Portion Sizes at WDW

[CanuckGirl78]

Hi! We're doing our first trip to WDW (soooo excited!). Traveling with my DH, DS (5 years) and DD (2 years old) and on the dining plan. Most of our table service dinners is buffets (Boma, 'Ohana, etc.) so my DD can have her own plate, but for QS lunch we'd either have to pay or have her eat off our plates (Be Our Guest at MK, Columbia Harbour House at MK, Tangierine Cafe at Epcot, Flaming Tree BBQ at AK).

I generally find portion sizes in the US is much larger than what I get here (lived in Vancouver and now living in Toronto)...do you find the same in WDW? I'm trying to figure out if I should budget more to ensure she has enough to eat or if 3 QS credits will be enough for 4 of us.

Thanks for your help!

 

[dancin Disney style]

We are not big eaters but not light either. My kids are adults and there are plenty of times we will each order a kids meal or we will share 2 adult meals between the 3 of us. With that in mind I think the average 2yo will be fine sharing with two parents. For us sharing works particularly well because having a lighter meal allows room for the fun desserts or snacks.

 

[CanuckGirl78]

Thanks! I definitely want to ensure we have room for all the snacks and treats!!! Do you think my kids could split one kids meal? I'm not usually selfish but this will mean I won't have to order chicken fingers or mac n cheese every time to ensure she eats!

 

[starvenger]

Wife and I are big eaters, and the kids have decent appetites, but we found that we could get by with 2 kids meals and one adult a la carte entree for the four of us. So what you're proposing seems doable.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Thanks! I definitely want to ensure we have room for all the snacks and treats!!! Do you think my kids could split one kids meal? I'm not usually selfish but this will mean I won't have to order chicken fingers or mac n cheese every time to ensure she eats!

I understand what you mean. Mom's usually end up eating things they may not want because it keeps the kids happy.

At some places the kids could share but not always. While WDW does have the nuggets/mac n cheese type stuff there are also a ton of better options. There are places that don't offer nuggets etc at all. The push is towards healthier food. Could your older child perhaps share with mom and dad of if the kids share could you supplement your older child from your plate? All really depends on the size of their appetites.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

I find that even as an female adult I can barely usually eat 1/2 of what is on my plate at any WDW meal so I'm actually pretty happy that DS will eat the other 1/2. My DS is 11 and he and I still tend to share entrees at both TS and QS restaurants. Sometimes we'll get an extra side salad or soup to share as well. We find that for many TS the healthier options appear on the adult menu (more fish, veggies, grilled chicken, etc....) so we'll find something we both like and share. We've never had an issue.

 

[CanuckGirl78]

Thanks all! I was so focused on my daughter as she wasn't on the dining plan, I didn't even think about my DS being able share off of my DH's or my plate! <face palm>

I definitely think we can all be satisfied & happy if we share 3 plates amongst ourselves. And that allows the opportunity for each of us to have some healthier options and some not-so-healthy options at each meal. Win-win!

 

[scrappinginontario]

My DD is 8 and an average eater as am I. Most of the time we share 1 adult QS meal and there is plenty for both of us. We even tend to have QS credits left over so we exchange these for 3 snacks which works well for us.

We find we eat a lot at the table service locations so can supplement with shared QS meals and snacks quite well.

One place we find it easy to share is breakfast at our resort (Pop). The Bounty Platter comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potato casserole plus a biscuit. Enough for us to share and often some left over!

Something else to note, you are not restricted to ordering a child's meal using your son's Quick Service credits. When we travel we get 100% adult Quick Service meals even though we are 1 adult and 1 child. At Table service locations your son will need to order off the children's menu but it's different with quick service credits.

 

[CanuckGirl78]

My DD is 8 and an average eater as am I. Most of the time we share 1 adult QS meal and there is plenty for both of us. We even tend to have QS credits left over so we exchange these for 3 snacks which works well for us.

We find we eat a lot at the table service locations so can supplement with shared QS meals and snacks quite well.

One place we find it easy to share is breakfast at our resort (Pop). The Bounty Platter comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potato casserole plus a biscuit. Enough for us to share and often some left over!

Something else to note, you are not restricted to ordering a child's meal using your son's Quick Service credits. When we travel we get 100% adult Quick Service meals even though we are 1 adult and 1 child. At Table service locations your son will need to order off the children's menu but it's different with quick service credits.

Thanks for the tip! I always thought if there was a children's menu, the child had to order off that at a TS or QS!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thankfully not at Quick Service locations. The only time I've ordered a QS child's meal is when my DD wanted chicken nuggets....again and I couldn't face another chicken nugget so ordered an adult meal for myself. Thankfully her tastes have changed so we can normally share 1 adult QS meal with a lot of variety due to the many options Disney offers!

 

[csm101]

I find i cant eat too much in the summer heat, we do drink a gallon more water. We snack for of the day on apples, cookies, etc eat a better meal for dinner. I find the portion size is good can even be shared

 

[BLAZEY]

DH, DD8 and I have been twice, and most of the time DH & I share a counter service meal and got DD a kids meal. Sometimes, DD & I would get a kids meal each & DH would get an adult meal. Only a couple of meals did we each get our own "appropriate" meal and then it was too much food. The portions are pretty big. We always got free water to fill up our bottles, but the heat makes us not want to eat as much.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Something else that we do with regard to sharing is to intentionally plan to eat at places with larger portions. Even my DH and I can share at some places.
Examples.....
Pecos Bills... Fajita platter. We ask for an extra portion of tortillas and it's enough for two people especially when you add in the toppings bar.
Cosmic Rays....Chicken and Rib combo platter. DH and I can't finish it. It's a half chicken and half slab ribs with 2 sides.
Bounty Platter....it's a food court item but they all have it.
Wolfgang Puck Express....pizzas and pasta dishes are more than enough for two. Most menu items are large enough to share.

 

[ottawamom]

Have to agree with all who have posted. On a recent trip I ate almost exclusively off the kids meals. It takes a little hunting to find variety but it is there. What I liked was there were always two sides (grapes, carrots etc) and a drink. The portion was similar to what I would eat as an adult at home. A few times we indulged in an adult meal but I found often I just wasn't hungry for that much food.

Sunshine Seasons, Kids caesar salad with chicken, great value.

 

[squirrel]

Have to agree with all who have posted. On a recent trip I ate almost exclusively off the kids meals. It takes a little hunting to find variety but it is there. What I liked was there were always two sides (grapes, carrots etc) and a drink. The portion was similar to what I would eat as an adult at home. A few times we indulged in an adult meal but I found often I just wasn't hungry for that much food.

Sunshine Seasons, Kids caesar salad with chicken, great value.

I probably eat the amount of a kids meal but there is no way I could eat one. I have too many allergies to all their healthy food. I can't eat raw veggies, grapes or apples. Good thing we have Free Dining. I hope my niece is into sharing at least some meals because there is too much for me to finish. She is more adventurous in her food choices than me too, so I know she will want to try stuff I won't touch.