Kids Cut off at age 9 !!! GRRRR!!!!!!

[goofydisney2015]

Planning our 1st trip to Disney and am very aggravated to have found this info out !! Wish I had known so could've planned before my son turns 10 in May. We are planning to go the week after Thanksgiving so we can see the Christmas decorations, etc..... Wanted to do Dining Plan , but with him being an "adult" its crazy $ and there's no way he'll eat the portions. Looking at the menus , he will eat stuff off kid menu , but I don't see alot on reg menu.
We could try to go mid Feb, but its so close and hate to miss Christmas.
Any suggestions? Should I try to move it to Feb , before he turns 10 ? Or is there other food options for him?
Thanks!

 

[Dawnlight]

We had the opposite problem with our twin 9 year old girls. They couldn't eat many of the kid options (we don't eat meat, only some fish), and they didn't get desserts where everyone else did. We added appetizers and extra snacks as needed or shared with the rest of our party.

Is there an option of keeping him off the dining plan and paying out-of-pocket for his choices? You can then order either off the adult or children's menu.

 

[mamatobbg]

Joining the convo, though it's too late for us! My oldest is now 10. Definitely makes a difference for DDP decisions and character meal OOP costs. If you'd be disappointed about not seeing the Christmas decor (it's so beautiful!!), and can gather the difference in money, I'd tend to try to stick to Nov. However, if you go often and this isn't a once in several years trip, then maybe squeeze a trip in before he turns 10? (Just re read. Being your first trip, I'd stick to Nov. And pay OOP for meals).

 

[fluffsmom]

I think its ridiculous that kids under 12 are charged as adults. However, its the rules. We have three kids.... 10, 12 and 13.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

Go when you originally planned and don't do the dining plan. Ay out of pocket and let him order off the kid menu if he wants. Don't do buffets, as you will have to pay adult prices for him once he is 10. The dining plan doesn't necessarily save you money.

 

[larryz]

Planning our 1st trip to Disney and am very aggravated to have found this info out !! Wish I had known so could've planned before my son turns 10 in May. We are planning to go the week after Thanksgiving so we can see the Christmas decorations, etc..... Wanted to do Dining Plan , but with him being an "adult" its crazy $ and there's no way he'll eat the portions. Looking at the menus , he will eat stuff off kid menu , but I don't see alot on reg menu.
We could try to go mid Feb, but its so close and hate to miss Christmas.
Any suggestions? Should I try to move it to Feb , before he turns 10 ? Or is there other food options for him?
Thanks!

I have found that unless family members eat everything available on the Dining Plan, it's less expensive to just pay out of pocket. This is especially true if you're not taking advantage of "free dining," which is generally recognized as more expensive than paying discounted hotel rates (unless you can get 4 big eaters into one room).

This doesn't negate the convenience of the DP, and many seem to choose it for that factor alone.

 

[North of Mouse]

Planning our 1st trip to Disney and am very aggravated to have found this info out !! Wish I had known so could've planned before my son turns 10 in May. We are planning to go the week after Thanksgiving so we can see the Christmas decorations, etc..... Wanted to do Dining Plan , but with him being an "adult" its crazy $ and there's no way he'll eat the portions. Looking at the menus , he will eat stuff off kid menu , but I don't see alot on reg menu.
We could try to go mid Feb, but its so close and hate to miss Christmas.
Any suggestions? Should I try to move it to Feb , before he turns 10 ? Or is there other food options for him?
Thanks!

Rather than change your plans over this one issue, just pay oop - for us it's much cheaper anyway. We do not eat desserts at mealtime, neither do we want a soda - prefer water.

I would not take a lesser time of year (per your plans) just because of the DDP.
JMO

 

[chelseabun76]

This was one of the big factors involved when my mom decided to take her grandkids one at a time when they were 8. We missed last year (when my dd turned 8) because my sister passed away, so when she turned 9 my mom said it's now or never, as we wanted them to go before she turned 10 as my mom loves doing the dining plan, etc. and the jump in cost for ticket too. I don't agree with the age of 10, maybe 13 would have been a better age, but we aren't Disney. lol

 

[goofydisney2015]

Thanks everyone! I had though about not doing DP and go in NOV as planned. Can he still order off Kids Menu then? If so , that is the ticket , no DP !
Just thought since he was "adult" per Disney he couldn't order off Kids Menu regardless if we did the DP or not.

