Can 10 Year Old on Dining Plan Order Off Kid Menu?

[Katems]

My DD is ten and a picky eater. There is no way she will want anything off the adult menus. We are going in August and have the free dining plan. Will she be allowed to order off the childen's menu since her meals are already 'paid' for? I know the waiters get a higher tip amount if you order more expensive meals....

Also, I thought I remembered reading on here that if kids over age nine order off the kid menu they get charged double?? Is that true? So how would that apply with the dining plan?

So confused! Does Disney REALLY think kids age TEN and up want fancy foods?

 

[cdntourguide]

Your child certainly can eat off of the child's menu if she so desires.
If you are paying OOP, you pay the price for a child's meal. If you use a CS or TS credit, you pay with an adult credit.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Since you pay the adult price and are on the dining plan your DD10 can order from whichever menu she wants. As far as the paying double when someone older than 9 orders off the kid's menu, last Jan. my family and I ate at HBD. 3 of us (adults) weren't very hungry and ordered off the kid's menu. The server was very helpful and said we could do it and even double or triple the order if we wanted (double the food, double the price) we said we were okay with the smaller portion. We were charged the regular price (about $6) but paid separately for the drink. I don't know if this is true at all TS restaurants, but this is how it worked for us.

Depending on where you eat, not all restaurants have "fancy" foods on the adult menu. My DD6 loves the sticky chicken wings at Kona and is already planning on having it at least once for dinner. So we're planning on only using 2 (adult)credits for dinner (for 2A, 1K) and she'll be fine.

 

[Lesley]

I am thinking we may try to pay OOP for my 11yo ds at California Grill as he is likely to only want a kids' meal there. Normally he'll eat adult food, but the menu there looks a little "fancy" for his tastes. The kids menu looks ideal for him. That would actually save us 2 adult dining credits. Kids portions are often enough for him and if they are not we usually have enough other food to top him off. Probably after eating a few days on this dining plan he'll be ready for a lighter meal.

Only once did we have a cm insist that our 11yo needed to order off the adult menu and that was at The Plaza, of all places. We decided we'd "share" a sandwich and ordered a kids' meal for our then 22mo...then played musical plates. Oddly enough, that particular server was the worst server we've ever encountered at WDW...very slow and unattentive, then complained to us about another table after they left. Everywhere else they didn't care what menu he ordered from. We, of course, payed adult prices for him at all the fixed price meals.

 

[kcashner]

At one restaurant on our previous trip (December 2005) I ordered off the children's menu. That is me--the grown up. Anyone can order off the kid's menu. For a child's portion, I was charged the child's price. There was an offer of a larger serving for an increased price.

The other question, of course, is how it will be charged on the dining plan. In general, they have given an increased serving size to an "over 9" ordering off the kid's menu. As to the dining plan, you will be charged one TS (or CS if applicable). He can also order an adult appetizer and dessert with a kid entree on the dining plan (if desired). At a restaurant that "charges" 2 TS, that would be deducted for the 11 year old, regardless of which menu he uses. The alternative would be to pay cash for the 11 year old ordering off the kid menu (you would pay the kid price) and save the credits.