Dining/restaurant question

[KyleeB]

This year my twins will be 10, so they are considered adults. When we go can they still order off the kids menu (if we aren't doing the dining plan)? Do they question it?

I like the dining plan for the convenience, and we usually go during stay play and dine but I don't think it's worth it this year. I guess it depends on my above question.

Thanks!

Kylee

 

[nanhol]

This year my twins will be 10, so they are considered adults. When we go can they still order off the kids menu (if we aren't doing the dining plan)? Do they question it?

I like the dining plan for the convenience, and we usually go during stay play and dine but I don't think it's worth it this year. I guess it depends on my above question.

Thanks!

Kylee

Yes, they can order off the kids menu. They won't question it, particularly for kids so young. (Some adults report eating off the kids menu at times!)

 

[bigbabyblues]

They will be charged the adult price at buffet or all you can eat meals, if you have any of those planned,

 

[davedmaine]

They will be charged the adult price at buffet or all you can eat meals, if you have any of those planned,

Booooo!

 

[lovechristmas]

They definitely won't question it. Adults order off the kids menu too......at quick service restaurants of course.

 

[illinidp]

This year my twins will be 10, so they are considered adults. When we go can they still order off the kids menu (if we aren't doing the dining plan)? Do they question it?

I like the dining plan for the convenience, and we usually go during stay play and dine but I don't think it's worth it this year. I guess it depends on my above question.

Thanks!

Kylee

There are some restaurants not owned by Disney that don't allow it either.

Getting the standard DDP and paying OOP for kids meals for the kids at restaurants that allow it can save enough credits over the trip for some of the signatures or shows that count as two, or to add some TS breakfasts.

 

[KyleeB]

But if we don't have the dining plan, will they still charge for adults at buffets etc? I mean if they don't ask their age how do they know?

 

[Kimosabe]

But if we don't have the dining plan, will they still charge for adults at buffets etc? I mean if they don't ask their age how do they know?

Now you've raised a question that will undoubtedly bring a wide variety of answers, accusations, and moral felony convictions without a trial. The official answer is that if you're ten, then you're an adult and would pay the applicable price. The unofficial answer matches your last question.

Regardless of which way you go, be careful if you are making ADRs on the MDE app just to show yourself and however many "guests" you might have, rather than identifying everyone by name, which necessarily then identifies them by age, too. Once you do that, then it's much more difficult to then try to explain to the hostess why your reservation says four adults but you're telling them two adults and two kids (not that I've ever done that, of course...I've just heard of this happening...a friend of my cousin's mother-in-law's brother's classmate once did it).

We have two girls. Our older one is now 12 but has always been very petite for her age, and when she turned ten, she could easily pass for seven or eight. I will hereby confess and submit myself to the judgment of DISers across the world by saying that we claimed her as a child for a year or two after she turned ten. She ate like a bird, and was never going to eat enough to justify an adult price. Now that she's 12 and has sprouted up a bit, we treat her accordingly and just suck it up for the adult price. On the flip side, I have seen or heard legend of young boys and girls alike who could eat their weight in buffet food at age ten (in fact, the last time I discussed this issue, one proud grandmother boasted that her six-year old grandson could eat an entire large pizza and ask for more...it was a very touching moment). In those cases, I guess it makes sense.

I have a great struggle with the fact that ten-year olds are "adults" at WDW, especially for those meals where alcohol is included (e.g., Hoop De Doo, Luau, etc.). I'll pay a higher price due to age, but when you're asking my tween-age daughter to pay the same price as some thirty-year old ex-linebacker who plans to down three racks of ribs and half a dozen beers in one meal, that's where I have a problem...and I guess that's why we'll be skipping those meals for the next several years. (DISCLAIMER: This post means no offense to ex-linebackers...I'm sure they are very nice people.)

 

[KyleeB]

LOL It is strange to me that 10 is considered an adult. I guess I get it for park tickets, but dining seems crazy.

I am just trying to figure if the dining plan is worth it or not.

 

[Sandy321]

Now you've raised a question that will undoubtedly bring a wide variety of answers, accusations, and moral felony convictions without a trial. The official answer is that if you're ten, then you're an adult and would pay the applicable price. The unofficial answer matches your last question.

Regardless of which way you go, be careful if you are making ADRs on the MDE app just to show yourself and however many "guests" you might have, rather than identifying everyone by name, which necessarily then identifies them by age, too. Once you do that, then it's much more difficult to then try to explain to the hostess why your reservation says four adults but you're telling them two adults and two kids (not that I've ever done that, of course...I've just heard of this happening...a friend of my cousin's mother-in-law's brother's classmate once did it).

