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

[juliebug1997]

Could I afford to bring a 3 year and 3 month old to Disney if I were going? Sure. But if he's not able to use half of what he'd like to use because of height restrictions, I feel comfortable in shaving that 3 months off, spending the money on something that he could use, keep, or otherwise enjoy. If he were over that magic 40", I'd be honest about his age and reap the savings with the free dining.

It's not an issue of what I can afford, it's an issue of what I'm willing to pay for. I'm not willing to pay park admission for somebody barely outside of the freebie age when he can't ride the flagship rides, the rides he'd love the most. It's not like the money isn't going to Disney anyway, it's just going to something that will benefit him.

Considering that I pay for all my trips without the use of credit cards, can afford to take the time off from work, am debt-free (other than my car loan), have a steady job, a savings, and don't rely on social services/EBT and foodstamps/assisted living/government assistance, etc to get buy in my personal life, I can say with a clear conscious that I can truly afford the vacation I'm paying for. But that doesn't mean I'm keen on wasting money.

And at the age of 3, when the tickets and packages are all prepaid before he gets there, it's not like 10, 20, or 30 years from now he's going to say "Hey ma, you remember when you got me into Disney by saying I was 2 and I had really been 3 for 2 months? That's why I robbed a bank, lied to my boss, and started smoking weed."

There are lots of things that I want to do but don't because I don't want to pay for them and you know what? I don't do them and I certainly don't shave anything off of my information to get what I am willing to pay for.

Several years ago, I went to a Dairy Queen that had a sign above their soda machine that read: If you have a water cup and you get soda, you are stealing.

 

[gtpoohbear]

I'm sure it happens a lot, unfortunately. Honesty is a big deal in our family, so we would never lie, even if it saved money. We can't teach our kids to be honest if we don't set a good example, no matter what the circumstance. That's why we are going in April next year, instead of a fall trip which I've always wanted. DS will turn 3 in August (2013) then DD will turn 10 two weeks later.

 

[momtoamulan]

If she is five..she would proudly tell everyone that she is five....i aleays figured that we have to use our passports on the plane (canadians)...so, booking everything, we would get busted..even if we wanted to lie...but, we are trying to teach our kids not to..so, we think it os important to set the example...

 

[ConvenientTruth]

We have had Annual Passes since we married at Disney over 10 years ago and it has been tradition that when the kids turned 3 the got their annual pass, but with that in mind I personally don't care what other people do. If they want to "fudge" their kids age for a bit, so what, doesn't effect me at all....

 

[fairestoneofall]

we went right after DD turned 3 and it never even occurred to use to lie.

we also celebrated her 10th birthday at WDW, but made sure to check in while she was still nine.

 

[ses1230]

Could I afford to bring a 3 year and 3 month old to Disney if I were going? Sure. But if he's not able to use half of what he'd like to use because of height restrictions, I feel comfortable in shaving that 3 months off, spending the money on something that he could use, keep, or otherwise enjoy. If he were over that magic 40", I'd be honest about his age and reap the savings with the free dining.

It's not an issue of what I can afford, it's an issue of what I'm willing to pay for. I'm not willing to pay park admission for somebody barely outside of the freebie age when he can't ride the flagship rides, the rides he'd love the most. It's not like the money isn't going to Disney anyway, it's just going to something that will benefit him.

Considering that I pay for all my trips without the use of credit cards, can afford to take the time off from work, am debt-free (other than my car loan), have a steady job, a savings, and don't rely on social services/EBT and foodstamps/assisted living/government assistance, etc to get buy in my personal life, I can say with a clear conscious that I can truly afford the vacation I'm paying for. But that doesn't mean I'm keen on wasting money.

And at the age of 3, when the tickets and packages are all prepaid before he gets there, it's not like 10, 20, or 30 years from now he's going to say "Hey ma, you remember when you got me into Disney by saying I was 2 and I had really been 3 for 2 months? That's why I robbed a bank, lied to my boss, and started smoking weed."

That is a ridiculous argument. First off, he can ride the vast majority of the rides. Second, I don't ride any mountains, coasters or thrill rides. Perhaps I should get a discounted ticket? My mom is coming with us this time and she doesn't want to ride anything but iasw, maybe I should ask for a discount for her, too. There are many people I'm sure that don't ride the height-restricted rides.

You say you are not going to pay for it because you are not willing to? I'm sorry but your argument is one of entitlement. And then you justify it by saying you are going to spend the money at Disney anyway. They don't owe you a free pass for your 3.5 year old because you will spend your money elsewhere on property.

 

[goofy4tink]

And then there are the elderly, or disabled...a lot of those folks go along, with their families, so they can enjoy the Disney experience with the rest of the family. They don't do rides, they just sit and wait. But, there is no price break for them.
Disney has to put the cut off somewhere. They most likely chose 3 as an 'average' age/size. Maybe perhaps it's a taking up a seat issue. If a child is under 3, most times they are a lap baby on rides. Or at shows. That's about the only reason I can think of.

But would I lie about my child's age to get them in free??? Nope, not a chance. And there was the time that we had been to WDW in May...dd was considered a 'child' at that time by Disney. I then found great airfare and room rates for late July..so booked it. And lo and behold??? Disney had changed the age of kids. Now, my child was no longer considered a child...a month later. And her birthday is in Oct. Spent double on food for her. That's just life.

