Sad & Depressed

[MightyAlweg]

Hello,

The person I'm going with to WDW is so "easy going" about food, he aparently doesn't care where we eat.

I feel sad and stupid trying to plan or even about obtaining ADR's

We have the Dining Package and I don't want to see any of it go to waste.

Have any of you ever gone to WDW under these kind of circumstances and if so, how did you cope with the feeling that you were the only person who cared?

Thanks

 

[donaldseeyore]

My in-laws are that way. So for our trip in a few weeks, I know everyone has to eat, so I just made ADR's at our favorite places and a couple of new ones. It isn't that they don't care per say, they just don't know what is there and left it to me. And even if they did know, they don't plan like I do.

 

[jm106]

pick some fabulous places to show him why you do care. Or make a few great ones, make them fun but be open to just skipping a big meal and continuing your journey and eating a quick bite as you go.
I made ADR but really did not want to, I did it under pressure and worried that it would be crowded and we would struggle(kids). I honestly hope we will get there and cancel a few if the crowds are lighter. For some ppl its not about the food- and thats what is so great, a chance to teach the other what YOU think is so great in the "world" and share in what they do! I hope Ill learn to love the fact that I do have ADR and glad I took the great advise here and made it for some fun places.

 

[turkeymama]

My husband doesn't get into the planning like I do, and my kids aren't old enough to appreciate it yet. They are perfectly satisfied to let me do all the planning. They don't want to talk about it until it is time to show up at the hotel. I guess they think all that stuff I work so hard on is just part of the Disney magic.

I have a friend who patiently listens to me talk about plans. I say patiently because she wishes we were going together this time. It helps to chat with other Disney nuts online too.

I hate that you feel that way. I know exactly the feeling you are talking about too. Share all your plans with us. We'll get excited with you.

 

[cascarlet]

I think for some people, not all, part of the fun of a Disney vacation goes into the planning. I think you have that "planning" type people and those who are not. Just like there are Disney people and those who aren't!

Whenever you feel sad, come and share with us here! We'll get excited for you!

When they are there, they will realize how much hard work went into the planning and they will thank you!!

 

[Dreamfinder2]

I'd say it gives you incredible latitude to do what you want to do.

Some folks plan, some go along for the ride, and neither position is bad. As much as DW enjoys Disney, she's perfectly content to let me do the planning, and it works fine for us.

It is a sorta sad fact that some folks will never "get it" in the way we do, and that's OK, too.

 

[MightyAlweg]

Thanks everyone for your kind words!

It's a complicated situation, but I figured trying to do a little fore planning would be easy...

My friend is Vegetarian and has specific wants, so I'm sorta afraid if I book a restaurant and the fare isn't to his liking, that I'm going to catch the blame...

In any case, thank you and I'll be here on the boards, as excited as can be!!

 

[perla75]

If your friend is a vegetarian, you might try to throw in some places that are very vegetarian friendly.

Boma at AKL & Tusker House at DAK are great for vegetarians. The Wave at the CR is also a good choice.

If your friend has a good sense of humor, you might like the 50's Prime Time Cafe at DHS.

I agree with the PP to share your excitement on here-we are always cheering for other people's trip plans!

 

[MightyAlweg]

If your friend is a vegetarian, you might try to throw in some places that are very vegetarian friendly.

Boma at AKL & Tusker House at DAK are great for vegetarians. The Wave at the CR is also a good choice.

If your friend has a good sense of humor, you might like the 50's Prime Time Cafe at DHS.

I agree with the PP to share your excitement on here-we are always cheering for other people's trip plans!

We are planning on Boma for a TS dinner the day we visit AK!

Thank you to everyone, I am stoked!!!

 

[DisneyFan75]

I second the suggestion for The Wave at the CR! I have eaten there 4 times so far and loved it. There are many options for people who are vegetarians and the menu changes seasonally.

 

[MightyAlweg]

Thank you everyone, again for making my task easier. I know I can come here and ask away about dining and restaurants and times to book things and locations and such!

It really means a lot!

 

[TillyMarigold]

Would your friend be open to spending a few minutes browsing? Maybe send him a link to the vegetarian dining guide on AllEars. Let him tell you if anything strikes his fancy.

For my husband, I ordered the Complete Guide (the one that has a ton of pictures) and flipping through that was just enough info for him to say "I definitely want to do this, and that, but the other one doesn't look so great."

There's a poster called "v_gan" who's (obviously) vegan and her DBF is vegetarian, you might look over her dining reviews to see if anything seems like what your friend usually eats.

Make sure you put a note on your ADRs that he's a vegetarian. Any table service restaurant will have at least one veg dish (remember most TS restaurants at Disney don't have huge menus, so 1-2 veg dishes out of 6-8 dishes total isn't a bad percentage), and if he doesn't like it, then the chef will probably be able to make something else. So if he won't give you any guidance, don't feel bad about just making ADRs for where you want to eat. He'll find something. Even places like 'Ohana and Garden Grill will do up a separate vegetarian plate for him if you put it on your ADRs.

ETA: in addition to the above, Crystal Palace is supposed to be the best character meal for vegetarians, and I've heard great things about the eggplant dish at Mamma Melrose's. Sanaa (the new place at AKL) also has some great options. For CS, there are some great looking veggie options at Wolfgang Puck Express, but just about any burger place will sell a veggie burger, and the hummus sandwich at Columbia Harbour House is legendary.

