Bought DDP for my 2 year old. Will it hurt us?

[Corey9172]

OK-- when we made our MYW w/free dining ressies in May, we got the free dining for the two adults in our party of four (the other two are still freebies at the theme parks, DD 2 and DD 11 mos.) A few weeks later, before the free dining bookings expired, I realized my DD2 would eat FAR more than most 2 year olds--not to mention she looks near 4-- and on CRO's guidance, bought a kids 1day ticket, and changed her age to 3, so we'd have the extra credits when she's hungry (we haven't decided, nor have we thought about, whether we'd use those as adult or child credits-- just wanted the flexibility and a cost of $40 (her ticket) for our ten days of dining seemed MORE than reasonable.)

Now, I'm having questions about other aspects of our trip this will affect. Hoping someone who has done this before (or is familiar with how Disney will handle this) can answer some specific questions:

1) She's 2 and is still free in the parks... will we now have to pay for her entry, because the card says she's 3?
2) Again, she's 2 and is still free at buffets as long as she eats from my plate. Because of this, my DW and I had been booking buffet meals to maximize the number of meals we have on dd2's card. Will the server at these buffets "force us" to use a DDP credit on her, because the card says she's 3?

Hope that all makes sense.
Thanks very much, in advance!

 

[twinklebug]

Re admission: I don't think you'll have trouble. Keep a photo copy of her birth certificate in your bag though ... JUST incase.

Re: buffet credits, technically as she's 2 you shouldn't have to, but my question is more of a what do you plan on doing with all those left over kid credits?

I suppose you could hit the candy shop before going home and buy a ton of fudge ... oops my bad... they'll be left over TS credits. Not worth anything for snacks if I'm right.

 

[Corey9172]

Hi twinklebug,
We have both major dinner shows booked- and want her to have a plate at those... we know we'll have some table service non-buffet dining, etc. We just want to use the credits only when we have to. Make sense? I'm pretty much obssessed with value for the dollar (or in this case, value for the credit) and don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

2) Again, she's 2 and is still free at buffets as long as she eats from my plate. Because of this, my DW and I had been booking buffet meals to maximize the number of meals we have on dd2's card. Will the server at these buffets "force us" to use a DDP credit on her, because the card says she's 3?

Ahhh...isn't that why you bought the plan for her? I don't understand...you specifically bought the DDP for her so she could eat larger meals, but now you are worried they will make you use the credits. It would only be right that they do charge her as a three year old as that is the way you purchased the plan. You can't have your cake and eat it to!

 

[twinklebug]

Hi twinklebug,
We have both major dinner shows booked- and want her to have a plate at those... we know we'll have some table service non-buffet dining, etc. We just want to use the credits only when we have to. Make sense? I'm pretty much obssessed with value for the dollar (or in this case, value for the credit) and don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

OK, I see. What I'm saying though is I guess it won't really matter if they take her TS credit while you're at the buffets anyway because they'd go unused (your's will be used at the same rate)

A thought: My eldest son was always double his size for his age and could eat well, but at age 2 at an all-you can eat resteraunt such as HDDR I'd have no problem NOT buying him a plate and letting him have the bread plate with food from mine.

 

[Corey9172]

Ok-- not sure who called in the morality police !
I'm not trying to cheat, lie, swindel, etc., Calypso...
We bought our 2 year old the dining plan so she could eat at menu-based table service restaurants-- and we intend to order from the child's menu, when it is a table service (menu) restaurant.
My question was only directed at the buffet situation where, as a 2 year old, she's free without the plan.
I thank twinklebug for her kind answer and, incidentally, just had her sentiment confirmed by the folks at WDW.

 

[Bonnie40]

If I'm understanding your question...you're wondering if at buffet meals, 3 TS's will be taken off because your room key will now show 2A/1C?

I believe they will...I think you would have been better to just leave things as they were. Don't children under 3 eat free anyway? I may be wrong...

So you want to do some buffets where you're hoping they don't use her credit, so you can go to a couple of 2TS dinner shows? If that's the case, you might run into trouble because Disney is beginning to clamp down on the way people use their dining credits. We are going during Free Dining and we've never used the plan before, but our kids are older and all classified as adults so I don't have any issues.

