buffet pricing for 10 yo NOT on DDP

[ENJDisneyFan]

My grandnephew who will be w/ us at WDW this summer will turn 9 during the trip. His mother already said she's sending his ID as he's tall for his age.

They will not ask for ID. All you have to do is tell them his age.

 

[smiths02]

We were asked exact ages at every AYCTE kind of place we went to in 2015 and 2016 when we checked in (in 2015 we had twin 2 year olds and a 9 year old and in 2016 we had two 3 year olds and a 10 year old). Sometimes the server would ask again. I should add that we were always asked in a nice way, it wasn't accusatory or anything.
In 2015, the check was wrong at Crystal Palace, (we were overcharged) so I told the server and it was changed.
In 2016, the check was wrong at 1900 PF breakfast (we were undercharged). Things were a little chaotic in the restaurant, it was departure day, my DH felt ill, and I'm not sure if the server was being nice as we had told the ages to the server before, and I kind of just glanced at the bill before I paid...so I did not question it (still feel a little guilty, though, tbh)

 

[NYCgrrl]

They will not ask for ID. All you have to do is tell them his age.

Listen, anything I can get the parents of my juvenile traveling companions to do is fine by me.
Besides our plans go past Disney this summer.

 

[Anthony1971]

My child has always been asked... They always ask the age and looking at the child as they expect the child to answer. We always go in paying for what we are supposed to pay those are the rules. One time as a child we were not charged at all as he fell asleep.. he did wake up and had some fruit or like and we told the them and she still did not charge us.... At Boma the waiter told us stories of people with obvious 13 or 14 year olds insisting they pay the child's price as their children are 9... He said he understands it is expensive next time they come and it is more expensive.. this is the reason.. some may see your 10 yo does not eat and charge you a child rate some may not... that is their decision... if you lie and they ask your child you bet you are paying the adult price... My child turned 10 we did not go to Buffets... at early 11 we did not go.. he will be 12 when we go and even at 11 1/2 he can eat more than me... so I have no issue paying so I will go to buffets again...

 

[Lmans77]

It's difficult to justify paying $40 for a buffet when a 10yr old child eats a couple chicken fingers and a slice of pizza.

Well that's one things about my 10 year old - she justifies the adult price! (as much as any Disney price). The girl is a skinny thing, but she loves all the food and can eat her 75 lbs body weight in shrimp at 'Ohana and crab legs at Cape May.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

The girl is a skinny thing, but she loves all the food and can eat her 75 lbs body weight in shrimp at 'Ohana and crab legs at Cape May.

Well she has good taste, beats chicken nuggets any day!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

if you are asked her age and you tell the truth, you will be paying the 10 and up prices for her. I don't know how often you can expect to be asked her age but it's likely.

It makes no difference how much or how little the 10 year old eats.

 

[mombrontrent]

The last time we went my youngest daughter had just tuned 10 a month before our trip. I admit it, I lied and said she was 9 at both places we ate that had a set price (ohana and 1900 Park Fare). I don’t even think I had to lie or if they even asked because she looks a good two years younger then she is. I don’t feel guilty, she’s a vegetarian and she’s tiny (was about 50 pounds then) and doesn’t eat much. I paid the adult price for my picky 14 year old daughter to eat Mac and cheese at ohana. My youngest daughter will be almost 12 this upcoming trip and could still pass for age 9 but I’m just opting not to do any restaurants with a set price as it’s not worth it for our family.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

My grandnephew who will be w/ us at WDW this summer will turn 9 during the trip. His mother already said she's sending his ID as he's tall for his age.

most likely Disney will not look at it even if he is tall for age

 

[bigbabyblues]

It's difficult to justify paying $40 for a buffet when a 10yr old child eats a couple chicken fingers and a slice of pizza.

