DDP for 2 1/2 year old

[edauburn]

My child will be 2 1/2 when we go to Disney next May. Since we will not have to purchase any park tickets for him since he is under three, is it possible to purchase only the DDP for him? Though the DDP says it is for kids 3 to 9 (I believe this is right), my son is a pretty good eater and I think we would benefit from buying him the DDP. Any advice on this issue would be greatly appreciated!

 

[beattyfamily]

I have read that some were successful in adding a child under 3 to the DDP BUT they will have to purchase at least a one-day base ticket, but you can save that ticket for when they are really 3 or older.

Call and ask.

 

[mom_2_boys]

We are headed to Disney in 19 days and I have the same problem!

My dh, ds4 and ds2 are on the free dining plan, so I ASSumed that all of us would be receiving the free meals. Once I began to call and make our ADRs, one of the CMs told me that ds2 is not in fact on the plan. I asked how that could be since all of the information that I had read on the DDP said that everyone booked into the same hotel room had to be on the same plan. That's correct, the CM told me, except that 2 and under are free. Well, I said if he's free, does he eat for free? Only off of your plate, said the CM. How is that supposed to work? asked I, mother of a child that eats more than his 4yo brother that is on the dining plan. Well, all children 2 and under eat free off of the plate of the adult. Pardon me while I vent - this has been extremely frustrating to resolve. AGH!

After numerous calls and a variety of answers, it is clear to me that Disney is not quite sure how to handle this issue. Here are the conclusions that I have come to and the advice I've unearthed via my travel agent and other DISers.

1. You can not purchase just the dining plan for your little one. I asked the same question and was told that I would need to purchas a park ticket for him if I wanted him on the plan.

2. Your child CAN eat free off of your plate.

3. Can you request a separate plate for your child to put the food on? That seems to depend on where you are eating. At a sit down restaurant, that will probably be fine. Buffets appear to be the trickiest as several people have reported being charged for a separate meal for that child. Be sure to advise your server/waiter that the child is under 3 and is eating off of your plate. Double check your receipt before you leave the restaurant to be sure that you haven't been overcharged.

4. CS meals will be fine, no one will be watching how you divide your meals up.

5. One mom on another board wrote that she brought a sippy cup for her younger child so that she could divide up the drinks between her kids. There are no drinks included for the under 3 crowd.

6. My travel agent suggested that when I am ordering, I just politely tell the servers that this child is 2 and will be dining for free. She said to specifically mention the age so the server is clear on why I should not be charged for an additional meal.

I hope that helps. When I go, I am just planning on needing to purchase at least a couple of meals/snacks for my son. Like I said, I don't think that Disney has a clear plan of how to deal with these little ones. At least the CMs I spoke with through ADR didn't!

Can't wait to read responses, especially from anyone that has done it before!

 

[beattyfamily]

We are headed to Disney in 19 days and I have the same problem!

My dh, ds4 and ds2 are on the free dining plan, so I ASSumed that all of us would be receiving the free meals. Once I began to call and make our ADRs, one of the CMs told me that ds2 is not in fact on the plan. I asked how that could be since all of the information that I had read on the DDP said that everyone booked into the same hotel room had to be on the same plan. That's correct, the CM told me, except that 2 and under are free. Well, I said if he's free, does he eat for free? Only off of your plate, said the CM. How is that supposed to work? asked I, mother of a child that eats more than his 4yo brother that is on the dining plan. Well, all children 2 and under eat free off of the plate of the adult. Pardon me while I vent - this has been extremely frustrating to resolve. AGH!

Yes, that's correct. Whether you are on the dining plan or not, children uder 3 are free at buffets, all you can eat and pre-lated restaurants. They can get their own plate of food. At restaurants where you order off a menu, you'd pay for whatever you order them or they can share with you.

Children under 3 are not part of the dining plan so they do not get 'credits' toward food UNLESS you call and try to get them on the dining plan, which means they put them in the computer as a child that is age 3, which further means you'd have to buy them at least a one-day base ticket that you can save for when they are 3.

 

[ReneeA]

My DD was 2 last year when we went for free dining. My kids eat very well, and I don't only feed them "kid" food at home, so they both (at 2 & 3) shared our food during the trip. My 3 year old was not happy that he had to eat crappy nuggets while the rest of us shared good food.

You get so much food on the DDP. An obscene amount. More than most people could ever eat. If your kids will eat a wide variety of food, then you will have enough food for your family and the family sitting at the table next to yours, too. Actually, there were 3 times that we passed our still packaged dessert along to others not on the DDP since we couldn't eat it all.

If your child won't eat the food that you are ordering on occasion, then it's only about $5 or so to order their own meal and pay OOP.

When we left, we had 3 TS credits left and 6 snack credits left, and we even had a child NOT covered on the dining plan. You will be fine.

 

[edauburn]

I appreciate everyone's responses. Since children under 3 can eat free at buffets, I have another question. My son is shall we say, a BIG kid.. I don't mean fat at all, but he is 21 months old and already 37 lbs and 35 inches tall. This may sound weird, but do I need to bring along a copy of his birth certificate for not only free food but also for park entry? I hate to think I have to bring ID for my child, but has anyone else run into any problems with this?? All they have to do is talk to him and will realize he is under 3!

 

[frayedend]

I appreciate everyone's responses. Since children under 3 can eat free at buffets, I have another question. My son is shall we say, a BIG kid.. I don't mean fat at all, but he is 21 months old and already 37 lbs and 35 inches tall. This may sound weird, but do I need to bring along a copy of his birth certificate for not only free food but also for park entry? I hate to think I have to bring ID for my child, but has anyone else run into any problems with this?? All they have to do is talk to him and will realize he is under 3!

I just read some posts about this and you probably won't have any issues, but you should bring along a copy of the birth cert just in case. There have been reports of people either having to show one, or in the absence of one, having to pay for a ticket and then get a refund once they could prove the age. Now, I don't know if I believe those posts, but you may as well have on handy anyhow so you don't have to stress about it.

 

[ReneeA]

I appreciate everyone's responses. Since children under 3 can eat free at buffets, I have another question. My son is shall we say, a BIG kid.. I don't mean fat at all, but he is 21 months old and already 37 lbs and 35 inches tall. This may sound weird, but do I need to bring along a copy of his birth certificate for not only free food but also for park entry? I hate to think I have to bring ID for my child, but has anyone else run into any problems with this?? All they have to do is talk to him and will realize he is under 3!

My kids are both tall - my DS who is 4 is 48", DD just turned 3 is 41". Both my DH & I are tall - along with both sides of the family. I mean EXTREMELY tall - my sister is 6 feet, brother 6'5". All of DH's brothers and 1st cousins (male) are 6'6" - 6"8".

I took both of their birth certificates with us just in case we needed them. We were never asked for proof, but DD - 2 at the time - was asked a couple times by CM's her age.

 

[mom_2_boys]

Glad to have the information about the birth cert! My 2yo is over 35lbs and almost 38 inches tall. Between ds2 and ds4, they weigh almost the same and are just 3 inches apart in height. I have people say to me all the time that he looks older than 2. I will make a copy of the birth cert just in case. Disney is expensive enough already - don't need to pay for things that are supposed to be free!

Thanks for all the info about the DDP and kids! I can hardly wait to get to the world and dine on the Mouse!