Just Curious on the Dining Plan....

[clkelley]

I have seen so many posts where folks say their 10yo won't eat enough to justify the "adult" dining plan.

Back when my kids were that age, even at 8 & 9, I had the opposite problem. We would have had to eat at all buffets, cause there is no way my boys would have tolerated the kids menus!!

Is anyone else in that predicament, or were my garbage disposal boys the exception???

(FYI, they are 20 & 21 now, so this is just more for my curiosity.)

 

[Calgary DISHeads]

Totally depends on the kids - neither of mine wanted anything else but the kid's menu at that age or could eat more than that. DD10 this year could maybe eat an entre, maybe, but no way with an app and desert, although she has to eat every three hours (little tummy that empties often) but last time DS12 ate lots and was very adventurous, but before that - no way. He is really looking to forward to this trip and trying new things (just no sushi).

 

[DCDisney]

My 10 year old eats enough in quantity for the adult plan but doesn't eat adult food. He doesn't eat much meat at all so any steak, chicken, or fish dish is pretty much out. Any adult vegetarian entree isn't to his kid tastes. Even the pasta dishes if you get the meat left out still have a sauce spicier or more exotic than he will eat. So if I buy him an adult meal we are paying $20 or more for a dish of plain pasta. The kids menus aren't good for him either as he still ends up eating pizza or plain pasta but at least I don't mind as much paying 7.50 for the plain pasta. The only way it works at all is him drinking milk at meals and we buy lots of fruit cups for him with snack credits. We also make sure he gets some yogurt, PB, and eggs each day to get some protein.

Yvonne

 

[SplashMountainMama]

My 10 year old eats enough in quantity for the adult plan but doesn't eat adult food.

This is my boys 10 & 9 in a nutshell. That's why we're doing almost all buffets this time around. We'll save the nicer TS for when the kids are old enough to appreciate it. They're not quite there yet.

 

[melomouse]

LOL - Your post underscores a point I've oftenmade here - that the dining plan is not for everyone because everyone's kids are different.

I think for awhile folks had a hard time paying "adult" rate for those ten and over on the dining plan - just as one might for ticket prices -thinking that the kid wouldn't eat anywhere NEAR the daily plan rate. Thus, those with kids close to 10 sometimes wanted adult portions for kids but couldn't justify the cost, yet the kid's meals were not enough.

OTOH - some had kids OLDER than 10 who were very light or picky eaters and there was no longer an option on DDP to get anything less than the adult rate.

I have been very lucky with the timing and my kids' ages. DD(11) just got a bigger appetite and more adventurous on our trip this past August, ordering Osso Bucco and Prime Rib on the DDP, and God bless, eating most all of it! DS, about to turn 16 on our January trip, has always been a good eater but is finally getting more adventurous and appreciative of fine dining. If he had his way, we'd be doing Deluxe DDP so he could choose all Signature Restaurants!!!

My point is - good for you if you can get a reasonable dining plan that works for YOUR family!!! Convenience, price, appetites, touring styles, frequency and season of trips and expectations all play into these decisions.

 

[Colleen27]

I have one of each - a 9yo with a very adventuous palate who can eat his weight in sushi and lobster, and a 6yo who is stuffed after 3 bites of mac & cheese and 1 chicken nugget.

Right now, the oldest tolerates the kids menus only because I can't eat a full 3 course meal myself, so he gets his kids' meal plus part of my appetizer and entree. I'll gladly pay for him as an adult when the time comes.

When DD is turning 10, assuming the dining plans still exist roughly as they are now, we'll skip the plan and pay OOP because I just don't see her growing into an adult appetite in a few years' time.