birthcertificate for under 3?

[mickeysgirl17]

A friend of mine just returned from disney a few days ago and she told me when she went into MGM, a CM at the entrance area asked to see her 2 year old childs birth certificate. I guess they thought my friend was trying to sneak in her child who looked like she was over 3. Of course, my friend didn't have it and she had to argue with the CM who suggested that she pay for her child. I'm thinking about going out of my way to get my 2 year old's birth certificate now. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

When DS6 was two, we never had anyone ask us. I have never even heard of a CM challenging a two year olds age, or even an eight year olds age..where does it stop? Who the heck (besides you and us now) would think to take a birth certificate to a theme park??? I am thinking your friend got ahold of an overzealous CM, but if it would make you feel better, and it's handy, I would go ahead and take it...

 

[ReneeA]

I've never heard of them asking for a birth certificate, HOWEVER, both my kids are very, very tall for their age. My DD had just turned 2 last year when we went, and a CM at Epcot struck up a conversation with her. She asked her how old she was and my DD adamantly said, "I'm 2!!" and stuck 2 fingers up in the air.

The CM turned to me with a wink and said, "Just checking!"

They do have other ways since most 3 year old would not think to lie and say they are 2.

 

[cruiserkaren]

I have a small one wallet one that I plan on taking. My dd will be about 2 weeks shy of 3. She is really tall and talks way beyond her age. Just to be on the safe side I'm going to put it in my fanny pack. It's just a bit bigger than a credit card so it won't be a hassle at all.

 

[mantysk8coach]

I'd take it just to give yourself peace of mind. Odds are you aren't going to need it, but having it along would be better than being forced to buy a ticket.

I have a tall two year old, and no one even looked twice at her.

Might depend what time of year you are going though. We were there in busy, crazy June, and I think they were just trying to get people through.

If you are there in a slower time of year, they might be less busy, and have more time to decide whether they want to harass you or not, if no one else is in line at the gate.

 

[tjmw2727]

I haven't personally seen a CM ask for proof of age for the under 3 free admission but I have been reading more and more accounts of it here an on other message boards.

I have personally seen them chat up my neice and nephew, IMHO to determin age. They were courteous, respectful and friendly but it was apparant they were trying to get an idea of the age of the child.

My neice will be 3 in October so for our September trip my sil does plan on bringing a copy of her BC just in case. If your child is above average in size, very verbal or close to age 3 I would definately carry the BC just in case. I also plan to carry a copy of my dd's BC as she is 9 and turns 10 shortly after our September trip.

FWIW I do beleive it is appropriate for a CM to ask a childs age in the case of a free or reduced price ticket. If your entitled to a discount you are usually prepared to prove it via your AAA, AARP or other discount cards. Disney gives a discount to under 3 in the form of free admission and a discount to those under 10 with reduced admission. I personally don't mind having proof that my children deserve this discount, YMMV.

TJ

 

[SqueakyMouse]

We've made many, many trips to WDW with our 3 children and have never ever been asked their ages.

 

[mtemm]

we've decided to bring copies of them for our 2 year old twins. my daughter insists she is 3 if you ask her how old she is (!!!) and her twin is so much taller than she is, most people assume they are a year apart. I am hoping we won't run into problems, but from time to time I have heard people here say they've had a problem at the gate, or that they have been charged at a buffet for their 2 year old. (that one worries me since we have lots of buffets scheduled).

 

[dizzneebabe]

Good grief! Now I'm a bit nervous. DD will be about 3 weeks shy of her 3rd birthday when we arrive next week. Silly me, I don't have a copy of her BC yet. Just haven't needed it, I guess--until now...?

I might have to trek out to the county office to get it to be on the safe side.

I guess I never thought about it, since her brothers are/were very tall for their ages and no one ever questioned them having child's tickets when they were under 9.

It's not that I'm against it, I just didn't think I would need it. If a CM were to ask her, she would say she was two, that is, if she didn't clam up--as she tends to do around strangers.

UGH!

 

[krismas29]

I have not been asked at WDW (yet) to prove my niece's age, but last year when one of my nieces was 14 months old we were asked for her birth certificate when checking in for a Southwest flight to Orlando. Having flown with her many times prior to that (on Southwest) and never having been asked before, it was surprising. Luckily my DSiL knew just where the certificate was and her neighbor was able to fax it to Southwest. Now we take copies of both girl's birth certificates every time we travel.

