9, so having one child not pay would not lose them too much money....nor would we feel like we were keeping a paying customer from going. It is no different than if they were 2......they'd be free.

I can tell you what people have posted happened in the past -

Most could not get confirmation of any decreased charge ahead of time, but did not have to pay the full charge. Some paid nothing for the person who did not eat, but most others paid what was called an "entertainment fee" that was smaller than the usual charge. The servers do have the authority to reduce the rate when you are there. My DD is not tube fed, but eats very little sometimes and most of what she eats is from the children's menu. Without asking for it, we have been charged the child rate for her quite often because the server saw what she was eating and charged us accordingly.

I would suggest you make the ADRs for the experiences you want, then when you check in mention it to the check in CM and also to your server.

I think the reason they do it this way is that if they did it over the phone, the parents of most small children would say their child eats very little to nothing (I've seen enough threads on the Restaurant and Family Board over the years to know that a large percentage of families with children would ask for a discount if you could do it over the phone because most small children just don't eat the amount of food you think of for the price). By having the servers/check in CMs handle it, they select out those people like your family whose children have disability related reasons for not eating.

Thank you Sue....we will just play it by ear & go with the flow.

 

[Reto]

I have a feeding tube too and I'm not able to eat or drink anything (I never was due to a birth defect). I get all my nutrition overnight, no need to do anything during the day.

When I was at the Goofy's Kitchen character dinner over at Disneyland in Nov 2008 I mentioned that. The CM said they had to charge me the full amount due to the character entertainment. Now that I know that, I just do my budget according to this. I was at the Crystal Palace for breakfast last November and didn't even mention that I'm on a feeding tube. I just paid full price, which isn't that much of a problem for me. But that's just my personal opinion and way to handle this.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have a feeding tube too and I'm not able to eat or drink anything (I never was due to a birth defect). I get all my nutrition overnight, no need to do anything during the day.

When I was at the Goofy's Kitchen character dinner over at Disneyland in Nov 2008 I mentioned that. The CM said they had to charge me the full amount due to the character entertainment. Now that I know that, I just do my budget according to this. I was at the Crystal Palace for breakfast last November and didn't even mention that I'm on a feeding tube. I just paid full price, which isn't that much of a problem for me. But that's just my personal opinion and way to handle this.

I think that the end idea is probably plan to pay the full amount and it’s possible you may not have to.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

OK, I'm all in favor of honesty, but I also think that there's a huge difference between my preschooler doesn't each much, and my child has a g-tube.

It seems to me that you'd feel comfortable passing off your one daughter as 2, but feel conflicted about the other who will eat at least a little. Given that, would you feel comfortable passing them off at every other meal? That is, if you go to 4 character meals, pay at 2, and pretend they're 2 at the other 2. Twice two is the same as paying for 4 once.

I'd only do that if you felt that your 3 year olds would be unaware, and that your older children were old enough to understand.

 

[DizNee Luver]

We may have this figured out.....sometimes you just have to get to the right person. I'm to update this WONDERFUL lady when our PS (or ADR for the WDW people) are made with date, time & restaurant. There will be a note on the ressie with special instuctions for the CM checking us in.

I'm pleased with the outcome.

Thanx everyone for your help!!

 

[iwrbnd]

I'm glad it worked out for you. We have an 11 yr old on the autism spectrum too and he has huge food issues, too. He mostly drinks chocolate milk or ensure. Our family wants to do the dining plan but I didn't want to spend $40/day on choc milk for him. I didn't push it too far w/management but I was told we had to pay it. Oh, well.

 

[WLodgeLizard]

We have a very similar situation with our DS10. We have been to several character meals and have never had to pay for a meal for him. We always explain that he does not eat by mouth at all. We don't even order a drink for him. We usually bring water in a sippy cup for him. I think it depends on the server and I guess we have been very lucky thru the years.

Also, I know that many have mentioned that they had to pay for someone at the Hoop Dee Doo who was tube-fed. We went a couple years ago and we did pay for him.