 

[3PrincessesAndaFrog]

I have seen both sides....my youngest daughter has always eaten more than my older so when my older daughter turned 10 they often shared there meals. The smaller portion was just not enough for the younger one and she preferred the adult options. The table service option with dessert, we would take the dessert to go because none of us ever had to the room to finish. Even now that they were older, we still take it to go when we don't have room.

Friends had sons that could devour a adult portion in minutes at the age of 10.

We looked at the menus before we decided to go with DDP. Kids picked a couple of options, I did the math...and DDP has always been broke even or cheaper.

 

[Here4mydisneyfix]

Thanks everyone! I had though about not doing DP and go in NOV as planned. Can he still order off Kids Menu then? If so , that is the ticket , no DP !
Just thought since he was "adult" per Disney he couldn't order off Kids Menu regardless if we did the DP or not.

If you are planning to eat at counter service, yes! Even adults can order off the kids menu if you so choose....at table service though, they *may* ask you his age and charge for and serve a double portion of kid meal food items....I am pretty sure the age for that is 12 though and not 9...anyone know for sure?

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Thanks everyone! I had though about not doing DP and go in NOV as planned. Can he still order off Kids Menu then? If so , that is the ticket , no DP !
Just thought since he was "adult" per Disney he couldn't order off Kids Menu regardless if we did the DP or not.

I know you can still order for him off of the kids menu in CS places (counter service)

I know you will be charged adult prices at any buffet for him

as for regular table service I'm not sure if he can order off of the kids menu or not.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

We used to love to do character meals but once my DD's turned 10 we had to stop for a few years.

About 5 years ago I stopped for lunch on a whim at Biergarten. Proabably because the DH wasn't with me. For my 2 DD's, my self and one beef flight I paid $92 for a lunch and my kids ate almost nothing.

 

[MickeyOCD]

At Table Service restaurants, he may or may not be able to order off the kids menu, it depends on the server/restaurant. My 13 yr old has ordered off tge kids menu, it depends on tge adult offerings, if there's "foodie" type options, she won't order it, plain steak, she will. She will order off of either depending on the menu options of both. It depends on the server, if they will allow it. I don't choose a restaurant based on whether my child can order off a particular menu. But when she does want to order off the kids menu, she has never been told she couldn't. And, btw, she looks every bit of 13 or even older.

 

[jimandami]

My DS10 ordered off the kids menu at every table service meal we had in Oct.

 

[Dis703]

Go when you originally planned and don't do the dining plan. Ay out of pocket and let him order off the kid menu if he wants. Don't do buffets, as you will have to pay adult prices for him once he is 10. The dining plan doesn't necessarily save you money.

This^

The dining plan has never saved us money and our kids are still young. Just skip the dining plan and if you don't want to pay adult price stay away from the buffets or just limit them. I'd still go when you planned on going.

 

[AThrillingChase]

My 16 year old cousin is VERY picky and ordered off the kids menu at almost every place. We only had trouble at san angel inn in mexico. They gave her an adult portion of a kids meal item. I think it was still only like $10 though.

 

[SeilerBird]

You do not have to be 9 or under to order any child's meal at WDW. I do it all the time. I am a 66 year old pass holder and I find the adult meals are too much food for me. So I asked a cashier if I really had to be 9 to order a kids meal and she told me no, anyone can order it. So that is what I do just about every time I have a lunch at WDW.

 

[tiggerdad]

Hold out and watch their offers around June, July, and August. Disney has been offering free dining during your stay times for the last 2-3 years. It may very well solve your problem. The dates themselves for the offer change a little each year, but it has been there.

 

[DisHmsklMom]

For my 12 yo, she often orders an appetizer and sometimes adds a side dish veg as her meal. This seems to work out well for her. Plus we often share 2 desserts between 4 so we get more options to try.
Check out the menus for the places you want to eat and you'll have a better idea on what it will cost you to feed him and your family.