newbie question about dining plan

[chellt]

I am getting ready to make our ressies (1st time @ Disney for us all!) and I am trying to decide if the dining plan is for us.
My neices are 6 and 8 and like REAL food. They would NOT be happy if they had to order nuggets and pizza from the kids menu everywhere we went. They will be fine at the quick service meals, but at the table service meals, they will want things like ribs, shrimp, pasta, etc. From what I understand, this isn't an option. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Or is it possible to register them as 10 years old and pay the difference so they don't always have to order from the kids menu? Is this allowed? And if it is, would CM's give us a hard time when ordering as the girls are obviously not 10?
Or should we just pay OOP?

THanks for any advice you can offer!!

 

[lovetoscrap]

I am going to move this to our Disney Disney Dining Plan forum so they can advise you.

 

[TDC Nala]

You are correct, their children's credits could be used only to order from the children's menu.

You can register them on your resort reservation as 10 years old and get them the adult dining plan. However, if you are on a package reservation, you will also have to buy them adult park tickets, because as far as Disney is concerned, they will be 10 years old.

If you don't want to go that route, book a lot of buffets or family style meals where everyone eats the same thing regardless of age.

 

[mblaesing]

I just upgraded my 7 year old son to an adult ticket for the same reason. We have free dining (QSDP) and it was less than $25 to upgrade for the 5 nights we are there.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

You'll probably just have to run the numbers, is it worth the extra money or is it better for you to go the buffet route, you know?

 

[havoc315]

Yes, you can register them as 10 year olds, which may be great if you have free dining. But if you are paying for the dining plan, you have to consider whether it is worth the adult price for the children. If they aren't going to be typically ordering $35+ meals at table service restaurants, then may not be worth doing the dining plan. You may be better off just paying oop. Or, as others have suggested, you can keep them listed as children, but use a lot of buffets where they will be allowed to eat the "adult" food.

 

[gigi1313]

you should give the menus a look... some of the children's menus include more than nuggets and pizza (the first on that comes to mind is teppan edo... it includes hibachi chicken and shrimp, 50s primetime includes fish, etc)... also, you might want to consider the family styles (like others above mentioned) as the children are free to eat anything... my kids particularly liked 'ohana...

 

[Faldred]

The typical child's menu at TS has something like 3-5 entree options. Yes, there's almost always pizza and chicken nuggets, but there's also usually some form of pasta dish, a baked or broiled fish or chicken choice, etc.

Here are a couple of semi-random examples, using the menus posted at AllEars.net:

Tony's Town Square (MK)
Cheeseburger Calzone
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Multigrain Pasta Primavera
Mickey-shaped Cheese Ravioli - with an Alfredo Sauce and topped with Crispy Pepperoni
Chicken Nuggets

Coral Reef (Epcot)
Seared Mahi Mahi
Grilled Chicken Breast
Meaty Macaroni

50's Prime Time Cafe (DHS)
Meatloaf
Chicken Nuggets
Grilled Hot Dog
Macaroni & Cheese

Yak & Yeti (AK)
Mini Burger
Vegetable Lo Mein
Chicken Bites
Egg Roll

The Wave (Contemporary)
Cheese Pizza
Grilled Fish of the Day
Grilled Chicken Strips (with potato wedges)
Linguini with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese
Chicken Nachos
Cheeseburger with potato wedges

Planet Hollywood (DTD)
Chicken Tenders
Cheese Pizza
Turkey Wrap
Kid's Chef Salad
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Organic Peanut Butter & Jelly