Kids' meals are lousy

[amym2]

Just returned from a fantastic WDW vacation (and first time using the DDP so we ate more meals on site than we usually do) and while we had some wonderful meals, the kids' meals were seriously lacking. Our 9 and 7 year olds can be somewhat picky, but they are generally happy with the kids' meal choices at any restaurant. We tried to choose restaurants that offered some variety, but it was difficult. I mean really, could Disney not offer a smaller portion of an adult meal as an option? Or at least some better sides than applesauce, dried up carrots in a bag, or grapes? Looked like they tried to offer yogurt as a side at a few places, but they never actually had it available, it was always out. And for dessert, the cookies in a bag were not going to cut it when mom and dad got real desserts. The tiny ice cream sundaes at table service restaurants were fine, but counter service had no options. Just seems like something they could do better.

 

[VLee]

I agree. The kids tire of the same selection--chicken nuggets, macaroni, etc. This is why I tend to book more buffets so they can have the bigger variety offered. My GS recently turned 9 and I told him this would be the last year for him to use the kids' tickets at Disney. His reply was "well, that means now I can have the adult dinner, instead of the crummy kid platter." We won't be on the DP in November, so I told him he could still eat off the adult selection or even if he shared a meal with me, that would better than having to get the kids meals.

 

[MAD4EEYORE]

I agree as well. Disney has dropped the ball on kids meals. Yes there are some places that have decent KM but they are few and far between. Offering a few more choices would be good.

My DD(10) is an adventurous eater and doesn't care for kid foods. She doesn't like mac and cheese, hot dogs or the WDW chicken nuggets. Last trip I made the mistake getting the DDP and didn't upgrade her to an adult. Luckily we had mostly buffet.
She is thrilled that she is now a Disney adult and can eat "real" food. Even more happy that we have free dining and I upgraded us to DxDDP. When she puts it I don't know but she'll be and i'll be

 

[crimsontide27]

Blame the parents and the children for such a lousy selection, not Disney.

My restaurant tried to add a larger selection for children and 90% of the time if it wasnt nuggets, a burger, or noodles it was sent back because the child didnt like it. This resulted in the kids being unhappy, then the parents unhappy since they had to wait for a new menu item to be cooked, and then the restaurant isnt happy, then the guest doesnt want to have to pay for the item.

So now the restaurant throws the first meal in the trash and doesnt charge for it and then the next meal comes out that the guest doesnt want to pay for since they were " inconvienced " and they couldnt eat with their child.

Now 2 meals have gone out and neither are paid for.

Disney has nipped this one in the bud. Dont blame them at all for their limited selection revolving kids.

 

[SwirlyGirly]

i believe it. It seems that a lot of people feed their kids strictly "kid food" at home and on vacation and kids grow up eating the same 10 crappy foods and nothing else.

Blame the parents and the children for such a lousy selection, not Disney.

My restaurant tried to add a larger selection for children and 90% of the time if it wasnt nuggets, a burger, or noodles it was sent back because the child didnt like it. This resulted in the kids being unhappy, then the parents unhappy since they had to wait for a new menu item to be cooked, and then the restaurant isnt happy, then the guest doesnt want to have to pay for the item.

So now the restaurant throws the first meal in the trash and doesnt charge for it and then the next meal comes out that the guest doesnt want to pay for since they were " inconvienced " and they couldnt eat with their child.

Now 2 meals have gone out and neither are paid for.

Disney has nipped this one in the bud. Dont blame them at all for their limited selection revolving kids.

 

[youcansmellit]

We have had some good luck asking for a healthy alternative to the kids meals. The best for this was Kona (great chicken stir fry) Most of the places in Epcot will do something nice for them too. It does stink that you have to ask. If you are nice about it they will get you just about anything they can.

 

[youcansmellit]

i believe it. It seems that a lot of people feed their kids strictly "kid food" at home and on vacation and kids grow up eating the same 10 crappy foods and nothing else.

