Have you lied about your child's age to get in free?

[candielips]

Now I am not saying I would lie or have lied BUT who in their right mind is going to come in here and admit it??????
Tons of people do it, but no one admits to it. Kind of like picking your nose or peeing in the shower! :lmao

 

[gigi1313]

I did the opposite... Disney records had my dd a year younger than she was and I corrected them a few years in a row, even when it could have saved me big bridging from 9 to 10.

A coworker took her 3.5yo twins and lied... It really irked me!

 

[UConnFan]

I'm not going to teach my children it's okay to lie sometimes, because then I'll have to deal with them lying to me!

I have a 14 and a 16yo now. I've never lied to get them into anything, and I've always tried to be truthful with them. And despite what Judge Judy says about teens, both of my kids are honest with me. My son will straight up say, "I'm not going to answer that question!" rather than lie, and my daughter hates feeling guilty, so regularly confesses everything.

This! We don't have children yet, but as an educator and a future mommy, I believe whole heartily in modeling appropriate behavior for my kids. I can't expect them to act one way when I behave another.

 

[luvmy2babies]

I voted no even though my son is still 2 and I haven't had to think about it. Next year I get hit both ways. My son turns 3 in January and my daughter turns 10 in April. I'm currently lookng at us returning for the same dates in June as we went on our trip this year.

Never occurred to me to give different ages for either of them for our next trip. We are likely going on the same dates and I give Disney more credit than that. If they were 9 and 2 on a trip in June 2012, they can't still be 9 and 2 on the exact same dates the following year. I know they store that information. Plus, it is not the example I want to set. I have enough parenting challenges as it is. Doing something like that might set me back a long ways at home.

Paying for dd as an adult will be harder to swallow than paying for ds at 3. I think that age should be 12, but they aren't forcing me to bring them back. I will use another discount. I will book the trip as soon as possible to give myself enough time to pay for it.

ETA: I have done my best to go to all of the activities I could while they were little though. I am going to miss him getting in free almost everywhere.

 

[2blondeprincesses]

We have definitely seen it at the turnstyles. We have always carried copies of birth certificates because we r on the other side of the coin. Our 3yo is 43 inches tall and 48lbs. Our 8 year old is also very tall. I do believe in always being honest, otherwise all day at the park I would b looking over my shoulder waiting for the cm to question me. Not very magical. Would ruin the day

 

[clc053103]

Nope never lied and we took DS at age 3.

Why doesn't Disney just require a birth certificate for all tickets for children under 3?

 

[nchulka]

Well one, I am not aware of any hotel where you can pay extra money to exceed fire code limits. Fire codes are different than occupancy limits placed by the hotel. Fire codes are set by the fire marshall and determined based on the Material used in construction, the configuration of the room and the hallways and availability of exits. Hotels may charge to have more than a set numbe of adults in a room, usually two adults, but not to exceed their fire codes. Two, if he was two at the start of your trip he would be two legally for your entire trip. That is not what occurred here. Three being a dvc member now has nothing to do with your actions in the past.
You knowingly placed your family and the other guests in that hotel in danger.

I think this is a GROSS exaggeration!

I wouldn't lie to not pay for a ticket because I would feel too guilty, but I don't see anything wrong with not putting a freshly turned 3 year old on a reservation so you can be in a smaller room. She said she paid for his ticket and meals.

Several years ago we were in Calif. with my aunt. She decided to treat us by taking us to DisneyLand for the day. We had not been and knew nothing about the place. We went up to the ticket area and she went up to pay. My kids were 3 and 1 at the time. I read above the ticket counter where 3 and over needed a ticket, she came back without a ticket for DD. She had looked at the sign briefly and thought it was 3 and under that were free, so she never even said anything to the ticket lady about having kids. I went back and got DD a ticket, because even thought she was tiny and no one would have ever known, I would have known and it would have ruined my day.

 

[ErinsMommy]

We went when my DD was 4 and being premie she's still very petite for her age, so being we were on the DxDDP and staying at the POFQ, it would've def been cheaper to say she was under 3 and no one would've been the wiser. But frankly we believe teaching our daughter right from wrong is more important than saving $$ -- if the money your saving makes that much of a difference, then go DDP, a cheaper time of year, or to a cheaper resort.

 

[constancefamily]

Actually for our Oct trip we are doing the opposite. We are putting my 2 year old down as a 3 year old so he can have the dining plan (QS). My sis is a CM so we don't have to buy him tickets but we don't want to have to worry about feeding him from our plates. I hate it when people try to cheat the system. It makes everyone else pay in the long run.

 

[mesaboy2]

Nope never lied and we took DS at age 3.

Why doesn't Disney just require a birth certificate for all tickets for children under 3?

Not worth the hassle.

 

[coopersmom]

You knowingly placed your family and the other guests in that hotel in danger.

Hyperbolic much? I mean, seriously, I get that rules are rules (and am, personally, a strict rule follower) ... And if you want to slam the poster for rule-breaking, have at it. But "endangering lives?"

So, the exact same weight and height child one week is "safe" but the next, post-birthday, is a "danger"? Might be a rule, but doesn't ring true, does it?

I get that they have to have a cut off somewhere, etc. Logically, though, getting an infant, who can't walk on their own, out of a hotel, is going to take longer in a life or death situation (going to get the baby, carrying them through smoke-filled hallways), than a mobile child, so how is one safe and the other a dangerous hazard?

To stay on topic ... Our first trip with our smaller-than-average son (I can usually guess another child's age by assuming that if they're the same height/weight as mine, they are at least a year younger) was when he was 3. Never even occurred to me to make him "2" on the reservation to save money.