 

[sfbank]

And it is people out there that do cheat the system, not just at Disney but in every day life, that continue to live supposedly debt free because they don't pay for what they are supposed to. Working with the public I see it every day. Will it change? No, because that is the ugly entitlement aspect that seems to have taken over everywhere. It is what it is.

 

[Paradise18]

No, I haven't lied about the ages of my kids, but I remember on my 12th birthday, my family took me out for dinner at an all-you-can-eat restaurant. Children 12 and over were charged as adults. When we went to pay my mother said I was 11. I started to correct my mother, but she managed to keep me from piping up with the truth. After we left the restaurant my mother tried to justify saying I was 11 by telling me that because I was born after 10 pm (it was around 7 pm by this point), technically I wasn't 12 yet. Great logic Mom

 

[Fjobe]

We have not lied about the age of our children. The first time we took our kids they were ages 7, 4, and 2. This summer they were 9, 5, and 3. Giving an incorrect age never crossed my mind. When DS is 10, we will report him as being 10 (I'm hoping to squeeze in a trip the first half of the summer before his BDay). I wouldn't feel good about doing it any other way.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I almost lied once, but opposite. When we went in 2010, my son was 2 and turned three on the trip. We had FD and I really wanted to book him as three (and pay for his ticket!) so he would get meal credits. But I didn't because it is dishonest even if I am giving them more money.

I tend to think if you don't like the rules at a certain place, don't go to that place. Lying about age is the same as stealing in my opinion. No difference between not paying the admission and walking into a gift shop and shoplifting $300 worth of merchandise. No difference at all.

 

[jcjen519]

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.

I'd be more inclined to do this. I've never done either though, but there are plenty of stories in this thread that don't bother me in the least. When my son was two (particularly the 6 in one room story) we wanted to get the dining plan for him because he eats a kids meal everywhere we go and the dining plan price ends up being cheaper per day for sure.

I wouldn't want my three year old or 10 year old to know I lied about their ages because I agree it sets a bad example. that being said, I highly doubt it is too hard to keep it a secret. As long as he is not announcing it to the cm at the entrance it wouldn't really be a problem. Evan if he did...my kid says he is 5 or 10 sometimes...he is 3.

Actually I did lie to get him into the pirates league last year. He was about a month shy of 3. I really don't care that I did it, but he ended up refusing the make up anyways which is what the age limit is about from my understanding.

 

[twojay]

We will not be lying in the future about ages. I read something about how we are teaching our kids to lie. To lie in general and lie to me. How can I tell him to lie to someone else, but then demand he tell me the truth and that lying is wrong? I think some parents do it more than they realize, from sneaking food into movie theaters, lying about their age at restaurants, theme parks, etc. Sometimes the truth is hard and does cost more. But worth it in the end.

I'd say this is a little different because movie theaters simply don't offer what we'd sneak in: grapes and granola bars. My mom didn't want me loading up on sugary candy or eating fattening popcorn at the movies. Whether or not we snuck food in we weren't spending money at movie consessions because the theater didn't provide what we wanted. However, if a parents wants the Disney experience for their kids, they should pay for them because they are experiencing what Disney has to offer.

Anyway, DH and I don't have kids, but if we did we wouldn't lie about their ages. DH is a horrible liar anyway. Me: We don't be at Magic Kingdom very late because it closes at seven. DH: But I got us Christmas Party tickets, so we'll get to stay...oops, that was supposed to be a surprise.

 

[Cyrano]

Moving to community as the thread has drifted beyond the parks.
The rules still apply about disboard guidelines and respecting posters.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I'd say this is a little different because movie theaters simply don't offer what we'd sneak in: grapes and granola bars. My mom didn't want me loading up on sugary candy or eating fattening popcorn at the movies. Whether or not we snuck food in we weren't spending money at movie consessions because the theater didn't provide what we wanted. However, if a parents wants the Disney experience for their kids, they should pay for them because they are experiencing what Disney has to offer.

Anyway, DH and I don't have kids, but if we did we wouldn't lie about their ages. DH is a horrible liar anyway. Me: We don't be at Magic Kingdom very late because it closes at seven. DH: But I got us Christmas Party tickets, so we'll get to stay...oops, that was supposed to be a surprise.

When I worked at a movie theater in high school, we would laugh so hard at people trying to sneak food in. At the time, the company I worked for actually had no rules about outside food. There were stickers on the door saying " we request that no outside food be brought in" but that was all it was--a request. My boss told me that it couldn't be enforced and officially the rule was outside food was allowed. They just had the request sticker to try to scare people into not bringing it. This was one of the largest chains so I always assume now that bringing my own food in is actually fine. But like you, I'm usually bringing granola bars and things like that.

 

[Leajess99]

Justification for what???? She wasn't justifying anything. She was simply stating that blaming rising ticket prices on the (apparently) few people who sneak their 3 year old into the parks is ridiculously oversimplifying things and not taking into account major economic factors. Sheesh.

Justifying her lying about her child's age. She already stated that she would only claim the child is 3 if that child is 40" tall. Otherwise she is going to lie about her child's age.