Disappointed in Child's Menu on DDP

[Gotta Love Eeyore]

Is anyone else disappointed with the selction of food on the kid's menus? I don't recall the choices being so limited on the kid's menu last time we went on the DP. If I am looking at this correctly, my 9yo son isn't going to be very happy about this. I mean what is up with a place named "PIZZAfari" not having a PIZZA on the kid's menu? Or no burgers on a kid's menu for a place that mainly sells burgers and sandwiches to adults (Liberty Inn, Cosmic Ray's, Peco's Bills, Pinocchio's)??? In fact, I can't find a single place he can get a burger in all of the MK?!? And at Epcot, it looks like he will need to eat at Morroco if he wants a burger!

It is not like he is an extremely picky eater but a kid can eat only so many chicken nuggets or chilled chicken plates.

Has anyone else had better luck feeding their kids?

 

[Mom of 3]

A lot of the choices aren't very good. Especially for my almost 7 year old that likes more adult fare. Since we have 3 of us that count as adults and 2 as children. We plan to order a lot of 3 adult meals and just share at lunch time. The kids can use their credits for breakfasts or when we go to Pizza Planet or other places that do have a good choice for kids.

I'm determined not to sweat it, since I don't eat that much DS7 can have most of my meal and DS4 can share with his dad.

I'm not going to even stress if we don't use all the credits. Since it is all free, so long as we get enough to eat we'll be happy. I don't think we bought any additional food last year. We ate dinner desserts for breakfast or bought a box of doughnuts for 1 snack credit and had one each for breakfast.

 

[Skylarr29]

I thought child and adult credits were not separated at counter service locations... if that is true and I didn't hear incorrectly than you can order whatever you like at a cs location for your son and they won't know the difference.

 

[Mom of 3]

Well, that's not entirely true. If your card says 3A and 2C and you try to order 5 adult meals they are going to tell you no. If you get in one line and DH in another line and you order 3A meals and DH orders 2 adult meals then they probably aren't going to know.

 

[Skylarr29]

Well, that's not entirely true. If your card says 3A and 2C and you try to order 5 adult meals they are going to tell you no. If you get in one line and DH in another line and you order 3A meals and DH orders 2 adult meals then they probably aren't going to know.

Ahhhh, I see! Thanks for the clarification.

 

[skater]

My DS 9 almost cried when he looked at the menu at Pinnochio Haus - he's especially upset that he can't order a "real" desert. We'll probably order him one OOP.

 

[caracap]

My sister is there now, and has also complained about the variety or lack of variety. She said she is paying OOP for a lot of his CS meals.

 

[bicker]

Katiebell did a lot of great research on this a few months ago and came up with a fantastic list of all the great child meal options available on the Dining Plan, for both CS and TS -- much much better than it looks at first glance of the menus or a casual walk-around the parks:

Here's CS:

MK --
Casey's Corner: has no kids' menu, kids have same options as adults.
Pete's Doggone Good Dogs: no kids' menu, same choices as adults
El Pirata y el Perico: taco, cookie, and beverage
Main St Bakery: doesn't look like there's a kid' menu, so same options as adults.

AK -- CS not great options for kids
Flame Tree: chicken wings or hot dog (may be ok)
Tusker House: mac and cheese or chicken drumstick (may be ok)
Pizzafari: cheese quesadilla may be ok, but there is no pizza for kids! If your kids want pizza, go to Pizza Planet in MGM, WPE in DTD, or Tangierine in Morocco (isn't that funny?? ).

