Vegetarian procedure changed?

[cancilla]

I made all of our ADRs for our trip in April and asked the cast member to note that my son (eight years old) is a vegetarian. I asked if I needed to call the restaurants ahead of time, as was recommended in the book on vegetarians at WDW. The cast member told me that this is no longer necessary except in the case of allergies.

Can someone tell me if this is correct? I know that there are kids dishes that are technically vegetarian at many restaurants, but I don't want my son living on pizza and pasta -- he needs some protein.

Thanks for the advice.

--Dominick

 

[lillymom]

The cast member was correct that we only give numbers to call ahead for allergies. You will want to let the CM know when arrive they can help you with special options.

 

[cancilla]

That's excellent news! Any idea if we'll have difficulty finding tofu, beans, etc. as vegetarian-kid protein options in WDW restaurants? We can always bring something with us if we need to, but I'd love to avoid that.

Thanks!

--Dominick

 

[bavaria]

Don't know when you were last at WDW, but things have improved. (I take it as a personal crusade to have pushed some of the changes through!! )

Every TS restaurant has at least one veggie entree. Most TS restaurants will also make something else if it's not to DS liking.

There are also a lot more interesting counter service options, like the Tomorrowland Noodle Station in MK and the mediterranean themed one in MGM which serve veggie food (used to be hard to get at CS)

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask - we are always happy to help!!!!

 

[shellybaxter]

Cancilla,

I am really curious, please don't think I'm flaming, I just really want to know. How does an eight year old become a veggitarian if his parent's arent? I mean it doesn't sound like you are a veggitarian, so how did your DS become one? Again, this is not a flame or even a judgement, I'm just curious

Shelly

 

[Kris & Steve]

Just subscribing...

 

[cancilla]

Cancilla,

I am really curious, please don't think I'm flaming, I just really want to know. How does an eight year old become a veggitarian if his parent's arent?

Shelly

In our case, what happens is just before he turns five he decides that he likes animals too much to eat them. We told him that he could be a vegetarian so long as he ate whatever we made for him so that he would get what he needs nutritionally. He said okay and he's stuck with it for years (he's almost eight now).

My wife generally eats vegetarian now, too, but I don't.

We are very supportive of my son's decision and proud of him for sticking with it, and I want to make sure that this vacation doesn't get overwhelmed by food issues.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions on getting veggie stuff for kids. It really, really helps!

--Dominick

 

[cancilla]

While we're on the subject, can anyone suggest somewhere in Downtown Disney that's veggie-kid friendly? The kids menus all look like chicken-strip city

Thanks!

--Dominick

 

[shellybaxter]

In our case, what happens is just before he turns five he decides that he likes animals too much to eat them. We told him that he could be a vegetarian so long as he ate whatever we made for him so that he would get what he needs nutritionally. He said okay and he's stuck with it for years (he's almost eight now).

My wife generally eats vegetarian now, too, but I don't.

We are very supportive of my son's decision and proud of him for sticking with it, and I want to make sure that this vacation doesn't get overwhelmed by food issues.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions on getting veggie stuff for kids. It really, really helps!

--Dominick

I think that's great. Good for you for being supportive. As a pre-school teacher I have only seen veggitarian kids when there are vegetarian parents. I agree that Disney's kids meals are a bit narrow in scope. If a child doesn't like the very steriotypical food offerings they are out of luck.

shelly

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I know that most places offer something vegetarian, but what about vegan? The vegetarian choices are often heavy on cheese or egges. We always used to call a day or two in advance to make sure we'd get vegan meals, is that no longer necessary? We are going at the end of November and early December.

Teresa

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Cancilla:

things have really improved at WDW over the past 10-15 years as far as veg options overall - not too great for vegan fare - and not great for kids. Our DD ends up living on pasta, pizza, pbj, and mac-n-cheese. The cantina outside the Mexican Pavillon has bean burritos and the Tangeriene Cafe has a nice veg platter, if your child likes that kind of food - both offer a nice change of pace. We have not been back for a year - but are looking forward to trying the Noodle Station in a couple weeks. We usually get DD a good breakfast - and get snacks at the fruit carts - and don't sweat the rest of the day. Our feeling is she eats very well the rest of the year - and we aren't going to sweat it one week....so we just do the best we can given the circumstances. I looked at menus for DTD - there really isn't anything different there for kids menus - but Rainforest has a very nice veggie burger on the reg menu - and kids love it there! Also, we have never gone so far as making a special request - would love to hear how that has worked for others - especially for kids. I hope this helps.

 

[bavaria]

cancilla, here are some random thoughts/ideas for you...

DTD
- Wolfgang Puck Express can do a veggie pizza, pasta with tomato sauce, and veggie sandwich; they are all on the menu (which does change)
- Rainforest Cafe - veggie burger
- Earl of Sandwich - has a caprese sandwich, but they will also 'mix and match' ingredients if it's not too busy (ie right when they open! and maybe other times)
- Bongos - has a veggie option, very accomodating at making something else
- House of Blues - great veggies and starch sides; may do something else

Those are my 'core' restaurants at DTD for veggie food.

You may also want to stock some lunch type items in your fridge in your room. For that, I suggest the white bean hummus and pita chips at the Mara at AKL (call ahead as it's popular - if they are out, they should be able to pinch some from the Boma prep area). POP has a great take away section including dips, veggies, fruit plates, pita chips, etc.

