My 6yo eats like a bird, do we even need to use a credit for her?

[Carrie in AZ]

Hi Everyone,

We bought the DDP for our November trip. We have two daughters, ages 6yo and 2yo. After seeing the pictures of all the food that is given and reading about all the food that people cannot eat and end up leaving on their table, I'm curious if we even need to order any meal at all for our 6yo??

An example would be at 'Ohana. There is no way DH and I could finish all that food by ourselves. It seems silly to 1) use a TS credit for her when she'll only eat a few bites or, 2) use a TS credit to order her a child's meal when she'd eat only a few bites of that. I'm not trying to rip anyone off or be stingy with our credits, but we have a problem with wasting food, leaving it on our table for it to be thrown into the garbage after we depart the restaurant. Doesn't make sense to me to order "more food" when we won't be able to finish what we have in the first place.

I'd love to read your opinions on this. Anyone else use the DDP with very young kiddos who don't eat much at all?

Thanks!

P.S. Our ADRs are mostly for buffets. In addition to 'Ohana, our other sit down meals are scheduled for Tony's, Sci-Fi and CRT.

 

[patsal]

Well at regular TS where you order off a menu (so with your plans, Tony's and Sci FI) if she isn't going to eat I wouldn't order her a meal, but at places like 'Ohana and CRT (family style but still all you choose to eat), or the buffets you have no choice. Everyone in the party has to pay regardless of how much or little they consume except those under 2.

 

[janets]

If you will be at a buffet or a family style (like 'Ohana) you will not have a choice but to use a credit for your 6 yo. You can certainly order a child's meal (which they will get, I think, from Kona) and have both of your children share it, but you will not be able to have a 6 yo pick off your plate for no charge at these types of restaurants.

At any regular menu restaurants, if you want to share your meal with her, you can, but the credit you're saving can only be used for a child table service, according to the rules of the plan, so you might as well get 1 child meal and have your kids share what they can of it.

As has been said before, the dining plan in not for every family depending on how you eat. If you and your husband are light eaters and your daughter eats like a bird, then the dining plan may provide too much food for you. However, if most of your plans are at buffet/family style, then you would be paying for each of you anyway and the dining plan would more than cover those meals, making the counter services/snacks almost free.

Hope this has helped you a bit.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Thanks so much!!

 

[pamrob]

Last week we had our 3 year old DD with us who eats hardly anything. I was torn about ordering TS for her as well. But I ended up ordering a meal at every TS restaurant because it also seemed senseless to have a couple of TS credits left over at the end of the week. She also enjoyed picking what you wanted and getting her own dessert and appetizer. Only a few of our TS locations were not family style or buffet so not getting a meal for her would not have given us enough credits to add another meal.