What has been your experience when traveling with picky adults?

[ms_missy66]

We're taking a family vacay in December and my one niece, who will be days away from 27 years old, is super picky. No meat. Barely any chicken. No veggies. She'll do pasta and potatos, and I'm not really sure what else. No fish. Nothing ethnic other than Italian. *sigh* So I feel stuck. Do I mainly hit the buffets? Or is there hope that she can dine almost anywhere and basically ask for plain food?

She's lucky I love her so much because I'm bummed that we'll likely be skipping some of our favorite restaurants. If anyone has advice for me, please tell me. I'm thinking we're going to do Chef Mickey and 1900 Park Fare for the character aspect. Mama Melrose will be good. And what else? I love Biergarten, Le Cellier, Nine Dragons, Ohana, etc, etc, etc. I'd love some words of encouragement.

 

[sewingmolly]

I was at WDW at spring break with my junk food vegetarian neice - no meat, no fish, very few veggies, mostly pasta and cheese. We ate two table service meals most days. So here's what she ate -

Biergarten - spaztle (German noodles), some salads, pretzle bread, mac & cheese from the kids' section and several desserts.
Teppan Edo - veggies and rice - which she didn't like.
Sci-fi Drive In - veggie burger and onion rings (because its a burger & rings place)
California Grill - cheese flatbread and ravioli
Crystal Palace and Tuskar House - salads, breads, mac & cheese and dessert.
Chefs du France - Veggie Lasagna
Via Napoli - shared the antipasta and cheese pizza (of course)
Coral Reef - Mushroom phyllo crisp, she likes mushrooms but had to be talked into trying it, but she liked it
Yak & Yeti - fried green beans and tofu lettuce cups, she didn't want the green beans but I ordered them anyway and she really liked them,
Artist Pointe - cheese plate and mashed potatoes

I think your neice being a picky eater isn't a problem if everyone has a good attitude. The servers were very helpful in finding something for my neice. The lettuce cups with tofu aren't on the menu, but were suggested by our waiter. She just needs to have a positive attitude that there will be something that she will eat, most restaurants have mac & cheese on the kids' menu or mashed potatoes or something similar. And the rest of your group needs to not be embrassed if she wants mashed potatoes as her main dish at Artist Pointe or worry that it's not a good value if she goes to the buffet and only eats kids mac & cheese. So I think that if no one make's it be a problem, it won't be a problem.

 

[princssdisnygina]

we are picky Adult eaters (meat and potatoes family) at Disney. Here is our list of must-do's

Chef Mickeys Dinner
50's Prime Time Cafe
Les Chefs de France
Donalds Breakfast (Tusker House)
Hoop Dee Doo
Jiko
Narcoossee's
Crystal Palace
Ohana


Hope this helps!

 

[LovesTimone]

I have a picky eater my oldest DD (22). When ever we vacation I make the ressie and she just has to make due with where we eat. This has really broaden her horizons so to speak. She has started trying new things and some everyday dishes and her BF eats everything so I think that this helps.
I would just pick where you want to eat, and enjoy.

 

[Agri]

She's 27 years old. You didn't mention any medical issues, so I'd assume she's been going out to restaurants and making do with her choices for years. They will let her order off the kid's menu, so you should be fine.

My advice is to pick the places you want to eat and let her take care of her own choices. I'd include one or two buffets, but not any more than that because they're REALLY expensive if you're eating there more to accommodate someone than because you like to pack it away at buffets. =D

 

[MickeyNicki]

We have been with our picky picky friends before and the first time we did alot of buffets but trips after that we just picked where we wanted to eat and if they didnt like it thats fine, mostly it was just my BFF and she would have a drink with us at the restaurant while we all ate, sometimes she ordered off the kids menu and other times she just ate CS before we had our TS and she would sit with us

My nieces are super picky eaters and when we go with them TS breakfasts work out better and if DH and I are eating at a TS they will find something or just eat CS before hand and have dessert at the TS.

Most all TS have pasta, chicken nuggets and burgers

 

[carrie1626]

We're taking a family vacay in December and my one niece, who will be days away from 27 years old, is super picky. No meat. Barely any chicken. No veggies. She'll do pasta and potatos, and I'm not really sure what else. No fish. Nothing ethnic other than Italian. *sigh* So I feel stuck. Do I mainly hit the buffets? Or is there hope that she can dine almost anywhere and basically ask for plain food?

She's lucky I love her so much because I'm bummed that we'll likely be skipping some of our favorite restaurants. If anyone has advice for me, please tell me. I'm thinking we're going to do Chef Mickey and 1900 Park Fare for the character aspect. Mama Melrose will be good. And what else? I love Biergarten, Le Cellier, Nine Dragons, Ohana, etc, etc, etc. I'd love some words of encouragement.

