Proof of age for under 3 year old

[mommy2_3]

im bringing a copy of my DDs bc just in case she is now 18 months and will be 2 1/2 when we go. she is very tall!! ever since she started walking, its like she shot up lol! so im sure people will ask for her ticket. she has been wearing size 2T for about 4 months now.

 

[pacrosby]

It may not be a law, but it is a Disney rule. And actually, you would are breaking a law if you sneek you child in when they need a ticket. The law of theft. They could choose to make people prove their child doesn't need a ticket, I don't think they do just to keep the lines moving. Plus then there would be the constant hassle of people who say they didn't know they needed proof, and what would be accepted as proof, and what to do if the parents didn't have proof along with them. I t hink right now it is just easier for Disney to not make people prove how old their kids are.

My guess is that they don't ask because we are not required to carry proof of identification for our children and therefore it is not a reasonable request. And perhaps more importantly, we simply don't have a reliable id system for children in this country. A birth certificate by itself actually proves nothing as it does not have a child's picture on it. If someone wanted to 'sneak' their child in, it'd be very easy to just use another child's birth certificate.

Personally I think Disney is a lot smarter than many give them credit for. Of course they know many 3, and even some 4 yr olds are getting in without tickets but they also know these little ones aren't touring the parks by themselves. They have parents and often siblings who are spending hundreds and hundreds, often thousands, of dollars on admission, lodging, food and souvenirs. And eventually those children will grow up and will have to pay for a ticket. Getting the parents/kids hooked on WDW when the kids are young can insure many many trips in the coming years.....and more and more money in Disney's pocket.

And please don't anyone jump on me and tell me that that doesn't make it right. I'm not saying anything about it being right vs. wrong. I'm just saying it is what it is....and I'm guessing that Disney isn't nearly as up in arms about it as some are here on the DIS

 

[maxiesmom]

.

And please don't anyone jump on me and tell me that that doesn't make it right. I'm not saying anything about it being right vs. wrong. I'm just saying it is what it is....and I'm guessing that Disney isn't nearly as up in arms about it as some are here on the DIS

Who know what the future holds though. First it was the test of the chips in the refillable mugs. Now it is a credit card hold on many ADRs. Disney may just decide this is another one of those things that they need to focus on that they used to ignore.

 

[ccgirl]

Who know what the future holds though. First is was the test of the chips in the refillable mugs. Now it is a credit card hold on many ADRs. Disney may just decide this is another one of those things that they need to focus on that the used to ignore.

YEs, exactly. Or, they could start charging for everyone, even infants since techinically infants can go to the shows and on a bunch of rides. Not saying it will happen. Just saying that when more and more people abuse a situation it does end up affecting others.

 

[momimouse27]

They never ask. After three kids, I've never had them ask, and my second daughter was a taller than average child. I used to worry about them thinking she was older than she was, but no one ever questioned us.

I agree with pacrosby above. Disney knows that there are a few that get through the cracks but the parents are spending so much money on souvenirs and food, and they want them to come back again and again. Truth is, since people don't normally bring their kids birth certificates to Disney, it would be difficult to check it regularly.

Another thought, I hear people all the time saying their child won't have much to do at Disney because they are so small. It's just not true! All my kids have been for the first time between 1 and 1 1/2, and there is always something to do. Have fun on your trip!

 

[pacrosby]

Who know what the future holds though. First it was the test of the chips in the refillable mugs. Now it is a credit card hold on many ADRs. Disney may just decide this is another one of those things that they need to focus on that they used to ignore.

YEs, exactly. Or, they could start charging for everyone, even infants since techinically infants can go to the shows and on a bunch of rides. Not saying it will happen. Just saying that when more and more people abuse a situation it does end up affecting others.

You guys may or may not be right. If we're betting I'd be willing to put big money on not however (and lest you misunderstand, I don't mean that in a snotty way).

Little kids are the bait...many seem to forget that when this topic arises. It's the existance of that little kid that often gets a parent to consider Disney to begin with. There's a reason why kids under 3 are free and it's NOT because Disney is trying to be nice. It's a calculated business decision that many businesses, hoping to lure in families, have in place.

In fact sometimes the the most expensive places are the ones that have the most liberal 'kid free' policies. Skiing for example....it's not unusual to find resorts that offer deals where kids under 12 actually ski free. And one of our favorite all-inclusive Ranch resorts, that used to be under 4 free, just recently started a 1 free kid under 12 with 1 paying adult offer. Why? Because it's so gosh darn expensive and they realize that if no one comes, they get nothing. Eliminating kids free? IDK...given Disney's prices these days, I'd say it won't be long before it'll be in their best interest to increase the age at which a child can get in free to 4

And parents have been lying about their kids' ages to get them into movies and amusement parks and fairs and festivals and water parks and ski resorts etc. etc. etc. for generations. This is not a new phenomenon and the owners of these establishments are not idiots. Companies understand that they must choose their battles. Fortunately for them, they are able to look at the bigger picture.

