3-9 pricing for a 10 year-old

[kidrericha]

I can deal with the cut off for ticket prices being 9, but I’m getting killed on the dining plan. My girl is going to be 10 when we go and the kid’s menu suits her just fine. In fact, she prefers those options most of the time. Plus, the adult plan is WAY more food than she needs.

Is there any way around this? We went for the first time last year, so I have to imagine they have her on file as being 10, right? Not that I’m one for being dishonest, but in the case of the dining plan, we’d be getting what we paid for. If only I could do 10 and over tickets with 9 and under dining.

 

[minnie1928]

That's part of the reason we don't do the dining plan. My 11 DS is very picky and often eats the "kids" meals. At the counter svc or sit down restaurants they are ok with him ordering off the kid's menu. However, when we go to Crystal Palace or Chef Mickeys we have to pay for an adult meal. Needless to say...we don't do those places as often as we used to.

 

[Deffenm]

Same goes for us as pp. We don't buy the dining plan anymore because DS10 likes the kids menu. It is cheaper for us to pay oop for our food.

 

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

We have done the DDP, and done without the DDP, and prefer going without MUCH more. Heck, sometimes even I get kids meals!

 

[robinb]

We're in the same boat. My vegetarian DD is now 10 and there is no way she will eat off the adult menu. You can either skip the DDP and pay OOP or plan on going to buffets and other price fixed meals to get your money's worth from your little "Disney Adult". We are skipping the DDP and our "Disney Adult" will still order off the kid's menu as long as she wants and Disney will let her. Since we'll have an AP next trip I think we are getting the Tables in Wonderland discount card so we'll save a bit that way.

 

[kidrericha]

It's a shame, really. I like the simplicity of the dining plan. Plus, the snacks are huge - if you figure out how to use those credits wisely, it can go a long way in maximizing the value of it.

I had planned on splitting our stay between Pop Century and renting DVC points. Half the say we were going to do the standard dining plan and the other half deluxe. Which is perfect for the number of restaurants we want to hit, several of which require 2 credits (another way the plan saves money).

Unfortunately, if she is priced as an adult, it's all moot.

 

[turkeymama]

We are going to experience the same issue next December when we want to go. My friend and I both have DDs who will be 10 at the time and we plan on skipping the DDP for once. I just don't think it will be worth it.

 

[robinb]

The other option is to pay for the DDP for her and save her credits at the non-buffet TS restaurants, pay OOP kids meals for her and use the credits yourselves. You can go to more restaurants that way ... you would have an extra non-buffet 1 TS meal for every 2 days you're there and still use the CS credits and snacks for your DD.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

We're in the same boat as OP. There is no way around it if you are purchasing the dining plan. Our DD will be 10 during our next trip and she would just assume have the choices on the children's menu. This is a deal breaker for our family -- no dining plan for us.

 

[hollieplus2]

We have the opposite problem. DS9 doens't like the kids menu, he would rather eat off the adult menu but I can't afford to pay the adult price. I want the kids price while I can get it. What we usually do is order him a kids meal and then he'll have some of mine and I'll have some of his. He doesn't like eating chicken nuggets, and burgers for a week. He wants steak, chicken, fish etc.

 

[java]

Yep why we don't do the dining plan as well. My now 12 year old just doesn't eat that much. We have 4 children and I just couldn't justify it. I couldn't get it to add up. And we actually split meals at Disney as they are HUGE.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

I realized we were going to have the same problem so I moved our annual trip from January to "free dining" September. Boy was it hot! But we had a great time!

Good luck with your decision making!

 

[kidrericha]

We have the opposite problem. DS9 doens't like the kids menu, he would rather eat off the adult menu but I can't afford to pay the adult price. I want the kids price while I can get it. What we usually do is order him a kids meal and then he'll have some of mine and I'll have some of his. He doesn't like eating chicken nuggets, and burgers for a week. He wants steak, chicken, fish etc.

Just FYI, I was reading the other day (not sure where) that some TS restaurants will offer child size portions of regular menu items and you can use a kids meal credit for it. It's just a matter of asking your server if they offer it.

The only time my little one is interested in our food is at Narcoosee's... when everyone at the table but her has steamed Maine lobster. So good.

 

[kidrericha]

I realized we were going to have the same problem so I moved our annual trip from January to "free dining" September. Boy was it hot! But we had a great time!

Good luck with your decision making!

We did free dining this year, too - first week of September. That's what sold me on the ease of the dining plan.
It was hot, but, oh, the crowds. Or lack thereof. And with a couple layers of moisture wicking (I'm talking head to toe, every piece of clothing you can think of), the humidity was quite bearable.

