Vegetarians at Buffet?

[solgent]

I am just wondering how my fellow vegetarians feel about buffets and fixed menus (e.g. pre-plated breakfast at CRT) at WDW.

Yes, there are things you can eat, but do you feel that you're not getting good value for your money because you do not eat meat?

I don't blame Disney for the way things are. I know most people eat meat, and I don't know how they could handle things differently.

I would rather go to a restaurant where you choose what to eat and pay for that food. But then it seems like a lot of the more fun/interesting places are not set up that way.

Do you skip those type of restaurants or just go, enjoy the experience and pay even though you know what you're eating costs less?

 

[bavaria]

Other than Boma (and I used to frequent Akershus before the princesses arrived) I don't find most buffets are a great value for veggies.

Plus we are not really buffet people. The only time they were planned was for the kids to experience a character meal (and then the kids get so excited that they don't eat)

So for me, no, unless it's Boma. Others may disagree and find something they do like. But if there are only salads, a starch and a few veggie dishes, chances are that the veggies may include something I don't like, such as green beans.

I'd rather go to a TS place which is less hectic, and where I can order exactly what I like.

 

[Momof4girls]

I do the breakfast buffets because I know I will find a plentitude of things to eat there.

CRT is great - you can always get extra french toast and extra potato casserole instead of the sausage

I do wish someone would start carrying Boca sausage, though - it's so easy and doesn't really go bad if it is kept frozen.

I usually go through the menus before we leave and bring a cheat sheet of places to go for veg meals

 

[Kaycee]

For character meals, we usually do breakfast buffets, and I've always been able to find plenty to eat at those.

We did H&V for the Fantasmic Dinner Package one year, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the things I found to eat there. The same was true when we went to Biergarten for the CP package last year. I wasn't expecting to find much to eat there at all, so maybe that was why I wasn't disappointed, but I thought there was a decent amount to choose from.

I'm more likely to avoid the fixed menu/pre-plated meals like CRT, LTT, and Garden Grill because they seem so limited for vegetarians.

 

[amarberry]

We don't usually do the buffet or pre-plated meal thing, but we did do a couple on our recent trip and I was pleasantly surprised. In general, I think that Disney is more sensitive to the needs of vegetarians and those with food allergies which makes the entire buffet experience at Disney, for me, so much better than other destinations or home. In fact, I think on our next trip, we will probably try either Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, or Garden Grill.

CRT was pretty good, but the appetizer plate was frustrating to me. When I asked the waiter which items were vegetarian, he pointed out a couple of pieces of mozzarella with a tomato sauce and a little pile of greens that had a chicken skewer placed on top of it. Most vegetarians I know aren't going to eat something that meat has been "resting" on. Anyhow, I shouldn't complain since we were really there for the atmosphere and not the food (and DH liked eating my share!).

 

[frogfuzz]

My meat eater males love buffets. so we go alot.

I feel that if you eat at sit downs and do more than entree and non alchol drink, such as adding an appetizer, salad or dessert you are paying about the same because it is all included in buffet cost.

I do always find a lot to eat at buffets. And especially Hollywood and Vine will prepare me the pasta without the meat and I smile at them and thank them and they are very nice about it. Crystal Palace not accomadating

 

[disneyholic family]

we go for the fun and don't worry about the (very poor) value we are getting...
some of the buffets are better than others..
for breakfast, 1900 park fare was terrible....very limited fruit of poor quality...tiny little bagels that resembled teeting bagels...in general not a great meal for vegetarians..

the Chrystal Palace breakfast buffet was much better...a better selection of fresh fruit than at 1900 PF....and much nicer bagels (the normal big ones you get in a bagel factory, not the teething bagels they tried to pass off as bagels at 1900 PF)..

one year, many years ago, when we ate a chef mickey for the character dinner, they let us all pay half of the regular rate since we pretty much couldn't eat anything other than the baked potatoes....

 

[PrincessKitty]

Dh (meat-eater) and I (vegetarian) rarely do buffets of any kind (in or out of disney) because the food is generally not what we like. If I really, really wanted to go to a character meal, though, I'd go ahead and do a buffet, but I would call ahead to find out what kind of vegetarian fare they might have, and if they could make anything else to accomodate me. I don't think the food is a good value for the $$ (for a vegetarian or a meat-eater ) but I think you're paying for the atmosphere and character interaction.

 

[bicker]

It's not just vegetarians. After we lost all our weight in 2002 we started eating very healthy, and found that buffets and pre-plated meals became an especially poor value. Many folks who have personal preferences regarding what they eat find this is the case. And even though WDW is so expensive, it's not just the case there, but really everywhere we go to eat. Restaurants, especially AYCE and fixed price offerings, provide the best value to those customers who match the largest bloc of its patrons. Patrons who have more specialized wishes often (though, not always) pay the price for our deviation from the norm.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We're vegetarian and haven't had too much trouble at both pre-plated or buffets. At buffets there is always plenty for us to eat. Almost every time I ask a chef behind the buffet to point out what is safe for us to eat and they've always been so kind and patient as well as informative. BTW -- Boma's dinner buffet is the MOST vegetarian friendly we've encountered.

Even the pre-plated places are accomodating. You just might need to call ahead to let them know you're coming and what your restrictions are. It might be a pain to have to do this, but it at least ensures you are getting your money's worth. We found the Princess Storybook Lunch appetizer buffet to be the least vegetarian friendly, though. Practically nothing there for vegans. Though, I think if I had called ahead they would have put something more appealing together for me.

There are places like the Poly Luau we tend to stay away from. Something about meat on a stick we find offensive...but that is the tradition of a luau so it is no big deal. We just don't go.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I do wish someone would start carrying Boca sausage, though - it's so easy and doesn't really go bad if it is kept frozen.

I totally agree! That and I would LOVE to see tofu 'hot dogs' offered throughout the parks. That would be awesome!

I did ask for and get tofutti at the Main St. ice cream shop in MK. It was wonderful!