Like I said, I'm a rule follower and this never even occurred to me, so no decision required, but while I could totally argue that Disney's prices are absolutely outrageous, I don't think teaching your kids to lie for personal gain is the sort of precedent you'd want to set to save a buck. If for no other reason than it will most certainly bite you in the butt as they age and pull the same stuff you taught them back on you.

 

[Celine]

"Also, if you've ever given disney the birthdays of your kids for a celebration visit, they keep it in their system, so even if you wanted to lie about someone's age, they'd know."



Is this true? When would that little tidbit of information pop up? Last year I lied and said my two younger kids were older (said they were 10) and paid more for tickets so that they would have better dining options. This year, one of them IS 10, but the other is still 9, but I still said they were both 10 again and paid the extra, again. Are you saying that at some point between now and check-in, or at check-in, they are going to call me on that?

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Hyperbolic much? I mean, seriously, I get that rules are rules (and am, personally, a strict rule follower) ... And if you want to slam the poster for rule-breaking, have at it. But "endangering lives?"

So, the exact same weight and height child one week is "safe" but the next, post-birthday, is a "danger"? Might be a rule, but doesn't ring true, does it?

I get that they have to have a cut off somewhere, etc. Logically, though, getting an infant, who can't walk on their own, out of a hotel, is going to take longer in a life or death situation (going to get the baby, carrying them through smoke-filled hallways), than a mobile child, so how is one safe and the other a dangerous hazard?

To stay on topic ... Our first trip with our smaller-than-average son (I can usually guess another child's age by assuming that if they're the same height/weight as mine, they are at least a year younger) was when he was 3. Never even occurred to me to make him "2" on the reservation to save money.

Like I said, I'm a rule follower and this never even occurred to me, so no decision required, but while I could totally argue that Disney's prices are absolutely outrageous, I don't think teaching your kids to lie for personal gain is the sort of precedent you'd want to set to save a buck. If for no other reason than it will most certainly bite you in the butt as they age and pull the same stuff you taught them back on you.

I agree with this. Rules are in place and they are important. But leeway for reasonable interpretation is important too.

 

[Suellen]

I haven't lied for free entry - but was rudely accused of it by a CM as DD was very tall and very articulate. When I told the CM she wouldn't turn three until July and this was in March - he rolled his eyes at me and said (for everyone to hear). That's what they ALL say.

I did (the May) trip that year lie to increase her age to just buy her a ticket and dining since we had trouble with the restaurants charging her too!

 

[mom31]

No but I was really tempted when we went 3 days after dd turned 10. I was a good girl though and paid full price for her.

 

[justtobeme2]

Well one, I am not aware of any hotel where you can pay extra money to exceed fire code limits. Fire codes are different than occupancy limits placed by the hotel. Fire codes are set by the fire marshall and determined based on the Material used in construction, the configuration of the room and the hallways and availability of exits. Hotels may charge to have more than a set numbe of adults in a room, usually two adults, but not to exceed their fire codes. Two, if he was two at the start of your trip he would be two legally for your entire trip. That is not what occurred here. Three being a dvc member now has nothing to do with your actions in the past.
You knowingly placed your family and the other guests in that hotel in danger.

Sorry but I have to say this, get over it! They would NOT have been immediately thrown out of the hotel for fire codes for a small child, they would have been asked to get another room. Geesh.

And it's usually 4 adults occupancy code. Just sayin.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I took DD when she was 3.5yo and I had people encouraging me to lie about her age so I didn't have to pay for a ticket. She was small for her age but I wouldn't do it. My thought was a lesson in honesty is worth a whole lot more than the cost of her WDW ticket. Her dad (my ex) has lied about her age before and DD will ask me "why does dad lie?" And this was when she was 3 and 4 so she picked up on it even though she was young.

The fire code thing is really not the issue. Why can you pay extra occupancy fees at non Disney hotels to exceed the number specified.

No, you can't just pay extra to exceed the max occupancy of a room. The fees you are thinking about are if you have more than 2 adults in a room. The max occupancy of the rooms at the Poly are 5 + 1 child under the age of 3. In your case, if your child had been under the age of 3 you would have been fine in that room, but you still would have had to pay for the 2 extra adults in the room. But since your child was over the age of 3, you exceeded the max occupancy of the room and there's no fee you could pay to let you stay in that room. You should have had to either book two rooms, upgrade to a suite, or book at a different resort that has rooms that accommodate 6.

 

[My3Princez]

"Also, if you've ever given disney the birthdays of your kids for a celebration visit, they keep it in their system, so even if you wanted to lie about someone's age, they'd know."



Is this true? When would that little tidbit of information pop up? Last year I lied and said my two younger kids were older (said they were 10) and paid more for tickets so that they would have better dining options. This year, one of them IS 10, but the other is still 9, but I still said they were both 10 again and paid the extra, again. Are you saying that at some point between now and check-in, or at check-in, they are going to call me on that?

Disney doesn't mind you paying more for your kids. You can flat out tell them that your child is 7 but you want an adult ticket for them - no lying required. We've done it with our younger then 10 son who simply would not have made it through 8 days on only chicken nuggets and burgers . . .

 

[ben1993]

Hmm, well I don't have kids but I'd be very tempted to do it if I thought I'd actually get away with it, although it would make me so nervous every time we went to the turnstiles, I used tickets I'd bought of eBay last year and that made me nervous enough on the first night!

 

[GillianP1301]

No and I wouldn't not at Disney or anywhere else. Personally, I think it sets a really poor example to flat out lie in front of your kids and even worse for those who "coach" their kids to lie about their age as well.

My DS is 4 and one time shortly after he turned 3, we went to the movies. I was asked how old he was and told the truth and the woman still chose not to charge me for his ticket (tickets needed for 3+). She went so far as to tell me that next time, I should just say he's "almost 3". I couldn't believe it and was glad my son was not within ear shot.