admission to disney for a just 3 yr. old

[lijory]

i have a question that i was hoping someone may be able to answer. i am going to disney in a few weeks with my husband, son 9 and daughter who just turned 3. has anyone ever tried not to buy a ticket for a three year old? she looks like she is almost three, but does not talk very much due to a speech delay and auditory processing delay. we are really stretching to take this trip and thought if i could save on 2 days admission for a child that would be great. hopefully none of you will get offened with this question of trying to "cheat" the system.

 

[lil mermaid]

Oh, just buy the ticket.

 

[IrishWake]

Don't worry about a ticket, I once tried to pass for 2 yr old but I got caught. I was 44 after all, but it was touch and go for a minute there.

 

[Allison]

This may not be a good question to ask. Here is a quote from a theme parks attractions and strategies moderator from another thread:

Just a reminder folks, advocating or instructing on how to violate Disney policy is a big DIS no no.


I do hope you can get it worked out.

 

[jayandstacey]

You don't want to stretch too far. My suggestion is to leave the 3 year old home. You clearly indicate that her admission would be an area where you can save some money - so it must be the thing you will most easily sacrifice. Just the three of you go and when your daughter asks, just say you wanted to save on 2 days admission. She probably won't be offended.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Tickets are required for guests age three and older. She needs a ticket.

 

[jayandstacey]

i have a question that i was hoping someone may be able to answer. i am going to disney in a few weeks with my husband, son 9 and daughter who just turned 3. has anyone ever tried not to buy a ticket for a three year old? she looks like she is almost three, but does not talk very much due to a speech delay and auditory processing delay. we are really stretching to take this trip and thought if i could save on 2 days admission for a child that would be great. hopefully none of you will get offened with this question of trying to "cheat" the system.

Lijory -
Don't take too much offense at the replies, but essentially you are asking about saving money by throwing your little daughter under the bus to do so.

I too have an about-to-turn three year old with speech delays. We are going about 45 days before his birthday - but our schedules work out that way. If we went 1 day after his birthday, I would gladly pay his ticket.

The rule is simple and clear. An exception for a speech delay? How about for speech advanced kids? How about based on financial need? How about no free tickets at all?

Bottom line- if you can get into Disney, you have the money to buy a 3 year olds' ticket. Save the money elsewhere if you must - eat lunches in the car, maybe give up cable TV for a few months, maybe work a second job. You have at least a PC, an internet connection and the free time to post here - which means you can go get that extra money if you wanted it.

Or - cheat the system and don't pay for her. I can almost guarantee Disney won't stop you. But that is because they trust people - and when enough people violate that trust, they won't trust people any more and everyone will pay regardless of age.

Of all the money you spend getting to disney - isn't the 3 year old's ticket the very FIRST thing you buy? Then if you can't afford someone, you or the husband stay home? I mean, isn't Disney about the kids?

 

[Sammie]

Do the reponsible thing, buy the ticket. Somewhere the money you save by not doing what is right, will catch up with you and you will have to pay anyway. It always happens that way.

 

[Cmbar]

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION: YES many people pass a three year old off as a two year old. Disney says if they are three then you will need to pay for a ticket. You should know that Disney will NOT ask you for a birth certificate. You will occasionally see a CM ask the CHILD how old they are, but this is rare. I am not advocating you do this, but ultimately this is your decision since no one knows how old your child is but you.

Also the comment about leaving the child home, IMO was unecessary and hurtful. She even apologized for asking this question. Her tone was not "I'm gonna cheat Disney so there!" and I think she didn't need to be responded with sarcasm.

Good luck in your decision. And while I think you should buy the ticket , I will not judge you if you choose not to or tell you that you will have some bad carma if you don't do the right thing, Or that you will bankrupt good ole Disney if you don't pay for a two day admission for a just three year old.

 

[jayandstacey]

Also the comment about leaving the child home, IMO was unecessary and hurtful. She even apologized for asking this question. Her tone was not "I'm gonna cheat Disney so there!" and I think she didn't need to be responded with sarcasm.

Would it have helped if I apologized first, then laid down a sarcastic remark? The original poster is trying to save a buck by playing the "my kid's speech is behind" card. Save a buck to what - keep the HBO subscription? I thought the excuse given was pathetic and deserving of a sarcastic response.

Good luck in your decision. And while I think you should buy the ticket , I will not judge you if you choose not to or tell you that you will have some bad carma if you don't do the right thing, Or that you will bankrupt good ole Disney if you don't pay for a two day admission for a just three year old.

I will happily judge. When people break rules, I judge them to be rulebreakers. I occasionally break rules myself and expect to be judged when I do.

It seems pretty black and white to me. Go by the rules, or don't go. But don't go seeking approval to break the rules.

I have two kids, one that is about to turn 3 and has speech problems, and another that is 6 and has a disability. So I am in a similar situation and simply can't imagine sneaking my kid in on those assumptions. I may not even get a GAC as I just don't think we'll need it - but if I do, I'm certainly not breaking any rules. This is a simple rule that isn't about exceptions like this.

