Dinning plan + 2 year old

[dbug209]

We will be doing the dinning plan for our next WDW trip in Feb, how does it work with a 2 year old? She doesnt have to be on the dinning plan like us correct? So will she just eat off of our meals and snacks?

TIA

 

[mamato3girls]

Yes, the way I understand it is they just eat off of your meals or you can order (and pay) for a separate meal for them. We are goin with our 2 1/2 year old this week and we actually planned a few buffets for this very reason because we figured that way she would definitely get enough to eat.

 

[dbug209]

Oh, I hadnt even thought of buffetts, that is a great idea!! Thanks so much!

 

[smiths02]

We went when our son was just about to turn 3 (he turned 3 on the trip)...this way we were able to get 4 adults plus him in one room, no tickets for him, and no DDP for him

We ate at Crystal Palace (dinner), Ohana (dinner), H&V (breakfast), Tusker House (breakfast/brunch), Boma (dinner), Sci Fi (lunch), Chef Mickey (dinner)

Other than paying for T-Rex OOP and a light-up drink at Sci-Fi-we never had to order DS extra food and we were never charged for an extra drink (and this was on the regular dining plan-we always had enough food for him-and we only brought some cereal bars, juice/milk boxes, and water bottles with us)

As you can see, we did A LOT of buffets or family style

 

[TeresaG]

Yep, they just eat off your plate. We do a lot of buffets that way I can make sure they eat enough. My son has always had a huge appetite so sharing with him was always tough because he would practically eat my whole meal lol. Now he is on the dining plan now which is better for us. My daughter still has to share, but her appetite is much more normal.

Buffets are perfect for when you're sharing though.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

Yes, they eat off your plate. We will have a 2.5 yo in Sept and we are doing buffet or family style for our TS except Le Cellier for lunch one day. Whispering Canyon has an all-you can eat option and Ohana us family style and then we have buffets - Chef Mickey's, Boma, Crystal Palace, and Cape May. We have 6 adults and a child so i'm not worried in the least about him having enough to eat at CS or Le Cellier!

 

[nathaliabrown]

Just remember they are eating off your plate. If you make them there own plate at a buffet they are likely to be charged. This happened to us a couple years back at Chef Mickeys when DD was 2 1/2 and we made her her own plate. Most cast-members dont care but you might get a stickler who does.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Just remember they are eating off your plate. If you make them there own plate at a buffet they are likely to be charged. This happened to us a couple years back at Chef Mickeys when DD was 2 1/2 and we made her her own plate. Most cast-members dont care but you might get a stickler who does.

That is not true. Under 3 eats for free at buffets. They can have their own plate and will get their own drink.

 

[Baloo4you]

We have brought our children when they were under 3 many, many times. We have always made them their own plates, and they have always been given a drink. We have never been charged extra for them.

 

[clanmcculloch]

It's not just buffets where the kids under 3 get to have their own plates. All fixed priced restaurant works this way. At CRT they're even brought out their own dish of buttered noodles. Eating at fixed priced restaurants is a great deal with kids under 3 and also a great deal using the dining plan.

 

[moparop]

What we have done with our picky 2 year old is this. We've shared our more upscale meals with the older kids and then had the kids share their chicken nuggets with the baby at standard table service restaurants. We've also been able to order just the kids macaroni with tomato sauce for under $2 for the baby.

 

[smiths02]

We have brought our children when they were under 3 many, many times. We have always made them their own plates, and they have always been given a drink. We have never been charged extra for them.

That was our experience. We expected that we might get charged for the extra drink, but we NEVER were.

We went to Crystal Palace on my son's actual 3rd birthday. I was thinking that he might get charged b/c he was clearly 3 at this point (we made a big deal out of it being his birthday), but since we checked into the hotel before he was 3 (a few days prior), we were not charged at all (he ate on a separate plate, got his own drink, AND got a free birthday cupcake).
When we went to Ohana, they even offered to get my DS a child's plate at no charge (he didn't need one).


To the person who said they were charged...I would have grabbed a bite of food off my 2 1/2 year old's plate and said "That was my plate, she was eating off of it" (I also brought my son's birth certificate with me in case we were questioned, which we never were)

 

[smiths02]

Just remember they are eating off your plate. If you make them there own plate at a buffet they are likely to be charged. This happened to us a couple years back at Chef Mickeys when DD was 2 1/2 and we made her her own plate. Most cast-members dont care but you might get a stickler who does.

How would the cast member know that wasn't ONE of your plates (you are allowed as many as you want)? I would have spoken to a manager and if that didn't work, I would have moved higher up.