2 Year old...should I pay for 3-8 year old dining?

[DrAndreaDoesDisney]

I am traveling to Disney and we are getting the Disney Dining Plan (one snack, one CS, one TS). We are also getting the club level. We plan on eating at a lot of table service/signature restaurants. I have a two year old. Should I pay for the older child dining plan for her or should I just pay out of pocket for her?

 

[nanalisa]

If you eat at a buffet, you don't have to pay for your 2 yo. At non buffets I would just pay oop for a kids meal or let her eat off your plate. My 2 yo dgs doesn't eat much so it would make sense for me to pay for him to be on meal plan.

 

[Tigger1]

I was not allowed to add my 2 year old grandson to meal plan. He ate off our plate just fine.

 

[Cafeen]

It makes less sense to up a 2 year old to 3 for the plans. This is because in order to buy them the plan, you also have to buy tickets for them when otherwise you wouldn't. This will easily wipe out any savings that you'd get by getting them on the plan.

Even if just buying the minimum ticket, it's still ~$83 plus the plan costs (if non-FD, if FD it's about $160). With buying kids meals twice a day, that's only about $5.50 avg for CS and ~$8 for TS, or about $13.50 per day, meaning you'd have to eat at non-buffets, twice a day, for 7 days (or 6.1...but you know) just to break even with that 1 day ticket cost. This isn't even taking the cost of the plan into account.

 

[TDC Nala]

The above is true if you are on a package that includes tickets.

If you're on a DVC reservation, or an AP/military ticketless package, you do not need to purchase tickets, but you will need to register the child on the room reservation as three years old - you can't just say you want to pay for the dining plan for the child, they must be registered as three years old.

Unless the child eats a great deal and you are planning to buy them their own meal at a lot of CS or a la carte restaurants, it's probably better not to upgrade their age, especially if it means you are going to be paying for tickets.

 

[DrAndreaDoesDisney]

I am not getting park tickets with the meal plan. I always order something separate for my DD. I don't assume that she will eat off of my plate.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you don't need park tickets and you are good with paying for the child's meal plan because you always order her something, then have her age changed to 3.

You may not want to do this if you are doing a lot of buffets or fixed price meals as she will eat free at those anyway.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would not. You can always order a meal for her.

 

[jlk806]

When my son was 2, he did not get the DP, we ate at a lot of buffets and family styles, and at others we just ordered him a meal. Cheaper than adding any dining plan or they can just share with an adult.