no kid menu?

[scojos]

i am travelling to wdw next year and we have the ddp, it states clearly that children must order from the childrens menu... dd has food allergies (like her mom...) and can eat the adult meals, (though obviously not the portion size) i am contimplating "upgrading" her to an adult, this will, quite honestly be a waste of money as she wont eat the volume, but will give her more options.
on some occasions we ll be able to share but our allergies are different so that wont always be practical.
DD will be 7, but a small eater...
so, my question is, where is there no childrens menu, so she can choose what she wants, and so can i..?
thanks
tracy

p.s has anyone upgraded a 6yr old, and did it work out ok

 

[Christine]

I believe that all Disney restaurants have children's menus.

The very good thing about dining with Disney is that they are fantastic when it comes to food allergies. At each restaurant you go to, you will explain to the chef your child's allergies. The chef will come up with a children's item/meal that will work under the dining plan and will work with the allergy. It may be a reduced portion of something on the adult menu, or it may be something the chef creates on his/her own when faced with an allergy when someone orders off the children's menu.

 

[Mama Lo]

I think upgrading her to an adult will also require you to have to upgrade her ticket therefore adding even more to the cost. I know that others have done it.

If your daughters allergies are such that there will be nothing available for her to eat I'd talk to Disney about it. If you are saying you don't want her to eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for a week that's a whole other issue.

If go to a restaurant without a kids meal they can order anything off the adult menu. I believe there are a handful of restaurants without them. Maybe ask on a separate post for suggestion.

Good luck.

 

[dogodisney]

I believe all TS meals have kid's menus. There are a few CS that don't have a kid's menu.

 

[Hootch]

the allergies with your ADRs. This should alert the chefs at the restaurant of your needs and they should ensure that you know what is on the menu that is okay to eat. In some cases they will prepare a separate item meeting your needs. At a CS location ask for a manager so they can point out specific items that meet your needs.

From the Disney site:

<b>General information
The Walt Disney Company will use reasonable efforts to prevent the introduction of the allergen of concern into the food through close attention during our sourcing, preparation and handling processes. However, it is ultimately always up the Guest to use his or her individual discretion to make an informed choice regarding whether to order any particular items, since the Walt Disney Company cannot guarantee that allergens may not have been introduced during another stage of the food chain process—or even inadvertently—by us.

Food Allergies and Intolerances
Walt Disney World Resort table service restaurants that accept reservations can accommodate most food allergies and food intolerances—such as gluten or wheat, shellfish, soy, lactose or milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or eggs. Please contact one of our representatives at 407-824-5967 once you have booked your dining reservations, at least 14 days in advance. Guests under age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

If you have multiple allergies, please contact one of our representatives before you finalize your trip to Walt Disney World Resort to discuss your allergies, as we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet your requests. Please note we do not have separate kitchens to prepare allergen free items or separate dining areas for Guests with allergies to dine.

Making a Special Dietary Request for Table Service Locations
To make a special dietary request, call the Disney's Dining Reservation Center at (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463. Guests under age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

* Indicate to the Cast Member at Disney's Dining Reservation Center your special dietary requests.
* Know that your special dietary request will be noted by the Cast Member on your reservation.
* Write down the dining location phone number(s) that the Cast Member provides you, as well as your reservation number and the day and time of your reservation.
* Please contact one of our representatives at 407-824-5967 once you have booked your dining reservations, at least 14 days in advance.
* Please feel welcome to speak to the chef or manager on duty when you arrive at your dining location.</b>

This is the link. Below this verbiage is a list of CS locations that meet many dietary needs. The page does not specify which needs though:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/

also email address for information

SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com

Lastly, allergies and dietary needs are often discussed on the DISabilities board on this site.

