Orlando - Disney & Universal

zoeengland2000

Im looking for some tips from you lovely MFPs.

I will be going on holiday soon to Florida (from the UK) with my 12 year old autistic son, who has an amazing passion for theme parks (help)!!

I have a suite so will hopefully be cooking some dinners, but will also be eating out. My son is quite fussy around food & hardly ever eats the same as me. While I am there I will not have endless $$$ to spend, also althought I will be on holiday I don't want to come home 10lb heavier and undo all my good work.

So guys n gals can you offer me any advice of food places I can visit while I'm there, if you've been before are there any hidden gems which are a must go to. If anyone has bees with an ASD child do you have any tips there?

I have decided not to take a hire car so will be using the free hotel shuttle & the I-trolley.

melaniecheeks

Ooooh, how lovely - well jealous!

I was there 2 years ago with my step-son, who has Downs, and is also a fussy eater.

We just had an absolute ball!

You will probably be walking lots, and try to get some swimming or waterparks in if possible.

Eating-wise - it's not the healthiest, but you can make reasonable choices. We tended to go out for breakfast (it's really cheap, and you can fill up to keep you going all morning), my favourite pick-me-up at lunchtime was an iced coffee, and my step-son loved the apple slices with caramel dip. The restaurants in the various parks do vary - we adored the buffet place in Studios, and loved Hard Rock Cafe in Universal.

What sort of foods does your son enjoy?

runnercheryl

I am a huge fan of Disney World. I've been plenty of times, most of which I wasn't focused on my health. Last time, I was, and lost weight.

Where will you be staying, out of interest?

I'm not sure where you'll want to eat. There are so many places catering to absolutely every taste.

I personally love Le Cellier Steakhouse (book in advance) at Epcot, Boma (African buffet) at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wolfgang Puck and the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney. At Universal, nothing beats the Hard Rock Cafe.

Not sure how your son's condition manifests itself, Rainforest Cafe might be a bit much for him. Lots of noise and flashing lights.

The food court in The Land serves salads, fish and meat dishes - that's the healthiest place I remember all round, but everywhere has healthy options.

hollin40

I do know that you can get a "fast pass" or something or other....it enables you and your son to go near the front of the line. My 3 year old is autistic and lines make him extremely impatient and meltdowns happen when we wait too long. I can try to ask a friend of mine who to contact to get this pass...we haven't gone yet because my twins are still too little (IMO) but we will be making that trip in a few years and will be getting a pass for us to help with our son....

EricNCSU

The last time I went to Disney I ate mostly at the quick service places, which is burgers and chicken tenders, but you can get fruit instead of fries as a side. They offered apple slices and grapes, and both were good. I did that to avoid getting sick in the heat with less greasy food, I wasn't watching what I ate at that point. Depending on where you are staying, some of the Disney hotels has a small grocery/c-store where you can get milk, cereal, bottled water, fruit, etc.

Universal I havent been to in forever, so no clue what the food is like there.

LaurenAOK

Hi, I live in Orlando! I go to Disney World every time my family visits me here (I have two little sisters) and I have an annual pass to Universal so I go there with friends quite often.

Honestly my advice about the food would be to just relax. You're on vacation. You will do A LOT of walking, so you can eat a bit more than usual. There are so many awesome places to eat around here and I would hate for you to miss out on them because you're worried about counting calories.

The only thing is, it IS really expensive. If you eat anywhere at the theme park or hotels, it will cost you a pretty penny. Same thing with just about all the restaurants in the Disney/Universal area. It's a tourist trap. If I were you I'd try to cook in your hotel most of the time, and maybe eat out once a day or something. Shouldn't break the bank that way.

I do know that you can get a "fast pass" or something or other....it enables you and your son to go near the front of the line. My 3 year old is autistic and lines make him extremely impatient and meltdowns happen when we wait too long. I can try to ask a friend of mine who to contact to get this pass...we haven't gone yet because my twins are still too little (IMO) but we will be making that trip in a few years and will be getting a pass for us to help with our son....

Yeah the fast passes work differently depending on if you're at Disney or Universal. At Disney it's free but you can only do it for one ride at a time, and you have to wait for a specific time frame. So, you walk up to a ride, put your Disney ticket in the machine, and it print's out a fast pass that tells you to come back in like 2 hours or whatever. During that two hours you can go do other stuff, then when you come back to the ride you get to get in the fast pass line and skip the waiting. You can't get fast passes for another ride until you use those, though.

At Universal, I believe you just pay once - it's like $50 I think? And you get an all-day fast pass that's good for almost all of the rides. Not positive about that one though as I haven't done it.

dorothytd

There is a chain with several locations in Orlando called Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes: http://www.souplantation.com/. My kids love it. They have lots of fresh food choices, soups and hot offerings. It is buffet stye which is nice for kids to get up and move around, and it is not expensive. Have a great time!

loyemarie

You most definitely can get a special pass for him. I would call Disney to see what you need to bring to obtain it, but it really does help make it a fun time for special needs kids.

