Question about children's meals

[wallawallakids]

Hi! I have a very small, very picky, sensitive daughter who also happened to just have her 10th birthday 2 weeks ago. We are going to WDW in May and imagine my surprise (and horror) to discover that in every single eatery in the parks she is no longer a child!! My issue is that she can barely ever finish a kid meal of pasta. There is no way she is going to eat an entire adult meal. Also, being that she has just turned 10, she is still a child (in my eyes) and prefers the child menu. (ie. she likes pizza, noodles with butter and parm, macaroni and cheese) Things that just are not often offered on adult menus. Also, because she is kind of sensitive, I am worried that having her 3 siblings order off the kid menu and perhaps getting little extras, like mickey shaped plates, will leave her feeling left out. Does anyone know if you can order off the kid's menu and pay just a bit more if it is for an "adult"? Or can you just order an appetizer...if there is one on the menu she will eat instead of an adult meal? How does Disney enforce this 9 and under rule? I don't necessarily want to break the rule, but I also don't think it is fair to call a 10 year old an adult. Also, does anyone know if I do order her an appetizer can I ask it to be served on a Mickey plate if the other three kids get one? I just want her to feel the Disney magic of still being a kid. After all...in my opinion, she is. Anyone else dealt with this recently? Thank you!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

The question is..are you getting the Dining Plan?

If you are on the Dining Plan, at most places she can still order from the kids menu. That being said, if you are on the Dining Plan...I would only get it if it was Free. No sense in paying adult prices for your DD.

If you are not on the Dining Plan..no worries..your DD can order whatever she wants.

*Just wanted to add - the only time age becomes a factor when not on the Dining Plan, is buffets. At 10, regardless of what she eats, you will still be required to pay the adult cost.

HTH!

 

[wallawallakids]

Thank you!!! No, we are not on the dining plan. We are paying cash as we go. This is great. Thank you so much.

 

[Hopefully]

Hi! I have a very small, very picky, sensitive daughter who also happened to just have her 10th birthday 2 weeks ago. We are going to WDW in May and imagine my surprise (and horror) to discover that in every single eatery in the parks she is no longer a child!! My issue is that she can barely ever finish a kid meal of pasta. There is no way she is going to eat an entire adult meal. Also, being that she has just turned 10, she is still a child (in my eyes) and prefers the child menu. (ie. she likes pizza, noodles with butter and parm, macaroni and cheese) Things that just are not often offered on adult menus. Also, because she is kind of sensitive, I am worried that having her 3 siblings order off the kid menu and perhaps getting little extras, like mickey shaped plates, will leave her feeling left out. Does anyone know if you can order off the kid's menu and pay just a bit more if it is for an "adult"? Or can you just order an appetizer...if there is one on the menu she will eat instead of an adult meal? How does Disney enforce this 9 and under rule? I don't necessarily want to break the rule, but I also don't think it is fair to call a 10 year old an adult. Also, does anyone know if I do order her an appetizer can I ask it to be served on a Mickey plate if the other three kids get one? I just want her to feel the Disney magic of still being a kid. After all...in my opinion, she is. Anyone else dealt with this recently? Thank you!

Whether you think it is "fair" to judge a 10 yo as an adult for dining purposes or not is irrelevant. It is what it is. 10 years old are Disney Dining adults. If this is unacceptable, you do not have to vacation at Disney. If you are on the DDP, this will be enforced in many if not most places. If you are not on the DDP and are paying out of pocket (OOP), you can usually order off of the childs menu at TS restaurants. This is not the case at buffets, family style meals and all you care to eat meals. There you will be charged as an adult, no matter what she eats.
There has to be some point to change to adult pricing stucture at Disney, just like the real world. Restaurants limit child meals in non Disney restaurants as well, and are very strict about their rules.
I think you need to control your horror and help her to see that she is "special" and grown up. She has reached a new milestone in her life and she is "special" and not like the younger siblings. I think it is in how you handle the transition in how she will feel.
Of course, I understand that you want to find her food she will enjoy. Look for the balance and I think you will find what you need.
Good Luck

 

[Deb & Bill]

Actually, a 10 year old is not an adult by Disney terms. They are a guest 10+. They don't refer to it as an adult ticket or adult dining plan, just guest 10+. The other term is guest 3-9.

When you check in at the restaurant, ask the CM if your daughter might be able to order off the children's menu but get an adult serving and pay the adult price. I've heard they will do this if you request it.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Actually, a 10 year old is not an adult by Disney terms. They are a guest 10+. They don't refer to it as an adult ticket or adult dining plan, just guest 10+. The other term is guest 3-9.When you check in at the restaurant, ask the CM if your daughter might be able to order off the children's menu but get an adult serving and pay the adult price. I've heard they will do this if you request it.