We have two girls. Our older one is now 12 but has always been very petite for her age, and when she turned ten, she could easily pass for seven or eight. I will hereby confess and submit myself to the judgment of DISers across the world by saying that we claimed her as a child for a year or two after she turned ten. She ate like a bird, and was never going to eat enough to justify an adult price. Now that she's 12 and has sprouted up a bit, we treat her accordingly and just suck it up for the adult price. On the flip side, I have seen or heard legend of young boys and girls alike who could eat their weight in buffet food at age ten (in fact, the last time I discussed this issue, one proud grandmother boasted that her six-year old grandson could eat an entire large pizza and ask for more...it was a very touching moment). In those cases, I guess it makes sense.

I have a great struggle with the fact that ten-year olds are "adults" at WDW, especially for those meals where alcohol is included (e.g., Hoop De Doo, Luau, etc.). I'll pay a higher price due to age, but when you're asking my tween-age daughter to pay the same price as some thirty-year old ex-linebacker who plans to down three racks of ribs and half a dozen beers in one meal, that's where I have a problem...and I guess that's why we'll be skipping those meals for the next several years. (DISCLAIMER: This post means no offense to ex-linebackers...I'm sure they are very nice people.)

VERY well said!!

Maybe that's why I've not wanted to do hoop de foo! (auto corrected, made me laugh)

i'll add for anyone else, that my dd also suffers the same fate and it was just one thing we decided not to worry about, it is what it is and a bad day at Disney trumps real life any day!!

When we did the Fantasmic Package at the Buffet, dd just didn't want anything - its a buffet! nope, wasn't going to eat, you can't make me, we order a drink for her, but I don't even think she drank that! She had her "Learn to Draw" kit, and was quite entertained....

and the waitress realized she wasn't eating, and said she was not going to charge us for her!

That's Disney, when you least expect it, something makes you smile for years to come!

(Disclaimer - this is no way saying cm's are doing this, it happened YEARS ago, your experience will vary No linebackers were consulted for this post)

 

[Hopefully]

LOL It is strange to me that 10 is considered an adult. I guess I get it for park tickets, but dining seems crazy.

I am just trying to figure if the dining plan is worth it or not.

I get that 10 seems young for dining. But there had to be some age and it would always be questioned. I guess it just "is what it is".
Because of that, I think the DDP probably won't work for you this trip. We are advocates (all adults) of the DDP, but you certainly are the edge state.
Most, not all, TS restaurants will allow your 10 yo to order off the kids menu when paying OOP. But they all will charge you for an adult if you do buffets and all you care to eat meals this trip. I would avoid those, as far as possible this trip.
At the risk of annoying Kimosabe, I believe you need to be honest. Often, not always, they will ask a child how old they are. I would not coach my child to lie about their age.

 

[KyleeB]

Oh I totally agree! I couldn't lie if they asked me straight out, and I would never teach my kids to lie either. I was also asking because I know we will dine at places that they won't like the adult options, so I also wanted to make sure that if they wanted something on the children's menu, that they could get it.

I was thinking about CRT, but I know they will not like the adult options. So was wondering if they could order from the children's menu.

The dining plan we were looking at (1qs, 1ts, and snack) would be worth it. I LOVE the convenience of the plan, but when I run the numbers it seems high to me. Also I know that I would never get a dessert at QS, maybe my kids would, and I probably wouldn't at TS either.

I appreciate all your input! Thank you!

 

[DCDisney]

We've gone 2 ways when my kids were young disney "adults". When we got free dining or stay play and dine we would use the DDP almost like the deluxe plan. If we ate somewhere like Sci Fi Dine In which they loved at that age we'd use 2 adult credits and pay OOP for 2 kids meals. The 2 adult desserts were plenty for 4 anyway. That way we ended up with lots more TS meals though we did have the costs of the kids meals. At quick service they usually shared 1 adult meal so we ended up eating more quick service breakfasts than usual with the extra credits and bought sandwiches we took to the airport at the end of our trip too which saved needing to buy stuff for breakfast and at the airport. If we didn't get the DDP discounted We seemed to do more deluxe dining dinners because even for adults they really work out being like 1.5 dining credits worth even though they cost 2 credits and again the kids would just get kids meals and the ones at the deluxe places they tended to really enjoy.