The way you're hoping to do this, Disney may not allow it, especially during free dining!

 

[powellrj]

If I were you, because she will get her own plate at the buffets, she doesn't have to eat off yours I would call back and tell Disney that you didn't understand the whole age 3 thing, change her back to her correct age of 2 and just pay OOP if she wants anymore at the TS meals that aren't buffets.

Once she is listed as older, she will always be listed as older in the computer system, so when she is really 9, Disney will have her listed as 10 and you will be paying adult prices early.

 

[Corey9172]

Thank you all for your advice. we're going during free dining, too... which is why I added her to the plan (cost me her one day ticket for all her dining).
Guess I didn't make that clear enough in my OP.

Thanks.
Brent, this thread can now be locked.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Believe me...I know without a doubt that I'm the last person to be on the morality police! I didn't call you a cheater, you're the one that made it appear you were trying to let her eat without using a credit so you can use her credits elsewhere. Unless she's attending the dinner shows by herself, where are the credits going to come from that the adults will be using if they've all been spent at buffets? You asked if stating she is three will hurt you, I was just trying to convey that yes, it may very well if they deduct the meal credits the way the plan was intended.

 

[Gillian]

I also don't see why you wouldn't use up the kids TS credits at the same rate as your adult TS credits. Well, I can certainly think of ways that it would happen, but they all involve using "child" TS credits for adult meals. Unless you send your child to TS meals by herself.

I don't see how they can force you to use your credits to pay for the buffets, but if your cards say 2A/1C, I think you'd have a difficult time explaining why you're only getting the 2A and not the 1C. If I were the manager, I'd wonder why you were getting the C credits but not using them.

Telling the truth (that's she's only 2 and shouldn't have to pay) doesn't quite make sense. Why would you buy the plan for your child if you didn't plan to use it? And if you're all eating together, you should be using them at the same rate. It's not very likely that your 2/3 year old will be eating TS meals alone.

Call me the morality police or whatever. I think this is a different situation from people paying OOP for their kids meals. You're not planning on paying anything for the buffets & dinner shows, and it just doesn't seem right if you're going to use those credits for adult meals instead.

 

[Merriwind]

OK-- when we made our MYW w/free dining ressies in May, we got the free dining for the two adults in our party of four (the other two are still freebies at the theme parks, DD 2 and DD 11 mos.) A few weeks later, before the free dining bookings expired, I realized my DD2 would eat FAR more than most 2 year olds--not to mention she looks near 4-- and on CRO's guidance, bought a kids 1day ticket, and changed her age to 3, so we'd have the extra credits when she's hungry (we haven't decided, nor have we thought about, whether we'd use those as adult or child credits-- just wanted the flexibility and a cost of $40 (her ticket) for our ten days of dining seemed MORE than reasonable.)

Now, I'm having questions about other aspects of our trip this will affect. Hoping someone who has done this before (or is familiar with how Disney will handle this) can answer some specific questions:

1) She's 2 and is still free in the parks... will we now have to pay for her entry, because the card says she's 3?
2) Again, she's 2 and is still free at buffets as long as she eats from my plate. Because of this, my DW and I had been booking buffet meals to maximize the number of meals we have on dd2's card. Will the server at these buffets "force us" to use a DDP credit on her, because the card says she's 3?

Hope that all makes sense.
Thanks very much, in advance!

If I am reading this right you:
--got 10 days of dining credits for your daughter for free because even though you said that she is three in order to get those free credits, you plan to get her into the parks for free as a two-year-old
--are concerned that your 2A/1C card might result in you being charged a credit for your daughter at buffets because she really is two, but you said she is three to get free credits
--are booking as many buffets as possible, hoping not to be charged for dd, because you are "obsessed with value for the credit" (BTW, since the credits cost you nothing, the ROI for each is infinite, regardless of the amount of the meal.)

I think you are creating a lot of potential trouble for yourself. If you are not planning to use her free credits to buy adult meals--thereby upping your value per credit, why would you care if your account is charged for her meal at a buffet?

