10 yo son on dining plan

[jkp_9192002]

when we go to disney my son will be 10 yo 2 months before we go. He barely eats anything at all. my concern is that I will be spending all this money for a dining plan that he does not hardly use. any suggestions?

 

[sksjasams]

I would say skip the dining plan and pay out of pocket. My DS had just turned 10 the month before our trip.
Skipping the dining plan will be more cost efficient and your DS can still eat kids meals if he wants to.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Pakey]

I am not a fan of the dining plan but if you are set on using it, you could use his adult TS credits for you, maybe toss in a signature dining meal or two, and pay OOP for your son's meals.

 

[jakenjess]

After the kids turned 10 we no longer used the DDP, it just wasn't cost efficient. Price out the meals you'd eat with and without the dining plan and see what's the best deal. Unless you're doing a lot of character meals/buffets, you're probably better off paying out of pocket.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Don't get the dining plan. Your son will still pay the adult price at buffets and character meals, but he will most likely be allowed to order off the kids' menu at other TS restaurants if you are paying OOP (or order an appetizer as an entree). You can also get a kids' meal for him at CS restaurants.

The DDP can save money for some families, but it can also cost more than you would normally spend on food, particularly if you have a light eater.

 

[powellrj]

I would suggest skipping the DP and just paying out of pocket this trip or maybe going with the quick-service plan. Sometimes the DP isn't right for everyone.

 

[ccgirl]

when we go to disney my son will be 10 yo 2 months before we go. He barely eats anything at all. my concern is that I will be spending all this money for a dining plan that he does not hardly use. any suggestions?

My sugguestion would be - if you don't think you would get value out of the DDP, it would be cheaper to pay OOP. DDP is not always the most cost effective.

 

[bear_mom]

We won't be dong the DDP since youngest ddd will be 10 years and 2 months on our next trip. She only eats chicken nuggets/strips when we go out to eat (occassionally mac & cheese) there is NO WAY I am spending $50/day for her to eat chicken nuggest twice a day .

If your son only eats a little bit it might be better to pay OOP. On our last trip, older dd was 11 (no DDP) and she ordered off the kids menu at most places - the only places we paid for adult meals for her was at buffets.

Emily

 

[lovehoney]

How does your DS 10 feel about eating from the kids menu? My DS10 doesn't eat much but he loves seafood and steak which tends to be pricier on menus.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Do the quick service plan.

 

[puffkin]

Do the quick service plan.

He would still need to pay as an adult on the quick service plan. If he is only eating kids meals, it makes no sense.

I would skip the dining plan. If it is not Free Dining, only in very few instances does paying for the dining plan make sense. You will probably be much better off going OOP.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

He would still need to pay as an adult on the quick service plan. If he is only eating kids meals, it makes no sense.

I would skip the dining plan. If it is not Free Dining, only in very few instances does paying for the dining plan make sense. You will probably be much better off going OOP.

I agree.

We had the DP free when we visited WDW *10/09* - DS was 9 but I upped his age to 10 *he has/had a mature palette *mac n cheese, chicken nuggets aren't his thing. I had to pay for an adult MYW ticket for him but that was no more than $30.

 

[daisyduck123]

My advice...skip the dining plan if it does not work for you.

We were fortunate that our son has been a voracious eater since he turned 10yo. We have always gotten our $$ worth at meals. He eats as much/more prime rib at a meal than any grown man.

 

[LilGMom]

when we go to disney my son will be 10 yo 2 months before we go. He barely eats anything at all. my concern is that I will be spending all this money for a dining plan that he does not hardly use. any suggestions?

My suggestion is to re-evaluate if the DDP is worth it for you on this trip. You will be paying adult price for a child that isn't eating like an adult. is your 10 yr. old going to be eating $35/night each day?

On our next trip our oldest will be 10.5 yrs. old and about half of our meals are character meals. Since we'd be paying adult prices for him regardless at those meals we will be doing the DDP. But next year when the cost of the DDP goes up again we'll go back to paying OOP and not have as many character meals.

 

[figment3258]

I would say skip it when we go next year my dd will be 10 by 10 days ugh. But she does eat a lot which will be good. It's tough to have to lay the adult prices on the buffets but oh well it's life.

 

[wish*i*was*in*the*vi]

We're skipping the dining plan this year. They've raised the prices(my 12 yo son is an adult, my daughter is a child) and quite honestly it's way too much food even for an adult. Who needs a dessert twice a day? I normally eat dessert maybe once a month.
I think it will be cheaper to pay OOP and we wont end up with all the snack credits, as we don't really "snack" much.
And I like the flexibility of not having to eat simply where they take dining credits, we love the Media Noches and Papa Rellenos from Bongos, so I wont feel bad spending $ on restaurants not covered under the Dining Plan.

 

[nilseks]

My son will be 10.5 when we go in December, and I asked this very same question a few months back. DS is a *very* picky eater, and I'm a tightwad. But being cheap as I am, I really wanted to be on the DDP because otherwise I felt like I would be counting every nickel while I was there and I wouldn't enjoy myself because I'd be worrying about money.

What I did was I planned out everywhere we wanted to eat, and I literally went through and tried to guess what we would eat at each place. Being the tightwad loon that I am, I made an entire spreadsheet, guessing at every meal. I feel that I know our eating habits pretty well, so I think I probably hit it pretty close. The estimate turned out as follows: the DDP would save us a whopping $15. *BUT* that $15 savings also gave me peace of mind of going into the restaurants and ordering what I *really* wanted and not having to worry about money. I went ahead and set up the DDP. We now have a little over 4 months until our trip, but our dining is paid off and I know I will enjoy myself more having it paid in advance.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[mom2randj]

What I did was I planned out everywhere we wanted to eat, and I literally went through and tried to guess what we would eat at each place. Being the tightwad loon that I am, I made an entire spreadsheet, guessing at every meal. I feel that I know our eating habits pretty well, so I think I probably hit it pretty close. The estimate turned out as follows: the DDP would save us a whopping $15. *BUT* that $15 savings also gave me peace of mind of going into the restaurants and ordering what I *really* wanted and not having to worry about money. I went ahead and set up the DDP. We now have a little over 4 months until our trip, but our dining is paid off and I know I will enjoy myself more having it paid in advance.

Good luck with your decision!

This is EXACTLY why we are doing the DDP with my DD who will be 10 1/2 when we go in October. Although she eats like a bird and won't eat near as much as an "adult" would, having the peace of mind that I can go in and order anything I want and not have to worry about prices was worth it to me. Plus, our son is 8 and has a pretty big appetite himself, so if she doesn't evertyhing on her plate, I am sure he will help out. lol.

 

[yeahdisney]

We also do OOP. Our 12 DD is also a picky eater and eats a small amount. We ate at CRT, pd for lunch, DD did not want anything from the adult or child menu. DD ate a peanut butter sandwich I brought in along with her drink. And DD would not eat dessert because the ice cream offered was only vanilla (which she does not eat at home either, she will do without ice cream at parties too). Ah well we went for the experience, not the food. Works out for us cheaper OOP.

 

[fitnessmouse]

If you want to pre-pay, put the money you would spent on the DP on a giftcard and use that to pay for the meals.