 

[RMulieri]

Lots of people have upgraded their child to adult for the Dining plan.You just have to also upgrade her park ticket to adult as well

 

[HsvScrapGirl]

Email the special diets link in a PP and tell them that your DD has food allergies and you are planning to attend the park next year. You will get an email back within 24-48 hours. They will send you a handful of documents that lists "safe" treats that are available through out the park. They will also send you a form to fill out. This form will be forwarded to all TS restaurants that you plan to eat at. As far as CS meals, just tell them that you have a child with food allergies and that you would like to talk to the manager of that location. They keep huge notebooks at every CS location of all the foods served at that location and the ingredients of those foods. Also when you call to make ADRs for the TS meals, tell them and they will make a note of it on the reservations.
There is no need to upgrade your DD. Disney goes above and beyond for kids with food allergies. I have a friend who went earlier this year. Her son is allergic to wheat, peanuts, milk, eggs, barley, rye, and mustard (A couple of these he is anaphylaxis level on). She did the above steps and her son had zero reactions.

 

[scojos]

thanks for your responses guys, dd has problems with onions and onion powder (like me ) which the chicken nuggets are seasoned with, fries are ook, she cant eat cheese, yogurt and some ice cream but she isnt lactose intolerant as she is ok with normal or chocolate milk, see what i mean about complicated?
dont know if the hot dogs contain onion seasoning (which i would imagine they would, but im sure you can all understand why i dont want her eating just fries for 2 weeks...
i know that the ts meals are excellent when we did the ddp they were ace with me, but as dd is still undergoing tests with the dietetician we are still unsure if there are other allergies that have not come up yet.
i think ill call disney and check, thanks for all the info, i was most worried about her having to order off the kids menu, but if you say they ll do her something "mini" from tha adult menu thats fab, if not she can share mine, as i too am allergic to onions, they normally have to start from scratch for me anyway, and portions are so massive we could easily share...
thanks again,
tracy

 

[kaytieeldr]

Just so you know, I don't think they'll make something mini from the adult menu; I think they'll make a special child's meal. Also, there are about eight counter service locations without childrens' menus and one of those is Casey's Corner (hot dogs, so that's out AND there's probably no alternative).

The only table service restaurants without childrens' menus are Bistro de Paris, and Victoria & Albert's (which doesn't allow children under ten, anyway).

 

[ksc37]

I'm not sure how comfortable you are with this, but buffets are a good way to get kids to eat adult food for a kid's price.

We have 4 buffet meals reserved for our upcoming trip, because we like to be able to feed our kids some non-fried alternatives during our trips, and the buffets (with salad bars and carving stations) are a good way for us to do this.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Try cross posting over on the disABILITIES! board. There are plenty of people over there with experience with various aspects of dining with food allergies.

My DD with food allergies was 9 when we first tried the DDP. This was a couple years ago, but here's what I remember. The chefs made whatever she asked for (providing they carried the ingredients), just in a child portion (ok, some were bigger but we requested child portion) and the cashier rang the food up as either a child meal. I can't remember what they did about desserts though. I think back then, the kids meals might have included a regular dessert since I could swear she always got either a brownie or ice cream. Disney has always gone above and beyond with our food allergies and I feel confident that they will continue to do so. I'm interested to see how they'll handly DD9's meals this time since is the first time we'll be going since her diagnosis. She'll want typical kid foods anyway but she can't eat any of the typical desserts that are offered at CS locations so I'm not sure what will be offered.

One last thing. There's a good chance that most places can make chicken nuggets without any seasoning, or with only seasonings that you specify. Be prepared to wait a while as they do make them from scratch, but they'll do it. We try to make sure to eat at off peak hours though.

 

[AuroraBeauty]

My DD6 has food allergies and we've never had a problem with any of the TS restaurants. The chef comes out and finds out what she wants and then makes it for her. No questions, that's just how it goes.

I also have food allergies/sensitivities and the chef takes my order too. Goes through the menu and tells me what s/he can or can not modify. Keep in mind that there are some items they just can't modify.

My big bummer is the soups b/c they can't always know for sure if the person who made it might have added something. If that chef made it then you know for sure. But we were at the GF cafe and DD loves their tomato soup and some days she can have it and others not (which is annoying b/c she almost always wants it).

