Weight loss surgery and dining?

[Eeyorecln]

My mother had gastric bypass surgery a year ago. She has problems with food making her ill and can only eat a very tiny amount at a time. The problem is I have a lot of character dinners planned for my kids CP,LTT,1900 PF, CM,Akershus (breakfast). She wants to be able to go with the grandkids but the cost of these is too much for her when she can only eat a few bites. Is there anyway she can pay a child's price since she will actually be eating less than a child anyways? She eats less than my 2 YO. Is there anyone I can contact at Disney maybe?

 

[tink22]

Unfortunately, at least for the character meals, anyone over the age of 10 will be charged as an adult no matter how much they eat. I am sure there is someone you can talk to and see if they can accommodate you but I used to work in Akershus and even children and adults who simply picked at the buffet were charged to eat there. It may be a rule with all buffets at Disney but I am sure someone will correct me on that if I am wrong.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I would call Disney and explain your predicament... and ask for guest services.. I would hope they can somehow make special allowances for your Mom.. I did say hope as I am not sure how they can handle it unless she goes and sits with the family and maybe does not eat with them....maybe eats her small portion beforehand that way she will not be tempted to eat and get ill....

 

[We_Love_Disney]

For the non buffet meals, I think if she were to order say an appetizer or even abstain from buying food, she could eat from one of your plates. She only consumes 4 oz of food at a time, so, buying a meal as you say is just a waste of money. At the buffet, I would just say she isn't eating, but is just sitting with. She could take a few, discrete bites if she is hungry from one of the plates.

As others have suggested I would contact Guest Services. I would hope that they can accommadate your mothers special needs.

Horray for your mom! How is she doing with the bypass? Has she lost a lot of weight? Does she feel better?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

At the buffet meals I would suggest talking to the server and/or manager at the start of the meal. I have heard of servers who will observe the person really not eating much (and also not filling the plate at the buffet) and charge only the child price.

 

[wendy46001]

Did she receive a card from her doctor after the surgery...my friend had it and got a small business card size info sheet that told of her dietary needs...it made it very easy for buffets all over Orlando...they normally wouldn’t even charge her or just charge her for the price of a salad

 

[Jenniww]

I have the same problem and posted a few weeks back. My mother also had it and doesn't want the dining plan and we do.
When 2008 info comes out I'm going to dig deeper into the subject.
Feel free to PM me, I would love to know how it turns out for you all.
When is your trip?

 

[Katiebell]

I've heard this go two ways. Some restaurants/managers will hold the hard line that the cost of a character meal is for the "experience" -- the entertainment. So it doesn't matter how much or how little you eat, even if your four year old is so excited to see Mickey that she only eats a dinner roll and two peas each person is charged the same (age-appropriate) price just to be there.

OTOH, some places may be willing to make accommodations, especially if you have a doctor's note. It certainly can't hurt to ask. On our last morning, we had reservations at Crystal Palace for breakfast. My husband was obviously not feeling well, and only drank coffee -- I tried to bring a couple of items from the buffet that he might be able to eat, but he didn't even touch them. Our waitress was very sweet, and when she brought the check, she discreetly said she noticed he wasn't feeling well and didn't eat, so she didn't charge him. I thanked her very much, but told her to go ahead and charge him a TS credit because it was our last day, the DDP credits are non-refundable, and she should get the full tip for waiting on a table for two.

 

[Lewisc]

A number of posters were charged the child price, after showing the card from their doctor. Logically those guests could be charged the adult price. Disney doesn't charge extra to those guests who "pig out" at the buffet so they shouldn't have to provide a discount to those guests who don't eat much. It's reasonable to charge less to guests who've had surgery but it's just as reasonable (probably more reasonable) not to. There are a lot of guests who are on a diet and don't "get their monies worth."



NOT DISNEY BUT A BUFFET RESTAURANT TAKES THAT POSITION:

It's reasonable to charge less to guests who've had surgery but it's just as reasonable not to.

Q. I am on a restricted diet that only allows me to eat very small portions. Can you offer a discount?

A. This question arises occasionally, including from guests that have recently had surgery. It is important to understand that our pricing is based on a reasonably sized "meal," not a specific "quantity of food" or an "unlimited" amount. Individual guests have widely differing perspectives on what they feel is an appropriate meal size. We serve more than 150 million guests per year and each one has unique menu expectations and health requirements. For simplicity sake, we adopted a uniform pricing approach when the company was formed over 20 years ago and this has become a hallmark of our business.

 

[Eeyorecln]

For the non buffet meals, I think if she were to order say an appetizer or even abstain from buying food, she could eat from one of your plates. She only consumes 4 oz of food at a time, so, buying a meal as you say is just a waste of money. At the buffet, I would just say she isn't eating, but is just sitting with. She could take a few, discrete bites if she is hungry from one of the plates.

As others have suggested I would contact Guest Services. I would hope that they can accommadate your mothers special needs.

Horray for your mom! How is she doing with the bypass? Has she lost a lot of weight? Does she feel better?

