Hi Lauren,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am delighted that you brought this
dining plan question to us!
On a dining plan, children should order from the children's menu when available. We have used the Disney Dining and the Disney Deluxe Dining Plans. Our girls are now 12-years old and would still prefer to order from the children's menus if they could - the portions sizes and options are great. We love to dine at 50's Prime Time Café in Disney's Hollywood Studios. When our girls were younger, they ordered the Goofy's Salmon from the
dinner menu.
Since we are always looking for healthier options, we find the
Disney Check meals on the menu. We try to avoid allowing the girls to eat hot dogs all week, so we choose restaurants that have other options for kids' meals. Check the restaurant home pages online and look for the View Menu links. We review the menus prior to our visits. Then, when we arrive, we can order fairly efficiently. Check out the
ABC Commissary's lunch menu and the
Sunshine Seasons Lunch and Dinner menu to see a few examples of quick-service meal options.
Lauren, if you are definitely using a dining plan, be sure to chart out your dining experiences prior to your visit. It helps me make sure we use all of our meal entitlements and, remember that those entitlements are calculated according to the number of nights you stay!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell