Disappointed in Child's Menu on DDP

[bicker]

I'm not sure that it is as clear-cut a choice as that.

 

[Gotta Love Eeyore]

Gawsh, I didn't mean for this to become a heated discussion of how our society puts more emphasis on food or for it to become about kids being more priviledged today than when we were little. I really didn't mean to get everyone fired up.

However, we were all bouncing around when free dining was offered (well, I know I was) because as adults we knew we could eat whatever we wanted for the length of our trip. It was me and not my son that noticed that maybe this wasn't such a great deal for him. Im all about making kids try new foods, but this is vacation and if Mom and Dad are chomping away on alot of yummy stuff that we normally would not eat at home, then I think it would be disappointing to a child to be served chilled chicken and sugar free jello. Maybe I am wrong.

I still find it weird that Pizzafari has no pizza on the kids menu, but Morroco has Chicken Tenders, Hamburgers and Pizza.

 

[skater]

Gotta Love Eeyore - I think its a slightly bigger deal when you have a 9 yr old - they tend to eat more and might be interested in a bigger variety of foods. Also, you're right - the deserts can be a little tricky. It was a little difficult last year for my then 8 yr old son because he didn't enjoy being the only one limited to a few choices - he especially did not enjoy the desert limitations. We shared with him or course and sometimes gave him one of our deserts - I think it was the whole not wanting to be the only one limited on vacation! I'll say it again - he is in no way spoiled - we rarely eat out and when we do, I severly limit his choices. I guess its the expectations for Disney World that made him feel a little disappointed. It certainly wasn't a huge factor in the scheme of things - we had an incredible vacation - it was just a little disappointing at times. The one thing that always comes to mind is at Teppanyaki when he was the only one who couldn't order ice cream. It just struck me as weird that a child at Disney World couldn't order ice cream . Of course, I gave him mine (and I could have purchased one), but it just seemed un-Disney like . This year, I have some ideas to make him (and our new 5 yr old ) feel less limited. Regardless, I'm sure we'll have another wonderful time. I guess the point of my little rant is to say, I get what you're saying! And I think its OK to be a little disappointed with the children's choices.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Gawsh, I didn't mean for this to become a heated discussion of how our society puts more emphasis on food or for it to become about kids being more priviledged today than when we were little. I really didn't mean to get everyone fired up.

Aw, don't worry about it - happens all the time around here! Let me see if I can think of the 'hot' issues on the Dining boards:
No variety in kids meals
Kids have plenty of choices
The cut-off age for kids should be older (aka my 12 year old eats like a bird)
My nine-year old is an adventurous eater and should be able to order from the adult menu
All the restaurants offer the same food for adults
All the restaurants are taking steak off the menu and adding different items
The Dining Plan is perfect
The Dining Plan is causing the downfall of humanity
Kids run wild in the restaurants
People forget 'Disney is for the kids'
Guests on the DDP get treated worse than other Guests
Guests on the DDP get treated better than other Guests
Guests on the DDP get treated exactly the same as other Guests
All the bars are making the same drinks
Including the tip with the DDP means the servers ignore you because the tip is guaranteed
Removing the tip from the DDP means I have to tip out of pocket (and, worse, calculate the tip) and it's unfair
And so on, and so on, and so on...

 

[Mermaid_Ariel]

Aw, don't worry about it - happens all the time around here! Let me see if I can think of the 'hot' issues on the Dining boards:
No variety in kids meals
Kids have plenty of choices
The cut-off age for kids should be older (aka my 12 year old eats like a bird)
My nine-year old is an adventurous eater and should be able to order from the adult menu
All the restaurants offer the same food for adults
All the restaurants are taking steak off the menu and adding different items
The Dining Plan is perfect
The Dining Plan is causing the downfall of humanity
Kids run wild in the restaurants
People forget 'Disney is for the kids'
Guests on the DDP get treated worse than other Guests
Guests on the DDP get treated better than other Guests
Guests on the DDP get treated exactly the same as other Guests
All the bars are making the same drinks
Including the tip with the DDP means the servers ignore you because the tip is guaranteed
Removing the tip from the DDP means I have to tip out of pocket (and, worse, calculate the tip) and it's unfair
And so on, and so on, and so on...