Note that at DISNEY restaurants (ie not Rainforest) many of the veggie burgers are Boca burgers. I love veggie burgers but don't like Boca burgers because they taste of meat. You may want to ask the server if your son is the same.

And that brings me to servers. I cringe whenever I hear the comment 'oh vegetarian - you still eat fish and chicken, right?'. And I still hear it quite often from WDW servers. If you find that is the case, just ask nicely for a chef and/or a manager, who may be more aware of special needs.

If you're looking for a TS meal, Boma is great, but a lot of the steakhouses are also a great option! They will combine sides to make a great veggie meal. Some of the WS places are good too - Le Cellier is very accomodating; Marrakesh has a nice mild veggie curry, etc.

A lot of chefs are really excited to get an 'off the menu' request, as it allows them to be creative.

Re the vegan request: I have always said 'help the poor vegans'. Yes, a lot of the WDW veggie entrees have a lot of cheese. Since I can't have much dairy, I spend a lot of time requesting that they make the items with no cheese. Some can do it, some can't. Sadly, pasta with tomato sauce is often the best choice.

My favourites for flexibility, menu items, and service are in no order: Tony's, Tomorrowland Noodle Station, Concourse Steakhouse, Mama Melrose, Boma, the Mara, Jiko, Yacht Club Galley, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Spoodles, Chefs de France, Marrakesh, Matsunomura Lounge (sp?), Akershus (before the arrived), Wolfgang Puck Express, Bongos.... as you can see, there are quite a lot!!!

 

[newtodisney]

Cancilla,

I am really curious, please don't think I'm flaming, I just really want to know. How does an eight year old become a veggitarian if his parent's arent? I mean it doesn't sound like you are a veggitarian, so how did your DS become one? Again, this is not a flame or even a judgement, I'm just curious

Shelly

I can definitely relate to your situation. My DD is 10 and has been a vegetarian for 3 years. One day at dinner she started crying while eating her cheeseburger because she felt sad for the poor cow. It took all I had to not burst out laughing because she was so funny about it. Cheeseburgers were her all time favorite food...even over pizza. We tried to reason with her, but 3 years later she has held firm to her belief. In a pinch she will eat a cheeseburger without the meat (bun, cheese, ketchup). We have never had a problem finding easy alternatives for her at WDW.

Good luck!

P.S. Her little sister (6) eats anything, especially fried chicken and ribs (I think it is just to gross her big sister out).

 

[cancilla]

My son's big problem is shrimp. He loves shrimp, but can't eat it because he's vegetarian. It's the one food I don't eat around him because it makes him so sad.

He's fine with all kinds of meat substitutes (he actually likes the "fake meat" taste), which will make things easier at WDW -- now that I know there are veggie burgers to be had if you look hard enough.

Also, Bavaria's post inspired me to check the Marrakesh menu. That looks really good! I'd love to hear more about it from a veggie-kid perspective if anyone has something to share.

--Dominick

 

[LuckySadie]

Cancilla et all, my daughter is going on 13 and has been a vegetarian since she was 9. Same reasons as your son, and the rest of our family is not vegetarian. My daughter basically never ate meat at all starting with her first meats in baby food, she would spit them out. Then for a short time she would eat chix nuggets, after that she asked if she could just go meat free. We said yes as long as she made sure she got all her nutrients which so far she has done very well. We have not had problems finding things for her, often she eats from the appetizer menus - her fave meal is mozzarella sticks and a side salad! For vegans who may want something ice-cream like, there are lots of frozen lemonade stands and also there was a Dole pineapple stand that I believe had whipped frozen pineapple juice, Not positive there isn't any dairy tho, best to check it out.

 

[LuckySadie]

Cancilla, my daughter does eat fish very occasionally, she is not a strict vegetarian...does your son not want to "hurt" the shrimp or is it just because he doesn't think a vegetarian "should" eat it? If he is only doing it because he isn't "supposed" to, maybe talk to him about it. He should eat it if he really wants it, and I don't think he should feel too bad about it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

This thread is interesting. Bavaria, very informative post!

My kids are vegetarian, but that's to be expected since we don't, either.

It's great that there are parents who are so understanding of their kids decisions! I'm 44yo and my mom still isn't! Guess I should give up on that!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I forgot to mention that Earl of Sandwich also has a PB&J sandwich that is heated like their other sandwiches. My son had that when I brought him to WDW and he liked it, even though he was a little bit skeptical about a hot PB&J. I think they also have a kids grilled cheese sandwich.

 

[daisax]

In our case, what happens is just before he turns five he decides that he likes animals too much to eat them.​

Just hope he doesn't find out about all the little critters who get ground up in the threshing machines that bring us our grains! Or rodents who die in the silos...

 

[bavaria]

I forgot to mention that Earl of Sandwich also has a PB&J sandwich that is heated like their other sandwiches. My son had that when I brought him to WDW and he liked it, even though he was a little bit skeptical about a hot PB&J. I think they also have a kids grilled cheese sandwich.

mmmmmmmmmmmm - I LOVE the PBJ at Panera, on pumpkin bread. Now I'll have to try a warm one at Earl of Sandwich!!!!