are our children that different?

[d1gitman]

our children tend to like 'adult' food more than the kids menu's. this turned into a big deal for our DS3 &DS8 during our Nov 08 trip. We had 14 glorious days at WDW on the the Free DDP.

For CS it is not a big deal, i just would order the food myself and order all our meals from the adult menu since the plan still does not distinguish child or adult CS.

However, TS is a different story. You have to order from the kids menu on the DDP for kids. the primary choices are chicken nuggets, pizza, burger, hot dogs, mac n cheese, pizza. as my DS8 states so well "BORING". this is the staple of virtually every kids menu in the US. He was so sick of kids menu's that i would order somehting from our menu for him and pick something from the kids menu for me. Our kids like food that has a bit more flavor and substance than what is typically offered. Our boys like everything we order from Japanese restaurants. When eating Chinese, they like things besides rice and chicken fingers. They crave a good salad with zippy dressing.

My point is, are there any other DISr's out there whose DS/DD's find childrens menu's to be unappealing (WDW and elsewhere)?

 

[susieq76]

Yes, but if its that big a deal you don't get the discounted plan- you pay full price and buy them an adult meal. For a week or two my kids eat what is included- and anything they want at a buffet/family style meal.

 

[TDC Nala]

While WDW does not distinguish between child and adult credits for counter service, there are reports that many CS are enforcing the rule that states you may order only the number of meals corresponding to the persons listed on your reservation. If your key card says you have two adults and two children on the dining plan, you will be permitted to order a maximum of two adult meals and two child meals per transaction, no more.

The DIS does not advocate violating the rules of the dining plan and using children's credits to purchase adult meals. Any further discussion of this will close the thread.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

We found a few places that had grilled chicken strips instead of nuggets which my kids prefer. We also usually pick buffets or family style meals so there's more of a choice. I am VERY dissapointed in their kids meals! One of my kids could live on chicken nuggets, but wouldn't hardly touch theirs. They used to have a smaller version of the adults' chicken fingers (at least it was real chicken), but they've switched to the rock hard nuggets. YICK!

 

[Samantha/NC]

My kids did not complain-but 2 of ours counted as an adult--thank goodness-(or our younger son-10-would have had a fit when his brother got steak and he did not!!!)
twice when we ordered "adult" meals at a counter service for our dd (age 8) we were told that she had to get something off of the childrens menu--which really wasn't a big deal since I just ordered and kinda forgot she was a child
I would do as a pp suggested and just pick a lot of TS that are buffets or serve a family style dinner. To me most of the CS are the same, I mean really what is the difference between a dry burger and rock hard nuggets
Samantha

 

[bumbershoot]

We are vegetarian and we don't eat junk like Uncrustables, so when we go to WDW my son will very likely NEVER have a kid's meal.

Therefore, we won't get the dining plan.

Simple!


Now, we MIGHT get the plan if hubby and I ate differently, but when we go to Disneyland/DCA we usually share an entree and order a big salad too. And we don't drink soda or juice that one can get at typical places. So we aren't saving money with a dining plan, therefore we don't have savings that would absorb the cost of paying for DS's unused dining plan as well as paying for him OOP.

So for us it's even more simple!

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

she will find the children's menu boring. I am dreading it already.

Luckily, we are doing the deluxe dining, and there will be so much food that I can simply share my entrees with her. If we were doing the regular dining plan, we would be ordering things off the menu to compensate.

I still think that Disney is shortchanging children. My DD loves steak, sushi, REAL chicken, fish, broccoli, green beans, etc. She loves real food. Their children's menu amounts to nothing more than a fast food menu at many of their restaurants.

I do not mind smaller portions and having some entrees excluded for children. I can understand that.

However, how about choosing 3-4 of the most popular entrees at each restaurant and serving them in smaller portions? Would it be that difficult to do?

I am glad you brought this topic up--it's a sore spot with me, but it's good to vent

 

[melancholywings]

I felt like the options were very limited and repeated through out the resturants for the kids meals..chicken nuggets...chicken nuggets...chicken nuggets. So much fried food. But DD and I typically split meals at resturants, so she'll order off the kids meal at TS and I'll put some of my food on her plate, to round out her meal. For CS we sometimes split as well, then save her CS credit for a later snack that we'll split through the whole family.

 

[honeymo78]

I agree with several posters - if your kids don't like the kids menu offerings, no one is forcing you to buy the dining plan. Or if its still looks like a bargain, be prepared to pay for some food OOP.

For every person here who complains that the kids food is too boring/plain/etc there is someone complaining that their 10+ year old doesn't want to eat the adult food and only wants those boring kids meals or that they had trouble finding/ordering only those nuggets and mac & cheese.

Disney can't make everyone happy with their meal plans. If ordering from the kids menu makes your kids happy, then look into the dining plan. If your kids would be happier with adult entrees/appys then don't waste your money on the DDP. DDP is not for everyone and everyone shouldn't try to force it to fit.

 

[tnd]

Our three year old loves mac and cheese, hot dogs, etc., but he also loves sushi, thai food, most vegetables, and a lot of other stuff that most people wouldn't think of feeding a pre-schooler. We're still not 100% sure on the dining plan, but I think we will do it since most of the meals we booked are either character buffets or signature meals. The kid's menus at the Signature restaurants look decent, fish, beef, etc.

It does annoy me that most of the restaurants in the World Showcase have the same boring kids menus. My son would happily eat Chinese food, Middle Eastern, etc. We may just pay OOP for him as needed.

 

[tzeitel]

I agree with several posters - if your kids don't like the kids menu offerings, no one is forcing you to buy the dining plan. Or if its still looks like a bargain, be prepared to pay for some food OOP.

