FREE dining for 2 year old???

[meeshkamooshka]

I just booked "magic your way package plus dining"
...but I have a question...
below it defines the plan, however one of my sons is 2 year old ( almost 3 , by the time we take our vacation) according to this info what food does my 2 year old get? none?

explanation for disney website on FREE dining :


------------------------------------------------------
Disney Dining Plan
With your Disney Dining Plan, for each night of your package, each Guest in your party (ages 3 and up) receives:

1 Table-Service Meal

Each (adult or child) table-service meal includes:

1 entrée
1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

Or

1 full buffet

1 Quick-Service Meal

Each quick-service meal includes:

1 entrée or 1 complete combo meal
1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

1 Snack

Examples of snacks are:

1 frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single-serving box), single-serving bag of snacks, single piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, 22-oz. fountain soft drink or juice, 12-oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea, single-serving prepackaged milk or juice

Children ages 3-9 must order from a Children's Menu where available. Plan must be purchased for entire length of stay and for the entire party (ages 3+). Meals are non-transferable between party members and expire at midnight on day of check-out.

 

[smitch425]

I just booked "magic your way package plus dining"
...but I have a question...
below it defines the plan, however one of my sons is 2 year old ( almost 3 , by the time we take our vacation) according to this info what food does my 2 year old get? none?

explanation for disney website on FREE dining :


------------------------------------------------------
Disney Dining Plan
With your Disney Dining Plan, for each night of your package, each Guest in your party (ages 3 and up) receives:

1 Table-Service Meal

Each (adult or child) table-service meal includes:

1 entrée
1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

Or

1 full buffet

1 Quick-Service Meal

Each quick-service meal includes:

1 entrée or 1 complete combo meal
1 dessert (lunch and dinner only)
1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

1 Snack

Examples of snacks are:

1 frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single-serving box), single-serving bag of snacks, single piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, 22-oz. fountain soft drink or juice, 12-oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea, single-serving prepackaged milk or juice

Children ages 3-9 must order from a Children's Menu where available. Plan must be purchased for entire length of stay and for the entire party (ages 3+). Meals are non-transferable between party members and expire at midnight on day of check-out.

He can eat off of your plate at any meal except at buffets. At a buffet meal, he will be allowed to have his own plate. You can also order him his own meal and just pay for it OOP.

 

[meeshkamooshka]

eat of MY plate..thats funny...MY = ALL MINE...
lol...I have a work around however... thanks for this info...

 

[minnie mum]

the PP is correct. Children under 3 aren't covered by the dining plans. It is assumed that the parents will feed the children from their own meals, make them a small plate from the buffet, or order food OOP.

 

[Cafeen]

As mentioned, it's not just free dining, but all dining plans. Don't know the exact reasoning, but it's more than likely tied to the fact that they don't need a ticket either. With no ticket, they also get no KTTW card, so it's probably difficult to assign credits to them.

Now, you can register the kid as 3 and get a dining plan, but you'll also have to pay for park tickets for said kid, which would very likely outweigh any savings you pull from the dining plan for that kid.

 

[mad madam mim78]

I'd just tell them they were 3. Yeah I'm one of those people.

True though. Park tickets or food? I'd just buy the food.

 

[meeshkamooshka]

Now, you can register the kid as 3 and get a dining plan, but you'll also have to pay for park tickets for said kid, which would very likely outweigh any savings you pull from the dining plan for that kid.

oo i c....

I wouldn't know because the WDW reservation site doesnt break anything down ( very annoying ) heck I dont even know what my daily room rate is...but I have an idea because Ive been there done that...

Im curious, is the age of 9/10 the breakig point for another increase$$$ park ticket/dining plan???

thanks for this info

 

[meeshkamooshka]

after further thought....if I feed my kid of my plate and my son 9 yo gets a kids meal ( which he can finish in a minute flat) I will be left with nothing.........

 

[Woodmnky]

The good news is that it should be cheaper to buy your 2 yo food OOP than buying him theme park tickets and then getting the free dining. We are in the same position and I priced it out to be sure. For this reason, we are booking mainly buffets and/or meals that are served family style (like Ohana & Garden Grill). At least at these restaurants I won't have to order extra food.