I love the argument "my kids will only eat the nuggets or pizza" Thats crap. If you give your kids good food from a young age they will eat what they know. I think a lot of it is parents that run out of time. They have to pick something up on the way to they next activity. I know its hard but you can making things at home faster, healthier and less expensive then even McDonalds. I'm not judging anyone for going to fast food places. I love a nice burger or a pizza. I also hate people telling me how to parent so I understand if someone would get mad from comments like this. I just think its crazy to see kids dictate that they are only going to eat garbage. Both of my kids don't like the taste of fish. That's fine but I'm not going to get them a pizza because of that.

AND! what about this... My DD8's friend came over for dinner one night and I asked her to pick a vegetable she said doesn't ketchup counts as a vegetable! I cooked broccoli, carrots and green beans. She said carrots and green beans are gross and she was affrad to try the broccoli because she had never had it before.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I couldn't agree more! They really need to step up the kids meals!

while DDP is a great option at least if your paying oop you can get your kiddo a grown up meal! It may cost more but at least you know they're going to eat it!

 

[DJFan88]

I love the argument "my kids will only eat the nuggets or pizza" Thats crap. If you give your kids good food from a young age they will eat what they know. I think a lot of it is parents that run out of time. They have to pick something up on the way to they next activity. I know its hard but you can making things at home faster, healthier and less expensive then even McDonalds. I'm not judging anyone for going to fast food places. I love a nice burger or a pizza. I also hate people telling me how to parent so I understand if someone would get mad from comments like this. I just think its crazy to see kids dictate that they are only going to eat garbage. Both of my kids don't like the taste of fish. That's fine but I'm not going to get them a pizza because of that.

AND! what about this... My DD8's friend came over for dinner one night and I asked her to pick a vegetable she said doesn't ketchup counts as a vegetable! I cooked broccoli, carrots and green beans. She said carrots and green beans are gross and she was affrad to try the broccoli because she had never had it before.

Totally agree. We certainly have our favorites and our dislikes and occasionally I do pick up the chicken patties for those seriously pressed days, but for the most part it's real chicken, rice, veg , etc., (read occasionally!).
My 10 yr. old last year - loved the adult menu. Yes, he does do things like leave off the sauce, or make that american instead of Swiss, but he thinks those nuggets are garbage. He loved getting grilled chicken. My younger one actually loves fruits and veggies more than meat, so he's a little harder. I try to only have him have each of the kids foods not so many times in a row. He'll only do the hot dog, pizza and nuggets like one time, throw in the occasional place that offers a burger, and I've found the buffet idea is a great idea! They can get a carved piece of real meat, and plenty of delicious and nutritious sides. Even a picky kid likes things like cucumbers from the salads and the nice breads and rolls they have. Most have fruit available. I try and vary the places, and if you search, some of the places actually do have better food for the kids than your usual quick counter.
I make my own taco sauce at home and the kids love that meal, so I'm thinking maybe the taco place at MK may have that offered for the kids, as something different too. Also, you can find spaghetti with marinara at some of the italian type places.

 

[RMulieri]

I agree...But it is a no win for Disney...HOW MANY times here do we get the...My kid is a picky eater threads. The ones that say "my kid only eats chicken tenders, hot dogs etc" ..It seems that this is the majority of the demand.Even at the TS places( particularly WS restaurants) we have people complaining that there are not enough americanized kid friendly foods..

 

[sukhakuli]

I always love it when people think that if you just give kids a variety of foods that they are not picky. It's nice your kids are like that, but not every kid is. My oldest is not picky, and really prefers adult food. Actually, she prefers food that mommy makes, and doesn't care for anything else, lol. She won't drink anything but whole milk and water. No juice, no soda. Sometimes fresh squeezed lemonade or orange juice. Wow, I must be a fantastic mom! She will choose fresh fruit over cookies! But then we had the boy who has some sort of "something" going on with him (no one is really sure at this point, he has a formal diagnosis of autism, but they don't think he really has autism, but some other nebulous neurological disorder), and he will not eat anything that isn't round. I always thought before I had him, that when kids get hungry enough they will just eat, and if you give them a well rounded healthy diet, they will eat well. But that isn't the case for a lot of kids. Ds will starve himself to the point that he dry heaves and can't sit up because he is so weak. Even with his preferred foods, he will go through stints where he will starve himself. His BMI is dangerously thin, and we have had multiple experts working with him to try to get him to eat like everyone else. Thank the Lord a lot of fruits and veggies are round, so he will eat most of those, but the only meats he eats are chicken nuggets and hot dogs (they're round. We did finally get him to try chicken strips lst year, telling him they were Texas sized chicken nuggets and that's why they are so big. He loves Texas, so now he will eat those). We are always trying really hard to get him to eat other meats, but so far, nothing.