Definitely try the DisAbilities board. They have always been so helpful to me.

As for the CS places, sometimes it's a bit hit and miss. Some have better informed managers than others. Also, it's best to go before/after the standard rush b/c you're more likely to get the info you need if you don't know it ahead of time. At MK, Columbia Harbor House has always been terrific with accommodating kids food issues.

Best Wishes for a Magical Trip!

 

[scojos]

thanks for your responses guys
i am going to call disney tomorrow to see how much the upgrade will cost, have spent the day OCD (obsessive compulsive Disney planning) our days and where we as a family will eat (yes food is a massive consideration to us...)
i do "hang out" on the disabilities boards, not just because of my (our) allergy issues but i also have an autistic child, which also has a major influence on our eating schedules, we always eat early at cs, he cant cope with crowds, so hopefully, as you have added, this will work in our favour.
We have decided to head to old favourites, iw restaurants we know deal well with MY allergies, hoping they ll be able to do the same for her, ie WCC, CP< CM, Boma, Marrakesh and Ohanas, they were all amzing last year, we will be trying a few new places, inc CG, anyone tried there with allergies?
so, ill let you know how much the upgrade is, incase it helps anyone else, again thanks for your time...
Tracy

 

[Halbleib1]

My son can not have dairy at all due to a genetic disorder. Disney has always made him something dairy free without any problems. Even things that are not on the menu he has gotten. The chef has come out and asked what he would like to eat and made it just for him. When we have had to pay oop we have always been charged kids meal prices for him as well. For the dinner shows be sure to call at least 48 hours ahead of time or even from home in advance to let them know and they will walk you through what alternatives they have. If they do not give it to you ask when you make your adrs for the phone numbers to the restaurants direct. Disney is great about food allergies, etc. so do not hesitate to stick with the dining plan you already have. They do a great job of being sure you have safe food. At buffets the chef always brought the food out himself to be sure that it did not get cross contaminated. We have even had a chef make a waitress take away our Chocolate milk that was served before he could talk with us because he was not sure if it was safe to be at the table with my son.

 

[Halbleib1]

Try cross posting over on the disABILITIES! board. There are plenty of people over there with experience with various aspects of dining with food allergies.

My DD with food allergies was 9 when we first tried the DDP. This was a couple years ago, but here's what I remember. The chefs made whatever she asked for (providing they carried the ingredients), just in a child portion (ok, some were bigger but we requested child portion) and the cashier rang the food up as either a child meal. I can't remember what they did about desserts though. I think back then, the kids meals might have included a regular dessert since I could swear she always got either a brownie or ice cream. Disney has always gone above and beyond with our food allergies and I feel confident that they will continue to do so. I'm interested to see how they'll handly DD9's meals this time since is the first time we'll be going since her diagnosis. She'll want typical kid foods anyway but she can't eat any of the typical desserts that are offered at CS locations so I'm not sure what will be offered.

One last thing. There's a good chance that most places can make chicken nuggets without any seasoning, or with only seasonings that you specify. Be prepared to wait a while as they do make them from scratch, but they'll do it. We try to make sure to eat at off peak hours though.

Not sure what your allergies are but:
My son was always able to get dessert with his childs meal at no additonal charge. Usually it was toffuti ice cream since he loves it so much. Other times he was able to get dairy free cookies or brownies. They have always provided us with alternatives at no additonal charge. At Hoop dee Doo both times we went they brough him out a whole pint of toffuti ice cream. He was in heaven. LOL And the first time we went to Disney he was under 2 and not on a dining plan and got treated the same. At buffets we were never charged for his special food and at TS places I shared with him so I got something he could eat. I even got toffuti ice cream for him as my dessert. The same with CS meals we were never charged more for special food. He was even able to get pizza with soy cheese which is more expensive than regular cheese without being charged more.

 

[scojos]

just to let you know for those of you interested a called disney, it has cost me £11 (about $8?) for the child to adult upgrade...
im so releaved, it will give us some many more options, and piece of mind...
thanks guys

tracy