For every person here who complains that the kids food is too boring/plain/etc there is someone complaining that their 10+ year old doesn't want to eat the adult food and only wants those boring kids meals or that they had trouble finding/ordering only those nuggets and mac & cheese.

Disney can't make everyone happy with their meal plans. If ordering from the kids menu makes your kids happy, then look into the dining plan. If your kids would be happier with adult entrees/appys then don't waste your money on the DDP. DDP is not for everyone and everyone shouldn't try to force it to fit.

Well said

 

[McKelly]

We have the same problem. We often don't use the dining plan, however, this Xmas we are using it because we are eating at buffets mostly, and it is cost effective, and everyone gets what they want.

We will buy adult menu items at counter service for our kids and pay out of pocket, unless there is something on the kid's menus they will eat.. We figured even if we don't use the counter service for kids, we still saved money (due to the holiday increase) just on the buffets and the snack. If anything, we will use the kid's credits at breakfast.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

I agree with several posters - if your kids don't like the kids menu offerings, no one is forcing you to buy the dining plan. Or if its still looks like a bargain, be prepared to pay for some food OOP.

For every person here who complains that the kids food is too boring/plain/etc there is someone complaining that their 10+ year old doesn't want to eat the adult food and only wants those boring kids meals or that they had trouble finding/ordering only those nuggets and mac & cheese.

Disney can't make everyone happy with their meal plans. If ordering from the kids menu makes your kids happy, then look into the dining plan. If your kids would be happier with adult entrees/appys then don't waste your money on the DDP. DDP is not for everyone and everyone shouldn't try to force it to fit.

Disney could offer chicken nuggets, hot dogs AND a few of the popular entrees in a smaller size. It wouldn't be that difficult or expensive for them to do that.

For me, much of the joy at World Showcase can be found in sampling the different cuisines. I would love for my daughter to have that experience, too.

The dining plan does not have anything to do with it. I would like Disney to offer child-size portions of several of the popular entrees at each World Showcase restaurant. Yes, I can buy her the adult-size entree and take what she doesn't eat back to the resort. However, it would be nice if a child-size portion was an option.

 

[LIBLULA]

Our DD8 is the same way. She doesn't eat mac&cheese, chicken nuggets etc. We have upgraded her as a 10 year old for the last 2 years. I know it's more money and way too much food, but this way I know she's going to get what she wants. My husband doesn't like to eat at buffets--so we normally avoid them. We have never had a problem upgrading her to 10years old.

 

[TDC Nala]

The dining plan has a lot to do with it - if they're charging only $10 a day for a child to eat two meals and a snack, they're not going to profit if they use more expensive ingredients for the meals.

The plan's a deal for kids at buffets - but everywhere else they have to eat the kids' meals.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

The dining plan has a lot to do with it - if they're charging only $10 a day for a child to eat two meals and a snack, they're not going to profit if they use more expensive ingredients for the meals.

The plan's a deal for kids at buffets - but everywhere else they have to eat the kids' meals.

I was thinking that the dining plan didn't have much to do with the issue for me personally. I just wanted popular entrees in a smaller size.

You are saying that the dining plan is the reason Disney doesn't do that. That makes sense! Now, I understand what people are saying when they say that Disney can't please everyone. I wasn't making the connection.

Thanks!

 

[Colleen27]

We didn't have a hard time with it, and we ate a LOT of Disney table service (11 nights on the deluxe dining plan). I was worried about it and actually thought about up-aging DS, who was 9 at the start of our trip, but in the end I'm glad I didn't. There was no need.

Most restaurants do have a specialty choice for kids that is a bit outside the standard kids' fare. Coral Reef has lobster bisque and mahi-mahi on the kids menu. Le Cellier has steak and cheese soup. Nine Dragons has pot stickers and beef & broccoli. Teppan Edo has the teppan style chicken and shrimp. Cinderella's Royal Table has a kids' portion of the signture beef pie. The Plaza has a chefs salad both my kids loved. California Grill has salmon. Narcoosees has filet. Whispering Canyon has the kids' skillet.

We also did quite a few buffets/family style meals - Tusker House, Boma, Chef Mickey's, Ohana - so the kids could choose what they wanted without regard to which menu it was on.

Yes, there are some fairly lame kids' menus at Disney, but there are also some that offer a lot more interesting options than kids' menus in many "Real world" restaurants. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the selection we've been able to find for our kids with a little thinking ahead.

Now that DS is 10, though, I don't really have to think about it any more. DD7 is such a light eater that she and I can comfortably share a meal, and she likes to have a kids' meal as a "safe" backup to the more adventurous adult options anyway. So she'll usually eat 1/4 of my meal and 1/2 her kids' mac & cheese when we go out.

 

[hippiechicken]

This isn't just Disney. It's a problem every where. My daughter never wants the food on a kid's meal, no matter where we eat. She prefers soup and salad to chicken and French fries.
At least in Disney there are buffets where kids can eat whatever they choose. It seems that many table service also have options like chicken noodle soup and carrots and dip.

 

[dansamy]

We had BBQ for lunch today. Both my boys ordered salad. Their sister ordered chicken nuggets. So no, your kids aren't weird. A lot of places will offer you a child-sized portion of a couple of choices if you ask your server politely if the kitchen can offer something other than the "boring" kids menu.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

My son is so not picky either. There are things he doesn't care for, but he'll eat most anything you put in front of him.

We will be on the DDP next year when we go in December. However that being said, we will try and eat TS meals where DS can get more than chicken nuggets, burgers or mac & cheese. We will most likely eat at Teppan Edo, Flying Fish, etc so that DS can get more than the standard kids meal fare. Throw in a few buffets too.