Does the kids menu seem repetitive on the DDP"???

[bcarson]

I thought I posted this but must not have hit submit. It just seems like from reading some of the reviews and menus. Like for example Sci Fi and 50's diner. The kids choices are pizza, mac and cheese, burger or chic nuggets. I know if we go to LeCellier my son is going to want a steak? The same choices over and over are going to be boring!

 

[bicker]

There have been some great messages posted recently showing the great variety available on the children's menus. I'll try to dig them up for you.

Keep in mind that children, as a group, tend to be less receptive to strange and new flavors, as compared to adults, so necessarily there is less variety offered to children than you'll see offered to adults. Also, keep in mind that, in deference to families with young children, which seem to be more financially challenged than the average families, prices for child meals are shockingly low, and that also necessarily reduces what the chefs can do with child meals.

 

[bicker]

As you can see, grilled steak is available for children at Le Cellier.

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.

In case you're interested in counter-service:

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)

If you just want your kids to be able to order off the adult menus everywhere, and the cost isn't a problem, then yes, upgrade their park tickets, and pay the extra $28 per day for the adult plan. If I had the money, that's probably what I'd do, because it's less planning and less hassle. If money was no object, then it wouldn't bother me if they wasted a lot of those 3 course adult dinners, or if they wanted to eat mac & cheese at Le Cellier.

But if you are a bit more budget minded, it's a lot cheaper to order the kids' plan and share some of your meals with them (especially since so many people say there's way too much food on the DDP), use snack credits to supplement, or order extras for them OOP. You can buy a lot of little extras for much less than that $28 difference every day (plus whatever the park ticket upgrade costs).

 

[averill94]

My son will be 10 this week and still eats very few dinner items- so for this family the dinner selection is great!

I too think it is because kids are, for the most part, picky and will usually eat nuggets, gr cheese ......

It would be nice for the restaurants to add a childs version of a signature dish.( I thought some off them already did this?)

 

[bigbabyblues]

There did seem to be the "standard" kids menu, but on the ala carte things, several places had more choices. My DS6 got the skillet at WCC, meatloaf at 50's PTC, etc. I think the only time either of the kids (6 and 3/turning 4 at the end of the trip) had any typical "kid" food, was at Columbia Harbour House when we all split two baskets of fish and chicken with fries. We also ate at a lot of buffets. They tried a little of everything at Boma, and we didn't allow them to eat from the kids buffet.

It's not just the DDP menu though, it's the way the kids menus are.

 

[ballarinamom]

The lack of kid's choices is not due to DDP. The kid's menus are lacking but have imroved. We ended up paying OOP for DD5 to have something different like shrimp cocktail.