All Junk Food to be banned?

[cmonroe]

I'd like to preface my comments below by saying, that we all belong to this board because of an incomprehensible(to most) love for Disney. I, along with most everyone here have been going to Disney since the 70's. Many memories and ones to come are what makes it our happiest place on earth.

Having said that, I hate to appear jaded, but Disney is a business first. IMO the change in menu has nothing to do with them caring for us or our children. If that were true, they'd lower our hotel rates, and pay their employees more money.

This change in menu benefits them in some way as a business, whether it be aformentioned tax benefits, etc.

If the changes they are making causes attendance to drop, or more likely, meal plans and counter service sales drop, they will most likely change it.

My feeling is that as a business, Disney researches, plans and get's most things right (although the stitch ride doesn't hold true there ). I don't think they would have implemented something like this unless polls and pilot testing showed that the menu changes would be accepted more than rejected.
Disney is not a gov't owned company. They can serve whatever food they'd like at their facilities. Their only question will be whether people will continue to pay for it.

Just my two cents.

 

[tjmw2727]

Those press releases are misleading too. If you showed me that menu and asked me what I thought I would say it's great. I like having a healthy choice for a change, HOWEVER if they had showed me that menu and said that is the ONLY menu ,I would have rejected it. I am not so sure they were clear with the people they surveyed that this is the ONLY kids menu in ALL the TS places. I really think that would have made a difference.

Also they keep talking about healthy sides and drinks. It's more than that. They aren't just saying I can give my kid carrots instead of fries they are revamping an entire menu with few options AND not allowing for substitutions. I think the survey may have been misleading and I really think the press releases are not telling the whole story.

PLEASE, add the healthy choices but let us make the final decision.

Very well said, my dd's are great eaters, they routinely choose carrot chips over potato chips and water over most anything else. If I were shown that menu and things were explained to me as they are in the article I would have probably approved.

However, when we got the new menu at 50's prime time my dd's were thrilled that to get carrots and sliced apples. However, then we find out you can only get the apples if you get the pizza and the carrots if you get the fruit dipper meal and they wern't quite as excited. My kids liked all the new offerings but not in the combinations they were presented.

With the current menu my hope is that they will start allowing substitutions within the kids options. My dd coudn't sub the salad for carrots and also coudn't get her pizza without the chicken. Maybe one day my dd would like fries with her chicken as is mentioned in the article, it wasn't an option for us.

Also, adding a few "restaurant specific" options to the you pick it meal would be ideal. Things like pasta at Mama Melrose, seafood at Coral Reef and a couple mexican choices at San Angel. Some have already reported having that option so I am hopefull.

I love that there are more healthy choices as a few years ago all you got was fries, fries, fries!! I just hope we can choose from one day to the next frrom more than 3 options.

I totally agree with your last sentence, well said.

TJ

 

[SamanthaL]

I too am hopeful my DD can get a steak at Le Cellier's when we go there. She was all excited about it last year but we ended up cancelling that ressie for something else. I was hoping this year we would get there. We will see now.

 

[mickeymousemom]

Uhm, hello Disney, anybody home?
All this talk about making the kids meals healthier and being so good for the kids sounds great, BUT, unless the child is ALREADY on a healthy diet (which the majority of kids are definatetly NOT) this new diet will do absolutely nothing to help make kids healthier. It is like putting a bandaid on a severed arm.
As much as we may appreciate Disney's attempt to make kids healthier, all that they are really doing is making the vast majority of parents (the so called polls aside) very upset. Like others have said, when you are on vacation you are not really thinking about eating healthy. (I personally will diet and excerise much more than normal the weeks before, so I can let go a little while in WDW)
Yes, Disney should offer healthier offerings to those who want it, but they shouldn't try to force it on everyone else, simply because it might make a few nutritionists happy.
If my kid wants to eat junk the week while we are at Disney, then why not let me, his parent, decide whether or not he can?

I agree.....our kids are basically healthy eaters(as are we) and DH and I will be extra careful a few months before our trip so as to to be able to splurge while there...Give us variety Disney...I want healthy stuff AND junk food. My thing with these 3 PREFIXED meals for kids is that they are...PREFIXED. You can't mix and match anything. Maybe I might make my DD eat a healthy entree and then she could have a sundae for dessert, rather than that goofy yogurt. OR...maybe I might make her eat ALL healthy in one meal because I feel like it. OR...maybe I'll let her eat a junk meal with fries for an entree and cake for a dessert. All I want is to be able to CHOOSE what my child eats for each course.


CathrynRose....Porkfat rules !!

 

[OntFamily]

I agree.....our kids are basically healthy eaters(as are we) and DH and I will be extra careful a few months before our trip so as to to be able to splurge while there...Give us variety Disney...I want healthy stuff AND junk food. My thing with these 3 PREFIXED meals for kids is that they are...PREFIXED. You can't mix and match anything. Maybe I might make my DD eat a healthy entree and then she could have a sundae for dessert, rather than that goofy yogurt. OR...maybe I might make her eat ALL healthy in one meal because I feel like it. OR...maybe I'll let her eat a junk meal with fries for an entree and cake for a dessert. All I want is to be able to CHOOSE what my child eats for each course.


CathrynRose....Porkfat rules !!

Hey people, re-read the release from Disney. No where does it say it is taking away your options to give your children fatty and greasy food.

I was at WDW last week, and the "new" kids menu is in effect. It states on the menu board (plus in Disney's release) french fries and soda pop are still available on the kids menu.

Disney is adding to the options - not removing them.

While Disney does a lot of odd things (ie getting rid of timekeeper), adding to their guest's food options isn't one of them.

 

[tjmw2727]

Hey people, re-read the release from Disney. No where does it say it is taking away your options to give your children fatty and greasy food.

I was at WDW last week, and the "new" kids menu is in effect. It states on the menu board (plus in Disney's release) french fries and soda pop are still available on the kids menu.

Disney is adding to the options - not removing them.

While Disney does a lot of odd things (ie getting rid of timekeeper), adding to their guest's food options isn't one of them.

Tell that to the server at 50's prime time who remained firm that meals must be ordered and served as is. Not even carrots instead of salad nevermind ff's and the chicken will be on the pita pizza - pick it off yourself

TJ

 

[SamanthaL]

Disney is adding to the options - not removing them.

Of course they have removed items. The menu at the 50's Prime TIme looks nothing like it used to. Why not leave the existing menu and ADD these new things to it? That is not what is happening. I think DIsney will see that taking away choices is an issue and fix it but if they do what has been reported they are REMOVING many kids favorites and making the menu very limited and very boring. Just imagine looking at if for 8 days straight. It's great for a day or 2 but then what?

 

[honeymo78]

Please everyone go read Buffalogal's post. She has answered many concerns about the new menus and states that many of the old items are still available you just have to ask. You aren't going to be stuck eating just 5 things all week - plus not all locations are going to the same menu anyway, ie skillet still at WCC, mahi mahi at coral reef. If you get a server that doesn't want to help, ask for the manager. It happens all the time - think back to when some people said they could get smoothies but at the same restaurant another server flat out refused, etc. It seems that there is a lapse in the implementation aspect (servers not willing to make substitutions) and once everyone is on the same page at disney, guests will generally have the same choices as before, plus some healthier options.