Turning 3 at disney

[Rshprncss]

I know that at Disney you"stay" the age you are when you arrive. But if we're doing a split stay and child turns 3 before checking in to second resort will we need tickets for the second half of our stay. Thanks.

 

[wilkeliza]

Technically with a split stay in Disney's book it is a different reservation so the child does age. If going for a birthday trip and want a split stay make sure the 2nd hotel starts before their birthday or they will be Disney children and cost now.

 

[disneyholic family]

I know that at Disney you"stay" the age you are when you arrive. But if we're doing a split stay and child turns 3 before checking in to second resort will we need tickets for the second half of our stay. Thanks.

yes, if the child turns 3 before the second stay begins, you will need to purchase a ticket for the second stay...

 

[ShellieMimi]

No you will not. Simply tell the CM the truth - "he/she turned 3 during our trip." There is not a CM in existence who will say anything other than "happy birthday."

 

[disneyholic family]

No you will not. Simply tell the CM the truth - "he/she turned 3 during our trip." There is not a CM in existence who will say anything other than "happy birthday."

i'm not so sure it's that simple with the advent of the magic band...

 

[AngelDisney]

Here is someone's experience when a child turns 3 during a trip (split stay or not doesn't matter here). Please be reminded that the child stays 2 in WDW for the entire stay while the child is 3 outside WDW. The key is the child is still "2" and remains "2". Hope the experience helps answer your question. It is from another website (posted in Jan. 2016).

 

[Cinderella94]

Here is someone's experience when a child turns 3 during a trip (split stay or not doesn't matter here). Please be reminded that the child stays 2 in WDW for the entire stay while the child is 3 outside WDW. The key is the child is still "2" and remains "2". Hope the experience helps answer your question. It is from another website (posted in Jan. 2016).

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But, to Disney, once they check in a second time at their second resort, it's like the first resort stay never happened. Assuming the second check-in is after his birthday, he's 3 to Disney now too.

 

[maxiesmom]

I wouldn't do a split stay. Disney doesn't really see them as anything but separate stays. So yes, if your child is 3 before checking in to the second resort, they will need to have a ticket, and no longer be able to eat off of your plate at buffets. If you don't want to have to pay for tickets, do all one stay at one resort.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

But, to Disney, once they check in a second time at their second resort, it's like the first resort stay never happened. Assuming the second check-in is after his birthday, he's 3 to Disney now too.

Yes, this exactly. Disney doesn't recognize split stays. If the child is 2 at check-in, but turns 3 during THAT reservation, the child remains 2. If the child is 3 at check-in time for the second resort, the child is 3. Why create a possible headache for yourself? I wouldn't book the split.

 

[Accident]

Disney doesn't penalize you for getting older. They honor child tickets purchased when they were under 10 even if they are over 40 the next time they visit.. Disney likes money but they are fair when it comes to this...

this trip is starting when they don't need a ticket, you'll be fine getting them in the whole trip with no ticket.

 

[ShellieMimi]

i'm not so sure it's that simple with the advent of the magic band...

Sure it is. 2yo & under don't need a ticket. There is no MB to scan. "She is 3 but she was 2 when we arrived" will suffice IF you are questioned. Well, unless you're unlucky enough to end up like the family in the story posted above!

People here get so hung up on technicalities. The kid is 2.

 

[CAS239]

If your child is 2 before your Disney trip, then their 2 the entire trip..split stay or not.

You can get them a ticket, but you don't HAVE to and Disney is likely not even going to question it

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I can't see where it would matter on a room only reservation unless maybe you're bumping up against the room capacity limit.

If you had a package with tickets and a dining plan for the second stay, MDX "might" register the kid as 3 and force you to add tickets/dining for them? Does MDX ask for people's birthdays? It's been so long since I registered that I don't remember, and I don't have kids.

CMs are used to seeing lots of very tall "two-and-a-half year olds" who were really 3 long before their trip - no one will question you.

 

[msb578]

On another thread, the conclusion reached was that this policy applied even to off-site visits as much as on-site. If that's the case, why would doing a split stay make any difference?

I find it confusing anyway- taken to extremes it can become absurd. What if you live locally and use APs? And what about hard-ticket events- why should your age at the beginning of a "trip" have any effect on a standalone event?

 

[maxiesmom]

If your child is 2 before your Disney trip, then their 2 the entire trip..split stay or not.

You can get them a ticket, but you don't HAVE to and Disney is likely not even going to question it

Disney doesn't recognize split stays as being the same trip. That is the problem. The see them as 2 separate trips.

