Dining Plan and 2 1/2 year old

[tina 73]

Will we have enough food to share with our daughter or should we buy her a childs meal? Please help

 

[reeeoga]

Yes you will have a lot of food to share. Some places will even give you a plate of noodles and sauce for the kid. Do not worry about needing extra food at a TS. At a counter service you may want to use a Snack Credit to purchase a bottle of juice or milk.

 

[ncsjodi]

We took our then 2 1/2 year old daughter in January. We had the DDP, but obviously not for her. There were a few meals where we bought her food, but not many. Three of our four TS meals were buffets, so she got as much food as she wanted for free. The fourth was Whispering Canyon, where my DH and I both got the all you can eat skillet. She shared off of our plates.

For CS meals, one time I got a double cheeseburger and paid OOP for an extra bun. I just put one of the patties on the extra bun and threw some ketchup on it for her. There were always plenty of french fries to share. Plus, my then 5 year old daughter isn't a big eater either, so there was always extra food. The only times we had to buy her food is when we chose something that she wouldn't eat. Then, we bought her a PBJ uncrustable or something like that.

We also used snack credits at our hotel to buy 1/2 gallons of milk to keep in our room. Not sure if you'll have a refrigerator or not, but I thought that was a great use of a snack credit! We usually had breakfast in the room.

Hope this helps!

 

[klinlin]

It all depends on if she likes the same food as you do. My son was 2 1/2 last trip, and we usually got him something at TS's. For counter service, there was always enough from the 3 meals we got to share and we just got an extra cup for his drink. At TS, we bought him his own drink. At the time most places did not have kids apps, and my boys would not share one scoop of ice cream, so we usually purchased him something of his own.

If she will eat the type of food you order, there is enough to share.

 

[i3utterfli82]

We were on the dining plan last year with our 2 1/2 year old DD. I can't tell you how many times we bought her kids meals (especially CS) at breakfast and lunch every day. Yes, there is alot of food, but not always the food your little one likes. For example, DH and I LOVE the Morroccan CS in Epcot....My DD wouldn't eat any of it, also we love Le Cellier, but really, she is not in to mussels (our app) and only ate a bit of our steak (filet). It really depends where you plan to eat. If you do a lot of buffets, you would be better off not paying the extra. I am happy DD is 3 this year so I have to get the plan...much easier.

The extra $10.99 is worth it, but you need to consider the ticket prices too. If you were not considering adding her to the dining plan, then yes, budget for extra meals and drinks, atleast $10 a day.

 

[tinkerbelle77]

Are you staying on DVC points? or is this a package through Disney?

I am asking because if staying on DVC points you can add a 2 1/2 to the dp for the purposes of dining only and pay the additional 10.99 a day for them. I had my BF DD on there in February, and it worked great! HTH!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

My son was 23 months last year and will be 35 months when we go this year. I only had to buy him one meal last trip. We chose mostly buffet or family type meals and he was fine. I shared our CS with him. EX get the double cheeseburger and buy a bun for him. We did actually buy dinner one night at Alfredos because we chose food he wouldnt eat. All in all I think I probably spent about $10 per day extra on his food and snacks. But we were staying on CL so his milk and juice was covered along with breakfasts.

 

[bentleygirl22]

Will we have enough food to share with our daughter or should we buy her a childs meal? Please help

no need to buy her a meal you will have enough food on the dinning plan .. and they are not going to mind you shareing your food with a 2 year old ..

 

[danielle782001]

Are you staying on DVC points? or is this a package through Disney?

I am asking because if staying on DVC points you can add a 2 1/2 to the dp for the purposes of dining only and pay the additional 10.99 a day for them. I had my BF DD on there in February, and it worked great! HTH!

We did this for our son when we went in May because we had a really hard time with not having the plan for him in December. He was 26 months in December and he really wanted his own meal. He saw that his brother was getting fun Mickey plates and desserts and wanted it too. Also, sometimes sharing is a problem if you want something different then he would like. I started to get upset that we had to base our adult choices completely on what the baby would enjoy. So we got him the plan in May even though he was only 2 1/2. It worked out great!!! He liked getting his own counter food and I liked not having to order my meal based on him. We are doing it again in October when we go back, just before he turns three.

Paying the $10 and change is well worth it (in our opinion). Sure he should be free but the kid CAN eat. If you have a child with a small stomach or loves all the same foods as you, by all means, DON'T get the plan.

Yes, buffets are free for under three.. We would tell the server that he was under three and not to charge for him on the plan, which they went along with. So we had a couple of extra ts at the end. Which was also okay because we used the extras on the last day we were there.

Happy Eating!

 

[michygoomy]

We went in early June with our 2 1/2 year old and very rarely bought her a meal. I think we did once at TS, and maybe twice at CS, but we had extra CS credits for that.

With four people ordering appetizer, entree and dessert, there was always something my extremely picky eater could eat, We did two buffets (CP & BOMA) and two family-style meals (GG & Ohana). At the family-style meals, they did bring out children's options for her even though the rest of us were considered adults. Only once did my DH make his decision to get something to share with her, but that didn't even end up being necessary because she liked the veggies that came with our meals best. We also shared the skillet with her at WCC.

We ordered her a milk at every TS, and only once were we charged for it, but I think that's because we ordered her her own dessert, too (at Alfredo's).

We often ate out CS at Pop, which was great, because there is a lot of leeway in the desserts. Many times DH or I would get her fruit as our dessert credit. It was a nice big plate of it, too. Add in some of our food, and you've got a good meal.

Have fun!