How do I contact Guest services?
She actually lost too much weight. The dr. was concerned and didn't want her losing any more but she has now evened out thankfully. Unfortunately since she is now underweight (ironically she had the surgery to avoid having health problems) she has a lot of health problems. Sometimes just a bite of food can make her very ill. It varies from day to day. She does just eat a few bites most of the time. She is willing to pay the child's price just to get to be there with her grandkids.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Eeyorecln]

Did she receive a card from her doctor after the surgery...my friend had it and got a small business card size info sheet that told of her dietary needs...it made it very easy for buffets all over Orlando...they normally wouldn’t even charge her or just charge her for the price of a salad

Yep she has the card but I wasn't sure how Disney handled it. If she can't eat with us than I would need to make her and dad's reservations elsewhere. Usually he orders a meal and she eats a few bites off his at regular restaurants (Non-buffets).

 

[Eeyorecln]

I have the same problem and posted a few weeks back. My mother also had it and doesn't want the dining plan and we do.
When 2008 info comes out I'm going to dig deeper into the subject.
Feel free to PM me, I would love to know how it turns out for you all.
When is your trip?

Our trip is in Dec. 2007, we're going to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We would love to be able to have the grandparents eat with us so they could help out with our 4 boys.

 

[JMD]

Price is based on age, not on the amount of food you are going to eat. If price is an issue, then it will be the same problem regardless of how much food your mom eats. Maybe you should look for more affordable alternatives if you want your mom to be able to attend.

 

[Eeyorecln]

We are doing character meals for the kids while they're at the age that they really enjoy it. DH is probably the only one who eats enough to actually come close to what they charge. My 4 boys will probably eat more than what it costs when they're teenagers. Until than we pay for the experience and I'm OK with that for my family. But we do have the option of eating a lot if we wanted to. My mom doesn't have any option if she eats more than a few bites she will be back at the hotel the rest of the day sick. She just can't see paying $28 for 4 bites.

 

[FancyBrat]

I just had GB Surgery this last November and we are going to WDW in August 07. I called Guest services for the same reason as we have alot of Character Meals set up for the kids but can't see paying the cost of it for myself when I just can't eat more then a few bites. I was told that as long as I had the Doctors Note and talked to the waitress or manager and did not eat anything that I shouldn't be charged.
Mind you this was told to me verbally on the phone by a supervisor and I'm honestly leery of trusting that when it comes to the fact of being there so am gettign ready to email Guest services and hoping to get the response back in email format as a little bit of back up.
I did ask about a entertainment fee like LTT has posted of $5. I'd be willing to do that verses paying for food I can't eat. Why be denied enjoying the experience with my family? Good Luck!

 

[Katiebell]

We are doing character meals for the kids while they're at the age that they really enjoy it. DH is probably the only one who eats enough to actually come close to what they charge. My 4 boys will probably eat more than what it costs when they're teenagers. Until than we pay for the experience and I'm OK with that for my family. But we do have the option of eating a lot if we wanted to. My mom doesn't have any option if she eats more than a few bites she will be back at the hotel the rest of the day sick. She just can't see paying $28 for 4 bites.

Well, like I said -- DH was obviously sick and didn't eat anything, even though he drank several cups of coffee, and the waitress wasn't going to charge him anything, not even for the coffee. I didn't ask her, she just voluntarily did that. But on the other hand, if they say no, and they will charge your mom full price, maybe think about it like you would the ticket for a play or some other entertainment...not that she's being charged for the food. But I understand $28 is ridiculous for 4 bites of food.

 

[keeping quiet]

I have worked in a Disney buffet within the past year and the policy is the same as it has always been... there is such a thing as a "non-diner." Have your mother eat something before or after and book your ADR and reiterate on check in that you have x# of adults, x# of children and 1 non-diner. Buffet servers are audited and have to match the numbers of adults and children and infants on their seating cards to the numbers on their bank out report. If there are any discrepancies without a managers prior approval and signature, that server is held responsible. A non-diner isn't uncommon at all. Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[sunee]

In April of 2004, at the Liberty Tree Tavern, we had one person in the group who wasn't eating ANYTHING - she was on a religious fast - and they insisted she pay the full adult price.

We thought it was insane and it is good to know that Disney has a non-diner policy, even if they don't tell all their employees about it.

 

[ryantab02]

We ran into this issue at our March trip this year. My MIL had gastric bypass almost two years ago and cannot eat much of anything (she looks great, by the way ). After we talked about it, she called Disney and we were charged the full price.

It surprised us, but we really didn't mind. My FIL and fiance are big eaters so they pretty much ate what she left . We think the dining plan was the best deal anyways so we just went along with it and had a wonderful time.

They may have changed their policy since then, but that's the way it was last March.

 

[baggypants]

I don't mean to be rude but a lot of people have answered you based on assumptions but they do not know what they are talking about. Disney is very GB friendly. Call ahead and let them know when you make your ADRs about thr GB and any food sensitivities. I was charged the child price at every buffet and character meal we went to, and we went LOTS of them. At other places they let my granddaughter and I split a meal. They divided it for us and brought it out on two plates. I could have ordered off the child's mneu if I had wanted to. They made sure I had a sugar free dessert if I wanted. The chefs from every restaurant I had a reservation at called me at home to discuss my food sensitivities! Just call ahead and get the card from the doc and you will be fine. Have fun!