However, ds is the exception, rather than the rule, and his food issues are so severe and pervasive that many doctors and therapists are at a loss. I just hate seeing people with typically developing kids pop on with the judgment that if you were only a good parent, you wouldn't have picky kids. Plenty of good parents have picky kids.

Back on topic, though, I agree the kids meals need more variety. I think it is reasonable to have a hot dog or chicken nugget choice mixed in with other dishes, then you satisfy kids who don't like those foods, like my older dd, and the kids who prefer them. How hard is that?

I also wish they offered a junior meal plan for kids who are between maybe 7 and 10. My dd is about to hit her pre-pubescent growth spurt, and holy cow, that girl can eat!! I made chicken primavera last night, and she ate as much as I did! And she is a really thin girl, too, so she is definitely not eating too much, lol. I upgraded her to a Disney adult for our next trip because she loves pasta meals, steak, salads, and so on, and the kids meals won't do it. And the size won't be enough, either.

Blame the parents and the children for such a lousy selection, not Disney.

My restaurant tried to add a larger selection for children and 90% of the time if it wasnt nuggets, a burger, or noodles it was sent back because the child didnt like it. This resulted in the kids being unhappy, then the parents unhappy since they had to wait for a new menu item to be cooked, and then the restaurant isnt happy, then the guest doesnt want to have to pay for the item.

So now the restaurant throws the first meal in the trash and doesnt charge for it and then the next meal comes out that the guest doesnt want to pay for since they were " inconvienced " and they couldnt eat with their child.

Now 2 meals have gone out and neither are paid for.

Disney has nipped this one in the bud. Dont blame them at all for their limited selection revolving kids.

This doesn't make any sense, why did the parent order a meal their child doesn't like?

 

[Bonniec]

If you don't want the fruit and juice, you can exachange them for soemthing else like fries and a soda. They don't say that on the menu, but you can.

The macaroni at Columbia Harbor House is actually very good! I get that for myself and it comes with the grapes and yogurt. I've never had it anywhere else though. The chicken nuggets are just gross!

I definately agree with you though. My son and I usually share a meal, but he's small.

 

[amym2]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks the kids meals could be better. DS loved 'Ohana, so that was a great choice. He gobbled up the steak and chicken and liked the bread as well. He's our picky one, but he was willing to try new things, especially since that was our last night and he was tired of the typical kids meal food. DD loved the noodles and shrimp at 'Ohana as well.

They also enjoyed the food at the HDDR, although we did get mac & cheese since DS doesn't like mashed potatoes. DS liked the fried chicken and DD ate more ribs than I could count!

DS shared my lamb and chicken shwarmas at Tangierine Cafe at Epcot instead of getting a kids meal and that worked out great. That would be a good place to offer a smaller kids meal with lamb or chicken.

Tony's worked out well for us also since DS could get a kids pizza and DD enjoyed the Mickey cheese ravioli.

Actually Coral Reef was great also, since DS loves fish (and the fish of the day happened to be salmon, his favorite). DD ended up sharing from the rest of us- a couple of fried shrimp from my sister's appetizer, a chunk of lobster and a couple of raviolis from my lobster ravioli. And she loved being able to get a grown up drink- a virgin pina colada- as part of the DDP (they wouldn't let us do this at 'Ohana, though).

So I guess we really did okay when I think about it!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

My kid won't eat anything on the kids menus - burgers, mac and cheese, nuggets - but give him a steak and he will devour it.

For our next trip we chose all buffet meals or places like GF Cafe' where there is actually steak on the kids menu. I wish Teppan Edo had a steak option but we can still eat there and have the kids order chicken and then just trade entrees after the food is cooked with one of the adults who ordered steak.