MGM -- CS options not great for anybody, but...
Catalina Eddie's: don't see kids' menu? same options as adults?
Toy Story Pizza Planet: no kids' menu, same options as adults
ABC Commissary: doesn't get reviews, but kids' meals includes fried fish and vegetable noodle stir fry, specifies fries and soda available on request

Epcot -- some really unique and appetizing-sounding CS options for kids:
Cantina: beef burrito and soft drink
Electric Umbrella: standard chick nuggets and mac & cheese, but also turkey and cheese pinwheels, at least it's something different...soda and fries on request
Fountain View: don't see kid's menu -- same choices as adults?
Sommerfest: no kid's menu -- same choices as adults
Sunshine Seasons: sweet and sour chicken, mac & cheese, mini sub, chicken leg (this is a very popular CS for great adult choices, too)
Yorkshire Fish Shop: no kid's menu -- same choices as adults
Lotus Blossom: egg roll and beef fried rice
Tangierine: burger, pizza, or chicken tenders, all with fries and drink
Yakitori: teriyaki chicken w/veggies, rice, and soft drink

DTD
WPE: chicken fingers, mac & cheese (the GOOD stuff), cheese OR pepperoni pizza
EOS: PB&J, grilled cheese, turkey and swiss, pizza sandwich
Food Quest (in Disney Quest, requires admission): pasta, burger, hot dog
Cooke's: fish, battered chicken skewer, baby sausages, all with chips (fries)

Here's TS:

You didn't mention what TS restaurants you are planning on going to, but here are some of the kids' menu items for some of the more popular places:

50's PT:
Grilled Fish of the Day served with whole-grain pilaf, veggies, and yogurt parfait
Garden Salad
Meatloaf
Ice Cream Sundae
Fruit Salad

Alfredo's:
Spaghetti Al Pomodoro - with Alfredo's tomato sauce and meatballs
Penne alla Panna e Formaggio - penne pasta with cream and parmigiano cheese
Strawberry or Electric Blue Slush
Kid's Cappuccino - hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles

Le Cellier:
Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
Grilled Steak

Marrakesh:
Beef Kabob
Chocolate Mousse

Rose and Crown:
Shepherd's Pie
Bangers and Mash

Tempura Kiku:
Shichi-Go-San - shrimp with fresh vegetables, dipped in a light batter and fried, served with steamed rice, child dessert

Coral Reef:
Smoked Fish Chowder or Lobster Soup
Grilled Chicken Breast served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables
Grilled Mahi Mahi served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables
Coral Reef Peanut Butter Crunch Bar
Build Your Own Sundae

Concourse:
Grilled chicken or Grilled steak
Ice Cream (make-your-own sundae)

Maya Grill:
Grilled Chicken Parmesan served with pasta
Fried Ravioli served with marinara sauce and french fries
Beef Tenderloin Tips served with french fries and corn
Fried Shrimp with french fries and raspberry dipping sauce

Olivia's:
Grilled Fish of the Day - served with whole-grain pilaf, veggies, and yogurt parfait

Whispering Canyon:
All-you-care-to-Enjoy BBQ Skillet
Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with yukon gold mashed potatoes
Chunkwagon - A sundae served with a chocolate chunk cookie
Worms in the Dirt - Chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and gummy worms

Cap'n Jacks:
Linguini Provencal served with diced tomatoes, basil, olive oil and Parmesan cheese

Raglan Road:
Young Shepherd's Pie - Traditional Shepherd's Pie with our contemporary twist to this favorite dish
Bacon Beag - Oven-roasted loin of bacon with a honey glaze served with braised cabbage and creamed potato

That's just a sampling, and I picked the most unique items on each of those menus -- of course there were plenty of chicken strips/burgers/mac and cheese too, but if you are looking for variety and more interesting choices for your kids, it's out there.

 

[skater]

It strikes me funny that CS at MK includes the taco place that has never been open during our trips (that's OK, we'll take the down times ), the bakery (are there good lunch items there - I'll check the menu), and hot dog joints. Aside from MK, the list seems long, but in reality, the choices are very limited. I realize why Disney does this (and I can accept ), But I still see the sit down choices as: buffets, and a very few "surprises" like the $2 steak option at Le Cellier. And the CS choices involve a lot of sharing . Disney World is for everybody, but is heavily marketed to kids and families - I don't think it would cost Disney much to add a few more fun things to kid's menus.

