character dinning

[magic kingdom park]

I am planning our second disney trip in mid Oct. with my son who has a autism spectrum disorder. I would like to try one of these character dinners but my son will probably not eat anything that is on the menu since he is so picky, do they still charge you for his place, or can we bring his own food. Also does anyone know if these will be hard to get this time of year? And is one better than the other? all info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Poohnatic]

You will get charged for attending the meal. Mid October is a good time to visit, the weather is nice, the crowds aren't huge.

I have a son with Asperger's Syndrome, and after our last trip, we learned to travel in the off season and while school is in session.
He's also a fairly picky eater, and will get into a rut with food choices.

That being said, you may be better off with a character meal that serves a buffet where he's sure to find something he likes. We've eaten at most of the character meals now (I checked the list and we've missed the ones at the swan and dolphin and the princess ones...that's it ). Chef Mickey's is probably my boys' favorite, closely followed by The Garden Grill.

If you'd like me to get you a listing of what's served on the various menus, just PM me and I'll send it along. We keep it handy, as my son has some food dye allergies that exacerbate some of the AS behaviors.

If you find nothing on the menu that he likes, sometimes calling WDW dining (407) WDW-DINE is a big help. You can explain your issue (food dye allergy, diabetic, only eats whatever, lactose intolerant) and the chef will work with you.

Good luck planning your trip. There are several people on here with kids on the spectrum that can give you some advice and assistance!

Suzanne

 

[Earstou]

There is also the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill in Epcot that has characters. For (I think) $6.99, you get an ice cream sundae and character interaction. You might try this if you don't think a meal will work.
Last year I posted about a character meal for an asperger child and got some great responses. Here's the link http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=340652&highlight=+character

 

[connie254]

wdwig.com has a listing of all the menus at WDW.
I've been there 4 times with my son-the buffets are the best-he can always find something there he likes-for breakfast, it's usually bacon and strawberries-I call it fat and fiber breakfast

the website updates the menus because people email the updates in

This is the website I went to to begin with and copied down the restaurants that had food my son would enjoy within each park. Now the only places he won't eat are the countries around World Showcase except Mexico, England, America-I'll bet he'll eat Japanese or Chinese as his class gets to try those at school this year.

Oh, and the buffets don't make a big deal if your child won't drink milk or juice-they'll serve Sprite at breakfast if you ask.-He'll get his calcium from yogurt anyway.

 

[SueM in MN]

The wdwinfo.com part of this site also has a menu database.
Here's the phone number for the WDW MK Executive Chef's Office: (407) 824-5967
This phone number: (407)-566-5815, which is the office of Deiter Hannig, Senior Vice President for Food and Beverage for WDW.
They deal with all the menus at WDW (from full service to food carts) and will be able to help with your questions.

 

[Tracyee]

IO have 2 children, one typical and one with special needs (non-talker, non-walker, non-eater but lover of all things Pooh!). I wanted to go a character meal and was curious to know if I will be charged for a child's meal at a character meal if the child cannot eat at all. My son is solely tube fed a special formula and that's it.

We have been to Ohana's and they did not charge us for him. Would it be different because of the character appearances?

I will pay with no problem as my child will be there. I was just curious that's all.

Thanks

 

[Figaro]

Hi, Traycee!

I believe that people who don't eat at the character meals are charged a $5.00 fee for entertainment. Although it seems that whether or not you are charged just plain depends on the staff.

Hope that helps!

 

[dj2]

DD7 and i made an unplanned stop at the character dinner at the liberty tree tavern in january. i hadn't phoned ahead to arrange a special meal for myself (numerous food allergies) and so only DD ate. they only charged us for her, and did not charge us the entertainment fee, although i believe they could have.

dj