Too Bad They Base Prices On Age

[Scar1199]

So when you have a dining plan with 2 adults and 2 children and you go to a restaurant and swipe your magic band they see this and will only allow you to order accordingly. So instead of having ages determine the price you pay for the dining plan, why can't it be set up so that you chose between either an adult or child plan no matter your age? When we go in March my youngest will be 10 so if we get a DP he'll pay for an adult even though he barely eats enough for a child. The difference in the 2 prices is huge. It would be nice if I could chose to 2 adult plans for me and my older son and 2 child plans for my wife and youngest son. They'd only be able to order from the kids menu so its not like they're paying child prices and ordering from the adult menu. Anyways, the whole age 10 thing never made sense but I guess it makes Disney more money.

 

[nmrgrl55]

I hear what you are saying, but in your case it would be the same anyway. Have your older son order an adult entree and your wife a child's meal. I don't know if they will allow her a child's portion of an adult entree, but if she would be okay with a kids meal, then have her get one.

 

[Nancyg56]

So when you have a dining plan with 2 adults and 2 children and you go to a restaurant and swipe your magic band they see this and will only allow you to order accordingly. So instead of having ages determine the price you pay for the dining plan, why can't it be set up so that you chose between either an adult or child plan no matter your age? When we go in March my youngest will be 10 so if we get a DP he'll pay for an adult even though he barely eats enough for a child. The difference in the 2 prices is huge. It would be nice if I could chose to 2 adult plans for me and my older son and 2 child plans for my wife and youngest son. They'd only be able to order from the kids menu so its not like they're paying child prices and ordering from the adult menu. Anyways, the whole age 10 thing never made sense but I guess it makes Disney more money.

I wish the age was 12, but then some folks would take issue with that. I think that Disney decided meal plans should be aligned with the tickets, so if children over 9 are considered Disney adults in terms of admission, the dining plan age needed to match.

 

[Scar1199]

I hear what you are saying, but in your case it would be the same anyway. Have your older son order an adult entree and your wife a child's meal. I don't know if they will allow her a child's portion of an adult entree, but if she would be okay with a kids meal, then have her get one.

My post was a bit vague and just an example as this year my 2 boys are 10 & 12 so all 4 of us would be considered adults. It would be great if the option was there to order 2 adult and 2 child as that reflects or families eating habits.

 

[Scar1199]

I wish the age was 12, but then some folks would take issue with that. I think that Disney decided meal plans should be aligned with the tickets, so if children over 9 are considered Disney adults in terms of admission, the dining plan age needed to match.

Age 12 makes more sense when you think of an age to separate child and adult. I do think it ties into the price for tickets as well, so much easier to have it all the same. The thing is I don't mind paying adult park ticket prices for my 10 year old but not the dining prices.

 

[porschegrl]

The beauty of the dining plan is that, if it doesn't work for the way my family eats, I am not obligated to purchase it. It doesn't, and I don't.

On the other hand, if Disney made the change you are suggesting, I could purchase the children's plan for my teen and me, then really clean up at the buffets!

 

[nmrgrl55]

When we go next year I will have 3 adults and 2 children, even though it will be Me, 14yo, 11yo, 8yo and 5 yo. My oldest is eating more lately, but he is so picky when it comes to food and I eat very small portions. The thought of paying adult prices for him make me cringe inside and I know it is a waste for me as well! I definitely feel where you are coming from, but whatever magical number they choose would cause issues. 10 is insanely low for an adult price for food though..

 

[Nancyg56]

My post was a bit vague and just an example as this year my 2 boys are 10 & 12 so all 4 of us would be considered adults. It would be great if the option was there to order 2 adult and 2 child as that reflects or families eating habits.

I see. If 1/2 of your family truly will only want to order from the children's menu, I would not choose a dining plan Unfortunately, there is no "cafeteria" style pricing for dining plans, which I agree, would be nice.

 

[Nancyg56]

Age 12 makes more sense when you think of an age to separate child and adult. I do think it ties into the price for tickets as well, so much easier to have it all the same. The thing is I don't mind paying adult park ticket prices for my 10 year old but not the dining prices.

I think that it all comes down to how your child would eat. We had one little girl with us last trip who could eat like an adult. Steak and potatoes each meal, LOL! She was 6. My 14 YO DGD still will order off the children's menu 1/2 the time, no matter that she is a Disney adult. I know it would irk me to pay that kind of money when your child really only eats a nugget or two.

 

[jon18uk]

I think for buffets they should do a teen price for 10-14 maybe. But generally 15 and up eat adult sized portions.

 

[MEFacct]

I think it would be great if they let you choose between adult and child if the children were in a certain age range, like between 8-12. My younger son was eating from the adult menu younger than 10, not gluttonous or anything. He had asthma and was almost constantly on prednisone which increased his appetite. My daughter is almost 15 and still eats from the children's menu sometimes. We have only used the dining plan once, it was included in a package.

