Turning 3 - conflicting info from DW & board

[mdurette]

My daughter will be turning 3 during our trip. I have read numerous times here that the age at check-in is the age she will be for the entire trip. Great - no meal plan cost and park tickets!

Well - tonight I made an ADR at CRT and of course mentioned she will be three that day (but already had a conversation with the CM that I am lucky to get one more trip in for her at no cost cuz she will be 2 at arrival).

Noticed the cost she gave me included my daughter....Hum.

Called Dining again and asked about it - they said she will be 3 at the time of dinner so she will be charge. Then transfered me to Reservations - the CM looked it up for me.

He said on a Magic Your Way - if you child turns 3 during the trip then they will count her as 3 and require tickets and food. (because all parties in the room need to be on the same plan).

I am going under DVC - so I would assume this policy would not apply - I have a room ressie and was able to add Dining. He said I should DVC in the morning for more info.

Any help here? Anyone stay under DVC with the kid that turns 3 while there. Heck if I have to pay for her - well then I will just suck it up - but I really wasn't planning on paying for her buffets and tickets.

 

[princessmom29]

You are NOT supposed to have to pay for her if she turns 3 while on the trip. According to what I have been told this is disney policy for ALL reservations. MYW, DVC, room only doesn't matter.

 

[Princess Roo]

I have heard some mixed things about meals. We did have one CM try to charge us for DS' buffet the day after he turned 3, but when he checked with a manager, he removed the charge. (My argument had been that we had WANTED to put him on the meal plan. We were also DVC and ended up paying more out-of-pocket for his food than what the meal plan would have been per day for a child, since we ate at a few sit-down meals that weren't buffet.)

We did verify when we booked our stay that he would not need a ticket for that trip. (He turned 3 the day after we arrived.)

 

[imthatgirl]

i have heard of people being stopped at the gate with a birthday button on their 3yo and having to pay.
i always waited to put the button on until after we got through the gate.

im not sure the policy anymore. and it doesnt seem they are either.

maybe call guest relations until you get an exact answer.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

My DS will be 30 months for our trip, but he's a big kid - should I bring a birth certificate or something in case we are questioned?

D4D

 

[imthatgirl]

My DS will be 30 months for our trip, but he's a big kid - should I bring a birth certificate or something in case we are questioned?

D4D

you wont need it. as long as he knows his age. they dont argue with you. and if they do ask for a manager. they are instructed not to argue or insinuate that the guest is lying.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I always thought that covered tickets.. not sit down meals. Once the hit 3 I thought they had to pay for food.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

you wont need it. as long as he knows his age. they dont argue with you. and if they do ask for a manager. they are instructed not to argue or insinuate that the guest is lying.

You know, I'm not sure he knows his age! I don't think I've ever asked him or if I do he just looks at me blankly or babbles on about something else. We'll have to talk about that before we leave!

D4D

 

[Miss LD]

You know, I'm not sure he knows his age! I don't think I've ever asked him or if I do he just looks at me blankly or babbles on about something else. We'll have to talk about that before we leave!

D4D

That was the same with my DS. Until he hit 4 he just didn't care his age, and didn't get why everyone kept asking.
But when he turned 4 it was a different matter. He tells everyone, and I mean everyone, how old he is!

 

[mdurette]

Thanks all who responded - I am the OP. Well - I'm glad this all came up - but it was my goof. I assumed since my CRT lunch charge was $92.23 that they included her - when I called back it actually included tip and tax and was told she was listed as an infant on the ressie.

I did call DVC and ask - they told me that the day she turns 3 on the trip I will need to purchase park tix and pay for meals. I asked about adding her to the dining plan - they said if I wanted to, she would need to be added upon arrival.

So in the end - looks like all that is said around here about the age she arrives at is the age she has for the entire trip is wrong. All well - I'm still gonna have a GREAT time!!!

 

[emh1129]

My dd turned 3 on our trip. We didn't have to pay for her at all. I was told by three different CMs that she was counted as two for the entire trip since she turned 3 after our check-in.
I think it's one of those things where you might get a different answer each time you ask. I would just honestly say that she will be two when you check-in.. and not provide any addt'l info.

