Kid's meals on DDP

[hollyb]

There are plenty of kid meal options at most fast food places today. [Wendy's has these great turkey sandwiches!!] Many adults order kids meals, lets face it the portion sizes are really what meals should look like for most grown people. It doesn't cause a major upset to those companies. I just don't see why they had to make the Kids Meals so gross. I am still not happy over the fact that kids do not have adequate meal choices for a vacation, "fun" venue. Heck, they could just do exactly what the major Fast Food companies do!!???!!! ( we do plan on ordering OOP, if we need to) And I'm sure I'll end up eating some of that junk..(except the Jello--yuk!!!!.how nice for me )

PS-one of my little darlings is allergic to red food dye, that ought to be a hoot when it comes to trying to get a CS meal dessert!!!!

luv-I emailed Disney 3 times, I spoke to a rep once and I did let them know our displeasure of not being able to get a typical "kids meal" offering at every venue. I really hate the idea of having to walk across the park to get a kids meal.

I agree about fast food places having better choices. My kids love the apple slices at Mc D's and they also get milk. Sure they love the fries too, but we split an order 3 ways. I would rather spend the money and buy them something good and healthy instead of cold chicken strips and mac and cheese that has been describe by many as GROSS:rotfl

 

[beth_cam]

PS-one of my little darlings is allergic to red food dye, that ought to be a hoot when it comes to trying to get a CS meal dessert!!!!

Disney is very very accommidating for guests with dietary issues and/or food allergies. Let the CS know that your child is allergic to the jello (food dye) and you will probably be given an alternative.

 

[Lewisc]

Most of the fast food restaurants offer a "dollar menu". Adults don't have to order a kids meal to save money. Fast food restaurants compete with other restaurants and compete on the basis of price.

Disney is a theme park. Meals are a profit center. Customers don't have the option of going to a competing restaurant across the street. Disney isn't willing to sell a burger to an adult for a dollar. You really have to compare meals at Disney with meals in other "captive" locations. Don't compare the CS meals at WDW with your local Wendy's. Compare it with meals in a ball park, the circus or even the airport.

There are plenty of kid meal options at most fast food places today. [Wendy's has these great turkey sandwiches!!] Many adults order kids meals, lets face it the portion sizes are really what meals should look like for most grown people. It doesn't cause a major upset to those companies. I just don't see why they had to make the Kids Meals so gross. I am still not happy over the fact that kids do not have adequate meal choices for a vacation, "fun" venue. Heck, they could just do exactly what the major Fast Food companies do!!???!!! ( we do plan on ordering OOP, if we need to) And I'm sure I'll end up eating some of that junk..(except the Jello--yuk!!!!.how nice for me )

PS-one of my little darlings is allergic to red food dye, that ought to be a hoot when it comes to trying to get a CS meal dessert!!!!

luv-I emailed Disney 3 times, I spoke to a rep once and I did let them know our displeasure of not being able to get a typical "kids meal" offering at every venue. I really hate the idea of having to walk across the park to get a kids meal.

 

[NMW]

AFAIK most CS restaurants will let you substitute fries for kids meals.

You did the math. The kids plan costs $11, the snack is worth $3-$4 and a TS character meal is worth $15 (with tax and tip).

Jello is literally free in cost as well as calories. Use a snack credit or pay cash if you want your child get an alternate dessert.

Disney is trying to come up with kids meals that are healthier, inexpensive and are unattractive to older kids and adults.

I just wanted to let you know that getting fries was not a option for us in Oct at ANY of the CS places we ate at. ALL of them said no, some told us we could use a snack credit. For our family the kids sides at CS were okay-grapes and jello. It was the main entree that was bad (really bad). Next trip in Dec I have aged our will be 9 year old, to age 10. My other son will be 11, so I'll only have 1 "child" on the plan. She actually likes WDW mac and cheese and if she wants a burger and fries or pizza, I'll just buy it for her.

My main reason for buying the adult plan for our middle child was mostly for TS meals. He likes adult entrees and had to watch his brother eat steak, ribs, etc., while he had pita pizza. He was not all that happy. The kids TS meals for our DD 4 were fine though. Honestly, CS places just gave us adult meals for the kids if we asked. I was prepared to pay-even had cash in my hand twice. The CM's said we could use the plan, so we did. I wasn't trying to rip off Dinsey, but I wasn't going to stand there and demand to pay either. I'm guessing that will change, and fortunately for our family it really doesn't matter anymore.


I really like bicker's idea of paying more and getting more for kids. I'd much rather pay more and get more, than have an unhappy child or have to search the whole park for kids CS that kids will like.

 

[Tam1067]

I haven't been there since the new kids meals were created (we'll see in July!), but yesterday in the mail, I got my "Disney Rewards" newsletter thing from my Disney Visa.

It specifically mentions the new healthy sides for kids meals (like fruit) but then also states clearly that fries and soda are available as an option. Did some CMs not get the message?

 

[beth_cam]

I haven't been there since the new kids meals were created (we'll see in July!), but yesterday in the mail, I got my "Disney Rewards" newsletter thing from my Disney Visa.

