Adult Buffet Prices for 11 year old

[chartle]

For the the posts that want a different price for kids aged from x to y, that will never happen due to the the Dark Sith Lord that is the Disney Dining Plan.

While its easy to talk about tiered pricing for buffets, how does this work for normal meals?

 

[maxiesmom]

The time this most bothered me was when my kids were over 10 and we went to HDDR, had to pay adult prices but they couldn't drink the achohol that was included and we paid for. Now I don't drink but at least I would have been allowed to, they of course were not. In that case I think there should have been a junior price for those 10 thru 20 who are not allowed to drink.

Whenever you do a Disney show or buffet the thing to keep in mind is a lot of what you are paying for is the show, or the characters.

To me, it would make more sense for HDDR to just have adults pay for an adult beverages they wanted to drink. Makes no more sense to charge a 21yr old for alcohol they don't drink that it does to charge a 18yr old.

 

[TDC Nala]

No matter where they put the cutoff, there are going to be those who are not satisfied. If they put it at 18 there will be those posting declaring that their 18 year old will only eat a bowl of salad and they shouldn't be paying the full price.

Why 10? Because that's where the ticket cutoff is, and with the dining plan an attempt is being made to link all that together, which will get carried further with the next generation system. For dining the cutoff used to be 13. But they lowered the dining age to match the tickets rather than raising the ticket age to match the dining.

As to why they won't remove money from the charge for guests at HDDR who don't drink, or guests at CRT or Akershus who don't want the photo package, that is the nature of an all-inclusive event. You pay one price and it includes everything - the show, the tip, the booze for HDDR, the photos at CRT. Any of that can be declined but the price won't change. Just like if you go on a cruise and you prefer not to eat lunch even though it's included - they won't remove the cost of lunch from your fare.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

So we had dinner at Boma's last night and I realized we are paying for our 11 year old as an adult on the buffet. This frustrates me as he doesn't eat as much as an adult and he SHOULDN'T eat as much as an adult. Any thoughts out there on why Disney chooses to say a 10 year old is eating as an adult? It doesn't make sense to me. Especially since I am pretty sure nutrition guidelines would not say a 10 year old should be eating same portions as an adult. I love Boma's but suppose we won't bother going back until my son eats more like a teenager. LOL.

My oldest son is 8 and he plays Hockey. He is slim but muscley and yes he can out eat me. Sometimes he even has a third helping at dinner. I cant speak for all boys in all situations but I can say that sometimes my son eats a lot. I can only assume he puts it into his hollow leg.

Now if we got onto paying for how much we actually eat at the buffets, my family usually does breakfast buffets and sometimes there is very very little on plate especially for my almost 4 year old. He definitely does not eat 10.00 worth of food but it is what it is and I knew the rules before I made the reservations.

 

[ElizabethB]

I've always assumed Disney sets the age for adult dining and park admission at 10 because they really want to catch 12 and over and they figure most parents will lie about their kid's age for a couple of years. Most parents are embarassed to try it for more than a couple of years and the kids start looking to old to get away with it!

So, set the age at 10, you get the adult prices for the 12 and over crowd.

Set the age at 12, you only get the adult price for the 14 and over crowd.

Of course, for those honest parents, Disney catches the kids at 10.

For us, we dislike buffets and all you can eat places so avoid them as much as possible. However, most of the character meals are set price buffets and all you can eat places so sometimes we had to break down and pay the price. But, I agree a full buffet price for a 10 year old is annoying to say the least. Our boys ate almost nothing until they hit the teen years.

 

[ttintagel]

They've got to make a cutoff line somewhere. No matter where it is, it won't be ideal for every single family. That's just the nature of the beast.

 

[Colleen27]

I think 10 is a good age. Why? Because we see complaints from both sides - people with 9yos who aren't content with the choices and portions on the kids' menus and people with 10yos who are unhappy with the choices and portions of the adult menus. If all the complaints were on one side or the other it would reflect a need to rethink the age ranges, but the fact that they do come from both sides means that although there's no way to please everyone, Disney has hit a middle of the road point that suits the average.

