I agree with those that say what you make at home is the only choice 100%. We do things the same way at our home as well.
I haven't ever noticed the Disney menus being a lot worse than the kids menus I see when I am at home or making short day trips. Being that I have a trip coming up I ran through all of the kids menus at TS locations at Disney. For the sake of Dining Plan argument, I tried to stick with only dining plan restaurants.
Yak and Yeti: Mini Burger, Vegetable Lo Mein, Chicken Bites, Egg Roll
50's Prime Time Cafe: Grilled Fish, Grilled Chicken Strips, Meatloaf, Chicken Nuggets, Hot Dog, Mac N Cheese.
Brown Derby: Grilled Chicken Breast, Meaty Macaroni, Grilled Cheese on Wheat Bread, Tempura Fish Strips, Hot Dog
Mama Melrose: Grilled Fish, Grilled Chicken Strips, Cheese Pizza, Peperoni Pizza, Spaghetti or Penne Pasta with meat, sauce and cheese.
Sci Fi Dine In: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Mac N Cheese, Hot Dog, Cheeseburger
Coral Reef: Grilled Mahi Mahi, Grilled Chicken Breast, Meaty Macaroni
LeCellier: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Pasta and Tomato Sauce, Hot Dog, Steak
Nine Dragons: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Lo Mein and Meatballs
Restaurant Marrakesh: Chicken Tenders (first menu we've hit with chicken fingers), Moroccan Pasta with meatballs, hamburger, vegetable couscous
Rose and Crown: Pizza, Beefy Macaroni, Shepherd's Pie, mac N Cheese, Bangers and Mash
San Angel: Cheese Quesadilla, Beef Taco, Chicken Tenders (there they are again)
Tutto Italia: Pizza, Grilled Chicken, Spaghetti, Piccolini alla Panna
Plaza: Grilled Chicken Sticks, Cheeseburger, Grilled Cheese, Turkey Sandwich, PB&J
Tony's Town Square: Cheese Pizza, Grilled Fish, Cheeseburger Calzone, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pasta Primavera, Cheese Ravioli (Chicken nuggets can be special ordered, but don't appear on the menu)
Jiko: Tomato and Cheese Pizza, PB&J, Grilled Cheese, Grilled Chicken Breast, Broiled Fish, Grilled Filet of Beef, Mac N Cheese with white sauce
Sanaa: Cheese Pizza, Grilled Fish of the Day, Cheeseburger, Grilled Chicken Breast, Meaty Macaroni.
Beaches & Cream: Mini Cheese Burger, Hot Dog, Turkey Sandwich
Big River Grille and Brewing Works: Grilled Cheese, Burger, Hot Dog, PB&J
Flying Fish: Grilled Beef Skewers, Florida Coast Fish Sticks, Grilled Chicken Breast Skewers, Grilled Cheese, Mickey Pasta with tomato sauce
Kouzzina: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Greek Lasagna, Grilled Chicken Breast
Shutters: Cheese Pizza, Grilled Fish, Meaty Macaroni, Cheeseburger, Grilled Chicken Strips
California Grill: Mac N Cheese, Roasted Salmon, Oak Fired Steak, Grilled Cheese, Hand Made Whole Wheat Pizza with provolone
The Wave: Cheese Pizza, Grilled Fish, Grilled Chicken Strips, Linguini with marinara, Chicken Nachos, Cheeseburger
Maya Grill: Breaded Chicken Parmesan, Mac N Cheese with Penne, Beef Tenderloin Tips, Grilled Cheese, Pan Seared Salmon.
Citricos: Mickey Pasta with Marinara, Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Grilled Chicken Breast, Pan Roasted Fish, Mac N Cheese, PB&J
Grand Floridian Cafe: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Grilled Chicken Breast, Grilled Salmon, Grilled Steak
Narcoossee's: Oven Baked Fish, Filet Mignon, Cheeseburger, Mac N Cheese, Chicken Breast Nuggets, Pasta with Marinara
Olivia's Cafe: Cheeseburger, Chicken Fingers, Pasta with Meat Sauce
Kona Cafe: Hot Dog, Cheeseburger, Mickey Ravioli, Hamburger, Mac N Cheese
Boatwright's: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Cheeseburger, Chicken Breast Nuggets, Mac N Cheese
Turf Club Bar N Grill: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Cheeseburger, Grilled Chicken Breast, Mac N Cheese
Artist Point: Grilled Chicken Breast, Baked Salmon, Penne Pasta, Hamburger
Whispering Canyon Cafe: Cheeseburger, Canyon Skillet
Captain's Grille: Cheese Pizza, Meaty Macaroni, Cheeseburger, Hot Dog, Chicken Nuggets
Yachtsman Steakhouse: Cheese or Marinara Pasta, Oak Grilled Steak, Grilled Chicken Breast, Baked Fish of the day
(I am pretty sure that if you asked nicely it'd be possible to slightly dress up some of the plain grilled items with sauces available on the adult menus if you want. I'd further guess that tehre'd be no extra cost to you if they just dressed up an existing kids menu item)
You go to any chain restaurant, and even most privately own cafes in our area, and the choices are somewhat worse than Disney.
Applebees: Chicken Fingers, Mini Cheeseburger, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Kraft Mac N' Cheese
Hudson's Grill: Cheese Pizza, Chicken Strips, Cheeseburger, Deep Fried Fish, Mac N' Cheese, Spaghetti
Chili's: Corn Dog, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Strips, Burger, Cheese Pizza, Mac N Cheese, Baby Back Rib Basket
TGI Friday's: Mac N Cheese, Hamburger, Chicken Fingers, Cheese Pizza, Pasta, Baby Back Rib Basket
IMO most of these menus are worse than Disney's options.
Some chain menus stand up well against Disney's offerings. Like Macaroni Grill (Mac N Cheese, Chicken Fingers, Fettucini Alfredo, Grilled chicken and broccoli, cheese pizza and spaghetti) and Olive Garden (Mac N Cheese, Grilled chicken and pasta, cheese pizza, spaghetti, chicken fingers, cheese ravioli, fettuccine alfredo). These seem to be more in line with the types of items that you see offered at an average Disney TS. No, you definitely don't see the variety of items offered at Disney, but I'd argue that the adult menus are more limited than your average Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden at Disney as well.
I'll reiterate that a large part of the problem is that you're eating at Disney every single night for a week or two (sometimes three to four weeks), and that's a long time to eat out for every meal. You'd never do it at home, and if you did, your child would be sick of the same old choices day after day as well.
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Not going to happen with that price point on the child's DDP.
Disney is adamant about not charging DDP guests extra for anything that is normally covered by DDP(according to reports I've seen having to pay surcharges or have special menus would make DDP guests feel like second-class citizens apparently). Some of the third-party restaurants used to do it, but they stopped (except for Marrakesh which still does it for multi-course meals)
Without the DDP you have the option to purchase whatever your child wants off the regular menu (although not in a smaller portion).
That is most likely another reason.
I agree with the above, and want to also ask more could Disney do to offer healthier options for kids, while still trying to appeal to the masses. Most all menus have a healthy grilled option with veggies, which would be similar to what many of us make at home on a daily basis. It's also something that you generally don't see on kids menus at chain restaurants.