Tips for Dining with a child-like eating teen?

[4GoofyCrew]

We are into the planning stages for our March 2017 trip back to the World! While exciting, we are encountering some challenges that we haven't encountered before. Our kids were only 8 and 4 during our last trip, so it was kids meals for both. This trip they will be 13 and 9, so it gets trickier.

Our 13 year old will only eat chicken nuggets, pizza and Mac n cheese. (Don't judge...lol...I was the same way at that age and NO amount of pushing would change it...I came around once I hit adulthood). Are there any sit down restaurants that offer such choices for adults? I know we could do buffets, but we aren't big fans. I'm on vacation and prefer the relaxed pace of a sit down meal. At the moment I am really only finding these menu choices on quick dine, which is fine, just no more relaxing than a buffet. I'm not trying to be cheap, I just want her well fed so she enjoys herself (so we enjoy ourselves). I'll gladly pay $15.99 for a chicken nugget basket, I just don't see that as a menu option.

Also, our 9 year old will be a week shy of turning 10 (phew! Or we'd have the same problem!) Will we need to provide any proof of age other than what we provided when booking? Or will it all be connected through his magic band? He's quite tall for his age, so I just am guessing they won't automatically give him a kids menu (most local restaurants are starting to ask). I'm just anticipating that with a cutoff of 10 they must have to be pretty strict about it.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer! Excited for our trip, but the food planning is stressing me out. :/

 

[Dis703]

You can order off the children's menu in most restaurants, but they may make it an adult sized portion and charge you accordingly. You might find quick service dining to have more of these options though. I know we just had mac and cheese at Skipper Canteen in MK. They have an adult version with added ingredients, but you should be able to get it plain. I'm trying to remember where we had pizza. I think TRex and the Wave but lots of restaurants have it.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Most table service restaurants will serve adult sized portions of the kids menu items at an increased price.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Are you using the DDP? I'd have a very hard time using the DDP if I was paying for nuggets with an adult meal. I'd go out of pocket for sure.

 

[Lisa F]

I think Disney is pretty lenient about serving off the kid's menu to "underage Disney adults" and even Disney adults of age. The Rusty Scupper has reported ordering off kids menus all the time with his wife and as a CM I'd think he is a pretty reliable source about that kind of a thing. The exceptions might be non Disney owned restaurants who may have their own rules.

You didn't say you're on the DDP and you mentioned what you'd pay for chicken nuggets so I'm going to assume you're NOT on the DDP

My son is picky as well and here is my short list of restaurants that at least have mac and cheese (not counting buffets or aycte places, this is just what is on my radar):
MK:
Skipper Canteen has plain mac and cheese now, served with a side of fries instead of broccoli - what's not to like! their chicken nuggets are actually like sweet and sour chicken so I wouldn't get those
Be our Guest dinner ONLY has mac and cheese
Epcot:
Coral Reef has a house-made mac and cheese as well - kid had steak and fries for lunch so can't comment
not TS but Tangierine Cafe surprisngly has chicken nuggets on the kid menu, it is one of the best CS out there and is really closest to a TS food quality wise

HS:
Sci Fi has both mac and cheese and popcorn chicken (not nuggets but good)
50's prime time has both nuggets and mac and cheese on the menu

AK:
Yak & Yeti has both chicken tenders and mac and cheese, and will offer fries on the side by asking but not sure what their deal is with "adults" ordering off kid menu because they are not disney owned

resorts:
California Grill has great house-made mac and cheese, this was kiddo's favorite (he had it as a side with steak, we were on dxddp. woohoo!)
GF Cafe has nuggets
Narcoossees has mac and cheese and chicken tenders on the kids menu but we had a miserable meal there so would not recommend
Whispering Canyon has both m&C and nuggets
Captain's Grill has nuggets
Yachtsman has mac and cheese

I don't know about disney springs or moderate resorts. I also have seen some dinners where the chicken nuggets were formed breaded rather than the breast nuggets which are at the CS places so I'd be wary of that too.

My 8 year old is pretty tall for his age (about 56") and a big kid, people think he is older than he is. they always just gave him the kid menu. Also when you make your ADR it has the party make up - they will have your info there, 3A 1C and know to give your kiddo the kid menu.

 

[Jules76126]

I have ordered off the kids menu in the past as I am a picky eater and don't always want the portion size of the adult meals. It has never been an issue. Mostly the restaurants will make a larger portion and charge for an adult sized meal which is fine. I was never doing it for the price, more the portion size. At QS places, it is super easy to order off the kids menu. The cashiers don't ask and you can just pick what you want. I would definitely recommend Via Napoli for pizza. We ate there last month and had the best meal. One pizza fed all four of us. Best of luck!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My DS is also a very tall 9 year old and on our past trip it was assumed at two restaurants that he was a Disney adult. I simply let them know he is 9 (and that is the age listed in MDE) and had no problems with getting a kids menu or, in the case of the AYCTE, being charged the kids' price.

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

My 15 year old is a picky eater and we order from the kids menu. We also stay off property so we have other options as well. I have found Disney to be very accommodating and they have never questioned his age. I just start off by saying he's a picky eater. Sometimes we eat at a TS restaurant and then get him something later where they have something he likes. Sometimes the restaurants can get him something off menu ie. grilled cheese. It's not a cost issue for me, I don't care what they charge me for his meal - other than the time Ohana wanted $33 for a grilled cheese - that was a little over the top. I wouldn't worry about it, just be honest up front and see what they can do.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

1) Don't buy DDP.
2) Just pay for meals OOP.
3)You will probably save big bucks.
4)This way, anyone can order from the kid's menu at the kid's prices (except at AYCTE, buffets, shows).

