DD 12 going on 13 paying adult prices????

[WDWorld2003]

Just wanted to vent a little - ok, maybe more than a little. My DD is 12 going on 13 so we have to pay adult prices for Hoop Dee Doo, Buffets, etc.

I wouldn't mind if she was 14+ paying adult prices for meals but I think 11 is too young for the cutoff. Buffets double in price as does the Hoop Dee Doo. She's 12 going on 13 so I don't think I can even pass her off as 11 (and she wouldn't want to be!). She's a picky eater and still eats far less than any adult. Chicken nuggets, pizza, etc. are still her meal of choice.

I thought WDW was for kids. I wouldn't even mind paying Jr. rates for 12-16 years old - should be some kind of ramp up. (I realize some teens can eat you out of house and home.... but that's the exception - there are adults who can do that, too.) I also have a 15 year old so I'm feeling like every buffet we want to do is sooooo expensive. We'll still do them but wish there was some kind of break......

Just wondered if anyone else is a little miffed by this?

 

[sha_lyn]

.

I thought WDW was for kids

Well no, it is for anyone, but it is geared toward families.

WDW and other businesses must set a cut off. It is very standard for restaurants to limit their childrens menu prices to the under 11 set. Disney however is very nice about this and only applies this to their all you can eat restaurants. No one is forcing to to eat at HDD. If you don't want to pay full price for your daughter then do not go. No matter what the age limit is someone is goign to be unhappy. If the cut off was 15, parents of 16 yr olds who ate less than their 10 yr olds would complain

 

[WDWorld2003]

I do realize it's for everyone.... sorry

I don't mind paying extra but most buffets do not double the price - we have a few in town and they do have a price for older children. WDW is also inconsistent - 3-9 year olds have a price break for Park Tickets but after that they are adults. In the rooms, over 18 is an adult and at buffets over 11 is an adult......

I know we don't have to go to the Hoop Dee Do or buffets but we enjoy it as much as a family with young ones. Just hard for a family of 4 with older children to enjoy some extra Disney magic when it hits the pocketbook so hard.

 

[Belle5]

We have never done HDR and probably never will. (I think it would be around $350 for my family.) We are also cutting out many buffets this trip, as well, this trip for the reasons you mentioned. We'll just go to the other restaurants that don't charge based on age per head. That's ok with me. I will say, however, that I would love to see all the WDW restaurants adopt the jr. adult menus (or whatever Grand Floridian Cafe calls the meals for 12-16 year olds). It really makes a lot of sense to have a GRADUAL increase in exotic taste experiences and portions size from a child's 11th year to 12th year. When my 12 year old eats at Boma he IS going to eat a larger portion than when he was six but he's still going to be reaching for those more familiar foods like mac n cheese and chicken fingers and he'll be just starting to sample some of the more expensive, exotic foods. If a buffet is $11 for kids and $24 for adults wouldn't it be nice for families to be charged maybe $16 for 12-16 year olds? Many of the families that I know that went to sit down restaurants when their kids were little feel forced to eat fast food burgers their whole vacation because of the financial pinch of paying for 4-6 "adults" (mom, dad and 2-3 teens) every time they eat. I know WDW is under no obligation to change their pricing structure but I'll bet if a restaurant tried this approach many of us would flock to try it!

 

[sha_lyn]

At HDD you are not just paying for the buffet you are paying for the show.

I don't mind paying extra but most buffets do not double the price

you're right. Around here the adult price is often triple the children's buffett price. Even at WDW for example the childrens price is often less that 1/2 the adult price, ie the Buffet at Boma is 9.99 for children and 23.99 for adults. The adult price is 2.4 times the child's price.

 

[ASFCurly]

honestly, most places that I know of have a cutoff of 11 or 12, this includes movie theaters and restaraunts, it might seem young but that is the typical age these days, if the cutoff is 12, then it would be teenagers that pay more, and if it is 11, then 12 year olds are pretty much teenagers. They have to make the cut somewhere...but I do understand your frustration.

 

[WDWorld2003]

Belle5 - you said everything I wanted to say but I didn't quite have the words - thanks!

Again, I don't mind paying more - but twice as much or more is hard to take for just a couple of years difference. Yes, there's a cut off at movies - but you don't pay double+ - maybe a couple of dollars more than the children's price (you also have the option of a matinee).

I just find it hard to believe that Disney of all places would not see this..... We would go to more buffets, see Cirque de Soleil, go the Hoop Dee Doo more often if they would just make prices a little more comfortable for families with older children. HDR is $49.00+ for adults and $24.00 for kids under 11. If you're paying for the show - an 8 year old takes up as much room as a 12 year old. Oh well, as parents all know, children don't get less expensive when they're older - I'm sure finding that out fast

There's also no way my 12 or 15 year old are going to come close to what one adult eats - together, yes, but not on their own. Hmmm, maybe one could hide under the table and slip food to the other!

Anyway, it's not much in the bit scheme at all but just a shock to me when I made PS's. I was honest and told them how old my DD was

 

[sha_lyn]

They can't make everyone happy. Someone is going to feel that they aren't getting their moneys worth no matter what the policy. Most teens do eat as much (if not more) than the average adult. They must set the age somewhere and 11 is fairly standard in the restaurant industry.
BTW WDW does not own/run Cirque de Soleil.