We live an hour away from WDW, and have resident passes. We are there at least weekly

By far, our favorite meal at the Magic Kingdom is at the Columbia Harbour House, across from the big steam boat ride. It is a walk up, so served fast and you can get on with your day. They have a grilled salmon dinner, with couscous and steamed broccoli that is awesomely good AND it's only $10 - excellent price, filling, and no guilt! We also like their broccoli peppercorn salad (don't remember the exact name...) EPCOT has Sunshine Seasons at the Land - many healthy choices there. (The pork chop is very good)

We don't really eat much at Hollywood Studios.

Animal Kingdom has Flametree BBQ. Try the turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo. Served with fresh fruit.

Lastly, we are obsessed with the Mickey Premium ice cream bar. The whole thing is 330 calories :ohwell: so, we get one and share it, which makes it only 165 calories. It will be the best 165 calories you'll ever eat! Available all over WDW, mostly at the stand-alone carts.

Have fun! It's the best!

exdisneychick

I worked at Disney World for 10 years. What you need to do is contact your sons doctor and ask him to write a note basically saying that waiting in the lines will cause your son to have a meltdown and that he wouldnt recommend puting him through such trauma. Then when you get to DisneyWorld go to guest services and they will give you fastpasses for the rides. you may still have to wait but the waittime will be minor. I would call Disney and make sure this is still the process, as I have been gone from there 4 years and it may have changed.

As for eating, even though I worked there and I got a discount it was still expensive. When we would go visit the parks we always took in snacks and quick finger foods i.e. carrots, celery peanut butter, even cold chicken tenders we bought at a local grocery with deli! . We would have 1 good sit down meal a day and eat what we brought in the rest of the day.

Enjoy your trip. We LOVE Disney, even after getting our fill for 10 years!

TheNewCrystal

I live 20 mins from Disney (Attraction area) and actually use to work there so I might be able to offer some advice. Eating at Disney is VERY expensive, even if youre just gonna grab a quick snack. I would suggest stopping at a Market before you arrive. Stock your fridge with stuff to make meals at your suite & snacks. (like fresh fruit, nuts, veggies, etc) and take them with you when you go to the parks. Also, if youre going to drink water Im sure youd like to know that Disney provides complimentary ice water in a cup. They dont advertise it but they do. Just ask for ice water, and theyll know you dont mean a bottle of $2.50 water. Also, if you buy a soda they do not offer free refills. If you do choose to eat at Disney restaurants most of all the quick service locations offer healthy options like salds/wraps/fruit/cereal bars etc. If you eat at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn for example they have burgers, taco salads, chicken sandwich, etc but they have a topping bar which includes unlimited of the following: lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, pickles, banana peppers, hot cheese sauce, condiments etc. You can buy your son a childs meal and ask for an xtra plate and make yourself a salad FOR FREE! LOL

Also, if you plan on eating at Table service restaurants make reservations in advance. If you cannot make a reservation yu need to show up to that restaurant 30 minutes before they open. Ohana is my fav restaurant that I can never get a reservation at so I show up at 4:30, and sometimes get a table after an hour wait.

Traveling by shuttle, trolley, boat or any Disney transportation takes TIME> Allot yourself plenty of time with that.

Get fastpasses. All you need is your admission ticket, stick into one of the turnstiles and that will alleviate alot of waiting in lines. But know you can only print 1 at a time.

Get a times guide when you arrive, your hotel will have one and try to plan your days so you can make the most of your time at Disney, and make sure you dont miss something you really want to see.

Im sorry if I rambled on & on! Hope this helps, & have fun!

LaurenAOK

There is a chain with several locations in Orlando called Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes: http://www.souplantation.com/. My kids love it. They have lots of fresh food choices, soups and hot offerings. It is buffet stye which is nice for kids to get up and move around, and it is not expensive. Have a great time!

Yes, I LOVE Sweet Tomatoes!!! Seriously amazing.

iam_thatdude

This is what I do with my kids (11, 8, 5) when they act fussy and dont know what to eat. I scream atthe top of my lungs "eat your d@mn food"

BodyPumpDaveInFL

http://allears.net/index.html

hollin40

We have a Sweet Tomatoes near us here in NC....I LOVE IT!!!! BEST salad bar...yummmmmmmy!!!!

Ready2Rock206

First you will walk a billion miles so you'll be burning a lot of calories. We only eat at the sit down restaurants because it's so hot and we're tired from walking that we want a rest and some A/C while we eat. There are so many restaurants in the area. When you get to the park grab a park map and scope out the restaurants for where you want to eat. In Disney I love eating in Epcot because you can eat food from the different countries.

zoeengland2000

Thank you all for your replies.... I have looked into the guest assistance passes and already have a doctors letters which we take to the theme park here. We are staying on International al Drive so is quite central. My son likes pizza, spaghetti, burger & chips (or fries toyou Americans) he will eat veg but is fussy with it and won't touch salad.

TheRoadDog

We're planning on 2 weeks there next year. Haven't got all the quotes in yet, but it looks like we may get a vacation home through Homeaway.com. Found places on there that had 3 bdrms / 2 Baths/ Pools, BBQs etc. for half the price of a hotel.