Yes, the OP won't have any problem for the first trip. For the second trip (which is how Disney views them), according to their rules they will have a 3 year old. I can see where they may end up not having to pay, it is possible. But following Disney's own rules, yeah, they will be charged and have to pay.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I can't see where it would matter on a room only reservation unless maybe you're bumping up against the room capacity limit.

If you had a package with tickets and a dining plan for the second stay, MDX "might" register the kid as 3 and force you to add tickets/dining for them? Does MDX ask for people's birthdays? It's been so long since I registered that I don't remember, and I don't have kids.

CMs are used to seeing lots of very tall "two-and-a-half year olds" who were really 3 long before their trip - no one will question you.

Yes, MDX asks for birth dates.

On another thread, the conclusion reached was that this policy applied even to off-site visits as much as on-site. If that's the case, why would doing a split stay make any difference?

Who reached this conclusion? Guests commenting on a thread or was official Disney policy posted? OP and other guests can do whatever they want, but I would be prepared to be questioned. When booking the second reservation, Disney will ask for ages at time of check-in for that reservation. To list 2 when the child will be 3 at time of THAT check-in is lying.

 

[wilkeliza]

On another thread, the conclusion reached was that this policy applied even to off-site visits as much as on-site. If that's the case, why would doing a split stay make any difference?

I find it confusing anyway- taken to extremes it can become absurd. What if you live locally and use APs? And what about hard-ticket events- why should your age at the beginning of a "trip" have any effect on a standalone event?

The problem is that on a split stay your second visit becomes a second stay. So you do age if you check out of your hotel and begin another trip. Sure most CMs aren't going to question but MDE will recognize the child is now 3 based on their birthday and depending on if it is coded correctly will have the OP buy tickets and dinning plan as well as change room occupancy amounts based on that. Of course if you are on a room only it probably won't matter as long as you say she was 2 at the start of our trip. Most CMs don't even ask age any more because it just isn't worth the fight. The only place I've seen hard core age requirements is at attractions and that is for safety not money.

 

[maxiesmom]

The problem is that on a split stay your second visit becomes a second stay. So you do age if you check out of your hotel and begin another trip. Sure most CMs aren't going to question but MDE will recognize the child is now 3 based on their birthday and depending on if it is coded correctly will have the OP buy tickets and dinning plan as well as change room occupancy amounts based on that. Of course if you are on a room only it probably won't matter as long as you say she was 2 at the start of our trip. Most CMs don't even ask age any more because it just isn't worth the fight. The only place I've seen hard core age requirements is at attractions and that is for safety not money.

So in a nutshell, if you lie at the beginning of your second stay, you will probably get away with it. But according to Disney policy, your child, once age 3 at the start of a reservation, needs a ticket.

 

[msb578]

Yes, MDX asks for birth dates.



Who reached this conclusion? Guests commenting on a thread or was official Disney policy posted? OP and other guests can do whatever they want, but I would be prepared to be questioned. When booking the second reservation, Disney will ask for ages at time of check-in for that reservation. To list 2 when the child will be 3 at time of THAT check-in is lying.

That's the problem- where is any of this officially stated? I realize we have CMs who post here who do know how things are implemented, but is any of this official (from a management/executive level)?

 

[wilkeliza]

So in a nutshell, if you lie at the beginning of your second stay, you will probably get away with it. But according to Disney policy, your child, once age 3 at the start of a reservation, needs a ticket.

Yeah unfortunately that seems to be it. There is a grey area here and it is really the split stay that causes you to have to go to that. I know off site it is suppose to also be that when you start your Disney vacation you are fine but say you spend 3 weeks in Orlando. You do a week at Disney go to Universal for a week and come back and your kid is now 3. Well after 7 days at Disney and 7 days at Universal your original Disney tickets would be done (that whole 14 days after 1st use rule). When you go to Disney the 2nd time even though it is all in the same vacation I would imagine they would need to buy the now 3 year old a ticket. However had you done 2 straight weeks at Disney then Universal no need to buy the 2/3 year old any tickets at Disney even though you spent the same amount of time in the parks.

There are so many scenarios left up for interpretation but us here and the CMs because the Disney wording I've always seen is "stay" and we all know when you do a 2 reservation stay they are treated as compeltely different stays i.e. your free dinning doesn't continue, your discount doesn't continue, your paid for dinning plan disappears at midnight, your FP day is split in 2, your ADR day is split in 2. So yeah I think the right thing on split stay is to check in the day before your child turns 3 or don't do a split stay if their birthday is during the trip.