DD turned 12 and now pays adult food prices!

[maggiew]

As I am planning our PSs for our August trip, it is such a bummer that my DD turned 12 in January. Now she has to pay adult prices for food. I just have a hard time paying $23.99 or $21.99 for her to eat dinner! She eats like a bird. I had wanted to try 'Ohanas and Garden Grill for dinner this trip as we have never done these, but we probably won't. We are opting for places where we can order off the menu. DD and I could share an adult meal. AT least my other DD can still get a kids meal! We are going to try a few new places this year that are order off the menu - Alfredos in Italy, Tempura Kiko in Japan and Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL. At least I had the forthought to do HDDR last November before she turned 12!


Sorry, I am really just venting. I am not complaining about Disney making kids of 12 pay adult prices. I know there has to be a cut off somewhere. I personally am just choosing not to eat at the buffet or fixed cost places until she will eat a little more to make it worth it.

Maggie

 

[CarolAnnC]

My 18 year old eats very little too. But, I don't let it stop me from enjoying the places we want to eat at on vacation. I do not think it is so much the quantity of what they eat, but the fun, the atmosphere and the sense of family on vacation.

The nice thing is that there are so many choices at WDW. So everyone can find what works best for them.

 

[momxx5]

I can understand how you feel. My 5yr old DD eats like a bird too.
Thankfully she shares with her younger DD most of the time. But I can see at buffets how it can really add up.

My oldest DS turned 10 - so he is now full adult admission. This summer's trip may be our last for a while because next year other DS will turn 10 and yougest DD will be 3. So it will really add to our expenses just to go to WDW.

That is a good thought on doing the HDDR before they age up. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[dizprincess27]

I hear ya Maggie. My dd will be 12 when we go next May and right now she's a 75 lb. 11 year old and she's about 4 ft. 10" so while she's not skinny she's definitely quite thin. She too eats like a bird. I swear she still eats a plain McDonalds Cheeseburger and makes the happy face with it and asks can she be done now Her friends long ago graduated to Big Macs and large sandwiches but not her. So I share your feelings on not wanting to pay an adult price for her appetite but I guess if we want to do a character meal/buffet we have no choice

 

[mickeymousefan]

I know how you feel!!! When we went in December , DD's were 18 months and 35.5 months (went right before older DD's 3rd birthday to avoid paying for tickets, food at buffets, etc.). When we go in January my older daughter will be four and we will be going a couple of months before my younger DD turns 3. What a big difference in our budget!!! We will have to buy a junior pass for my older DD and, since Chef Mickeys and the Crystal Palace are must do's for us, we have to pay 18 or 19 dollars for her to eat, and she eats nothing when we go out!
Lucky for us, our DD's can still split a meal at a restaurant where you order of the menu. I guess we have to be creative to save money.

 

[hercamore]

Welcome to the world of (almost) teenage daughters, LOL!

I can't remember the last time we have eaten at a buffet anywhere, must less Disney. It's not worth the money, and I sure don't need a huge buffet either.

DD and I split most meals we eat out. Or, sometimes we will each have soup and split a sandwich.

Now my son is another story!


herc.

 

[patsal]

Well, I'm kind of in a similiar situation but my now 12 YO is a DS. He is so unpredictable. If I thought he would eat the equivalent of a kids meal I would spring for the buffet, but some days he just picks at nothing--other days I keep Kelloggs in business! I made a few PS's but I'm going to go day to day and see what he says before I tie up a PS and than cancel. It killed me last year to pay for DD8 at buffets since she was really quite ill. She kept spiking fevers and really didn't eat. Whereever there were booths, she'd just curl up and sleep. I wasn't a lucky person and was charged for every buffet we went to. I didn't care since she was a part of the family and the money was budgeted for it, but in hindsite I would have changed some of our PS's if I had given it more thought.

 

[wannabee princess]

I know how hard it seems to think of a 10 yo as an adult for park passes or a 12 yo an adult for a meal, but, I agree with CarolAnnC - I look at the added benefits of fun, atmosphere and family togetherness, and I have to say that is PRICELESS! Thankfully, Disney has so many options in eating, resort stays, as well as the outside of the park atttractions that each family can find a comfortable range! Where else can we find that great of variety in a vacation?!

 

[lwilliam]

will not eat his worth in buffets but wants to go - get this:
he wants to go to Cape May in the evening to draw on the
table (I know, I know, give him a tablecloth at home) - but
we love the buffet at Cape May so we will pay that price.
Our son loves to eat, junk!, nothing healthy. I was fooling around
with the idea of going to BOMA, and letting him eat at Mara, and
play his gameboy in the lobby....am I cheap? NO, I just know he
won't eat anything at BOMA. We have been to Disney so
many times, stayed at the AKL before, he knows his way around
the hotel (we are staying at POFQ this time) he wouldn't have
a problem.

 

[parmtoo]

I have 2 DDs, 16 & 14, they don't eat enough together to make it worth one adult size meal. My DS on the other hand, is 8, and eats more then my DH. For the past few trips, we have had to buy 4 adult passes, and one child. Needless to say, we don't go as often as we did when they were all small.

 

[n2mm]

I feel your pain because our grandson is now 10 and know he'll have to pay adult prices for buffets soon. I do have to laugh at some of the threads quoting "my child doesn't eat her/his worth at the buffets"....I laugh because I go to the buffets with hubby and I surely don't eat my worth at any of the buffets, (usually just a small salad and maybe some vegies) but it never stops us. I usually get a child's meal at food courts. Let me recommend trail's end buffet. I'm sure your older children can eat their $9.99 worth. This is one of my grandson's favorite places to go and we should pay more than the child's price because of the AYCE pizza and jello he puts away. Well worth the price.

 

[gogiant]

I'm with you. I haven't seen this side of 10 in several decades and I eat next to nothing and am usually full by the salad. But we go because we enjoy the experience of it... McDonalds... Rainforest Cafe...counter service we can get at home, most of these places at wdw are just a big treat to us and all part of the fun.

 

[maggiew]

I know that eating out at WDW is part of the fun and that you are also paying for entertainment and atmosphere. I just personally have a hard time paying so much for my DD who may eat one chicken tender and a few fries! I guess my point is that this time around we are choosing to eat at more order off the menu places to avoid the issue. Although I still have made PSs for 3 character breakfasts - Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace and Cinderellas. So my girls won't be "deprived" of their atmosphere. Plus, I think that Whispering Canyons, Alfredos and Tempura Kiko have their own atmosphere without the fixed price. And I forgot we are also eating at California Grill for our Anniversary, so that has its own special atmosphere. I think the girls will really like that one too.

Maggie

 

[Julia M]

yes, I feel the same way. My ds is just turned 12 and he doesn't eat alot. We have Chef Mickeys scheduled, but that's the only buffet.....we'll eat at more sit downs, because it doesn't end up being that more expensive, because ds orders off the kids menu.

It didn't bug me so much to buy an adult hopper pass, because he rides all the rides, but the food......couldn't they have a junior price (like a McD's Big Kids meal?????? LOL)

Oh well

Julia

 

[NALA 24]

I also have a DD who turned 12 in January and another DD who will turn 10 in September. (Luckily, we are going to WDW in August and the 9 year old can still get a "child" ticket.)I was totally surprised when I found out that the Disney price fixed meals were not listed as 12 and under! We definitely want to eat at Boma and are considering a Fantasmic Dinner Package. Is there a Fantasmic Package that doesn't force you to pay adult prices for a 12 year old?

 

[eljojo]

We have THREE kids to over 12 so it does get expensive to feed them. And two of them eat very little and are very particular so we skip the buffets. They do enjoy ordering the appetizers, so you can save some money there.

 

[dismom3]

I have a good suggestion for all of you that have a hard time paying $23 for a buffet meal for your children. We always do our big meal at lunchtime, so it's either 16.99 or 17.99. We do a very light breakfast (some of us none at all) and I make our PS's for 12 or 12:30 - by then we're starving! With our AP's we get 10% off at many restaurants - even the Garden Grill - it's only 17.99 plus 10% off with characters! Then for dinner we pick at the food court or eat something small in the parks. It's always worked well for us. I don't feel so ripped off when we eat out for lunch instead of dinner. We're usually hungrier anyway that time of day.

 

[marcyinPA]

Yikes...add me to the club. I paid whatever it was at Chef Mickey's (see, I blocked it out already!! ) for my ds5 to eat one chicken finger and some ice cream. However my ds9 has become an adventurous eater and at prime rib and other "adult foods", so I felt like at least I got my money's worth on him!

I hate to pay the prices when they don't eat squat, but we do a few character meals/buffets on each trip for US too! I just grin and bear it...we're on vacation.

I have to second the recommendation for the Trails End buffet. It's a very reasonably priced buffet and probably the best value on the Disney property. We usually eat breakfast there...this past trip my ds5 ate a banana and a doughnut and a cup of milk...Thankfully he was only 5.99!!

 

[dismom3]

I'm cracking up because this is the story of my life. My 4 year old doesn't eat a thing. However, I refuse to skip a fun character buffet. I don't want my other kids missing out - so we grin and bear it. It's fun.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

My DS just truned 12 yesterday . WE just got a last under 12 trip in in December. He has just started eating a little more but not a lot. My thing with him is that he will only eat those nuggets, fries and a cookie or two. I wish they had a kids bar only price for those tweens who are not eating the prime rib, seafood etc. We too will contine to pay for buffets but as he has gotten older, we are doing a lot less of those character meals anyway. Another vote for the Trails End. WE LOVE it and DS really does eat enough here to justify an adult price as the food is simple homestlye dishes.

Jordans' mom