Kids Buffet Prices

[lolomarie]

I'm currently in the pre-planning process for our Sept 2018 trip. We will have my DH, DS (who turns 4 on this trip), DS (10 months), and my mom!

We are staying offsite, and have decided to only do a few TS meals over our 11 day trip. What I'm struggling with is the price of buffets and family style meals for my son. He eats very, very little, like a bite of cheese and 2 cucumber slices for lunch, I honestly don't know how he's even alive! Some disers have pointed out to me that I can look at the price of the character meals as time bought in the parks not waiting in line for characters! I like framing it that way and am justifying Crystal Palace breakfast, which I love and is becoming a tradition for us! But, I'm having a hard time justifying these prices for other meals, such as Ohana or Boma, which we would love to do, but are not sure if it's worth it.

So, I guess I'm asking what other families not on the DDP do? Stick to TS meals with a la cart menus? When we do go out at home we typically don't even order him a meal, he just shares off our plates. Any recommendations for our multi-generational group? Or is there any way to order a small a la cart meal at places with a buffet?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciate!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm guessing they do the same thing parents of 10 year old newly minted "Disney adults" do. They pick and choose wisely. Maybe give up a few favorites but suck it up and pay for the few "can't miss" traditional favorites.

 

[DisBuckMan]

There is no a la carte menu at any character meal. Everyone age 3 and over is charged a set price, regardless of what they eat.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I plan a mix of character meals and less expensive a la carte restaurants and try to balance the cost out overall.

 

[lolomarie]

I plan a mix of character meals and less expensive a la carte restaurants and try to balance the cost out overall.

Which a la cartes does your family like best Chloe? I'm thinking of T-Rex for DS4 bday, I know it's not loved on here but boy is dino crazy. Possibly Scifi at HS and maybe Y&Y at AK. Thinking of skipping a TS meal at EPCOT as it'll be F&W.
I know TS meals are a nice break from the heat, so may want to do a few more, or possibly just hit up some of the better QS options.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm currently in the pre-planning process for our Sept 2018 trip. We will have my DH, DS (who turns 4 on this trip), DS (10 months), and my mom!

We are staying offsite, and have decided to only do a few TS meals over our 11 day trip. What I'm struggling with is the price of buffets and family style meals for my son. He eats very, very little, like a bite of cheese and 2 cucumber slices for lunch, I honestly don't know how he's even alive! Some disers have pointed out to me that I can look at the price of the character meals as time bought in the parks not waiting in line for characters! I like framing it that way and am justifying Crystal Palace breakfast, which I love and is becoming a tradition for us! But, I'm having a hard time justifying these prices for other meals, such as Ohana or Boma, which we would love to do, but are not sure if it's worth it.

So, I guess I'm asking what other families not on the DDP do? Stick to TS meals with a la cart menus? When we do go out at home we typically don't even order him a meal, he just shares off our plates. Any recommendations for our multi-generational group? Or is there any way to order a small a la cart meal at places with a buffet?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciate!

My DS just turned 10 in October, so we had a similar issue with AYCTE and buffets on our last trip. We did pick and choose a bit. My DS LOVES the skillet at WCC, so we bit the bullet and ate there for breakfast which wasn't a terrible upcharge as the adult skillet was only $9 more. We also ate at O'hana (which was terrible) and won't do that again.

With a little one, like your DS, I would probably keep Crystal Palace for the characters. With O'hana and Boma, I would choose a la carte's that have similar menus without the AYCTE/buffet price tag. How about Kona instead of O'hana? Then he can just share from your plate. I would probably do Yak & Yeti or Sanaa (bonus if it's daylight and you can see the animals!). Or, if you really want a Boma-type buffet, perhaps go to Tusker House where you at least get some character interaction with your meal.

The buffets do not serve a la carte items. You have to pay the buffet prices.

 

[unrequited23]

T Rex was a huge hit with my boys (5 & 2.5) plus my DH said the ribs were in his top 5. I would limit yourself to one character meal and make it one where your kids are most likely to enjoy the food--we do breakfast because my boys have never met a slice of bacon that they didn't love. Then if there is a super special buffet/AYCTE you are dying to try like Boma or O'Hana maybe your mom would baby sit for one special date night. We mainly did non-buffets with at least one item on the menu I knew my kids would eat even at their most picky. The Plaza, BOG and Columbia Harbour House come to mind.

 

[lolomarie]

My DS just turned 10 in October, so we had a similar issue with AYCTE and buffets on our last trip. We did pick and choose a bit. My DS LOVES the skillet at WCC, so we bit the bullet and ate there for breakfast which wasn't a terrible upcharge as the adult skillet was only $9 more. We also ate at O'hana (which was terrible) and won't do that again.

With a little one, like your DS, I would probably keep Crystal Palace for the characters. With O'hana and Boma, I would choose a la carte's that have similar menus without the AYCTE/buffet price tag. How about Kona instead of O'hana? Then he can just share from your plate. I would probably do Yak & Yeti or Sanaa (bonus if it's daylight and you can see the animals!). Or, if you really want a Boma-type buffet, perhaps go to Tusker House where you at least get some character interaction with your meal.

The buffets do not serve a la carte items. You have to pay the buffet prices.

Thanks so much!! ! Such great info here. I'll take a look at the Saana menu. So far in people's trip reports it looks largely Indian based, and I looooove Indian food, but we have a large Indian and Pakistani population here in Calgary, Canada and think that we have great Indian food here. I like to do something different when in disney. Maybe Tusker House would be good because then we are paying for the characters. I just love the African influence at Boma, is tusker house similar?

Kona is a great tip too! I'll take a look at their menu as well!

Thanks again!