Wow, you must really love her- I'd never go that far unless it was for medical reasons!!
She's 27, she makes her own choices, right? She won't starve!!

 

[carrie1626]

I have a picky eater my oldest DD (22). When ever we vacation I make the ressie and she just has to make due with where we eat. This has really broaden her horizons so to speak. She has started trying new things and some everyday dishes and her BF eats everything so I think that this helps.
I would just pick where you want to eat, and enjoy.

EXACTLY

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Most restaurants at WDW are very good at concocting something based on a menu dish but without lots of the add ons. Although my dd is only 9 she regularly eats off the adult menu and has stuff without sauces (plain pasta and potatoes) she will eat bread at most places and we have never had issue getting stuff like that. She also doesn't like creamy desserts and has no problems findinng an option.

Admittedly the buffets are easier : and at places like Boma you are able to get kids fries etc and cookies for dessert - luckily dd is a carnivore and loves veg and fruit she just doesn't do fancy

 

[stayhomemom77]

My DS6 is a picky eater and our family's policy is that we allow him to choose one TS meal for the trip and we choose the rest.

We try and ensure that there will be something on the menu that he will eat but we did have a problem on our last trip at Kona. There was nothing there he was willing to eat. We booked it anyway. When the waitress asked him what he wanted, he said "nothing." She looked shocked and worried but we told her we had expected this. We didn't order him a meal but he still got plenty to eat.

He ate the bread, shared DH's smoothie and some of DD's meal as well as her dessert. Not the most balanced meal perhaps but he didn't leave hungry and never complained.

Adults have a wider variety of food and Disney goes out of there way to keep their guests happy so I would just book what works best for the group as a whole and let her choose for herself. If she truly can find NOTHING on the menu that she's willing to eat, she can pick up some counter service later on.

Good luck...and please reconsider skipping ALL your favourite places. I'm sure that really isn't necessary.

 

[Sugardimples]

Pick where you want to eat. She's an adult and will figure something out.

 

[Happy Mom2]

I am super picky, but I enjoyed all of our meals at WDW. O'Hana, and Via Napoli were two of my favs. Don't pick your meals around one person. You won't please everyone so pick something MOST people will enjoy.

 

[Celidh]

I think you should give her a couple of choices. How many would depend on how long you will be there but otherwise, it is not fair to everyone else in the party to do without just because she is picky.

DS 11 is very picky. Given the choice, he would live of chicken nuggets, chicken burgers, popcorn chicken, hotdogs and bologne. He doesn't like veggies, doesn't like "real" chicken, beef or pork of any sort and doesn't like to try new things. I have put a lot of thought into what he will eat when we go. I have told him that he may have to try different things and he won't always get what he wants. I make him eat all the things he doesn't like when we are at home because he needs some sort of balanced diet. I just give him small portions. He at least has to eat a bit of the foods he doesn't like. At least now he will eat a few carrots without throwing a hissy fit, even if it has to have ketchup on it!

I think that as an adult, she should understand this and be okay with it. At least I hope so. DS is on the autism spectrum and I'm sure that factors into his eating likes and dislikes. He has big issues with texture, which is why he doesn't like real meat. I still don't let him away with it.

Good luck and I hope all goes well.

 

[si-am]

Tell her to suck it up. She's not going to die of starvation. No way would I go out of my way to accommodate someone that picky.

 

[brymolmom]

I agree with a lot of pp's - do not let this negatively affect your vacation. If it was me - I'd send that picky adult the list of restaurant menus and let her pick one (or two depending how long the trip is) restaurants based on her tastes. After that, I would just make the rest or get picks from other traveling parties as well. As an adult, I'm sure she will find something to eat. And if not, well, there's always just eating dessert instead. Honestly, I am a somewhat picky adult too and there's no way I would want it to impact others' vacation. I would find something on the menu I would eat. Don't worry about it.

 

[no capes darling]

This trip is not all about her and her food desires! Barring no sensory issues or food allergies, it's her problem, IMO.

Have a meeting of the minds with everyone that is going, have them pick their TS restaurants of choice and make sure she gets to pick one too. If there's more people than sit-down meals there's going to have to be some negotiation. She's certainly old enough that if she would rather not join you and get a counterservice somewhere to load up on carbs, all the more power to her. I would not let her dictate where and what everyone else is eating. 27 years old or 2.7. Doesn't fly with me. Coming to a resolution sometimes means some give and take for all involved. I'm such a meanie.

 

[dskib]

I have no patience for picky ADULTS, and I certainly don't make my dining choices around them. Make ressies for the restaurants, and picky people will find something they'll eat.

 

[rznhal]

Does she like pizza? my three year old lived on it while in Disney!