What does that mean? So they technically don't call a child of 10 years old an adult..but they charge the *adult* price for tickets and Dining? Call me simple...but if they charge you adult pricing for tickets and dining for a 10 year old..then they consider the 10 year old an adult in the World.
Don't get me wrong. I am the owner of a 10 year old..I know the rules and am happy to play by the Disney rules..we chose not to get the Dining Plan..but the reality is Disney defines a 10 year old child as an adult based on the price...it doesn't really matter how they word it.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I highly doubt it will EVER be an issue on your trip except at all you can eat places. They may ask how many kid menus, just include her in the count. They will not blink at eye. If any server would happen to give you grief, simply ask to speak to a manage. Simple tell him your 10 year old child wants noddles with butter and how will be the best way to order this. I can not image any one giving you a hard time or even realizing that she is 10. Now at any all you can eat place, you will have to pay the adult price . They will ask ages of kids there. They even asked my 5 year old how old he was.
At CS, ANYONE can order kid meal with out them blinking an eye. You will be fine!

 

[AppleSister1]

Hiya! We have bringing my nephews to WDW since they were babies, and we do lots of TS meals out of pocket (we've never done the dining plan.) We have never ever had a problem ordering whatever the kids wanted...in some places/some days, they've ordered off the adult menus, others off the kids menus. We've had wait staff only ever ask if we want kids menus and how many...no one has carded them or anything.

In my experience, they've only wanted us all to be happy and so they have not had an issue with what they boys have ordered. Last time we were there they were 9 and 11 and we got both kid and adult menus everywhere we went. Next trip they will be 10 and 12 and are defintely more adult eaters, but I have no fear that if there is a moment of meltdown we won't be able to get some buttered pasta or pizza if necessary.

Hope that helps! Don't stress about it too much!!

Pixie dust to you all!

 

[summermac]

My clearly not under 10 mother ordered a kid's entree last time. It will be fine.

 

[Deb & Bill]

What does that mean? So they technically don't call a child of 10 years old an adult..but they charge the *adult* price for tickets and Dining? Call me simple...but if they charge you adult pricing for tickets and dining for a 10 year old..then they consider the 10 year old an adult in the World.
Don't get me wrong. I am the owner of a 10 year old..I know the rules and am happy to play by the Disney rules..we chose not to get the Dining Plan..but the reality is Disney defines a 10 year old child as an adult based on the price...it doesn't really matter how they word it.

It means they don't call anyone a child or an adult. You are a guest 10+ or a guest 3-9. Disney has determined that 10+ guests mainly partake of the same attractions and eat the same meals. They could have made the cutoff at 12 or 9. They chose 10.

 

[minniebride]

I order kids CS breakfast meals all the time on the DDP....no one has ever told me its wrong or not allowed

 

[kathy884]

I think you will be fine if you are ordering off the menu for her. The only places you might want to stay away from are buffets. For these you would pay adult prices for her, but at least she would get to eat whatever she wants. It wouldn't be a great value though. Last spring break we had a Fatasmic package at Mama Melrose (cash) and DS 15 (picky eater) asked if he could get kid choices rather than adult (didn't like the adult menu choices), and they let him do that and only charged us the kid package price for him too. He is taller than me (5 ft. 8 in.) with a deep male voice (definately doesn't look under 10). They were very accomdating (want people to have food choices they are heppy with).

 

[wallawallakids]

Thank you. That helps a lot. I obviously will pay full price at a buffet for her. I was more worried about food options for her at TS meals. I feel much better knowing I might be able to just order something simple for her (like noodles and butter) that she will actually eat. We are only attending one breakfast buffet in which I already expected her to be counted as an adult. Thanks for helping me feel better about our options!

 

[laur roo]

I'm 27 and I ate about a half dozen "kid's meals" on my trip in January. I don't eat big meals, so for a better value since I was not on a DDP, I ordered from the kid's menus. No questions asked!

 

[CampbellScot]

When my step daughter was 10 and also very limited in her food choices, we ordered children's meals all the time and it was never a problem, whether we were on the dining plan or not. If you do pay for the DDP you are often losing money if you order the kids meals, but as you are not, it's not an issue. Either way, we never one time encountered a CM telling us we could not order a child's meal. In fact one of the CM's said to me "We aren't the food police and if chicken nuggets make for a more magical meal, then by all means order them!" Was she supposed to say something like that? Probably not, but we appreciated that she didn't make us feel like we were doing something terribly wrong by wanting to order a child's meal. I mean REALLY.

I totally understand what you mean about having a sensitive DD. Ten is a funny age when they are still little girls in so many ways. I was also rather dismayed that my 10 year old very picky step daughter was an "adult" in terms of pricing and the DDP b/c there was NO WAY she would be able to finish an adult meal and I was worried that she would be unable to find foods that appealed to her very limited palate. As we were on vacation I didn't feel it appropriate to tackle her food issues at that time. We were all there to enjoy. I'm not sure telling your daughter that she was special b/c she was more "grown up" than her siblings would make her feel any better about not having the same choices her siblings have on a Mickey plate! Little girls grow up SO fast. Nothing wrong at all with allowing a 10 year old to remain the little girl that she is. My step daughter is now 13 and let me tell you, I long for the days when she was 10 and still delighted by Mickey Mouse plates and Mickey waffles. Although she still eats a fairly limited diet, her tastes have matured some.

I hope you all have a wonderful trip!!!