• On Feb 28, 2022
    Tori from MI Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    When going to a full service or counter service restaurant, do I have to order my 5yo and 3yo a meal? They don’t eat much and usually just share. We don’t want to be toting around leftovers all day or have to throw away expensive food.

    Hi Tori! 

    Congratulations on your upcoming visit to Walt Disney World! You are less than 30 days away from visiting the most magical place on earth! 

    I can completely relate to your concerns regarding food for your little ones. I am always disturbed at wasting food. I have a few tips for you that I think will help alleviate your concerns.

    There are a variety of dining options at Walt Disney World. Counter-service meals are the most budget-friendly and least wasteful options. They are often quick, easy, relatively inexpensive, and offer a lot of flexibility. When ordering a counter-service meal, you can certainly order one meal for the kids to share. When my kids were younger, I would often order one meal for the two of them to share. The food portions are pretty large, so most of the time this works extremely well. Another option is to order smaller snacks throughout the day vs. larger meals. You can pick up many healthy options in the park, such as fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, yogurt, and cheese.

    Dining at a table-service meal is a little different though. If the restaurant is an all-you-care-to-eat set-up, including buffet or family-style, sharing a meal isn't allowed. Examples of these restaurants are Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill, and Hollywood & Vine.

    However, other table-service locations are flexible on meal sharing, especially with young children. I was able to leverage meal sharing at Coral Reef, Tony's Town Square, and California Grill.

    I definitely recommend asking your server at the restaurant about the portion sizes and options for meal sharing. They want to make sure you have a magical vacation, so they will definitely help you with what you need.

    As a friendly reminder, you can begin making your advanced dining reservations 60 days in advance. You can also check out the menus online for each of the restaurants, which I love doing in advance. For example, Chefs de France in EPCOT is amazing, but you may want to check out their menu online to see if there are options that your kiddos like.

    I hope you have a magical vacation!
    Magically,
    Stacy 


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Meet the Panelist: Stacy, South Carolina

My name is Stacy and I'm a native Carolinian, single mom to two amazing teens, and a Walt Disney World fanatic! My kids and I are Disney Annual Passholders and whether we are celebrating a birthday, running a runDisney race, or simply having a craving for a Mickey pretzel, we visit the most magical place on earth as much as possible! I am ecstatic to share the tips and tricks I have learned over the yEARS as part of the planDisney panel!
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