Help with Kids Menus

[smeedell]

I booked the following restaurants for dinner under the dining plan:

Crystal Palace
San Angel
Raggan
Hollywood Vine
Boatwright

I noticed the kids menus are limited in choices. Most restaurants offer only hot dogs, pizza, cheesburgers and mac & cheese. My kids will not prefer these choices after the second day. What options are there for a more healthier choice meal (i.e. pasta, salad, soup, vegetables for kids). I looked at the menus, but find it hard to find the right restaurant.

[Mickey'sGirl]

....and you will. This is why the dining plan didn't work for us... the monotony of Disney Dining for children.

Have you considered having the children share an adult meal? Buffets offer a better selection of real foods...and work well for our family. Most TS restaurants have pasta as a kids option, but I don't know if your kids will be happy with just pasta day after day.

Our kids were able to get fish at both the Kona Cafe and at the Brown Derby. The sides were healthier options too.

[Carol]

My kids typically ate off from the appetizer menu. They're not hot dog, chicken tender type of boys. They'd rather have crabcakes, fruit, salads, soup... etc. :)

[KylesMom]

I noted that two of the restaurants you listed are Crystal Palace & Hollywood and Vine. Good choices for you, as these are buffet locations and there is usually a great selection of fruits & salads, breads, and other items which do not fall into the hot dog/hamburger/pizza arena that I'm sure your kids will enjoy. They aren't relegated to eating from the "children's area" that the buffets offer. You can find some decent children's meals at other TS locations as well - heck, LeCellier has a kid's cut filet on their menu! :mickey:

CS, on the other hand, is going to be a bit trickier. Oftentimes the healthier options that the restaurants serve aren't on the kids' menus.

[gerald72]

You don't have the order from the childrens menu at counter service restaurants. The cs credits aren't broken down into adult/ child like the table service credits are.

[KylesMom]

You don't have the order from the childrens menu at counter service restaurants. The cs credits aren't broken down into adult/ child like the table service credits are.

Sorry, but Disney's 2010 Dining Plan brochure is very specific about this:
Guests ages 3-9 must order from a children’s menu where available. This is applicable to both table service and counter service meals.

[Pirate Granny]

Just a reminder...Apetizers are not part of the dining plan...so if you order from that you are going to be paying out of pocket.
:pirate:

[TheDuckRocks]

Other than the same old , mac & cheese, hot dogs, etc., I found these listed on another site.

San Angel Inn:
Chicken Quesadillla - grilled flour tortilla filled with low-fat cheese and chicken.
Flautas - fried corn tortilla filled with chicken and topped with sour cream and fresh cheese
Pressed Mexican Sandwich Torta - bolillo (mexican bread) filled with ham and cheese

Boatwright's:
Cheese Pizza with veggies and sliced apples
Meaty Macaroni - Ground turkey with marinara sauce topped with mozzarella with veggies and fruit salad

Ragland Road:
Young Shepherd's Pie - Traditional Shepherd's Pie with our contemporary twist to this favorite dish
Fish'n'Chips - Fresh fish deep fried with a serving of tasty Irish chips
Shrimp 'n' Chips - Deep fried shrimps served with Irish fries (chips)
You have a choice of one of the following with the dishes listed above. Garden Vegetables, Fresh Salad with Ranch Dressing, Mashed Potato or Irish Chips at Ragland Road

[FriendsofMickey]

As already mentioned, Crystal Palace and Hollywood and Vine are both buffet. The children are not forced to eat from the children's selections, so those would be good choices for you.

I was talking to someone recently about dining and she stated that she has requested a child size portion of an adult entree and they have honored that request. I am not sure if this is normal; however, she states she has done it more than once. I have never done this, but you could try it.

My children are the same way though. So, we try to look at the choices before we book the restaurant. Both my husband and I will share what we have as well.

[mom2morgan]

It is the perenial problem. My then-9 year old doesn't have a big appetite,but she likes "real" food as much as anyone else. The only two places she really found anything to enjoy on the kids menu were Rose and Crown (where fish and chips is NOT listed on the kids menu, but they did it for her anyway) and the Cali Grill, where she got a lovely rib eye steak and yukon gold potatoes. I'm more worried what we're going to do next time - she's now 11 and the choices on the adults menu are much better, but she'll NEVER be able to manage the portions. :confused: