10-12 year olds on Dining Plan

[GCM13]

I am shocked by the daily price difference between a child and adult on the plan. I can understand an adult paying that price, but not a child over 9. I'll have a 10 and 12 year old when we go, but can't imagine they will eat enough to get our money's worth. Is it still worth doing the dining plan?

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

I'm going to ask for smaller portions or childs meal for my 10 year old but with the adult dessert. !0 year olds vary greatly in size and appetite, my son is tiny while his friend is over 5ft.

 

[Allison]

There is no one answer to that question. It would depend on where you plan to eat and what the family would order at those restaurants.

The best thing to do to figure out if it is worth it is to sit down and figure out how much you would be spending without the plan vs. the cost of using the plan.

If you were going to be doing a lot of buffets or family-style meals where the kids would pay the adult price anyway, then you could very well come out ahead.

 

[bicker]

WDW is very expensive, and sticker-shock at the prices is very common. You're not alone. As Allison suggested, you need to evaluate what is best for your family, given the available choices. Good luck.

 

[The Sweetness]

The DDP isnt for everyone. I am lucky this time out. My 15y old will eat her share of steak etc... and my 2y old will not be on the plan.
When my DD is old enough for the plan, I think we'll still be okay. I can see me/ DH letting DD pick what she wants from our meals, and pick at what we may like from hers And since there is dessert for everyone at cs and ts, we will have ample to share if dd felt *cheated* by a lame selection

 

[Pixiedustspreader]

I too have a hard time justifing the DDP this time around. I have a DD that will be 10 and 3 weeks for our Oct trip (and not a very adventurous eater to boot) and a DS who will be 7. Last two years we easily got our money's worth; but with the adult DDP price 3 and a half times the child's price - I can't justify it this year.

 

[Dis Ohana]

My DD is 11, but a very light eater. I plan on splitting TS meals with her and using leftover to try a few signature restaurants. Also, my DD wouldn't like the food offered on the kids menu, so we'd more than likely end up sharing anyway. DS (14) has a huge appetite, he's always eating. He usually eats his meal and whatever anyone else has leftover. I'm pretty sure he'll take care of any extra CS points we might have.

 

[GCM13]

Pixiedustspreader, that was exactly what I was thinking about a 10 yr old's cost being 3 1/2 times more than the child price. I would love to have the convenience of having my meals paid for in advance, but there is not way my 10 or 12 year old would eat $39 of food each day. It would be nice if Disney had a junior rate that would include a little less food than the adult's.

Dis Ohana, that's a great idea about sharing the TS meals than saving the credits for a signature restaurant. I never thought of that.

 

[bicker]

Pixiedustspreader, that was exactly what I was thinking about a 10 yr old's cost being 3 1/2 times more than the child price.

This is really a "glass half-empty versus glass half-full" scenario. Folks who see a half-empty glass will see that the adult price is 3 1/2 times more than the child price, while folks who see a half-full glass will see that the child price is discounted 72% from the adult price. I believe the reality is closer to the latter than the former: They're heavily discounting the child prices to provide incentive for families with young children to patronize the restaurants.

It would be nice if Disney had a junior rate that would include a little less food than the adult's.

Generally, you could expect that a junior rate on the Dining Plan, if it were ever to be offered, would run about $32 per day. Presumably, it would come with restrictions to account for the difference in price, beyond just smaller portions (since the marginal cost of ingredients is miniscule) -- perhaps, no appetizers included. I think few guests would appreciate that offering at that price point.

 

[canwegosoon]

Ok...what did people do before the DDP..they paid OOP for items. That's what I am going to do when my boys are over 9 yo...(2 trips away). I am also planning to go back to DDE for a discount(we always get an AP), you can make it work-you just have to not think you are missing out on some great deal. I for one will be looking forward to having my boys enjoying adult menus. I do agree WDW could use a JR or a Lite option to many portions.

 

[Andy B]

Our DD will be 10 on the day we check in. She can shovel it in if she wants but the Starter Main and desert will probably be too much for her and one or two of us as well, my DS 15 suggested sharing a couple of meals which will then give us double points to use at signature restarants. Clever boy!

 

[MariaEllerºoº]

What I would suggest doing is sharing the counter service meals and TS meals. Yes, you would still be paying the adult price, but if your children are light eaters then I would suggest using the children's counter service and table top service credits with another person in the family this way you could have a full breakfast, full lunch and full dinners and share the meals with the children instead of only having breakfast and dinner. Use the childrens credits to go towards lunch. This way you get your money's worth out of the dining plan. It worked for us!

 

[Mobed]

Our DD will be 10 on the day we check in. She can shovel it in if she wants but the Starter Main and desert will probably be too much for her and one or two of us as well, my DS 15 suggested sharing a couple of meals which will then give us double points to use at signature restarants. Clever boy!