I just read your update- I'm glad you didn't have to pay for her!

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

This is my understanding or how the CM explained it to me ....if your child is 2 yo during check-in, he is considered 2 for the duration of the trip - you don't have to pay for park ticket, and you don't have to pay for dining plan for him. At a buffet, it is not an issue but any other non-buffet table service restaurant, you will have to pay for his/her meal the day he turns 3 and after if you want to order him a meal on his own...otherwise, he can share off the parents' plate or whatever they usually give children under 3 (at CRT, it would be pasta). Hope I am making sense.

 

[amandaraye]

This was an issue for us as well, because our DD will turn 3 the day after we arrive. I contacted Disney twice and got two very clear answers. They both said a child is considered the age they are when you check in. If she's 2 when you check in, WDW considers her 2 for the duration of your stay. She does not need a park ticket nor does she have to pay for buffet meals. We would, naturally, be charged if we ordered a meal of her own for her. Also, my travel agent concurred and she deals strictly with Disney travel. So I'm saving about $500 by arriving the day before her birthday.

 

[Disney_Angel]

Call me cazy but it just seems silly to me they would be so picky about this...

I could see if his bday was the week before the trip but to charge for the days after he turns three? I know rules are rules but will he really eat more the day after he turns three? Disney should be clearer on this policy as many parents plan birthday trips to celebrate turning three.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

This was kind of along the same lines, so I hope no one minds me posting it.

An additional FYI - on a related topic and because I know that there are folks reading this thread that have kids turning 2 in the middle of their trip.

Make sure you check with the airline you are flying if you are planning on taking them as a lap child. United considers that if they are 1 when you leave and 2 on the return, the can still be a lap child for the return.

 

[minnie4me]

My DS turned 3 on his first WDW trip. We had the meal plan and 5 day tickets, but he did not. On his 3rd bday we had ressies at Crystal Palace for lunch. THe person who checked us on asked his age, I said he turned three that day. Well, our waiter knew it was his bday, because we had a little celebration there. When he brought the bill to our table he saw that they had charged DS for buffet, he asked if the day was his actual bday, we said yes and he said there was no way he was charging us for DS's meal. I really don't remember being asked any place else about his age. He basically ate off our meals for lunch and supper. (had grandparents w/ us, so he had 4 meals to eat off of). We usually paid for breakfast, as it is least expensive, especially if you eat a quick meal and again he shared, or we paid for his cereal & milk. We even did a character breakfast our last morning and did not pay for him.
I can't remember if he actually got a ticket to get into parks, etc... so that they had his age as two?
This is the one "gift" Disney will give you, take advantage of it !! I know my TA had us arrive prior to DS's bday, so we wouldn't have to pay for him.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My dd turned 3 during out last trip and I did not pay for tickets or dining plan for her. We did buy a few things out of pocket - glow cubes, a few ice creams (so I didn't have to give up my snacks) and maybe a few drinks at table service meals where she shared my meals - I only remember 2 actually charging for her.

 

[llori7]

We are going to Disney 1/20-1/26. My son will be turning 3 on 1/21. Does this mean we do NOT need to get the DDP or park tickets for him?? This is such a huge surprise. I was going to book next week!!! That will save me like $500!!!

 

[LisaNJ25]

We are going to Disney 1/20-1/26. My son will be turning 3 on 1/21. Does this mean we do NOT need to get the DDP or park tickets for him?? This is such a huge surprise. I was going to book next week!!! That will save me like $500!!!

yep, you do not. Just remember you will have to pay oop for food other that a buffet it looks like.

 

[amandaraye]

You are correct, you will NOT have to pay for a park ticket, buffets or your shared meal with your child! We are doing the same thing--arriving the day before our DD turns 3 to save all that moolah!
I know I will have to pay out of pocket if she wants her own meal, but that's it! This is also how we are able to say in a single room at ASMo since she'll be 2 for the entire trip in WDW's eyes.