 

[lolomarie]

T Rex was a huge hit with my boys (5 & 2.5) plus my DH said the ribs were in his top 5. I would limit yourself to one character meal and make it one where your kids are most likely to enjoy the food--we do breakfast because my boys have never met a slice of bacon that they didn't love. Then if there is a super special buffet/AYCTE you are dying to try like Boma or O'Hana maybe your mom would baby sit for one special date night. We mainly did non-buffets with at least one item on the menu I knew my kids would eat even at their most picky. The Plaza, BOG and Columbia Harbour House come to mind.

Thanks so much! I hadn't considered CHH. I'll look at their menu.

I agree with the breakfast, plus my son tends to consume more food in the morning as he's woken up starving from not eating anything since lunch the day before. Lol. Seriously I don't know how he is alive! Crystal Palace is a family favourite of ours! Can't beat Pooh's stuffed toast!

And great to hear some positive reviews of Trex! I figure we're going for the experience for DS and if the food is ok, then it's a bonus! My DH will likely order the ribs as well.

 

[kiramay]

We do less buffets, especially once my older ones turned 10. We always do Biergarten, and I really like Crystal Palace too. Our favorite ala cart TS is Sci Fi and our favorite CS are BOG and Satuli Canteen.

 

[rdaky]

I have a very picky middle child and the only buffets we went to on our last visit were Boma and Biergarten, and both of those were because we, as adults, wanted to eat there. She basically ate bread and dessert at Biergarten, so yes, what we paid for that was ridiculous. We skip the character meals and we eat at places with a kids menu. That way we can eat what we want and if she wants to eat chicken nuggets for the 20th time, we aren't paying buffet prices for it. Honestly, I'd rather spend 20 minutes in line waiting to meet a character than to spend $30 or whatever it costs now for a kid to eat dinner at Chef Mickey's and then she ends up eating a bowl of Mac and cheese and a cookie.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Which a la cartes does your family like best Chloe? I'm thinking of T-Rex for DS4 bday, I know it's not loved on here but boy is dino crazy. Possibly Scifi at HS and maybe Y&Y at AK. Thinking of skipping a TS meal at EPCOT as it'll be F&W.
I know TS meals are a nice break from the heat, so may want to do a few more, or possibly just hit up some of the better QS options.

Our usual a la carte favorites are Sci Fi, Via Napoli, Beaches and Cream, and the Plaza. We're going to try Y&Y on our next trip.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Just be glad you only get charged the kid price. My DD is now 10 and will have to pay adult price when she eats 1 waffle and an apple. We choose breakfast buffets when we eat at them because she'd only eat mac n cheese at the dinner buffet.

 

[unrequited23]

My DH will likely order the ribs as well.

We are from Ohio, so the bar for BBQ isn't as high as in the South or TX.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Which a la cartes does your family like best Chloe? I'm thinking of T-Rex for DS4 bday, I know it's not loved on here but boy is dino crazy. Possibly Scifi at HS and maybe Y&Y at AK. Thinking of skipping a TS meal at EPCOT as it'll be F&W.
I know TS meals are a nice break from the heat, so may want to do a few more, or possibly just hit up some of the better QS options.

Just want to share a little Disney dining "hack" if you plan on eating at TRex and Y&Y. Get the Landry's Select Card (Landry's owns Rainforest Cafe, Y&Y and TRex). It costs $25 to join (but that $25 is put toward your bill). You can also list your vacation month as your "birthday" month and get a $25 bonus to put toward your bill. The biggest perk - you don't need to make a reservation and you will get priority seating even over those with ADR's whenever you show up. So, that's priority seating, plus $25 birthday bonus to put toward your bill!

Thanks so much!! ! Such great info here. I'll take a look at the Saana menu. So far in people's trip reports it looks largely Indian based, and I looooove Indian food, but we have a large Indian and Pakistani population here in Calgary, Canada and think that we have great Indian food here. I like to do something different when in disney. Maybe Tusker House would be good because then we are paying for the characters. I just love the African influence at Boma, is tusker house similar?

Kona is a great tip too! I'll take a look at their menu as well!

Thanks again!

Yes! TH has wonderful, African-influenced decor and I think their food variety is almost on par with Boma.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

I have an almost four year old, so we are in a similar situation.

We usually try to limit it to one buffet/character meal. Tusker House is a favorite with characters in safari outfits and some foods along the lines of Boma, but also some more kid-friendly, familiar food. We love booking a late breakfast at Tusker House, usually around 10:30-10:45. That way we pay breakfast prices but also get some lunch options when they switch over.

For a la carte table service, my son loves Sci-Fi, and the price isn't that much greater than counter service. Beaches and Cream is also fun, and they have a cute kids mouse sundae included with the kids meal.

We also even out our dining costs by getting counter service at places like Sleepy Hollow (Spicy Chicken Waffle or Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwiches) or Friar's Nook (mac and cheese, mac and cheese with BBQ chicken) at MK. They are slightly less (but still filling) because you aren't paying for a whole meal with sides.

 

[Dis703]

I ultimately just look at our overall vacation budget and try not to worry about what every meal costs us. I mean I still have a little pause when I get a $250 bill at someplace like Tusker House, but I let it go as long as my whole vacation I still at or under budget.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Pick and choose. There are places that we just won't go now that my babies are "adults" by Disney pricing. They love Boma, but that price for the tiny amount they eat? I just can't make myself do it.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Tusker House is also African themed and does have many African spiced dishes as well as some “less adventurous” options. While I agree we have great Indian food here in Calgary, Sanaa was AMAZING!

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Depending on where you would like to eat, this could be a time where the DDP actually works. Most often, the regular DDP will work best for families with kids under 10 who want to do character meals.