Mustn't forget that refillable mugs "for life" is a hot button as well.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Ah, right - thanks!
Is that for the life of the vacation?
Or for the life of the mug?
Or for the life of the Guest?

 

[Gotta Love Eeyore]

Ok, now ya'll are making me life...re-fillable mugs...

The truth of the matter is, it is really me that will be eating a lot of chilled chicken. I'll cave in and give him my meal...it's a Mom thing I guess.

Really, no ice cream? Bizarre.

 

[Mom of 3]

Honestly, I have a big 7 year old, almost 8, and he definitely prefers adult food to the kid selections. At home we eat healthy adult fare. DS7 just pulls a face at some of the kids selections. I plan on being the good mother and sharing my meals at TS with him. At CS we'll pay OOP if necessary.

For my kids the food is a big issue because they want to try lots of different things that they wouldn't normally get to try. They don't want to eat mac'n'cheese, chicken strips, or cheese pizza. For apps they want to try the adult selection not chicken noodle soup, veggie sticks or a garden salad.

We have 4 buffets planned for our 9 TS so that solves a lot of the problems.

 

[amw]

I don't want to be flamed here... but I think WDW has a great selection for children compared to other amusment parks. Our local park -- Canada's Wonderland -- doesn't have kids' meals. They don't even sell milk or juice for children, pop only.

I have always been pleasently surprised by the offerings at Disney. Back in 2003, well before the latest healthy eating program was introduced, I was able to get milk, chocolate milk, or juice as a substitute for pop and I was able to carrots as a substitute for fries. That set the benchmark for future visits to other parks, and no one else has lived up to the options. I also liked the fact that every park had produce carts where you could get grapes/apples/bananas etc.

I have not been on the Dining Plan yet. Perhaps it has spoiled some people's expectations. My DDs never expect dessert with every meal -- certainly not with a CS. Keep in mind that the Dining PLan for children under 9 is $9.99. I think they are offered quite a bit of value for that cost.

Perhaps if a 9-year-old wants more selections, is a very good eater, and wants the adult foods, they should pay the extra $$ and be considered an adult? That would avoid disappointment with the "kids" meals.

Maybe Disney should have kids meals that are themed to the restaurants they are offered in, but even in their current "limited" selections, they are FAR, FAR, better than any other parks. JIMO.

 

[Terapin]

Hiya. The food choices are somewhat important to us as we eat really healthy most of the time (organic, whole grain, little junk, no pop, lots of fruit and veggies) and when the kids eat junk, their behavior changes and it sets a new low bar for the next meal. Of course, they will be allowed to eat nuggets and french fries as some of their meals, we just need to be able to make healthy choices most of the time to offset those choices. And while I cringe at the kids choosing cotton candy, I will allow it at least once! We eat meals together, and so this too is important for us, so we are planning lots of table service meals. We chose the deluxe dining plan for this reason. We also don't eat aspartame or other artificial sweeteners as there is nothing wrong with some sugar in moderation, so the jello and sugar-free brownies don't seem like healthier options to us. I am hoping that the table service means that we can give them things off our plate to supplement the kids choices, and because on a whole, the table service meals seemed healthier than the counter service meals. We'll see what happens: we'll just try to make the best choices with what's in front of us.

 

[Angela Kay]

Ok, now ya'll are making me life...re-fillable mugs...

The truth of the matter is, it is really me that will be eating a lot of chilled chicken. I'll cave in and give him my meal...it's a Mom thing I guess.

Really, no ice cream? Bizarre.

It really makes no sense for mom and dad to be sitting down with a cheeseburger at Pecos Bill's...a burger place...and there's no cheeseburger on the kids menu! I'm not going to eat cold chicken and I'm sure not going to serve it to my kids.

We payed OOP for a lot of my DS's lunch CS meals and used the leftover CS for breakfast. Another CS option...and we used it a few times...was to order the double cheeseburger and then just pay OOP for an extra bun.