However, this year we did a moderate and next year I want to stay at a value. Unfortunately, I would need to upgrade from the quick service dining plan.

 

[DawnM]

My 9 and 11 year olds (soon to be 10 and 12!) both can outeat me!

We don't do the dining plan and just pay OOP for meals.

Dawn

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I can deal with the cut off for ticket prices being 9, but I’m getting killed on the dining plan. My girl is going to be 10 when we go and the kid’s menu suits her just fine. In fact, she prefers those options most of the time. Plus, the adult plan is WAY more food than she needs.

Is there any way around this? We went for the first time last year, so I have to imagine they have her on file as being 10, right? Not that I’m one for being dishonest, but in the case of the dining plan, we’d be getting what we paid for. If only I could do 10 and over tickets with 9 and under dining.

There really is no honest way of getting around the rule. Disney has to draw a line somewhere and they chose the age of 10 for adult dining and tickets. Many families with 10yo children (and older light eaters) choose to either skip the dining plans or else pay OOP for the 10yo's meals and save their adult credit for another meal.

 

[kidrericha]

There really is no honest way of getting around the rule. Disney has to draw a line somewhere and they chose the age of 10 for adult dining and tickets. Many families with 10yo children (and older light eaters) choose to either skip the dining plans or else pay OOP for the 10yo's meals and save their adult credit for another meal.

I understand the arbitrary age limit for tickets that allow acccess to the same things no matter what your age. The dining plan is a different story. The amount of food and options available to you on the child's plan is much different than the adult. If my child can't put away the food on a adult plan, what's the harm in allowing her to dine on a child's plan. I mean, if I don't get the plan, Disney has no issue with me ordering off the kid's menu. I am wondering why they are so stringent on the plan.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I understand the arbitrary age limit for tickets that allow acccess to the same things no matter what your age. The dining plan is a different story. The amount of food and options available to you on the child's plan is much different than the adult. If my child can't put away the food on a adult plan, what's the harm in allowing her to dine on a child's plan. I mean, if I don't get the plan, Disney has no issue with me ordering off the kid's menu. I am wondering why they are so stringent on the plan.

Disney has to make the tickets and the dining ages consistent with one another so that they are the same on packages. This was done when the dining plan was first introduced and has always been an issue with parents of 10yo's with small appetites such as yourself. OTOH, there are numerous parents with 8 & 9yo's who want to register their child as an adult during the free dining period because they have hearty appetites and mature palates.

You cannot please the entire world and Disney does their best to please most. '10' is their cutoff age and that's the way it is. If they chose 9 or 11, there would still be people who don't care for it.

My advice, once again, is to either skip the dining plan until your child's appetite justifies the increased cost or get the plan, pay OOP for your child's meals and save the adult credits for another meal. No one is required to get any of the dining plans if it does not work for them.

 

[kidrericha]

Disney has to make the tickets and the dining ages consistent with one another so that they are the same on packages.

No, they don't. Disney doesn't HAVE to set it up that way. They can set it up so that know whether or not charges can be made to the room on a particular 'Keys to the World' card, but they can't note to restrict someone to kids menu options on their dining plan? That's where you draw the line for technology Disney is capable of? I don't buy it.

There's a quick fix for this. It just doesn't make as much money.

You suggestion is duly noted. A little space to howl at the moon might be nice.

 

[Colinsmom]

No, they don't. Disney doesn't HAVE to set it up that way. They can set it up so that know whether or not charges can be made to the room on a particular 'Keys to the World' card, but they can't note to restrict someone to kids menu options on their dining plan? That's where you draw the line for technology Disney is capable of? I don't buy it.

There's a quick fix for this. It just doesn't make as much money.

You suggestion is duly noted. A little space to howl at the moon might be nice.

But how do they handle buffets if they allow a 10yo to choose either the child or the adult DDP? Buffet pricing for a 10yo (again, Disney has to set the cut-off somewhere) is the same as the adult. It doesn't seem fair to allow one 10yo to pay child prices for DDP and then eat at the buffets, when the 10yo at the next table paid adult prices for DDP and is eating the same buffet. Obviously, at CS and non-buffet/non-AYCE (all-you-can-eat) restaurants, it is different as there are specific child entrees on the menu to choose from.

I refuse to do the DDP because my 7yo DS isn't filled up on a child's meal. And the children's menu options are horrible at many of the CS places. I end up getting him adult meals part of the time and lose the child CS credits because I can't get anyone else to eat the food off of the children's menu either. As many have said, the DDP isn't right for everyone.