Kid's Menus (At Least For Dining Plans) SUCK!!!

[eandt]

Our kids have been considered adults on the DP for the past several years but we were there in November with our BIL's family. They had two of their girls on the kid's plan. It was really bad. Although we did find a few places that offered some variety (Le Cellier was one) their meal choices almost exclusively consisted of burgers, chicken nuggets or pizza with fries or veggie sticks, and grapes or a cookie. I know a lot of kids love those kinds of things but come on every day for lunch and dinner for a week??? They really should address this by either raising the kids price a few bucks or offering kid sized portions of some of the meals on the adult menus. I know when the DP first came out many took advantage of the fact that Disney did not differentiate between adult and kids credits. Some would pay OOP for their kids meals from the child's menu and then use the kids credits on additional adult meals. Back then kids could order anything off the menu. Leave it to a few (or probably more likely more than a few) unscrupoulous people to ruin a good thing for all.

 

[Dixiemom]

We have upgraded our DD10 for the past 3 years to the adult plan. We did have to pay more for her, but it wasn't very much. She loved the food choices, but it was a lot of food for her!!!

But you had to upgrade her park tickets too though, right? I just couldn't justify doing that to change our son to the adult dining, so we'll be sharing with him and let him get an appetizer every now and then.....I am glad that some places offer the grapes, carrot sticks, etc. though.

 

[MYD714]

I'm a fan of healthy eating. However, let me play devil's advocate for a moment...

I'm curious as to where you were eating and if you were only on the quick-service dining plan. Looking at the table-service menus, there are actually choices of grilled chicken, pasta, steak, salad, fruits, veggies, etc. In addition to this, the Epcot table-service restaurants offer some interesting children's meals.

Even if you were just eating counter-service, they offer choices of apple slices, apple sauce, and grapes as sides. And...places like Liberty Inn at Epcot offer kids choices like chicken wraps and Sunshine Seasons offers make-your-own sub or chicken leg w/potatoes. I'm sure I could find other menus with similar offerings.

How about eating at the buffets? Then they can eat whatever they want off the menu.

I think, with a little bit of advanced planning, that people can find healthier options if they wanted. Most people (myself included) allow themselves to indulge a little while in WDW. It can be part of the fun...and fun in moderation never really hurts anyone.

 

[antkim]

But you had to upgrade her park tickets too though, right? I just couldn't justify doing that to change our son to the adult dining, so we'll be sharing with him and let him get an appetizer every now and then.....I am glad that some places offer the grapes, carrot sticks, etc. though.

The difference between an adult tix and child tix is only about $35.

 

[maxiesmom]

Yes, most definitely the kid's menus are lacking in variety. Thankfully with the menus being available we can plan ahead which restaurants to avoid with DD. Some restaurants are better than others. But also ask the server at the sit down restaurants, sometimes they can make things that aren't listed on the official kid's menu.

All good points. We were on the dining plan for the first time this past October, and I know my 9yr old niece did not live on burgers and chicken nuggets. But you do have to do a little research beforehand. The two meals that come to mind are Tutto Italia, where she had pasta, and The Grand Floridian Cafe, where she had the salmon. And they did specially make the pasta for her (and her big sis) at Tutto.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I guess I have kids with a simple appetite. Even my 13 year old likes chicken nuggets, mac & cheese and PB & J sandwiches. There were times last year where my 10 yr. old asked if I could pay OOP for her to have a kids meal instead of her eating one of the adult meals. Sometimes the meals are a bit too sophisticated for her pallette. Its not that we don't experience other types of foods, but she just prefers to eat stuff that is comfortable for her. There are far worse things in this world than to eat what WDW offers for a week. Sorry but I think that this is just splitting hairs.

 

[U2_rocks!]

Yes, you do have to work a little harder to find the good stuff, but thankfully it's there somewhere. I have no problem with some "junk" on vacation, but my kids don't eat like that at home, so a week of eating like that at WDW is not going to be good for them. I know what happens when they eat too much junk at home - don't want that to happen on vacation!

That's one of the reasons the DP would not make sense for us (that, and it's just more food than we'd ever eat!). My kids love Caesar salad and all sorts of things that you won't find on the DP kids meals, and yes, I could order one and they could share it and I'd have their kids meals, but I'm really not interested in the kids meals menu items for myself! I love the more interesting adult foods, and I will often order an appetizer or two instead of an entree.

Since we are paying OOP, we will be able to put together meals for all of us by ordering a variety and sharing, and we may supplement with an item from the kids menu from time to time if it suits.

 

[Dixiemom]

The difference between an adult tix and child tix is only about $35.

For the 7 day Magic Your Way plus DDP (which we have) to change him would cost $273. Gonna have to pass and share our meals with him (only when there are unnacceptable choices on the kid's menu).

 

[BfloChick]

It's for this reason that we book a lot of buffets. It's not only that I don't want my kids eating fried food for days on end; it is also that they don't care for it. They'd feel more at home with some of the more adventurous options from Boma than a burger and fries.

It's great to see that some of the TS and CS places offer healthy sides, but I agree with OP that these should be standard with kids' menus.

I do think that if the DDP is going to be offered, it should offer quality for all guests, even those who fit into small-sized pants. I know that parents can simply choose not to use the DDP, but it's also true that we can choose not to go to Disney or choose not to go on vacation at all; all of that is simply besides the point.

 

[TDC Nala]

The difference between an adult tix and child tix is only about $35.

Unless you are on free dining, you also have to pay the difference between the adult and child plans, which is not an insignificant amount of cash. The adult plans cost nearly 4 times more than the kids' plans.