I don't believe the original poster meant harm, but if the 3 year old daughter ever read it, I guarantee she would take offense. The sarcasm is meant to throw a sharp light on that fact.

 

[DebIreland]

Oh dear. Like a lamb to the slaughter.

These boards can be rough.

 

[jayandstacey]

Get off your high horse jayandstacey. You are a nasty, holier then thou jerk.
The OP was just asking a question, so back off and leave her alone.

How old were your kids before you started paying for them?

 

[jayandstacey]

Don't worry about a ticket, I once tried to pass for 2 yr old but I got caught. I was 44 after all, but it was touch and go for a minute there.

Oopps..wait a minute. My bad. I should have posted a nice, not-holier-than-thou message like this one.

 

[disneypharm]

i have a question that i was hoping someone may be able to answer. i am going to disney in a few weeks with my husband, son 9 and daughter who just turned 3. has anyone ever tried not to buy a ticket for a three year old? she looks like she is almost three, but does not talk very much due to a speech delay and auditory processing delay. we are really stretching to take this trip and thought if i could save on 2 days admission for a child that would be great. hopefully none of you will get offened with this question of trying to "cheat" the system.

Are you trying to ? I see too many threads here trying to get attention! Your previous thread from 2004 mentions that you have 2 kids both 7!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=6466566#post6466566

If I am mistaken, I am sorry!!!!

 

[Vickie46]

I can totally understand where you are coming from.. I am trying to come up with 297 to pay for our trip.. I am having Garage Sales, ebay.. and extra pt jobs.. I know what the right thing to do is..

You just need to make that decision that you can live with..

 

[jayandstacey]

Are you trying to ? I see too many threads here trying to get attention! Your previous thread from 2004 mentions that you have 2 kids both 7!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=6466566#post6466566

If I am mistaken, I am sorry!!!!

Yeah, and staying at GF is always the place to go when the budget is tight.

They should sell the kids' carseat to pay for their ticket. The big SUV is protection enough.

geez.

 

[cgainer]

I know this is a sensitive subject and we too wrestled with this when our son was 3 years and 2 months when we went. I approached it like this...if my son asked me how much it costs to get in, what would I tell him? He is a fairly sharp kid (of course every parent thinks so). Would I lie to my son to cover up the fact that I am embarrassed by the fact that I snuck him in? After I thought about that, it made the decision very easy. I hope this helps.

 

[MomofCKJ]

I would buy the ticket. All you are doing if you sneak her in as a 2y old is setting an example for your kids that says it is okay to lie. JMO.

Allyson

 

[kidangel]

I usually stay away from threads like this, but I'm cranky today.

Way back in 1987 my dad took us on a spur-of-the-moment trip to WDW. I was 15, my brother was 12, and my half-brother and half-sister were 3 and 4. I think, at the time, 3 and under were free and 4-11 was a child in Disney's eyes.

So we get to the gate to buy tickets into MK (they hadn't heard of planning). And my step-mother decides that this is way too expensive. I'm instructed to "just stand away from the ticket window and look young." And they proceed to buy child admissions for my brother and I and the little ones sail in for free.

I was furious and humiliated. I was 15, had a boyfriend at home, and was expected to pay for all my own "extras", up to and including sodas and treats, with the money I'd saved from my part-time job. We also went to Wet 'n' Wild and Medieval Nights and the entire trip was one of "god, this is so expensive, just say you're *this age*" or whatever age was the cutoff.

The little ones don't remember the trip at all. Most of what I remember is that my step-mother was more concerned about what having ME along was costing her. Plus, I was terrified that someone was going "catch us" if I suddenly looked too old, and that they would throw us out of the park. Plus, the "furious and humiliated" part tends to stick with me too. Seriously, at the time, I think I would have preferred to stay home.

The irony is that two years before, my aunt had taken me and happily paid the right price. And it was a much happier trip.

I'm assuming you mention the speech delay not to justify what you might choose, but as evidence that you probably could get away with it. And, as others have pointed out, you probably could. After all, at 15, they passed me for 11.

Just like I could probably get away with paying the child rate for my daughter who will turn 10 exactly 30 days before we go. She still LOOKS like a nine year old, right? And it's not like the number of attractions she can access/enjoy is going to change in thirty days.

But.

We'll happily pay the price. Visiting Disney is not a need, as much as some of us here (me included!) sometimes act like it is. It's a vacation that we're grateful to be able to choose to make. When we plan our trips, we choose when to go and who to bring, knowing what it's going to cost. For the next trip, accomodating the increase means we'll stay a day or two less. We could just as easily have chosen to go a month earlier, or waited another year until the oldest girl was off at college. (which would have been cheaper still, as we're the Family Of Five who also won't try to "sneak" us all into one room.)

Your choices are your choices. Pay for the ticket or lie about her age. Every choice has consequences though, and sometimes they're not always visible, immediate consequences.

 

[allison443]

Even if your 3 year old doesn't realize what you are doing, your nine year old son certainly will realize you didn't buy your daughter a ticket.