 

[Dorisk3]

I agree...But it is a no win for Disney...HOW MANY times here do we get the...My kid is a picky eater threads. The ones that say "my kid only eats chicken tenders, hot dogs etc" ..It seems that this is the majority of the demand.Even at the TS places( particularly WS restaurants) we have people complaining that there are not enough americanized kid friendly foods..

Actually my favorite threads are the ones where the husband only eats those things.

On a side note, on CS, no one's kids need to eat kids meals, nuff said.

 

[4orm]

i believe it. It seems that a lot of people feed their kids strictly "kid food" at home and on vacation and kids grow up eating the same 10 crappy foods and nothing else.

This.


There are a few restaurants that have lovely fish or chicken with whole grain pilaf and the like but like others said, it's few and far between. Usually, we share our protein with our daughter as the portions are humongous and we'll order her a side of whatever veg looks best.

 

[Evi]

I agree the kids meals are bland fast food options. On our last trip with dn 7 & 8 we paid extra to have them on the adult dining plan. On one night they girls asked for the kids meal and hated it after that they just ordered off the adult menu. I did ask the server to pair down their portions because they are little but they chose simple but well on their own. I think Disney needs to pair back on all those sweets and over processed foods in general. They need to add healthier options for deserts at all restaurants and better tasting healthy options for children. How hard is it to offer frozen yogurts and fresh fruit instead of all those super fatty cakes and pies.

I'm not sure why its so hard for them to make a good pasta. Most kids love pasta how hard is it to offer a pasta with multiple options like 3 different sauces a choice between beef or chicken and a few different veggies. Something like they offer at the pasta station in por but without all the grease. I'm not sure why they are so oil happy there. Even the kids pizza should have options of a few healthy toppings. I like that they have added healthier snacks but I still think they need to realize kids on the dining plan aren't toddlers and not everyone in this country feeds there children fast food on a regular basis.

 

[alexensmom]

We are ones with a picky eater. After watching my Aunt only fix butterd noodles and cucumber for every meal my cousins ate, I swore I wouldn't treat my kids like they have a short-order cook to fix whatever they want. My DD likes all foods and has always tried something new. Her favorite meal of all the Disney trips was the sushi at California Grill. DS, on the other hand, seems to have an issue with smell and textures of food. I made both kids' food from the start. Lots of veggies, almost every food I could puree. Like a line in the sand, DS started turning his nose up at certain foods. Doesn't like green veggies, hamburgers, french fries, pasta with tomato sauce, and many others. I tried hiding the veggies in other foods. He could eat something and not know there was a pea in it, chew it, and after everything was swallowed, he would spit out the unchewed pea. I fix lunch with yogurt, string cheese, fruit and pretzels. I dont cater to him for dinner. If he wont eat it or try it, he doesn't eat. I do try to include something that I think he will eat, but I dont go out of my way. I rarely fix fried foods at home and every two weeks or so I will fix homemade mac and cheese. We eat out maybe once a week or two weeks and yes, I know if I get chicken nuggets he will eat it and not fuss and squirm the whole time we are eating. I never thought I would have a kid that would just refuse to eat anything even if they were hungry. This has gone on for two years now.

Even though I know he will eat nuggets and pizza at restaurants, I do wish there were more options for kids at Dis. I dont love the idea of him eating chicken nuggets for every meal for a week. Talk about constipated! I dont see why, at least at the TS restaurants, kids meals cant have even just a handful of other options. They could just offer kids size portions of salad (which amazingly DS loves and my DD always wanted instead of fries), even soup. Our next trip we wont buy the DDP, unless I can work out all our TS as buffets.

 

[BoardWalkBelle]

I work at park fare ..Its a buffett and at dinner parents are constantly orerdering fried chicken nuggets and fries for their kids becasue they wont eat anything else, even though it is a buffett AND they have baked chicken legs for the kids and they wont even eat those!

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Actually my favorite threads are the ones where the husband only eats those things.

On a side note, on CS, no one's kids need to eat kids meals, nuff said.

sending you a PM now with a question for you