HELP W/ SELECTIVE TEEN ON DDP - 9 nts?

[GOODoldPAL]

I hate to call her picky because she's always willing to try new things. She especially looks forward to experiencing WSC, even trying new foods. After a few cruises, she has added cold soups, nuts, crepes, a few veggies etc to her short preferred menu so she is not totally hopeless!
But reality is, at age 13, she is still a "plain" eater: uses NO condiments AT ALL including mayonnaise, Ketchup, salad dressing, and BBQ or other spicy spices, so that alone eliminates a wide range of options.
Therefore, she is likely to order from Kid's Menu 50% of time (if allowed) and we will pay OOP, saving her credits for other TS meals.

I could use some help with two things.
1) We have ressies for DDP 5 nts and then room only 4nts. Would you extend DDP to 9 nts in our situation? It seems we would spend about same amount of money OOP to feed 3 adults but maybe have more choices OOP?
Will the OOP cost for DDs choices render DDP a non-value for us?
2) Please help choosing restaurants where we will all happily eat.
My DH is a meat & potato guy mostly but we both love mexican, seafood and oriental too. Really there are very few things we won't eat.
But a crappy meal can really ruin our day so we are more interested in quality food than the $$ equation of DDP.

To accomodate our touring style (up at sunrise/chill midday/out late) we prefer one meal late morning and the other early to mid-evening.
The following are the ADRs I've made after reviewing menus with fam:
3 Breakfast buffets (for food options really, characters are just a perk):
Crystal Palace
Donald's
1900 Park Fare

Le Cellier
50's Prime Time
Hoop-Dee-Doo
Concourse Steak*
Planet Hollywood*

*Debating changing these last two; made them because we will all eat burgers and steak.
We want a dinner @ monorail resort.
Would love to do Kona Cafe - will DD find something to eat?
Need another 1 TS credit option for Epcot.
We were hoping for Tempanyaki but will likely be closed for refurb in May.
Does anyone know if the Kid's chicken quesadilla @ San Angel is spiced or plain chicken - do they serve nachos for kids (just chips & cheese sauce)?
Need a TS suggestion for either DTD area (before Cirque), or night we will be @ AK late Magic Hours. Would love to try Boma but doesn't seem promising with DD's tastes.

Really counting on being able to share (at non-buffet/show meals) as this will allow DD to try more food without commiting to something she ends up not eating. Probably order an extra appetizer instead of using her TS credit.
She never met a dessert she didn't like though.

SOOOO appreciative of any advice!!

 

[susieq76]

How about Rose and Crown for a single TS credit? She can have grilled steak & fish w/ fries. DH can have meat & potatoes (together even )

 

[fws]

How about the Grand Floridian Cafe for your TS meal? We ate there with 2 teens and it's a great meal for those who like plain cooking. Plus it's a very civilised atmosphere, which is a real plus.
I'd also recommend Hollywood & Vine for your daughter.
I doubt that you'll save much money not doing the dining package if you're planning on a table meal each day. We ate at cheaper buffets much of the time and still saved money.

 

[GOODoldPAL]

thanks - thought at this point I read every menu in WDW but never looked at the GFC. I agree fare looks simple enough so will have fam peruse it and vote.

I'm actually working on a spreadsheet with most likely menu choices and cost and comparing it to the DDP taking into consideration how much OOP we may incur with that. Figured that is only way I really will know if it suits us.

Anyone else with a suggestion for Epcot, DTD or monorail resort TS dining?
How about opinions on Kona and Boma with a selective teen?

Don't know how peep survive WDW without all the help we're blessed with thru the DIS boards!

 

[aviva5675]

We just got back with a picky 14yo vegetarian. Shes not a meat eater, and barely eats vegetables either, so its tricky. She will eat shell fish tho. We didnt have a problem anywhere with items for her, except actually Calif Grill, but she shouldve looked at the kids menu , and we wouldve paid OOP. We ate at Kona, Brown Derby, Le Cell, CG, Citricos, Tusker House, Sassagoula FW breakfasts, Boma breakfast, Kona breakfast. It worked out well, with her ordering things without bacon, or pastas, etc....Try to use your credits for real eaters and pay OOP for your kid when possible.

 

[GOODoldPAL]

We just got back with a picky 14yo vegetarian. Shes not a meat eater, and barely eats vegetables either, so its tricky. She will eat shell fish tho. We didnt have a problem anywhere with items for her, except actually Calif Grill, but she shouldve looked at the kids menu , and we wouldve paid OOP. We ate at Kona, Brown Derby, Le Cell, CG, Citricos, Tusker House, Sassagoula FW breakfasts, Boma breakfast, Kona breakfast. It worked out well, with her ordering things without bacon, or pastas, etc....Try to use your credits for real eaters and pay OOP for your kid when possible.

Thanks aviva - nice to know I'm not alone and things worked out for you.
We decided to keep our split stay and do DDP for only 4 nts.
I made some changes and here is what we ended up with:
DDP 4nts- CS
POP Century breakfasts
AK Flame Tree BBQ (OOP kids meal)
Cantina San Migel + Liberty Inn for kid
TS
Kona dinner (OOP kid's meal)
Kona breakfast (OOP - MUST have Tonga Toast!)
Hoop Dee Doo
Le Cellier
Planet Hollywood
(we accounted for sharing @ 2 dinners)

OOP 5nts- CS
POP Century breakfasts
MK Cosmic Ray
DTD Wolfgang Express (+kid's meal)
AK Tusker House
TS
1900 Park Fare Breakfast (our only Character meal)
MGM 50s Prime Time

We built in snacks for OOP days just like on DDP.
Once DD looked at menus we were all surprised there were only a couple of times she chose kid's over adult meals
But still the numbers just don't add up doing DDP for the whole 9 nts we are there (having to pay adult DDP when still buying some OOP kid's meals). By splitting stay and DDP to match our touring & eating style, we will save about $400 and everyone will be happily fed.

Thanks to all who helped by sharing advice & experiences!
DIS rocks because the peep here make it happen!!