Bottom line is that free admission for a child at Disney is a significant lure for many parents. For some the fact that Junior doesn't pay makes them feel better about splurging for that expensive character meal, or that expensive souvenir. "Hey, why don't we take little Susie to the BBB now since we have 80 extra dollars in our pocket!!!" Maybe they feel better about that stroller rental and decide to leave theirs at home. The illusion of 'free' does funny things to people.

And then of course, for some, without free admission for the littlest ones, that Disney vacation no longer sounds so appealing. Or maybe they go, but they go less frequently. So now, instead of losing out on the admission of a child, Disney loses out on admissions for an entire family, plus food (maybe an expensive character meal), plus maybe a stroller rental, plus souvenirs (little kids LOVE souvenirs), plus perhaps even lodging (so convienent to be onsite with a little one). You add it up. Would they rather lose 80 bucks because Junior got in free one day or risk losing 250 bucks or more for the same day because the family decides it's just not worth it and doesn't go. Add it up over the course of a weeks vacation. It may sound silly to you but that free kid is a huge incentive for some people. Start requiring a ticket for 2 yo's, 1 yo's, and/or infants and just watch what happens to their profits. Allowing kids to be free under a certain age doesn't cost them money, it makes them money.

IDK.....having everyone pay regardless of age or, alternatively, insisting on proof of age (something which can't be reliably proven for children here in the US anyway) sounds like a pretty stupid business decision IMO. And Disney may be many things, but stupid is not one of them

 

[bumbershoot]

They never ask.

Well that's not true. They haven't asked you, but there are plenty of reports over the years of them asking.

Backing up...they might not ask for PROOF, but they have asked for confirmation verbally of how old the child is.

Our resident ticket guy, Cheshire_Figment, has...in his case he could tell that the kid was older...the dad was not too bright either, as he thought it was 3 and younger that were free, and was trying to get his 4 year old in as a free three year old. Whoops! The dad, by doing this, saying the child was three because he was mistaken about the free years, and the child even said his age if I recall correctly, got himself a full price child's ticket right then and there...

 

[divehard]

I recall some years back we had gone to WDW for a family vacation. DD turned 3 during the trip. When we made the reservation we discussed it with the CR rep and were told not to worry about it. We felt a bit uncomfortable about it on her birthday, especially since that was such a big part of our celebration, so I went to the front desk and asked to buy another ticket-key card for my DD. The CM smiled and told us to have a magical celebration. She said that DD's park admission for the rest of our trip was a birthday gift from Mickey Mouse. Then she gave us pins and a balloon for my DD and it truly made the trip all that much more special. She talked about her Disney birthday for years growing up.

The moral of the story here: Do the right thing. You might be surprised.

 

[maxiesmom]

I recall some years back we had gone to WDW for a family vacation. DD turned 3 during the trip. When we made the reservation we discussed it with the CR rep and were told not to worry about it. We felt a bit uncomfortable about it on her birthday, especially since that was such a big part of our celebration, so I went to the front desk and asked to buy another ticket-key card for my DD. The CM smiled and told us to have a magical celebration. She said that DD's park admission for the rest of our trip was a birthday gift from Mickey Mouse. Then she gave us pins and a balloon for my DD and it truly made the trip all that much more special. She talked about her Disney birthday for years growing up.

The moral of the story here: Do the right thing. You might be surprised.

It is part of Disney's policy that your child is considered the age at which their trip started. Your child was 2 so according to Disney, they were 2 the whole trip. If your child had turned 3 before your trip, you would have needed a park pass. Disney doesn't penalize you for having a birthday on property.

 

[momimouse27]

I certainly wasn't trying to suggest that anyone on here was lying about it or that no one could ever ask, ever. Maybe I should have worded my post....in around the 25 or so trips we have had with children, I have personally never been questioned about the age of my children. Even during the slower times, in my personal experience, most of the CM's don't have the time to stop at the turnstile and ask every person if their child was the age they were supposed to be.

I'm certain it could happen, but in my personal experience, it has not. My point was that if pressed by a cast member, it would be difficult to come up with some proof on the spot that your kids were the age you said they were.

And I'm not advocating telling a lie...that is a thread that I'm sure no one wants to resurrect!

 

[minniemarie]

We went on a trip to DW when DS was 2yrs 10 months, he was a (still is) very tall child for his age and we were concerned that we might get questioned at the gate so we took his passport with us on a daily basis (we were there for 14 days). Never got asked until, about 10 days in we went to HS, DS was in his stroller and as the lady opened the gate for me to push him through she asked his age to which we replied 2yrs 10 months to which we got back something along the lines of "Uhuh, sure he is hun" sarcastically. By this stage of our holiday we had stopped taking his passport with us there had been no issues before. Still irks me 10 years on as I don't like my honesty being put into question.