 

[sharonabe]

On the other hand, if Disney made the change you are suggesting, I could purchase the children's plan for my teen and me, then really clean up at the buffets!

And this is the main reason there isn't a better option. Over and over again, people say they purchase the dining plan because they want to do character meals. Disney would have to up the price of the child plan to make this a possibility, but then no one would buy the plan.

 

[Anthony1971]

Simply do not use the DP. We used it years ago when the price was within reason however it is not any longer unless you do a lot of Character meals and it was too much food for us. If you do the Math even eating at most regular Buffets adults are breaking even in mist cases unless you order the most expensive thing on the menu you are losing. One can easily eat very well for a lot less then they spend on the DP even with children... I do it every year and my food bill is almost half what the DP will cost me and we eat when and where we want. Yes it would be a great value if Disney would allow what you suggest but they would have to excluded Buffets of any sort from it again making it a poor value or a better bet they will break even. Being DVC for a year or so Disney allowed us to choose days we wanted the DP and only pay those days...that was gone in a hurry as it was a loss no averaging involved.. some days you win and some you lose on the DP in this case you always won...

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It's best to drop the plan if it doesn't fit the way your group orders or eats. Unless you're getting it free as part of a promotion, in which case you can spend adult credits on kids meals with impunity. Buffets, forget it, they stick to the age ranges for pricing no matter how much or how little somebody eats since they have no way of policing it by measuring the amounts any given individual has eaten.

 

[HarleenQ]

You could always pay OOP for your kids meal and the adults could use the extra dining credits if your child would prefer the kid menu.

I feel your pain - my oldest is 10 and not even on the height/weight charts she's so tiny! Pricing for her really makes me cringe, but that's the beauty of the dining plan being optional. I just don't get it, and if she wants a pack of grapes and a yogurt for lunch then that's what she'll be able to get.

A lot of people suggest putting the price of the dining plan on GCs and using that in essentially the same way, but you tend to have leftover money for goodies. That thinking doesn't work for us, but it might work for you if you were truly wanting the DP.

 

[Nancyg56]

You could always pay OOP for your kids meal and the adults could use the extra dining credits if your child would prefer the kid menu.

I feel your pain - my oldest is 10 and not even on the height/weight charts she's so tiny! Pricing for her really makes me cringe, but that's the beauty of the dining plan being optional. I just don't get it, and if she wants a pack of grapes and a yogurt for lunch then that's what she'll be able to get.

A lot of people suggest putting the price of the dining plan on GCs and using that in essentially the same way, but you tend to have leftover money for goodies. That thinking doesn't work for us, but it might work for you if you were truly wanting the DP.

I think that the GC practice works for a lot of folks. It would not for me. I cannto get past the cost of meals after a day or two and no matter that I had the money set aside, I would still cringe and buy a lesser price meal.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

The beauty of the dining plan is that, if it doesn't work for the way my family eats, I am not obligated to purchase it. It doesn't, and I don't.

On the other hand, if Disney made the change you are suggesting, I could purchase the children's plan for my teen and me, then really clean up at the buffets!

Yep. Which is why they would never offer what the OP is suggesting.

When my son was 11, he would have been pretty upset if I had purchased the dining plan for him, but only purchased a child's plan. And by the time he was 12? And I tried to feed him chicken nuggets all week? There would have been a mutiny.

 

[HarleenQ]

I think that the GC practice works for a lot of folks. It would not for me. I cannto get past the cost of meals after a day or two and no matter that I had the money set aside, I would still cringe and buy a lesser price meal.

Same. It's still money to me, even on GCs. I just can't get that mentality out of my head.

 

[DisBuckMan]

On the other hand, if Disney made the change you are suggesting, I could purchase the children's plan for my teen and me, then really clean up at the buffets!

Yep. The only way the OP's idea would work is if Disney blocked out all the buffets, aycte, and family style restaurants from that particular plan.

The easy answer, though...is just don't do the dining plan. We haven't done it for years due to the lack of value for the makeup of our family, and our eating habits.

 

[maxiesmom]

Age 12 makes more sense when you think of an age to separate child and adult. I do think it ties into the price for tickets as well, so much easier to have it all the same. The thing is I don't mind paying adult park ticket prices for my 10 year old but not the dining prices.

Maybe it makes sense for your family given the way your family eats, but that isn't to say every family is the same. My nephew could eat multiple plates of food at a buffet, even at age 9. And now he still eats much more than me. It is no more fair that I pay what I do for one plate of food than what you pay for your child. Unfortunately there is no way to monitor who eats what at a buffet. If you don't see the value in a restaurant don't go. If you don't find the value in the dining plan, don't use it.