Yes, there's a cut off at movies - but you don't pay double+ - maybe a couple of dollars more than the children's price (you also have the option of a matinee).

Once again, it depends on where you are. We pay 4.75 for a childs ticket and 7.75 for an adult. While not 2X the price it is more than 1.5X (1.63)the price and adult price starts at age 9.

Again, I don't mind paying more - but twice as much or more is hard to take for just a couple of years difference.

Or you could pay the 2.5-3 times the difference that is very common for buffet restaurants.

 

[MELSMICE]

I guess it's just one of those things that if you really want to eat somewhere or see one of the shows you will pay the price. If not, you'll choose not to go.

Honestly, my younger DD's that are 10 sometimes eat more than me but I have to pay an adult price for myself. I am a picky eater & I don't eat large portions.

I think it's all a matter of your choices as to where you really want to eat & how much you are willing to spend.

 

[sha_lyn]

I also think you're looking at it a little backwards. The adult prices are the "regular" price. They don't start with a child's price and then decide from there how much more to charge an adult. The child's price is a discounted full price.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by WDWorld2003
I don't think I have it backwards ---- I think the overall buffet price is probably higher for large eaters like 300 lb. football player types who will eat 3 times as much than the average adult We are average adults with average kids who want to have a good time at WDW. We're not trying to get anything free - just a fair value for the $$$ spent....

I think that's a poor assumption to make and will offend some people.

In general I think buffets can be pricey because a lot of food is wasted.

Also, like I said, anyone can choose where they want to eat. If you don't want to pay the price, there are many other eating establishments to choose from.

 

[sha_lyn]

So you would be happier if they charge $35 for kids just so the price difference wouldn't be as large? Like I said before HDD is not just a buffet. It is also a show. Have you checked the prices of other shows in Orlando? The WDW prices are not out of the average range at all.

For example

Medieval times
Chidlren under 3 free
adults 45.95
children 3-11 29.95

Arabian Knights
Adults 47.08
Children 28.89

Pirates Adventure
Adults 47.88
Children 29.99

 

[WDWorld2003]

Sorry Mel - I deleted my post I didn't want to start a debate - I know it's all a choice but wow - I didn't expect such support for the high prices. I just wondered how other families with teenagers felt and maybe they had other solutions.... It's tough to be a bug - I'll go to my corner now

 

[sha_lyn]

here are 2 more prices to compare

Royal Pacific Luau (at Universal)

49.50 for adults, $29 for children 12 and under. Price includes tax and gratuity.

Sea World Luau

Adults $35.95, juniors (8 to 12) $25.95, children (3 to 7) $15.95. Plus tax and tip.

 

[blessedby3]

I agree with WDW2003. As the mother of a just turned 13 year old girl it it hard to justify paying adult prices for her meals when she eats less than our 4 year old. I think there should be a jr. price also. I know I dont eat enough to cover the cost of what we would pay for an adult buffet for me, much less my 13 year old. I agree that sometimes a show is included and that is part of the price, but I feel like most of the shows with buffetts and buffetts alone are way overpriced. We would love to do the HDD also, but wont.

 

[Redmic]

Just wanted to say that I feel your pain! My daughter turned 12 this year and will need to pay $24.00 to eat at Boma. Below age 12 the price is $10.00, so it more than doubles at that restaurant when they turn 12. We love Boma though!

 

[MelissathePooh]

I can understand the frustration, but I also realize that there have to be limits. Can a 10 year old ride all the rides (given they are tall enough) they can do the same as adults (well most can) so why should they not have to pay the same. Does a child at a movie theater take up the same seat as an adult? In most cases yes.

While the venue of a buffet is very different - fixed price vs what a patron of any age may actually eat, some children do eat as much as adults. I can see where a graduation pricing structure would be a benefit to some parents it could also be difficult to implement or monitor.

Melissa

 

[Magic2000]

We're a family of five - four "adults" and a child. Ouch, sometimes it does hurt. I just love it when my 16 yr old eats the breakfast buffet at Chef Mickey's and decides all she wants is a SMALL bowl of pineapple or strawberries. But at BOMA's, she can eat her weight in Zebra Domes!!

What we usually do is alternate with buffets and dinner shows. If we do Hoop De Doo this year, we may only do one other buffet. If there are several buffets we want to try, then we skip the HDD this time. We always include BOMAs though - its a family favorite!

For the breakfast at the Castle, usually I'll do that one with my little one. The teens have no real interest in dining with Cinderella - they want to ride Big Thunder and Splash over and over and over...

Enjoy your trip!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by WDWorld2003
Sorry Mel - I deleted my post I didn't want to start a debate - I know it's all a choice but wow - I didn't expect such support for the high prices. I just wondered how other families with teenagers felt and maybe they had other solutions.... It's tough to be a bug - I'll go to my corner now

Oh............. you don't have to hide in the corner. You didn't offend me.

Having a 13 yr. old DD that sometimes eats virtually nothing, I understand the frustration in having to pay an adult price for her. I also wish there was a Jr. price, but since there's not, we just decide whether we want to spend the money before we go to certain restaurants or buffets.

My 2 younger DD's are 10 & sometimes 2 of my girls will split an adult meal if they can agree on what they want & 1 will get a kids meal. That works well for us.

 

[monte]

I'm 43 and I have an 11 & 13 year old nephews and in my opinion, they should be paying alot more than me when it comes to buffets! lol Those two can really pack it in!