It specifically mentions the new healthy sides for kids meals (like fruit) but then also states clearly that fries and soda are available as an option. Did some CMs not get the message?

I was looking at that on my newsletter and figured i'd pack it and take it with me to the parks...but I'm sure they will come up with some reason it doesnt apply if they are set on not letting you have the fries or soda. This is a just in case though since my kids actually like the sides and drinks and that's what I'd rather them have. But once or twice to get fries ....

 

[jodifla]

I just wanted to let you know that getting fries was not a option for us in Oct at ANY of the CS places we ate at. ALL of them said no, some told us we could use a snack credit. For our family the kids sides at CS were okay-grapes and jello. It was the main entree that was bad (really bad). Next trip in Dec I have aged our will be 9 year old, to age 10. My other son will be 11, so I'll only have 1 "child" on the plan. She actually likes WDW mac and cheese and if she wants a burger and fries or pizza, I'll just buy it for her.

I think things have changed since October, when they were being so rigid about everything. The response they got during that time was pretty blistering.

In January, fries were everywhere. Had no trouble getting them.

As I have said many, many times: It's just bizarre to me that Disney cannot put together a decent kids meal package across the board. Every family and fast food restaurant in the U.S. does it, and yet WDW looks like a buffoon since it's unable to please its core market, families.

Because we weren't limited by the DDP, we just bought our 5 year old the food he wanted to eat, instead of the crappy kids choices at CS menus. Those who have the DDP are getting the short end of the stick.

 

[gabbysmom04]

I think things have changed since October, when they were being so rigid about everything. The response they got during that time was pretty blistering.

In January, fries were everywhere. Had no trouble getting them.

As I have said many, many times: It's just bizarre to me that Disney cannot put together a decent kids meal package across the board. Every family and fast food restaurant in the U.S. does it, and yet WDW looks like a buffoon since it's unable to please its core market, families.

Because we weren't limited by the DDP, we just bought our 5 year old the food he wanted to eat, instead of the crappy kids choices at CS menus. Those who have the DDP are getting the short end of the stick.

I agree with you! Why is this so hard for them to figure out? I will say that I think everyone is getting the short end of the stick with the choices. At TS meals it is now $7.99 for the meal with only a few choices for kids. On top of that in some places mac and cheese or a hamburger is what they are trying to pass off as healthy. And these do not come with any type of veg as a side.the other thing that bothers me is that is you ask for veggies or fries as a side you have to give up their app or dessert. It makes not sense to me!

 

[luvdisney00]

It does not make any sense to me either that Disney cannot have a kids menu like every other "family friendly" restaurant in the country. I also don't believe that Disney was losing $$ from selling kids meals to the small minority of adults who wanted to buy one. I can go to Sam's Club and buy a giant bag of chicken nuggets for $7.99 (food industries get them cheaper I'm sure) so if they sell 3 chicken nuggets, a small bag of fries and a fountain drink in a tiny cup to anyone for $4.00, how are they losing $$?

 

[englishrose47]

DGS 5 will not be happywith some of those choices , but it's mainlt cs meals, most of our choice of TS have good choices or are family style or buffets!

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

I'll probably end up eating the kids meal and letting my daughters eat mine. I could eat chilled chicken and fruit for lunch and save the calories for my daily TS and desserts. The point is that this may not work for every family.

Have you tried the chilled chicken? Last trip, my DD ordered it while I ordered a hamburger. She could not eat it so I switched with her. I could not eat it either. For the rest of the trip I got her an adult CS meal.

I am also going to be calling them again to speak to them about this issue. I really hope things change soon.

 

[luvdisney00]

Gloria,
No I haven't been to WDW since 2000 when a kid's meal was a burger or nuggets and fries. Vacation food!!! I guess I was hoping we could make it work, but you're no the 1st to post that this "entree" is horrible. I am going to send an email to complain, but I think all of the posters who have gone recently and were unhappy with the kids CS would have more pull. Disney doesn't like complaints..they are all about making the guests happy.

I just got my Disney Visa newsletter today and there were quotes from the CEO about how proud Disney is about their new "healthy" choices for kids. It sounds so nice on paper, but they need to know that people (ie paying customers) are not happy about the changes. I don't think a child's magical vacation is the proper time to reform their eating habits. My kids 11, 9 &4 eat very well at home but on vacation I want them to enjoy and indulge just as my DH & I plan on doing.

Dis 'ers, let's all stick together and e mail Disney and politely tell them what we think of the menu changes!

 

[englishrose47]

I agree most kids donot like cold chickensalad on vacation or not. I have no problem offering healthy choices but they should be in addition to unhealthy choices. Let's be fair adults get double chocolate cake and a kid gets sugar free jello. I'd rather have paid extra for the kids meals than have to deal with the healthy choices. It seems to be the cs that are the main problem as the T.S can be buffet or family style. I have visions of me eating a lot of Healthy kids meals so he can have a hamburger. Way to go Disney!!

 

[Katiebell]

Well, if Disney would just reconsider and hire me as kids' food consultant...