ANY chance you could change your reservations to a day earlier? Then you would only pay child's price for your dd's park ticket and the dining plan. Disney goes by the child's age at check-in.

 

[Andy B]

ANY chance you could change your reservations to a day earlier? Then you would only pay child's price for your dd's park ticket and the dining plan. Disney goes by the child's age at check-in.

We are staying on the coast for 4 nights booked already, besides we are on free DDP which was available in the UK to book up to 6th November

 

[englishrose47]

DGDs aged 11 are thrilled to be on the adult meal plan. They are past the kid portions and selection esp. with new kids menu. DGS 5 is on the kids plan, thank goodness he loves Mac & Cheese and will order that anytime he can at home. He also likes grapes, a little iffy on the carrots, but he would not touch chilled chicken or PBJ (even if it's not PeterPan 21111) With 4 adult meals I'm sure he"ll have enough. I just don't likethe fact that Disney has made these healthy choices and taken away the traditional hambgr/hotdog & fries option. Come on they are on vacation too!!

 

[JimMIA]

This is really a "glass half-empty versus glass half-full" scenario. Folks who see a half-empty glass will see that the adult price is 3 1/2 times more than the child price, while folks who see a half-full glass will see that the child price is discounted 72% from the adult price. I believe the reality is closer to the latter than the former: They're heavily discounting the child prices to provide incentive for families with young children to patronize the restaurants.

Yep. The adult price is their cost + whatever they feel then need to add to cover admin costs and an acceptable cushion. The kids price (for which DD4-going-on-24 is eternally grateful) is just a loss-leader.

It's been said many times, but often overlooked, that DDP is NOT a meal plan. It's a promotional tool to sell rooms.

 

[JimMIA]

Ok...what did people do before the DDP..they paid OOP for items. That's what I am going to do when my boys are over 9 yo...(2 trips away). I am also planning to go back to DDE for a discount(we always get an AP), you can make it work-you just have to not think you are missing out on some great deal.

This is another great point that many people miss. DDP is just ONE of several discount plans that can save you money. It is NOT for everyone, and it may not be the BEST discount plan for your family. It's easy to get tunnel-vision, but you do a lot better if you look at ALL the options available to you and select the best for your particular situation on that particular trip.

 

[Lesley]

My ds was 11 when we did the dining plan in September. When going out to restaurants a kids' meal was often not enough for him (I'm talking about places like Chili's or whatever.... where 11yo's are still kids ). He'd sometimes choose an adult meal, sometimes the kids meal, depending on the offerings.

At WDW he loved eating all he wanted off the adult menu at each place. He got tired of steak by the end of the week! For the most part he ate at least as much of his meal as I did of mine. He did say it was too much food, but kids' meals would not have been enough food for him. We also had a 2yo who was not on the plan, so she helped eat the extra food.

On our last trip we didn't do the dining plan and I have to say that no one enforces the rule of 9yo and under for kids' meals.... I think he may have ordered a kids entree a couple of times, but those times we also ordered a meal for our 2yo. Ds would also eat whatever our 2yo dd (and sometimes our 6yo dd) didn't finish.

I guess what I'm saying is that you have to know how much your kid will eat and decide if the dining plan is a good deal for you. For us it is worth it.

 

[Pixiedustspreader]

It's really quite simple when it comes to whether the DDP is worth it to me...

Add up the cost of the DDP and go from there... $39x3 + $11x1 = $128 per day.

So whether or not the glass is half full or half empty...is $128 per day a fair "per day food budget" for my family? I can't get it to work...

My 10 yr old DD isn't eating the filet at Le Cellier - she's screaming for ketchup for her hot dog at whispering canyon.

 

[pickles]

It's really quite simple when it comes to whether the DDP is worth it to me...

Add up the cost of the DDP and go from there... $39x3 + $11x1 = $128 per day.

So whether or not the glass is half full or half empty...is $128 per day a fair "per day food budget" for my family? I can't get it to work...

My 10 yr old DD isn't eating the filet at Le Cellier - she's screaming for ketchup for her hot dog at whispering canyon.

Personally, when i did the math the DDP was like getting the CS and snacks for free. You figure the TS covers not just your meal but your 18%(assuming you don't add extra on top, tho we did) One TS meal alone can cost about $40pp. The tricky part is for us who have the 10+yr old kids.This time around we probably won't come out as far ahead as we have in the past, but it is still cheaper, plus all those snacks I translate into entenmans donuts and take home in my suitcase and freeze for eating at home. I am sure others have special ways they use those snack coupons.
I also used the snack coupons to buy milk for our cereal. That worked out just perfect for us