 

[cleo]

Although they rarely ask, Disney DOES reserve the right to do so. If you think your child might look 'older or bigger' than their age, it's worth taking proof. Chances are great you won't need it, but if you do, you've got it. Much better than having to argue, get upset, and possibly end up purchasing a ticket.

 

[Princess Sammi]

I have not been asked at WDW (yet) to prove my niece's age, but last year when one of my nieces was 14 months old we were asked for her birth certificate when checking in for a Southwest flight to Orlando. Having flown with her many times prior to that (on Southwest) and never having been asked before, it was surprising. Luckily my DSiL knew just where the certificate was and her neighbor was able to fax it to Southwest. Now we take copies of both girl's birth certificates every time we travel.

I believe it's standard (requirement) now on most airlines to have a child under 2 show a birth certificate. It wasn't required for us when my ds was 1 1/2 , but that was 6 years ago.

Btw.........My 3 children were never asked for proof of age at the parks, and they are very tall for their age.

 

[C-CMom]

We travelled out of the country with our twins (then 4 years old) not too long after 9/11/2001. We got accustomed to taking "ID" for them, iniially with birth certificate copies, now with passports when we travel "just in case". Besides, likemost have said, if you know you are asking for an appropriate discount, why not prove it? And I agree, I rather not need to argue about it...makes for a more magical day!

 

[seashoreCM]

Many organizations, bus companies, etc. use height rather than age to determine who gets a reduced price ticket.

I did read one account (right here on The Dis) about someone who said their child's birth certificate was rejected by a CM.

Since Disney chose to use age and not size as a criterion and also because Disney is supposed to be magical, Disney should not be making a big stink over issues such as this and should not expect guests to have to go to court let alone go to court in Florida.

Another fair test of whether the system is a good system is to say that Disney should not do profiling (including observing the child's size).

 

[Schmeck]

Since Disney chose to use age and not size as a criterion and also because Disney is supposed to be magical, Disney should not be making a big stink over issues such as this

The "Disney is supposed to be magical" just made me Disney is a business, a big business, and if they want proof of age, then they can demand proof of age.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

We flew Southwest once and they decided that our 2 year old (who is quite short for his age) might be three and insisted on a BC. We didn't have one with us, so we had to buy an extra seat. Then, when we got on the plane (rather late because of the delay) we couldn't find continguous seats so our maybe three year old magically became two again in their eyes and got to sit on mom's lap. They did eventually send us a refund when we sent them copies of our tickets and BC. It was a hassle, but for $250, what choice did we have.

In hindsight, we should have done two things differently. First, we should have brought the BC just in case. Second, we should have flown with an airline that treats people like people and not cattle.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

If you don't have a copy of your child's birth certificate at all, it's really worth the $5 or whatever it costs and the few minutes to get one. You might as well pick up a few copies for when they get older anyway (especially those wallet-sized ones, but they are not good for passports and "offically offical" stuff), because you're going to need them handy for all sorts of things once they start school.

Because of increased security, it's also just a good idea to keep a copy of one of the wallet sized ones when traveling anyway. You never know how you might be delayed or if security will all of a sudden tighten for some reason. It's a really small investment for a big piece of mind - you'll find them handy in the oddest of places.

NED

 

[northie]

I've never heard of them asking for a birth certificate, HOWEVER, both my kids are very, very tall for their age. My DD had just turned 2 last year when we went, and a CM at Epcot struck up a conversation with her. She asked her how old she was and my DD adamantly said, "I'm 2!!" and stuck 2 fingers up in the air.

The CM turned to me with a wink and said, "Just checking!"

They do have other ways since most 3 year old would not think to lie and say they are 2.

My 2 year old lied the other way at the zoo. He WAS 2, and he was going to be 3 in a couple weeks, and he adamantly insisted to the guy taking tickets he was 3. I said, "He is NOT 3 but he will be on November 20. If we come back on or after November 20, I will gladly pay for him. Today, however, he really is 2 and and I am not paying." They let me in but they probably still think I was just a cheapskate that sneaked her child in!

Sara

 

[flortlebap]

We are taking a copy of my neice's passport with us. She is 2 and a half - very tall for her age (looks more like a 3 year old) but still has a baby face and is very thin.

Better to be safe than sorry though! I would imagine at worst you would have to pay admission and then get your ticket refunded at customer services after you've proved your child's age!

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I wouldn't mind bringing my child's birth certificate with me if I had one, but now I may have to go out of my way to get one just in case. I've just never needed one.