When I started really looking into this, and compared menus, the best sounding CS kids' meals seem to be at Epcot (can't say what they taste like, but sure sounds better than chilled chicken, sloppy joes, and sugar free jello):

Sunshine Seasons: sweet and sour chicken, mac and cheese, mini subs, chicken leg w/mashed potatoes
Cantina: child size beef burrito
Lotus Blossom: egg roll and beef fried rice
Tangierine: hamburger, pizza, or chicken tenders
Yakitori: teriyaki chicken w/veggies and rice

So if I had kids that were fed up (no pun intended) with carrot sticks and applesauce, I'd probably try some CS meals in Epcot. Here's the thing, though...Disney obviously has figured out how to make decent kids' menu items and serve them at those restaurants. I also don't understand why they can't offer some of those items (at least like mini subs, pizza, burgers, and chicken tenders or chicken legs, if not the more ethnic items) at other CS in the parks. They aren't going broke, even if some adults insist on ordering kids' meals. And if that's truly a concern, the more appealing they make the adult menus -- value, quality, and offering portions for adults with large and small appetites -- the fewer adults they would probably see ordering children's meals.

And I haven't seen anyone else mention this, so I will: grapes and carrot sticks are not ideal foods for toddlers. Carrots tend to break up into chunks, especially if the youngster doesn't have strong molars to grind them up, and can cause choking. Grapes are a serious choking hazard because they compress and they are the exact same size as toddler's windpipe. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists both grapes and raw vegetables as two of the greatest choking hazards for children under the age of 4. http://healthresources.caremark.com/topic/chokingreport

Grapes and carrots are healthy foods, and appropriate for a lot of kids, BUT...Disney should offer some other kid-appropriate side items like fruit yogurt, cups of diced canned peaches, raisins, teddy grahams, etc. that would be better choices for the four-and-under crowd.

 

[NMW]

Really good point about the grapes and carrots. I didn't even think about it since my kids are older. When they were toddlers, I never would have given them either of those sides.

I'm really happy to hear that kids can sub fries at CS places easily now. In Oct they wouldn't even let my DD get fries with her kids burger at SCI-FI! Apples were her only choice. Of course we happened to vacation at the official launch of the new kids TS meals, which have since been changed for the better.

 

[PeachesDoesHair]

I like the idea of healthier choices for the kid's menu. However, I find my children still expect it to taste good (duh!). I think they failed when it comes to what kinds of healthy things to offer. My kids have never eaten "chilled chicken" and my three year old is never going to eat chicken salad. There are many healthier items that she does love. My kids would love having a choice of grilled cheese (on whole grain bread) with maybe a Gogurt stick. She would love apple slices if there was some caramel sauce. She loves manderine oranges. I don't think I would mind so much the healthier choices if they were choices we would feed our kids. My little girl will never eat apple slices with cinnamon...she will say it looks dirty. LOL.

 

[mt mommy]

I like the idea of healthier choices for the kid's menu. However, I find my children still expect it to taste good (duh!). I think they failed when it comes to what kinds of healthy things to offer. My kids have never eaten "chilled chicken" and my three year old is never going to eat chicken salad. There are many healthier items that she does love. My kids would love having a choice of grilled cheese (on whole grain bread) with maybe a Gogurt stick. She would love apple slices if there was some caramel sauce. She loves manderine oranges. I don't think I would mind so much the healthier choices if they were choices we would feed our kids. My little girl will never eat apple slices with cinnamon...she will say it looks dirty. LOL.

I totally agree. It's funny how Wendy's and McDonald's knew how to change some of their menu choices and kids LOVE it.....but when Disney of all places tried to do it, it seems to have failed!

 

[PeachesDoesHair]

I was actually thinking of McDonalds and Wendys.

 

[amarberry]

Katiebell- I totally agree with you about the carrot stick and grape issue. I still cut grapes in half for my 2.5 yo and she has just started eating raw baby carrots (only with supervision). Don't even get me started on the sugar free, scary red Jello. I would NEVER let my DD eat something like that. Your suggestions make a lot more sense to me. Panera kids meals come with a Horizon organic yogurt stick that she loves. That would be a great side or dessert option for kids, and refreshing too!

I was very disappointed when we were at Pop in December and they only had light yogurt made with aspartame available. For a family destination, I can believe how out of touch food management is with a widespread food concern such as aspartame and children.

 

[bicker]

How would adjusting the portion size help if the adult is looking for a smaller portion? If I go to Backlot Express and order a chilled chicken strips meal which I often do for a snack, it's because I want some food but I don't want a full adult meal. CS portion sizes are sometimes way too big. I guess I am supposed to throw half of it away. I don't like that idea but maybe WDW would appreciate that better since they got the cash anyway. I've only ordered myself kids meals at CS because I can order smaller portions (appetizers) at TS places.

Indeed. The point is to charge adults for adult meals. Disney really doesn't care much with regard to how much food the adult gets -- they just want the adult to pay the adult price. I think they end up addressing portion sizes, because many guests would feel upset if they pay "so much" but only get a little food, regardless of how much they actually want to eat.