 

[CinderDuffy]

My 15 year old is a picky eater and we order from the kids menu. We also stay off property so we have other options as well. I have found Disney to be very accommodating and they have never questioned his age. I just start off by saying he's a picky eater. Sometimes we eat at a TS restaurant and then get him something later where they have something he likes. Sometimes the restaurants can get him something off menu ie. grilled cheese. It's not a cost issue for me, I don't care what they charge me for his meal - other than the time Ohana wanted $33 for a grilled cheese - that was a little over the top. I wouldn't worry about it, just be honest up front and see what they can do.

'Ohana is a family style meal. Every adult body in the door pays the same amount. It doesn't matter what he does or doesn't eat.

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

Ohana is a family style meal. Every adult body in the door pays the same amount. It doesn't matter what he does or doesn't eat.

Yea I know the deal - I won't ever go back there, food was mediocre at best. I didn't end up paying $33 for the grilled cheese.

 

[buzzrelly]

We stopped using the DDP when my picky kids became Disney "Adults." When we were there in April, my 12 year-old ordered off the kid's menu and nobody batted an eye. I wouldn't pay for an adult sized portion of the kid's meal. What they gave her was more than enough to satisfy her hunger.

Obviously, we pay adult prices for her at buffets/family-style restaurants.

 

[CinderDuffy]

Yea I know the deal - I won't ever go back there, food was mediocre at best. I didn't end up paying $33 for the grilled cheese.

Good for you. I don't think I would have asked for a discount for special treatment, but to each their own.

 

[Ava]

My wife was able to order an adult portion of the kids mac & cheese at BOG dinner last year. (We're vegetarian & the ratatouille didn't appeal to her.) They offered her a choice of a few different vegetables as a side. You could call ahead to the places you want to eat and ask them about accommodations if you're concerned, but I think most of the restaurants (especially the Disney-owned ones) will let her order off the kids menu, give her a larger portion of a kids item, or make something like chicken or mac & cheese plain for her.

 

[gorkt]

I just got back from WDW a month and a half ago with a 12 year old that also eats similarly to how you describe, Chicken nuggets, Hot Dogs, and Pizza are his favorite. Honestly we planned around his eating preferences to some extent. We also prefer sit down meals. We either ate at buffets that had some of those options, which is pretty much all of them, or I chose restaurants that had kids meal options that he enjoyed. We did choose a few meals where there wasn't an obvious choice of something for him on the menu. Sometimes he was given the option of chicken nuggets by our server, and sometimes he surprised us and ate something I didn't expect:

Our TS meals and what he ate:

Kona Cafe: Hot dog
1900 PF: Pizza, Nuggets, a few veggies from the salad bar
Liberty Tree Tavern: Turkey dinner kids meal (this was a surprise)
Ohana: Chicken nuggets offered by server
Kona cafe: Fruit platter with a side of bacon
Food and Wine Festival: Chicken nuggets from Refreshment port
Yak and Yeti: Chicken nuggets, fries
Leaky Cauldron: Chicken sandwich (another BIG surprise)
Garden Grill breakfast: Bacon, mickey waffles and Fruit
Toothsome chocolate factory: Chicken nuggets
Tusker House: Waffles, bacon, fruit

I know they have adult portions of kid type meals but he isn't a big eater so we never did that.

 

[cmph]

Also, our 9 year old will be a week shy of turning 10 (phew! Or we'd have the same problem!) Will we need to provide any proof of age other than what we provided when booking? Or will it all be connected through his magic band? He's quite tall for his age, so I just am guessing they won't automatically give him a kids menu (most local restaurants are starting to ask). I'm just anticipating that with a cutoff of 10 they must have to be pretty strict about it.

:/

I have the same thing happen in local restaurants! My 11yo is 5'7" and the 8yo is 5'. He's like a head taller than most of the other 2nd graders at his school! Places with 12 and under kids' menus ask if HE needs a kids' menu, and usually I get some very surprised looks when I reply that actually both of them are under 12. In my parks experience, no one bats an eye, though. For one thing, you'll have ADRs that state how many adults, how many kids, and even who exactly they are, so they should be expecting a child. And at counter service places, no one will know either way if you're ordering an adult meal for a kid or vice versa. I most definitely have never carried around any sort of ID or proof of age for the kids.

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

Good for you. I don't think I would have asked for a discount for special treatment, but to each their own.

I certainly don't feel bad about getting a $15 discount, I don't think they missed it. I've spent plenty at Disney over the past 16 years and 20 trips, I'm pretty sure they've made up for it.

 

[marikujawa]

Can't believe someone took a 15-year-old who eats like a 5-year-old to 'Ohana, an AYCTE restaurant, then was upset when the restaurant wanted to charge what it was supposed to. Oh, but they "spent plenty" over the years.

 

[disneyAndi14]

My DD has a very small appetite and we have never had a problem with her ordering off the kids menu or us sharing meals at Disney. She is 17 now and we were there in October and no problems. She did love Ohana dinner and actual ate more than I thought she would so I was surprised. I often order the kids breakfast at QS because I also have a small appetite, I find the QS kids meals are plenty food for us.

 

[Roxyfire]

My son's medication messes with his appetite so he usually doesn't want to eat very much real food all at once. If we do a buffet now at this point, it will be breakfast and he can take the medication right after. Otherwise, he almost always eats from the children's menu and tries something from my plate to see if he likes it. Strangely enough, I can only coax him into trying weird foods for laughs rather than real food.