However, we went in December 09 and even though I was charged when I made the reservation, I was told that I just needed to go up to the ticket window to get a refund. I did just that and did not have any problems giving me a refund at all. They said that they changed his reservation to an "under 3" reservation. It was a little bit of a pain, but I feel better about doing it that way rather than telling them he was under 3 in the orignal reservation.

I will say that my son's disabilities are pretty obvious. I'm sure that could be a factor as well. So I am not certain it that would work for everyone. Bottom line, dont' be afraid to ask.

WLL

 

[DizNee Luver]

I'm glad it worked out for you. We have an 11 yr old on the autism spectrum too and he has huge food issues, too. He mostly drinks chocolate milk or ensure. Our family wants to do the dining plan but I didn't want to spend $40/day on choc milk for him. I didn't push it too far w/management but I was told we had to pay it. Oh, well.

We have a very similar situation with our DS10. We have been to several character meals and have never had to pay for a meal for him. We always explain that he does not eat by mouth at all. We don't even order a drink for him. We usually bring water in a sippy cup for him. I think it depends on the server and I guess we have been very lucky thru the years.

Also, I know that many have mentioned that they had to pay for someone at the Hoop Dee Doo who was tube-fed. We went a couple years ago and we did pay for him.

However, we went in December 09 and even though I was charged when I made the reservation, I was told that I just needed to go up to the ticket window to get a refund. I did just that and did not have any problems giving me a refund at all. They said that they changed his reservation to an "under 3" reservation. It was a little bit of a pain, but I feel better about doing it that way rather than telling them he was under 3 in the orignal reservation.

I will say that my son's disabilities are pretty obvious. I'm sure that could be a factor as well. So I am not certain it that would work for everyone. Bottom line, dont' be afraid to ask.

WLL

thank you both!!

 

[mdvlprof]

Hope things work out for you.

We just work the fact that DS-19-quad doesn't eat, into the budget. Since we usually do the meal plan, someone else gets an extra meal.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Hope things work out for you.

We just work the fact that DS-19-quad doesn't eat, into the budget. Since we usually do the meal plan, someone else gets an extra meal.

I wish Disneyland offered the same kind of meal plan WDW does.....this would have made things much easier....cause as you said....someone else would use it. The way DL dining vouchers work...you actually could lose money using them. They're a set dollar amt & if you don't use the full amt...you won't get change, so you lose money. I found standing at the register, trying to get as close to the amt with these vouchers was more work than their worth.

 

[dmbfan]

I have not read all the responses in this thread, but I do want to say we had the SAME problem when we went a couple of years ago. My son is J tube and TPN feed and they charged us 20 something at Cheif Mickey...I was not happy as my son did not even take a sip of juice, let alone eat any food.

I think it is unfair and wrong. We no longer do CB anymore cause I think it is terriable to have to spend that kind of money for a child/adult with a medical reason as to why they can not eat food, just to see Mickey for all of 5 mins....you get a longer time with them if you just go wait in line at the parks.

Sorry if I sound upset with this, but I am. We are going in two days and this time we got the meal plan...I do not mind paying for the QS plan for him as we can eat his meals...but the CB/meals I refuse to pay.

I hope you get a call back, but chances are you will not....sorry...

 

[DizNee Luver]

I have not read all the responses in this thread, but I do want to say we had the SAME problem when we went a couple of years ago. My son is J tube and TPN feed and they charged us 20 something at Cheif Mickey...I was not happy as my son did not even take a sip of juice, let alone eat any food.

I think it is unfair and wrong. We no longer do CB anymore cause I think it is terriable to have to spend that kind of money for a child/adult with a medical reason as to why they can not eat food, just to see Mickey for all of 5 mins....you get a longer time with them if you just go wait in line at the parks.

Sorry if I sound upset with this, but I am. We are going in two days and this time we got the meal plan...I do not mind paying for the QS plan for him as we can eat his meals...but the CB/meals I refuse to pay.

I hope you get a call back, but chances are you will not....sorry...

Thank you for responding.....I have sent you a PM!!