 

[homer2210]

what happens when you want to take the 3 year old to a dinner show, such as hoop de due or mickeys bbq, which you could use credits from the dinner plan. is it better to just pay oop for these instead of using the credits from the free dining?

 

[jlk806]

^ Well that depends how many other TS meals you want to have, since the dinner shows take 2 credits. Unless you have a longer stay, the shows eat up your TS credits. We decided to do the deluxe DP for the first 4 nts of our Tri-split stay, so we can do CRT and Mickeys Backyard BBQ in that time and the deluxe plan gives us the extra credits to work with.

 

[luvmy2babies]

oo i c....

I wouldn't know because the WDW reservation site doesnt break anything down ( very annoying ) heck I dont even know what my daily room rate is...but I have an idea because Ive been there done that...

Im curious, is the age of 9/10 the breakig point for another increase$$$ park ticket/dining plan???

thanks for this info

At age 10, children require an adult park ticket and they are then an adult on the DDP. 2013 is my year of reckoning. My son will be 3 in January and my daughter will be 10 in April.

My son is 2.5 and we went last month. We had the regular dining plan. For Quick Service meals, I usually got him a children’s meal OOP, except on two occasions where he shared the meal with me. We had lunch in the Mexico Pavilion where we all shared a meal because we had a dinner ADR 3.5 hours after that. And at Columbia Harbor House where the portions are pretty large, we shared a chicken/fish platter easily. We've also shared at Cosmic Ray's on a previous trip.

For our TS meals with the exception of our CRT dinner, I got either buffet or family style meals so he could have his own plate. At CRT, they gave him pasta and a desert (ice cream) no charge. He ate from the bread that came out first and shared dd’s appetizer (grapes and cheese platter) and ate some of my salad.

 

[TDC Nala]

what happens when you want to take the 3 year old to a dinner show, such as hoop de due or mickeys bbq, which you could use credits from the dinner plan. is it better to just pay oop for these instead of using the credits from the free dining?

These are all you can eat, so you just feed the kid from whatever's on the table. No charge for the child.

 

[chartle]

what happens when you want to take the 3 year old to a dinner show, such as hoop de due or mickeys bbq, which you could use credits from the dinner plan. is it better to just pay oop for these instead of using the credits from the free dining?

These are all you can eat, so you just feed the kid from whatever's on the table. No charge for the child.

But you still have to include them on the ADR.

 

[homer2210]

But you still have to include them on the ADR.

Yes, if i include them in the ADR I also have to use a TS credit for them, correct?

 

[Shagley]

Yes, if i include them in the ADR I also have to use a TS credit for them, correct?

When booking an ADR for a dinner show, it asks you the ages of the children. If under 3, you won't be charged a credit for them.

 

[loricdietzel]

ADRs are to reserve the number of seats at the table, not how many people you are paying for. So if you have 4 in your family (one being 2) you would make an ADR for 4. You still would only use TS credits for 3. For buffets, family style (which is a lot of the dinner shows) and such the 2 year old just eats for free. At CRT the 2 yr old gets buttered noodles for free. Elsewhere they have to share a meal or you have to pay OOP.

If you want your 2 yr old on a meal plan and want to say they are 3 that is fine, but then you will have to buy them a park ticket as they will no longer get into the park for free. Doable, but not cost effective. You would be much better just buying the food you need to OOT.

Under 3 DOES get a KTTW card. My then 12 mo old did on our last trip.

 

[CatNipRules]

Yes, if i include them in the ADR I also have to use a TS credit for them, correct?

I don't think that is correct. The simple reason for adding them onto the ADR is to know how many seats will be taken up at a particular table. The credits are used when you purchase the meal. Simply tell your server whether you wish to use credits or pay OOP.

 

[TDC Nala]

The simple reason for adding them onto the ADR is to know how many seats will be taken up at a particular table.

Also how many people will be present in the restaurant for fire code capacity. So you must include everyone on the reservation, even if it is a baby that will sit in a lap and not eat anything. You will not be charged a dining credit for anyone under age 3, but at an a la carte restaurant if you order something for the child you will be billed for it. For a buffet or an all you can eat plated meal, you do not have to pay anything for a child under 3 to eat from the all-you-can-eat offerings.

 

[scrappinam]

We were given a free kids meal at Akershus for our 2 year old DD. It was a pleasant surprise.