If using your two-year-old's free credits to buy adult food isn't your intent, I think it would be easiest to put her back to age two. She would be free at all the buffets and the dinner shows. (They will let her have a plate.) The money you spend on OOP kids meals at the couple of places she might want one is almost sure to be less than the $40 ticket you purchased. And you won't have aged her on the Disney computers. And you won't have to worry about an embarassing conversation every time you present your card at a buffet.

Trying too hard to squeeze every penny of value out of a dining plan can ruin the enjoyment of it. I haven't heard any reports of people not having enough to eat! Enjoy!

 

[bluejasmine]

Ok my head is spinning! I must not be understanding something. I think that it might have been better to not get the plan for your DD just because her age allows her to eat free at most places I believe. I think you would have saved money just paying OOP for the few places she wouldnt be able to eat free. I dont know like I said, Im confused, which I will admit happens easily sometimes,
Now I wonder do children under 3 eat free at CS places? If not then maybe it was worth buying the one day ticket BUT I still say let them take the credits for her if you plan on keeping the DDP for her because its exactly what you bought it for.

Honestly I think it will all work out just fine! WDw is extremely accomidating and really alot of the CMs there are alot more help then the CMs on the phone from DTC. Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned cant wait to hear about it!

 

[Aimeedyan]

I do think it's important to state again that once Disney marks her a year older, this means that she will always show up a year older in their system. Meaning, when she's 9 and still a "child" as far as ticket prices and dining plan prices, Disney will say she's 10 and your costs go up significantly.

Since you obviously intend on using her credits for things other than her by booking buffets and hoping the waiter doesn't question the child on the card, I think it'd be best if you called back and changed her back to her real age. Since you're doing so many buffets anyways, you could just pay OOP for any TS places that you book. The kids menu is fairly cheap and it won't cost much to get her her own plate.

And yes - I think you'll have a hard time explaining to waiters why she has changed from age 3 to age 2 while you were at Disney. They will likely insist on being consistent with the card. You could always take a chance and see!

Good luck!

 

[amarberry]

I do think it's important to state again that once Disney marks her a year older, this means that she will always show up a year older in their system. Meaning, when she's 9 and still a "child" as far as ticket prices and dining plan prices, Disney will say she's 10 and your costs go up significantly.

Not to hijack this thread, but I really can't imagine this being a huge issue in the future. At least, nothing that producing a birth certificate couldn't correct. My DD is actually listed in the Disney system twice, once as a 2 year old (her true age that they weren't able to change because we had already purchased airline tickets through Disney) and once as a 3 year old (so I could purchase a 1 day base ticket for her). One entry has her middle initial and one does not. Yes, I purchased a ticket for her to get her on the dining plan, and no, I am not going to use her credit for adult meals.

 

[patsal]

I think the way it should be looked at is children under three are free, when you choose to pay for a child as a three year old you lose the free priv. Children's meals at most TS places are $5.99 or less, the buffets would be free to the child. So in buying a one day ticket and saying the child is three you really have to pick one and go with it. Once you see how much food is included I think you will wish you had just paid the occasional $3.99-$5.99 and let the rest go. If you have time maybe you could change the reservation. Bottom line, I think you have to expect people to be confused if you really don't know what you want--ie. you want the under three thing when it works for you but not when it works for the system. Pick one and stick to it therefore alleviating any problems that you would encounter. JMHO, and of course you'll do what you feel is best for your family. But to avoid hassles and explanations I'd just pay for the few things OOP rather than mess up the whole system for later--now if you go again when your child is 17 it will say she is 18 in the system and then you'll have to pay the extra adult charge for the room.

 

[Bonnie40]

It's interesting that the OP wants the thread closed when they didn't like what they were hearing...

Unfortunately, this scenario is exactly why Disney is tightening up the rules, especially during free dining this year.

For me, it wouldn't be worth the stress and embarrassment at each meal having to try and wiggle out of using a credit at buffets so you can double up and go to 2TS meals. I'd love to go to 2TS meals too (wouldn't we all)!

You asked the question, you got a pretty strong answer...no one really knows how Disney is going to handle credits during free dining. Everyone's asking questions, but until it starts, we're all in the dark.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Closed. OP has gotten an "answer".