Hi Kim! You're going to love the convenience and perks of staying on Disney property! The Disney Dining Plan is one of the biggest perks available to Disney resort guests, and you're so lucky to have been able to take advantage of the Free Dining offer!
The vast majority of the restaurants at Walt Disney World accept Dining Plan credits, so you'll have plenty of great meals using your Dining Plan. We're currently transitioning from the 2011 Dining Plan to the 2012 one, and the online information for 2012 is not very complete at this point, which is why you may have the impression that few restaurants accept the Dining Plan. You can see a list of restaurants that definitely accept the 2012 plan on the brochure found by clicking
here. More and more restaurants will be added to this list by the end of the year. For purposes of planning, you might want to look at the restaurants listed on the 2011 plan on the brochure
here. It's quite likely that the majority of these restaurants will also participate in the 2012 plan; check the 2012 brochure again at the beginning of January, when the list should be complete.
My picky eleven-year-old son has never had a problem ordering his meals from the children's menus, and some restaurants have even provided him with an adult-sized portion of the kiddie food. If nothing on the adult menus appeal to your children, just tell the servers they prefer to order a meal from the kids' menu, and they'll happily accommodate them. Likewise, your kids can also ask for adult entrees to be prepared without sauces etc. Disney's great about accommodating special requests to please picky eaters.
Come visit us again at the Moms Panel if you have more questions!