Question re: eating at Disney

[jeaniebueller]

PDQ: I know many of you have been to disney, so I'm hoping for advice on how to handle this. My oldest is a teenager, so he will be eating off of the adult menu (and we are doing a dining plan). He has issues with food--OCD and anxiety related. Sometimes he's fine venturing out and trying new things, but I'm also trying to prepare myself that he may just want something he knows like chicken tenders, etc. I know disney does not allow kids over 9 to order off of the kids menu. Any ideas on how i should handle asking if he can order off of it ifs its necessary--i don't think it matters a lot financially since we are using a meal plan. Its not a dietary restriction per se, and i don't want to have to explain his diagnosis to random servers at the park. Do you think they will give us a hard time? Or how should I ask?

[abs]

Anyone can order off the kids menu. Some places you may pay an adult fare but it’s mostly not an issue except at buffets. I have found Disney to be very accommodating.

ETA: the dining plan makes it a bit trickier. It’s would personally not do one if you don’t have to. It doesn’t save you much money anyways.

[joy]

Disney is so accommodating to kids with all kinds of needs. That’s one of their entire shticks - guest experience and inclusivity. I would be shocked if anyone gave you a hard time about ordering chicken tenders.

[jeaniebueller]

Jan 22, 2024 9:45:45 GMT -5 abs said:

Anyone can order off the kids menu. Some places you may pay an adult fare but it’s mostly not an issue except at buffets. I have found Disney to be very accommodating.

ETA: the dining plan makes it a bit trickier. It’s would personally not do one if you don’t have to. It doesn’t save you much money anyways

i'm seeing that but my H already paid for it.

[abs]

Jan 22, 2024 9:49:55 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Jan 22, 2024 9:45:45 GMT -5 abs said:

Anyone can order off the kids menu. Some places you may pay an adult fare but it’s mostly not an issue except at buffets. I have found Disney to be very accommodating.

ETA: the dining plan makes it a bit trickier. It’s would personally not do one if you don’t have to. It doesn’t save you much money anyways

i'm seeing that but my H already paid for it.

Got it. I still think it will be fine. At sot down restaurants anyone can eat whatever at the buffets and most places will give him an adult size portion off the kid menu if that is what he prefers. It’s trickier for QS credits on the dining plan so just let him pick places he is comfortable with.

[nicolewi]

They will likely let him order anything, but you will probably have to pay the adult price for a sit down meal. For quick service meals, you order whatever you want and pay for whatever you got.

At least, this is how it worked in 2018!

[midwestmama]

In addition to what others have said, if there is a published/set menu at a restaurant (e.g., Liberty Tree Tavern), but your son won't eat most of the options, you can ask for chicken tenders and fries (or ask if they have other options that would normally be found on a kids' menu). We did that at Liberty Tree Tavern (and maybe even Biergarten), and they were happy to accommodate.

[daisyduck]

At quick service places, order on the app. No one will even know who the kids meal is for (we always get a table and send one person to get the food).

[frlcb]

We were given a really hard time at a sit down restaurant in Epcot (don't remember the name) for wanting to order a kids meal for our 13 year old. We said we would pay an adult price and the guy wouldn't budge. I stood my ground because I saw someone else do it at a table nearby and he finally said he would but we couldn't tell anyone. I was really annoyed.

[quesyrah]

We just got back from a 2 week trip. We did a table service lunch every day and every time they asked how many kids menus we wanted. My kids are 10 and almost 14 and look nowhere near 9 or under.

And at space 220 an adult at the table next to us asked if he could order off the kids menu and the sever said, “absolutely!”

And everywhere that they ordered from the kids menu they were charged the kids price and served a kids portion.

At quick service it’s especially easy, they don’t know who you’re ordering for.

[quesyrah]

Jan 22, 2024 14:47:05 GMT -5 frlcb said:

We were given a really hard time at a sit down restaurant in Epcot (don't remember the name) for wanting to order a kids meal for our 13 year old. We said we would pay an adult price and the guy wouldn't budge. I stood my ground because I saw someone else do it at a table nearby and he finally said he would but we couldn't tell anyone. I was really annoyed.

We had this experience in 2022 at be our guest. It was the only restaurant our 11 year old didn’t like the adult menu so we asked if he could order from the kids, and that we knew it would still be the adult price. The server made a huge deal out of it and made sure we knew we were getting a one time exception.

[icedcoffee]

Unrelated to Disney: I don’t understand restaurants that are strict about age limits for kid menu. Now that I have kids I have realized that about 90% of restaurants the kids meals are a scam. Like $12 for legit Kraft Mac and cheese and an applesauce cup. Or like $8 for buttered noodles and a fruit cup. It is so rare that my kid orders a kid meal and I think “oh that’s actually a good deal”. In fact, if my kids weren’t terrified of vegetables I’d actually prefer they order off the adult menu and take the leftovers home.

/end rant

I doubt they will give you a hard time. Disney really does try hard to please.

[jeaniebueller]

Jan 22, 2024 14:47:05 GMT -5 frlcb said:

We were given a really hard time at a sit down restaurant in Epcot (don't remember the name) for wanting to order a kids meal for our 13 year old. We said we would pay an adult price and the guy wouldn't budge. I stood my ground because I saw someone else do it at a table nearby and he finally said he would but we couldn't tell anyone. I was really annoyed.

This is what I’m worried about, I’m gonna hope that we don’t encounter this

[jeaniebueller]

Jan 22, 2024 17:21:26 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

Jan 22, 2024 14:47:05 GMT -5 frlcb said:

We were given a really hard time at a sit down restaurant in Epcot (don't remember the name) for wanting to order a kids meal for our 13 year old. We said we would pay an adult price and the guy wouldn't budge. I stood my ground because I saw someone else do it at a table nearby and he finally said he would but we couldn't tell anyone. I was really annoyed.

We had this experience in 2022 at be our guest. It was the only restaurant our 11 year old didn’t like the adult menu so we asked if he could order from the kids, and that we knew it would still be the adult price. The server made a huge deal out of it and made sure we knew we were getting a one time exception.

I just honestly don’t understand why they don’t just have chicken tenders available for anyone who wants them. Lol.

[midwestmama]

Jan 22, 2024 17:21:26 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

Jan 22, 2024 14:47:05 GMT -5 frlcb said:

We were given a really hard time at a sit down restaurant in Epcot (don't remember the name) for wanting to order a kids meal for our 13 year old. We said we would pay an adult price and the guy wouldn't budge. I stood my ground because I saw someone else do it at a table nearby and he finally said he would but we couldn't tell anyone. I was really annoyed.

We had this experience in 2022 at be our guest. It was the only restaurant our 11 year old didn’t like the adult menu so we asked if he could order from the kids, and that we knew it would still be the adult price. The server made a huge deal out of it and made sure we knew we were getting a one time exception.

Wow, this is surprising!  I wonder if something has changed since the time we had asked for chicken tenders and fries at Liberty Tree Tavern.  We went there in 2020, so it has been a few years, and maybe they have changed their approach.

[ilikedonuts]

They will just give you an adult size of the kids meal if it’s one where you have to pay adult price. I’m sure there are times servers might not immediately do it , but I think that’s rare.

I do remember reading about a parent that flipped out because their kid will only eat chicken fingers, and they were all upset that a restaurant didn’t have chicken fingers and wouldn’t give them to their kid when the restaurant didn’t serve chicken fingers at all. And the restaurant (at Disney) was like we can’t serve something we don’t have here.

[quesyrah]

Jan 23, 2024 8:37:50 GMT -5 midwestmama said:

Jan 22, 2024 17:21:26 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

We had this experience in 2022 at be our guest. It was the only restaurant our 11 year old didn’t like the adult menu so we asked if he could order from the kids, and that we knew it would still be the adult price. The server made a huge deal out of it and made sure we knew we were getting a one time exception.

Wow, this is surprising!  I wonder if something has changed since the time we had asked for chicken tenders and fries at Liberty Tree Tavern.  We went there in 2020, so it has been a few years, and maybe they have changed their approach.

We didn’t ask for anything that was not on the menu, so that may make a difference? We just asked for kids menus when they didn’t like the adult options.

I will say though that everyone says at Sebastian’s at the Caribbean beach, which is also served family style, will bring chicken tenders for kids. We asked in 2022 and were told they don’t serve them. Asked again last week and the server said no problem.

So things might have been different in the first couple years post re-opening

[quesyrah]

Jan 22, 2024 22:41:50 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Jan 22, 2024 17:21:26 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

We had this experience in 2022 at be our guest. It was the only restaurant our 11 year old didn’t like the adult menu so we asked if he could order from the kids, and that we knew it would still be the adult price. The server made a huge deal out of it and made sure we knew we were getting a one time exception.

I just honestly don’t understand why they don’t just have chicken tenders available for anyone who wants them. Lol.

I totally agree. Who cares who orders what?

[redheadk]

Jan 23, 2024 12:05:50 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

They will just give you an adult size of the kids meal if it’s one where you have to pay adult price. I’m sure there are times servers might not immediately do it , but I think that’s rare.

I do remember reading about a parent that flipped out because their kid will only eat chicken fingers, and they were all upset that a restaurant didn’t have chicken fingers and wouldn’t give them to their kid when the restaurant didn’t serve chicken fingers at all. And the restaurant (at Disney) was like we can’t serve something we don’t have here.

This was our experience at CRT in Nov 22. DD was 10 and wanted Mickey Waffles with bacon and eggs. They served her the adult traditional breakfast with all bacon, no sausage, and subbed mickey waffles for the potatoes. The server actually checked in with me about it before we could even broach the topic so it seemed like a common request. They gave her a hilarious serving of waffles, maybe 6? Way more than she can eat but my niece and nephew who were actually 6 at the time are big eaters so we supplemented their kids meals with DD's meal. Even the serving of bacon was comical.

It is strange how Disney is easy going with some changes but not others. I wonder if it has to do with fixed price vs menu price? I don't think it's consistent that way either, though. DD actually ate off the kid's menu at table service restaurants with menus and nobody batted an eye but we didn't have a meal plan and she could visually pass for 9 at the time.

[stemmie]

I wouldn't expect anyone to even blink.

If your kid is on the meal plan as a 13 yo/"adult", allowing a child's meal shouldn't be an issue. I know we did this DS around that age at Cali Grille and Chef Mickey's.

Years ago, I think some of the Epcot international marquee restaurants had more oversight by the countries/chefs who ran them and could be less accommodating to kids. I recall overhearing a couple frosty responses in the French place to a family seated near us late one evening. TBF, the kids were clearly over-tired and poorly behaved.

[ellipses84]

I’ve never done a meal plan and will usually mobile order kids meals so it’s never a question (even for me). Disney has gotten a lot healthier, especially with the kids meals though, so it’s harder to find restaurants with chicken tenders or nuggets. Some places that do have them are spicy or have seasonings my chicken nuggetarian doesn’t like. Definitely look at the menus ahead of your trip, figure out the best places to go, and pack some high protein snacks he’ll eat, like protein / granola bars. If all else fails, ice cream is a good option to hold my kids over until we can get them food they will eat. We’ve also left a park to go somewhere like IHOP.