 

[bicker]

Perhaps if a 9-year-old wants more selections, is a very good eater, and wants the adult foods, they should pay the extra $$ and be considered an adult? That would avoid disappointment with the "kids" meals.

That makes a lot of sense, and very effectively addresses concerns about children wanting pizza at pizzerias, hamburgers at hamburger eateries, and steak at steakhouses.

 

[Angela Kay]

That makes a lot of sense, and very effectively addresses concerns about children wanting pizza at pizzerias, hamburgers at hamburger eateries, and steak at steakhouses.

No, not really. If you add them as an adult, then you have to pay to upgrade their ticket and also in a lot of cases you have to pay for the extra adult in the room. That alone its $25 a day. It's by far cheaper to pay OOP for an extra meal here and there.

Disney could offer a childs burger at the burger places. Mc Donlads has been doing it for years at about $3 per meal. As far as steak, my DS had steak at Le Cellier and Concourse...both were offered on the childrens menu.

 

[kaytieeldr]

While I, too, warn about the added ticket cost and the potential additional adult charge, those would NOT happen in the same year.

The difference in ticket prices between adult and child ranges from $11.72 per day for a one day pass to $4.05 per day for a ten day pass (across the board, doesn't matter what features you add).

Yes, if you increase a child's age now to make him or her a Disney-adult for purposes of the free dining promotion*, instead of having to pay the extra adult charge for that child in 2016 you'll have to do it in 2015.

Disney does not offer a child-size burger at the burger places because adults order those to save money - and Disney wants adults ordering adult menu items. Disney does not offer a child-size pizza at the pizza places for the same reason. Disney DOES offer burgers and pizza on the menus at OTHER places, and since Pizza Planet does not have a kids' menu, children can order anything on the menu.

*Free dining only, because it's highly unlikely but not completely impossible, that someone would pay an additional $27 or $28 to put their child on the Adult DDP at other times of the year; as has been stated many times in the past, the Dining Plan is NOT for everyone, and this would likely be an example of that.

 

[disneyjunkie]

No, not really. If you add them as an adult, then you have to pay to upgrade their ticket and also in a lot of cases you have to pay for the extra adult in the room. That alone its $25 a day. It's by far cheaper to pay OOP for an extra meal here and there.

Disney could offer a childs burger at the burger places. Mc Donlads has been doing it for years at about $3 per meal. As far as steak, my DS had steak at Le Cellier and Concourse...both were offered on the childrens menu.

You could have him listed as a 10 year old.

You'll have to pay for the park passes but not the extra adult fee.

 

[Debby]

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?

We just got back from a week of free dining at Disney. The children's menu was unacceptable for my 9 year old who has a taste beyond chicken nuggets and pizza everyday. They really need another catagory for children ages 8-14. These older children need more food than what is currently offered and cannot eat the amount of an adult menu. My 11 year old ordered off the adult menu each day and had a good selection, however so much food was wasted! Disney should re-think this plan.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Disney has rethought this plan and major changes have been announced for 2008.

 

[skater]

We just got back from a week of free dining at Disney. The children's menu was unacceptable for my 9 year old who has a taste beyond chicken nuggets and pizza everyday. They really need another catagory for children ages 8-14. These older children need more food than what is currently offered and cannot eat the amount of an adult menu. My 11 year old ordered off the adult menu each day and had a good selection, however so much food was wasted! Disney should re-think this plan.

My 9 year old wouldn't waste anything . He easily eats more than I do (and he's thin and athletic ). I will probably share with him or purchase something extra for him when he needs it. That's easy to do with free dining!

 

[Angela Kay]

You could have him listed as a 10 year old.

You'll have to pay for the park passes but not the extra adult fee.

I see what you're saying and it definitely makes sense since he would be under 18...but when I called about adding him as an adult on the DP, the CM told me I could do that but since he would be considered an adult, I would have to pay the increase in the ticket and the resort. We are a family of 3 adults and one child...that would make us 4 adults in one room. That could have been misinformation, but that's what I was told. We just opted to pay OOP for his few meals.