 

[CarolAnnC]

You know, I have to sit here and reminisce back when my girls were small children - we took perhaps 4 trips to WDW from the time they were infants till they were teens. Money was very tight but we wanted to give them the chance to experience the "magic" if at all possible while they were still young enough to believe...

Anyway, we would budget in one meal in a restaurant during the trip and the rest was either fast food offsite, or more often, cereal and peanut butter sandwhiches in the room. Even at that, it was a stretch for us to make those trips.

Are we perhaps placing too much emphasis on food for the children? I am only thinking this because the whole WDW experience, the characters, the rides, the shows are what I always felt were the primary reason for the vacation.

I know myself, had I been given the chance, I would have lived on bread and water if only I had been able to visit WDW or DL as a child... I would like to see everyone enjoy their meals, and by all means if one can afford it, to enjoy as many restaurants as possible. But, I think the emphasis on exact food choices is perhaps being overexaggerated. This is partly why school districts are now receiving so much flak from parents and children as soda and candy machines are being removed from school lunchrooms and more healthy choices are being introduced.

Let's try to keep a positive attitude for the children, and encourage some of the healthy choices we see in Katiebelle's post. The Disney Magic should be the focus of trip planning and not what is offered on the menu in some restaurant in the parks...

 

[Mermaid_Ariel]

Are we perhaps placing too much emphasis on food for the children? I am only thinking this because the whole WDW experience, the characters, the rides, the shows are what I always felt were the primary reason for the vacation.

But, I think the emphasis on exact food choices is perhaps being overexaggerated.

I have to agree. As an adult, dining is part of the vacation experience for me - but when I went to Disney World as a child, I hardly remember or cared about what I ate for that matter. I was too busy tracking down Chip n Dale and seeing everything there is to see.

I remember the only thing I cared about was ice cream and getting a soda because I was hot.

 

[ajsmommy1129]

We went twice last year, both times on DDP, and never once was our DS told "no" about eating from the adult menu, to a certain extent. He had the Pizza at Pizzafari (sp, the one in AK) had a chicken finger basket at Columbia Harbor House, alfredo sauce on his pasta at L'originale (even though it wasn't on the children's menu )...I can't count the times the CMs let him have his way. Whoopsie Daisy at WCC even had them make a vanilla mud pie because...gasp...I am so embarassed...my child does not like chocolate! (Yes, I am sure he is mine. He is a dead ringer for my DH, who also doesn't like chocolate. Go figure.) Rather than complain, politely ask, can DD/s have a children's portion of blah, blah? I think you will all be pleasantly suprised. As long as you don't ask, can my four year old have the 22 oz sirloin, when it is obvious you are going to give it to an extra member of your party NOT on the DDP, most CMS will try a nd work with you.

 

[skater]

You know, I have to sit here and reminisce back when my girls were small children - we took perhaps 4 trips to WDW from the time they were infants till they were teens. Money was very tight but we wanted to give them the chance to experience the "magic" if at all possible while they were still young enough to believe...

Anyway, we would budget in one meal in a restaurant during the trip and the rest was either fast food offsite, or more often, cereal and peanut butter sandwhiches in the room. Even at that, it was a stretch for us to make those trips.

Are we perhaps placing too much emphasis on food for the children? I am only thinking this because the whole WDW experience, the characters, the rides, the shows are what I always felt were the primary reason for the vacation.

I know myself, had I been given the chance, I would have lived on bread and water if only I had been able to visit WDW or DL as a child... I would like to see everyone enjoy their meals, and by all means if one can afford it, to enjoy as many restaurants as possible. But, I think the emphasis on exact food choices is perhaps being overexaggerated. This is partly why school districts are now receiving so much flak from parents and children as soda and candy machines are being removed from school lunchrooms and more healthy choices are being introduced.