 

[TDC Nala]

I know that parents can simply choose not to use the DDP, but it's also true that we can choose not to go to Disney or choose not to go on vacation at all; all of that is simply besides the point.

In my opinion it's not irrelevant. However much one likes the dining plan it's possible to have a very good Disney vacation, perhaps even a better one without using it. The dining plan is an option made available to Disney resort guests, usually those booking package reservations; you can choose to use it or not choose to use it. Plenty of Disney guests get around the trade-off you make for prepaying your meals by not using the dining plan and choosing their own schedules, restaurants and meal structure.

 

[BfloChick]

In my opinion it's not irrelevant. However much one likes the dining plan it's possible to have a very good Disney vacation, perhaps even a better one without using it. The dining plan is an option made available to Disney resort guests, usually those booking package reservations; you can choose to use it or not choose to use it. Plenty of Disney guests get around the trade-off you make for prepaying your meals by not using the dining plan and choosing their own schedules, restaurants and meal structure.

Let me make an analogy. It is like a Poly lover wishing that the resort had a hot tub. It's true that the Poly lover can stay at any other resort that does have a hot tub, but they can still wish! Some people just really love the DDP for its convenience, and we can wish that certain things about it were a little better.

 

[megan926]

I agree in wanting healthier options for kids!

My DD does not even like chicken nuggets! She prefers grilled chicken!

I think this is not only true for Disney, but for most laces that serve kid's menus.

When I take DD to McDonald's....she wants a happy meal (b/c of the prize) BUT they don't serve grilled chicken happy meals (why not????). I end up ordering the grilled chicken and buying the toy! But still...they should have healthy options for kids! How are they going to learn healthy eating otherwise???

 

[itchin2go]

Let me make an analogy. It is like a Poly lover wishing that the resort had a hot tub. It's true that the Poly lover can stay at any other resort that does have a hot tub, but they can still wish! Some people just really love the DDP for its convenience, and we can wish that certain things about it were a little better.

The analogy is a little off. If you don't purchase the DDP, you can get the exact same food. You just purchase it with dollars instead of credits.

 

[BfloChick]

The analogy is a little off. If you don't purchase the DDP, you can get the exact same food. You just purchase it with dollars instead of credits.

Yes, but it is not as convenient! Kind of like using the hot tub in the Grand Floridian for Poly guests. Yes, you can do it, you just lose the convenience factor. (And, I believe that paying a la carte for the same items off the dining plan may be more expensive, which is the other reason people choose DDP in the first place.)

I'm not sure what the fuss is about DDP lovers wanting it to be a little different. Please stop crushing my dreams!

 

[itchin2go]

Yes, but it is not as convenient! Kind of like using the hot tub in the Grand Floridian for Poly guests. Yes, you can do it, you just lose the convenience factor. (And, I believe that paying a la carte for the same items off the dining plan may be more expensive, which is the other reason people choose DDP in the first place.)

I'm not sure what the fuss is about DDP lovers wanting it to be a little different. Please stop crushing my dreams!

You're funny.

I'd probably say, "You're staying at the Poly and have GF hot tub privileges, so stop whining."

There's nothing wrong with wishing the DDP was different. I wish they kept the 07 plan where the appetizer was included. Since then, it hasn't made a bit of sense for my family, so I guess that's why I'm all "then don't get the dining plan."

I will stop crushing your dreams now.

 

[mickey916]

My oldest son is a very adventurous eater and was not initially pleased when we went in 2006 that he had to eat from the kids menu (he was 9 and we were on the DDP). "I'm not going to eat chicken nuggets all week while you guys get the good stuff." However, he was able to find plenty that suited him and even enjoyed the occasional chicken nugget. His only gripe was the 2 itsy bitsy cocktail franks and tablespoon of beans that he got a Pecos Bills with "unsweetened applesauce" for dessert. I think he's still traumatized! He's very pleased to be going as an adult this year. However, we are not doing the DDP anyhow this time so it doesn't really matter.

 

[design_mom]

I've got one who loves the chicken nuggets and fries, and the other who does not. We did the DDP for the first time on our last trip and both kids were happy.

For table service, we did several buffets/family style meals where the kids ate the same thing the adults ate. We also found the kids meals in most TS restaurants to have pretty wide offerings. (One of DS's favorites was at the Plaza at MK - salad, grilled chicken strips, rice, apple slices, and an ice cream sundae. He was in heaven.)

For counter service, you do need to watch where you eat, but there are places that have non-fried kids offerings -- barbequed chicken legs, deli sandwiches, etc. And my kids nearly always had a fruit and vegetable as their sides (not fries) and milk to drink. (I believe the fruit counts as the "dessert" for most kids meals, but we told them if they got the fruit as part of their meal, we would all share the adult desserts. And all of us were happy with that solution.)

We copied some of the counter-service menus onto DH's iPod touch so we could reference them while we were in the park... and we did make some of our CS decisions based on the kids' menu.

I would love for there to be a wider variety on the kids' menus (regardless of DDP or not) but...the food is what it is... so you just have to make smart choices.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

To have smaller portions of the same quality & variety, WDW would need to charge kids a minimum of 1/2 the cost of the adult plan. How many people want that? Unfortunately, quality & variety cost money.

 

[antkim]

Unless you are on free dining, you also have to pay the difference between the adult and child plans, which is not an insignificant amount of cash. The adult plans cost nearly 4 times more than the kids' plans.

I understand that but the poster I replied to said (or so I thought) she could not justify upgrading the park pass to have the child be an adult on the dining plan. I just wanted to make sure she realized that there is not a big difference between an adult park pass and a childs pass price wise.