Yes, and that is when you have to choose if you want to pay the price for their age or eat someplace cheaper. The cutoff for child's price has to be somewhere, and 9 is where Disney set it.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

The Disney buffets are really expensive, and other than Boma, Biergarten, the food they offer isn't stellar, my opinion only. What you're truly paying for is the experience/venue, the characters (Chef Mickey's, Askershus), the show (Ohana, Hoop Dee Doo) It's not about how much you eat, child or adult.

 

[Dug720]

My grandnephew who will be w/ us at WDW this summer will turn 9 during the trip. His mother already said she's sending his ID as he's tall for his age.

9 should not be a problem. The change comes at 10.

 

[Nancyg56]

It's difficult to justify paying $40 for a buffet when a 10yr old child eats a couple chicken fingers and a slice of pizza.

It is also difficult to justify the cost when my DDIL has a few bites of her buffet and calls it quits, however her appetite is our problem, not Disney's. WE pay becasue we decided to dine at a buffet, and therefore assumed the costs of our crew.

Yes, and that is when you have to choose if you want to pay the price for their age or eat someplace cheaper. The cutoff for child's price has to be somewhere, and 9 is where Disney set it.

Yes. We face this all of the time wth my DDIL. She has had GBP surgery and cannot eat much. Not her fault or Disney's if we want to go to CM, we go and we pay. We make sure we really want the restaurant and then we are fine. I think it averages out, my DSIL can eat for two! LOL!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Just wondering what to expect for pricing.

Expect adult pricing.

It's difficult to justify paying $40 for a buffet when a 10yr old child eats a couple chicken fingers and a slice of pizza.

Exactly the issue for plenty of adults. So you look at the overall cost for the family’s meal and see if the total works out for how much people will eat and how much people will enjoy it.

For our family, my son was eating two restaurant entrees before he was 9. If we all ate that way, buffets would have been terrific for us even after he turned 10.

But his dad and I don’t eat that way at buffets.

So then we had to look at enjoyment. I don’t like characters and don’t care about them. I have zero personal enjoyment factor there. My son had about 80% enjoyment until he was 11 when it plummeted. His dad’s enjoyment level was and is high.

So each character meal/aycte idea had to be thought about. For us, Tusker House hits the mark for food and experience, but no others did. For me and my cousin, going to the Bon Voyage meal after Princess hits the mark. Her enjoyment of the characters is through the roof. And it was her birthday.

So, really, you have to look at it all and not base it on what any one person will eat. Did her enjoyment of the time, including food taste and character fun there make up for the money spent?

That may be so, but that's what the price is. If this is a problem, one probably shouldn't go to buffets where they are going to charge the light eating 10 year old the full adult price.

Yep.

My grandnephew who will be w/ us at WDW this summer will turn 9 during the trip. His mother already said she's sending his ID as he's tall for his age.

No need. 9 year olds rarely have ID. My son hit the 99th percentile for height about 2 years ago to where even the TSA asked him for ID on our last domestic flight. Just like experiences at Disney, he told them his no-ID-needed age (with his deep voice) and we moved along. Just tell them his age. No biggie.

 

[Karebear]

We were at WDW shortly after my daughter turned 10 and she is the “eats maybe 2 chicken nuggets at dinner kind of kid”. We ate at many buffets and all you can eat places because we were with another family who were on their once in a lifetime trip to WDW and they wanted to experience as much as possible. Most of the servers asked the ages of all of the kids in our party and I always said that DD was 10. Probably 75% of the time they charged her as a child on the bill. I would remind them that she was 10 and they would just smile and say have a great day. I always left them a nice tip as they were being super nice!

 

[crazylady]

So, really, you have to look at it all and not base it on what any one person will eat.

QUOTE]

I needed to read this before I canceled breakfast with Mickey and Mickey dressed up as Star Wars characters. I just couldn't get over paying $60+ for my 10 year to eat bacon. Now I'm bummed because that experience is no longer available.

 

[FSU Girl]

When we were at Chef Mickey they asked us the ages of the kids and one is a Disney adult the other still a child, but she looks old for her age. When we said she was 9 they didn't seem to believe us and asked her her birthday to see what year she was born in