 

[Colleen27]

The person I'm going with to WDW is so "easy going" about food, he aparently doesn't care where we eat.

I feel sad and stupid trying to plan or even about obtaining ADR's

We have the Dining Package and I don't want to see any of it go to waste.

Have any of you ever gone to WDW under these kind of circumstances and if so, how did you cope with the feeling that you were the only person who cared?

My DH is the same way, but in a way I like that he couldn't care less about the dining part of planning because that leaves all the decisions up to me.

For me, planning is part of the fun of any trip. He's not into the planning, but when we're actually there he appreciates all the time I put in to making the trip the best it can be.

Now that DS11 is an adult for dining plan purposes, he's interested in reviewing menus and deciding where to eat, and let me tell you - planning was easier when it was just me! Now that I've got a second opinion to take into account, I have to compromise and get his must-dos in even if I had other ideas in mind.

 

[Cee]

My DH "eats to live", he doesn't "live to eat", so I understand. But having said that, I'm sure your friend doesn't want to eat cardboard(like at P.J. Bland's!), so make some ADR's at some wonderful places and I'm sure he will enjoy his meal. At least he doesn't care TOO MUCH and fight you tooth and nail on everything you try to do.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

We have family members like that. We went with BIL, and his family (5 of them). I kept asking if there was anything special they wanted to see or do. They kept saying they wanted to "wing it". Are you nuts, not possible for my family. Like another poster said, Half the fun is in the planning. At one point my DSIL said I could make whatever plans I wanted and they would just go along with them. You don't have to tell me twice. I planned out our entire 10 days. Of course we had a blast.

When we came home both my DSIL and DBIL said that they were so glad we had everything planned out. And that if they had gone without us they would have missed out on so much.

So, I say, go ahead and make all the plans you want. He'll be happier you did.

 

[diskids2]

If it is any consolation to you my family does not like to plan BUT when they get to WDW they have something to say about everything!

I've learned to ignore them.

 

[texaslady22]

I'm going with my family (hubby & toddler) and my sister and niece and Mom and Dad. Besides my sister, who tolerates my constant jabbering, no one else wants to plan. They say "Can we just stop talking about it until we get there? Do we have to plan EVERYWHERE we're going to eat?"

Um, yeah, we do, because we'll be on free dining and we've got 2 kids who want to do character meals.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My DH is the same way, but in a way I like that he couldn't care less about the dining part of planning because that leaves all the decisions up to me.

For me, planning is part of the fun of any trip. He's not into the planning, but when we're actually there he appreciates all the time I put in to making the trip the best it can be.
QUOTE]

This is me too! No one cares but me! So I plan and when we are there they always tell me how much they appreciate it.

 

[magik]

Thanks everyone for your kind words!

It's a complicated situation, but I figured trying to do a little fore planning would be easy...

My friend is Vegetarian and has specific wants, so I'm sorta afraid if I book a restaurant and the fare isn't to his liking, that I'm going to catch the blame...

In any case, thank you and I'll be here on the boards, as excited as can be!!

As a vegetarian myself (and just returned from a 5-day trip with another vegetarian who had never visited WDW before), I can offer some suggestions.

As others have said, some of the most veggie-friendly restaurants (meaning more than one option) are Boma at AKL and Tusker House at AK. I also found the Crystal Palace very good the last time I ate there (2 years ago).

Other restaurants with only one or two veggie options that I particularly like are:
table service
Plaza restaurant at MK - really good veggie sandwich and sometimes the soup of the day is vegetarian chili
Mama Melrose at DHS - yummy flatbread pizzas...eggplant parmesan, etc.
Brown Derby at DHS - only one choice, a really yummy coconut-crusted tofu/red curry noodle dish
Teppan Edo at Epcot - again, only one choice - the grilled vegetables, but quite tasty (Yasai) - good about keeping the veggies separate from the meat on the grill if you let them know that there's a vegetarian
San Angel Inn at Epcot - you must specifically request the vegetarian menu, but it's always been really tasty to me
The Wave at the Contemporary - two veggie options last time I was there, at least at lunch time - a yummy sandwich and a mushroomy stew

counter service
Columbia Harbour House at MK - lighthouse sandwich and veggie chili
El Pirata Y El Perico at MK (when open) - vegetarian bean tacos or you can request the taco salad with beans instead of meat - it's a nice change from the dry microwaved gardenburgers at most counter service
Tangierine Cafe at Epcot - a vegetarian platter with hummus, tabouleh, couscous, etc or a falafel sandwich
Sunshine Seasons food court at Epcot - several different choices

Those are just my personal favorites. Every Disney-run restaurant will have at least one vegetarian option, even if it's not on the regular menu. The big question is whether it's something your friend likes, and not knowing his likes and dislikes it's hard to recommend restaurants.

 

[Get me to Disney!]

I love a good meal and get when I go to a restaraunt and order the "wrong thing". Anyway, as I have posted on here before, I have never eaten better than an occasional character meal because we were always scimping. This year, we have free dining and picking the "right" restaraunts is proving to be challenging. Thank God for this forum Anyway, no one except my one daughter is as excited about the food experience as I am. Therefore, instead of talking to anyone else about it, I am just going forward and doing what her and I want and everyone else will just have to deal with what I choose. I respectfully would never choose all seafood or something - I do plan to mix it up.