2 year old at a buffet?

[msce2]

Suellen, I really appreciate hearing about your experience! My DS will almost be 3 when we go, and rather then get there and possibly experience issues now I know to come prepared in the albeit rare instance that one of the CM will doubt DS being 2. It's not a big deal for me to bring him a plate and utensils in the diaper bag. Probably Cars and maybe a Mickey one. I'll have fun picking them out, and he'll have fun eating off them.

I'm sorry that you had to go through all that!

 

[TwoRoos]

Nobody has accused you of lying, I hope you don't feel that way. In fact one other person has said that something similar happened to them.

Mostly people here are reporting that this hasn't ever happened to them and assuring others that though this mistake happened for you, it's quite rare.

I think so many are reporting their positive experiences at buffets because of the strong reaction to what happened to you. Several people were going to go to Walmart to buy special items to make buffets possible for them and bring their own plates to buffets to avoid charges. That seems like an extreme step for many to take because of two isolated incidents.

Your advice to watch receipts is good. It's also good that others can share their positive experiences at Disney buffets, which thankfully sound much more common than the shoddy treatment you received.

I TOTALLY agree with this post. I don't think you're lying at all! I completely believe you and I am outraged FOR you that it happened. I think it's totally crazy. When I posted early on in this thread that we had not had the same experience, it wasn't to diminish from what you experienced at all. Instead, I was trying to show (along with others I think), that your encounter was not the norm. I really think you got a raw deal, and I want others who are planning trips not to worry too much about it. Please don't be upset and have your feelings hurt. I don't think anyone meant it that way at all. I thank you for sharing your experience with us. It's always good to be on our toes.

 

[NMW]

Our youngest is 7, so it's been a while since we had a 2 year old at WDW-2003 to be exact! We did not get charged at buffet breakfasts or at Cape May cafe dinner for her, although several places did charge us for the milk we ordered for her. We expected to pay for that though. We paid cash for her to get some kid meals at non-Buffet places.

 

[maggiew]

I'm thinking the 2 cases where people were charged at buffets for children under 3, the CM might have mistaken the age because the child looked over 3??? At the time it might not have been because "they ate off their own plate" but that the CM thought they were old enough to charge.

Maggie

 

[WantToGoNow]

Our last 3 trips have been with a child under 3. We have had many buffet and family style meals where my children got there own plate and I never had to pay for them to eat - they even volunteered a plate a Whispering Canyon so my dd could eat off it - she was 3 weeks short of her 3rd birthday at the time and a big girl - they never questioned her age because the dining card said we had 4 adults and 1 child and there were 6 of us. Coral Reef was the only place that charged me for her drink.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Just wanted to say that I'm totally surprised that a CM would charge for anything for a child the parent says is under 3 at a buffet. In 4 trips with a child under 3, we've never been told that if I fix the child his own plate that I have to pay for it. We've always been supplied with drinks for our children when they were under 3, also. I think our youngest went through at least 3 juice boxes at Chef Mickey's last time and we weren't charged a cent (although we left a generous tip for her trouble).

I will say that we had a mix-up at Tusker House last trip, where the CM tried to charge us for 2 A and 2 C dining credits, when our youngest was under 3. I showed her the card, that it was 2 A and 1 C, said our youngest was just 2 and she fixed it without any questions. I think that was just an oversight and not deliberate and it was an isolated incident.

To to OP, sorry you had this trouble, and I certainly do think it was out of the ordinary. When was your trip? If it was during the holiday season when they bump up the prices for all the buffets, maybe that was the issue. I hope you don't have any trouble on your next trip!

 

[dsneygirl]

I'm thinking the 2 cases where people were charged at buffets for children under 3, the CM might have mistaken the age because the child looked over 3??? At the time it might not have been because "they ate off their own plate" but that the CM thought they were old enough to charge.

Maggie

That's what I am thinking. With my DS who was 26 months last trip we did several buffets (Tusker House, 1900 Park Faire) and he didn't literally eat of my plate he wasn't in my lap or anything. He had his own plate and I believe he even got a beverage (usually milk). We never had an issue.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

The very first time we used the dining plan was during free dining in 2007. My dd was 2 at the time. The CM that checked us in forgot to give me a dining plan brochure so I went over to the concierge to ask for one (this was at POFQ). I asked about eating at the buffet and if we literally had to have DD eat from our plate and the concierge said yes! She said that if we went up and made a separate plate for dd we would be charged. I must've looked surprised or said, "really?" and she got kind of huffy with me and said well some restaurants may let you get her own plate. So I figured I'd just ask each server to be sure. We ate at CP and CM that trip and both servers said by all means we could get her whatever she wanted. They even gave her a drink at no charge.

 

[Suellen]

Thank you LittleStinkerbelle. That is pretty much what they said to me. But I know that particular trip we only at at two TS and were charged for her BOTH times.

And all I know is it was WAY, WAY worth the 160$ the next trip to not deal with it.

 

[Picabo]

I guess, for me, I'm thinking I'm just going to bring some disposable plates along just to be on the safe side. Our DD will be 2 1/2 when we go. We always use the disposable sticky place mats whenever we go out but there are some things (pasta, for example) that you just can't really eat off of a place mat.

But as Stinkerbelle said - best rule of thumb is to ask each server to see what the various policies are. If they give the ok to get their own plate, awsome. If not, whip out the disposable one!

But here's something I'm confused on - if they are under 3 and you are not planning to play for their buffet then can they have a high chair/booster seat?? Talk about a MESS having my kid try to eat while sitting down low in a regular chair!

 

[PEANUT1]

Don't flame but I have a very hard time believing this. Not that I think anyone is lying, but did the people who were charged complain to the manager? It was probably just a mistake.

We have been to the world so many times with our kids under 3 and have never ever been charged. They even brought my 2 year old drinks on our last trip (at Crystal Palace, Boma, and Tusker house) without charging.

 

[kelma]

I certainly do feel that way ~ and as though my experience has been minimized.

The rules CLEARLY state that the child MUST share from an Adults Plate. That is rule ~ if you don't follow it ~ then you should be prepared to pay.

Good luck to everyone ~ hope you don't have to pay ~ but when I go this time now that I understand the rules explained to me by the CM ~ I am going to follow what it says and feed my 21 month old off my plate. I will not be making her her own plate at the buffet since that is not what is supposed to be free. Since she is a bird I won't buy her a dining plan like I did with my older child who does eat a lot.

JMHO and what I now understand to be the right thing to do.

First, I don't think that anyone accused you of lying or minimized what happened to you - in fact, I think we all think it's absolutely horrible! I'm not exactly sure why you're getting so angry with the posters on this thread

Now, I have been to probably 30 buffets with children under 3. My oldest dd, now 10, is 5'3" now and has always been huge for her age. The last time we took her before she turned 3 was the month before her birthday and she easily looked like a 4 year old. We were never questioned at buffets and she always had her own plate. The first time we took our younger 2 kids, they were both under 3 and again, not one person told us not to get them their own plates, or tried to charge us for them. I am NOT discounting what happened to you (nor was anyone else on this thread) I am merely saying what MY experience was at the buffets.

Finally, I take exception to your implication that you're following the rules, but the rest of us who get our children their own plates are not We are doing the right thing as explained to us by our servers. I can't understand why you are so certain that the person you spoke with is correct and all the other servers that the rest of us have dealt with are wrong Is it not possible that it is the other way around?

Again, I feel horribly about what happened to you and your family- in fact, I replied as such in another thread, but your experience was completely different from mine and almost all of the others who wrote on this thread. Which leads me to hope that yours was an isolated case of a misinformed or misguided CM and not truly Disney policy.