2 Years Old & Dining Plan

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

We are already planning our newborns first trip... and guessing we will be doing this when he is about 24 months...or a little older. We typically get the DDP...but are thinking about getting the counter service plan and attempting to do one sit down at our favorite restaurant on site. We are figuring that the counter service will give us more flexibility and I am sure out little guys legs won't be able to RUN like we typically do from "oh lets hit this ride...we'll make it to our ressie on time." as we have in the past. Our thought process is that we are no longer on the Disney Do Or Die schedule- if it's noon and DS is ready for lunch--find the nearest CS and make it work from there. Minimize meltdowns at all costs...(save the meltdowns for the character interactions LOL ) If it's noon-thirty and DS shows signs of needing a nap...we either walk with him the the stroller and chill or go back to the resort...

Now, how does this work??? Do we purchase a "childs" counter service plan? I am sure that WDW frowns upon kiddos eating off their parents plates...and honestly...I don't want to share... I'm sure my husband won't either.

We have eaten at CS in the past and the food is well--fast food for the most part...are we missing anything by NOT doing a sit down??? I'm totally ok with NOT doing character dining at this age.

Are there CS's out there that are a little more upscale food wise?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!!! TIA

 

[3pletprincesses]

Under the age of 3, there's no dining plan available. Under the age of 3, it is expected or more like encouraged for children to eat off their parents plates. Worse comes, you can always buy a kids meal OOP. When my girls were babies, we use to get them to eat off our plates and simply buy extra servings of fruits as CS have very little veggies and fruits. at Ts you would have a little more serving of fruits and veggies IMO but it can be hard to do planned TS every day with little ones. The best bet if you want to do TS would be to plan it around the time you would eat at home and keep with your hom schedule.

 

[havoc315]

As stated, there is no meal plan for under the age of 3. They are expected to eat off their parents' plates. At ts buffets, they can eat for 'free.'
At cs locations, you can also just buy him his own meal.

With the changes the last couple years, there is little benefit to purchasing the qsdp. In most scenarios, it doesn't save much money, and may actually lose money.

($8 breakfast plus $3 beverage, plus $9 dinner, $3 dessert, $3 beverage, $4 snack, plus tax, equals a $3 loss on the qsdp).

 

[Alesia]

If you want to get a dining plan for your 2 year old, you'll need to say that he's 3, which means that you'll also need to purchase park tickets for him.

Only you know how your family eats, but you really should do the math before deciding on the qsdp. There's a pretty good chance that you'll actually lose money, particularly if you're going to have a TS meal thrown in there.

 

[DixieBelle]

With the changes the last couple years, there is little benefit to purchasing the qsdp. In most scenarios, it doesn't save much money, and may actually lose money.

($8 breakfast plus $3 beverage, plus $9 dinner, $3 dessert, $3 beverage, $4 snack, plus tax, equals a $3 loss on the qsdp).

Agreed. Quick service is not a deal. At best it is a way to prepay expenses.

Servers at Disney have always been very nice about sharing with kids. They bring an extra plate without blinking! Regular dining might work better. Buffets are really easy to feed toddlers with. always something veggie and fruit.

 

[havoc315]

Agreed. Quick service is not a deal. At best it is a way to prepay expenses.

Servers at Disney have always been very nice about sharing with kids. They bring an extra plate without blinking! Regular dining might work better. Buffets are really easy to feed toddlers with. always something veggie and fruit.

I'm not usually a fan of the buffets -- But this is one circumstance where they are beneficial. If you are on the regular dining plan, it gives you the extra benefit of feeding a 2-year-old without plate sharing.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

thank you for the insight...So glad we are starting to plan and ask questions now! Even if it is intermittently...Sounds like we might keep the DP and eat at buffets...and maybe a couple other sit downs....

 

[MSSANDRA]

Ok..I'll be the trouble maker. I would wait and see what kind of kid you get. How he does in restaurants....., what kind of eater he is.....Will he eat like a horse or a bird? Is he picky or adventurous?

Our boys ate out a lot from an early age and learned to not only do well but to enjoy it. ADR's are very much a part of our trips even with little ones!

CS...I can not image no having enough to feed a typical two year old off your plates. DS5 and I shared most CS meal on our last trip. You will have two years of parenting under your belt by then and some of the answers will be very clear!

 

[snorkelyn]

We brought our 24 month old (and a 4yo and 6yo), and we had dining plan for all except the 24 month old. We ALL ate well. About half of our TS meals were buffets, so he ate well there. The other TS we all shared with him. Our plan was to buy him his own kids meal OOP if needed- but we never needed to. The portions are big all over Disney! The servers usually brought him a kids drink at no charge too!

 

[mamato3girls]

Last year our middle dd was 2 1/2 when we went to Disney and did the regular dining plan. At buffets it was just free, we got her whatever she wanted from the buffet. We did most buffets with the exception of Cinderella's royal table where they brought her buttered noodles and maybe broccoli and ice cream? I can't remember now what the other things were with the noodles but it was free and at Akershus they actually asked us what she wanted and let us order her a regular kids meal right off the menu for free. I was very impressed with how accomodating they were.

 

[camac517]

I'm not usually a fan of the buffets -- But this is one circumstance where they are beneficial. If you are on the regular dining plan, it gives you the extra benefit of feeding a 2-year-old without plate sharing.

I completely agree! I HATE buffets but we took our twins in September (the were 23 months at the time) for free dining so we did Chef Mickey's since the boys could eat for free. We also did 'Ohana and Liberty Tree Tavern because I'd much rather have family style than buffet. At the other table service restaurants and at counter service we usually bought one kids meal for them to share. They wasted most of it anyway.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

We are definitely looking into the buffets...didn't think about family style meals!!! AWESOME! Thanks for that!!!

This is going to be a totally different experience for us...even dining! That is the best part of Disney...we have never had the same experience twice!!!