Let's try to keep a positive attitude for the children, and encourage some of the healthy choices we see in Katiebelle's post. The Disney Magic should be the focus of trip planning and not what is offered on the menu in some restaurant in the parks...

You bring up some good points. I appreciate you giving your opinions in an honest non-judgemental way. Maybe some of us are too worried about this. I do feel sorry for my almost 10 yr old and it would be hard for him to not get the cool deserts that the rest of us get (that's why we share or purchase one). My kids have also been trained to eat a lot of different foods including some that I never would have touched at their ages . Maybe this is why its been disappointing for my 9 yr old to be very limited. I will point out that my kids are in no way spoiled - Disney is our one splurge of the year - we almost never go out to eat and this year we did very little in order to afford this trip (also made possible by free dining ) In thinking about it, I guess I still feel like there should be more fun choices for kids at Disney world of all places . You'd never see a kid in a Disney commercial eating carrot sticks . But saying all that, there is no way that it will affect our trip - we have learned how to work around it, and there's certainly enough Disney magic to make it a wonderful time!!!! Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Oh thank you so much for appreciating my post. I am so glad it was understood and taken well...

I was sitting here tonite and thinking about when I was a kid watching The Wonderful World of Disney on TV and salivating over shots of Disneyland on some of the shows...Those Mickey balloons and the Mickey ears hats were just to die for, lol. It's funny because I also don't recall anything about meals there, but cotton candy, oh yum. To die for lolol.

 

[tripletots]

We were at Pizzafari last Friday. I ordered 4 pizzas and then told the CM that I wanted to pay OOP for 3 more pizzas for my three 9 yos. He said we could order the pizzas on the DDP just not dessert. Since 2 of my children are considered adults, we just shared dessert with the younger ones. In Epcots, Liberty Inn, I ordered 3 extra mickey rice crispy treats and paid OOP. That way everyone got a special treat. By the way, anyone know what happened to the dreaded sugar free jello. We spent all winter and summer teasing my little ones that jello was going to be their only dessert and they didn't even have it. I don't let my kids have aspertame, but I did notice that the lemonade is sugar free in a lot of places and the brownie is also sugar free. We just avoided it.

 

[SmallWorld71]

FWIW - Not trying to start a controversy, just give some facts. I just returned from Disney w/ free dining today and nowhere on my dining card/ticket/room key did it say how many adults and children we were. We were 3adults /2children and at Pizzafari we ordered 4 adult meals and no kids meals because my 2 youngest wanted to share a pizza. When I asked the lady at the register if that was okay, she gave me a kind of strange look and said my order was fine. The only places we dined where they cared about the # of adults and children were the table services. Don't know if this is true for everywhere or not?

 

[bicker]

I don't think it would cost Disney much to ...

Corporations aren't in business to have things cost them ... they're in business to make profit. So I think the critical thing is for them to see how they could make more profit doing as you suggest rather than as they're currently doing. If they don't see a way, I wouldn't expect them to change.

 

[bicker]

Are we perhaps placing too much emphasis on food for the children?

Indeed, and you're right that thirty years ago this topic wouldn't have gotten a second thought. However, to be fair, our whole society has become more inclined towards food as the focus.

I know myself, had I been given the chance, I would have lived on bread and water if only I had been able to visit WDW or DL as a child...

My first trip was as an adult, because my family simply couldn't afford such a vacation, so I know what you're talking about.

I would like to see everyone enjoy their meals, and by all means if one can afford it, to enjoy as many restaurants as possible. But, I think the emphasis on exact food choices is perhaps being overexaggerated.

ITA on both points.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm pretty sure they still have the gelatin (note: never the name-brand we've been using); and sugar-free does not necessarily mean aspartame.

 

[skater]

Corporations aren't in business to have things cost them ... they're in business to make profit. So I think the critical thing is for them to see how they could make more profit doing as you suggest rather than as they're currently doing. If they don't see a way, I wouldn't expect them to change.

I understand that . But doesn't a small chocolate chip cookie for example often cost less than grapes?