If it is particularly problematic for your family, the best solution is to avoid fixed-price dining until your child's appetite catches up to his/her age. We do that often because my 11yo DD is a total waste at a buffet, though we'll book one or two from time to time because they suit my bottomless-pit 15yo and very adventurous 4yo (who I swear can out-eat her big sister) so well.

 

[patsal]

I have not been to a buffet since they ended the junior priceing, 12 and under seemed fair, but 10 and under not willing to pay it. It is all a matter of perspective. I think the buffet pricese are just too high and I found my breaking point and have not been to one since. There are plenty of other choices and jsut dont' do any Buffets or AYCTE places.

 

[LilyWDW]

According to the USDA and many other sites, a nonactive boy aged 9-13 should be eating about 1800 calories per day. This is nearly what a grown nonactive woman needs to eat to maintain her weight (2000 kcals for 19-30). Yes, this is about the average amount of the average person in that range. Yes, your child might be eating more or less then this due to the way averages work. However, that doesn't make it any different when you have to come up with an age cut off for something like the price of buffets.

 

[Disneylvr]

OP, I understand what you are saying and feel your pain. I think you just needed an opportunity to vent. My DD is currently age 9 but will turn 10 before our next vacation. Sometimes she will eat nearly as much as an adult and sometimes she won't. Unfortunately age 9 is Disney's cutoff for child prices for everything. We are going to avoid most Disney buffets for awhile except the one at Fort Wilderness which is a little bit more reasonably priced.

 

[amym2]

OP, I know how you feel also. Boma is my DS11's absolute favorite, but we just can't justify paying almost $40 for mac and cheese (we ate there when he was 9 and he still talks about the mac and cheese). Last October we surprised him and took him to Boma for breakfast. He loved it almost as much as dinner and the price was a lot more reasonable. Turned out that they only charged us a child's price (2 days before his 11th birthday but he looked more like 9). Next time we're at WDW DS will be almost 13 and DD will be 10, so we'll probably forego buffets for awhile. Works out better to go to TS restaurants that offer more adult-like kids' meals (and allow them for preteens), like Cali Grill (DS loved the kids' salmon).

 

[JennyDrake]

1) At one time, WDW had four divisions
. . . infant (under 3)
. . . child (3-12)
. . . junior (13-17)
. . . adult (18+)
2) This applied to ride/admission tickets and some meal prices.
3) They cut it back to the current infant, child, adult.
4) WDW said it was for simplicity.
5) But, it did more more "juniors" into the adult category for food/tickets.
6) I see no way they would go back.

Interesting! I did not know that! Do you know when this pricing was in effect? Just curious.

 

[aubriee]

My oldest son is 8 and he plays Hockey. He is slim but muscley and yes he can out eat me. Sometimes he even has a third helping at dinner. I cant speak for all boys in all situations but I can say that sometimes my son eats a lot. I can only assume he puts it into his hollow leg.

Now if we got onto paying for how much we actually eat at the buffets, my family usually does breakfast buffets and sometimes there is very very little on plate especially for my almost 4 year old. He definitely does not eat 10.00 worth of food but it is what it is and I knew the rules before I made the reservations.

My 8 y/o grandson can out eat me easily. He is not the least bit chunky. In fact, he is tall and slim. This kid just has a high metabolism and plays any sport that involves a ball and running. His dad is 6'2", about 190lbs and ate the same way when he was a kid. He was a bottomless pit almost from the time he was born, but never gained weight. On the other other hand my mom is 79 y/o and we are always fussing at her to eat more. She's 5'9", but like most older people, as she's gotten older, her sense of taste has deteriorated and she eats very, very little. There is no way she would ever 'get her money's worth' at a buffet. She lucky to eat a few bites at each meal. In fact, she eats alot less than my 8 y/o grandson and about the same as my other grandson who is 4 y/o. There are days the 4 y/o GS out eats her. Yet, at WDW we would only have to pay a child's price the 8 y/o, who is a bottomless pit, but would have to pay the adult price for the 79 y/o who wouldn't even eat a half a plate. The four y/o has a 16 y/o sister, who is a nibbler/grazer who never eats more than a few bites at a meal. The last time we went out, she ordered her favorite child's plate cheese enchilada meal and had some left over. She eats about the same amount as her 4 y/o brother and alot less than her 8 y/o cousin. I guess it all evens out in the end from Disney's view.