Turning 3 - how does DVC handle??

[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.

 

[Nikisha421]

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.

I would not have even mentioned it to any1 that she was turning 3.....

 

[Dean]

I am not an expert in this area but it is my understanding that Disney considered a child who changed groups (2 to 3, 9 to 10) during the stay in the former group for the entire reservation. I would not have complicated the request by even mentioning but now that the cat is out of the bag, I'd simply call back and ask about it again and then if needed, ask for a supervision. One thing with Disney is that when things could go either way, you can always find someone who will do it the way you want. I did review the current brochure for 2009 and couldn't find any definition of age spelled out or any FAQ on this subject.

 

[quentina]

I am not an expert in this area but it is my understanding that Disney considered a child who changed groups (2 to 3, 9 to 10) during the stay in the former group for the entire reservation. I would not have complicated the request by even mentioning but now that the cat is out of the bag, I'd simply call back and ask about it again and then if needed, ask for a supervision. One thing with Disney is that when things could go either way, you can always find someone who will do it the way you want. I did review the current brochure for 2009 and couldn't find any definition of age spelled out or any FAQ on this subject.

Personally, I would cancel and rebook. I was under the impression that charges started at 4 years old. 3 and under are free, this includes being "3". Maybe I am wrong however, my kids never got a ticket until they turned 4.

When we were at WDW last year, my son was 1 month away from turning 10. I want to Guest relations since we needed to buy tix. I told them he would be 10, should I just buy the adult tic. They said no, Disney does not charge for getting old. I will upgrade his ticket to an adult for free next visit....which is in 10 days

 

[Chuck S]

Personally, I would cancel and rebook. I was under the impression that charges started at 4 years old. 3 and under are free, this includes being "3". Maybe I am wrong however, my kids never got a ticket until they turned 4.

When we were at WDW last year, my son was 1 month away from turning 10. I want to Guest relations since we needed to buy tix. I told them he would be 10, should I just buy the adult tic. They said no, Disney does not charge for getting old. I will upgrade his ticket to an adult for free next visit....which is in 10 days

Under 3 is free, 3 to 9 is child rate, on the dining plan. Historically, someone traveling when their age changes has been considered the lower age for the entire trip. But perhaps that policy is changing next year?

To the OP, when is your trip, 2008 or 2009? Perhaps for 2009, CRO/Disney Travel will charge under the MYW+Dining for a child that turns 3 during the trip? If so, the DDP will work the same for DVC, and you'll need to pay. CRO controls the plan, it is only available to DVC by an agreement with them. So far, the only exception for DVC that they have made is the requirement to purchase the park ticket.

 

[Dean]

Personally, I would cancel and rebook. I was under the impression that charges started at 4 years old. 3 and under are free, this includes being "3". Maybe I am wrong however, my kids never got a ticket until they turned 4.

Disney starts charging at 3, you got an unintended benefit, 10 is an adult for most purposes but it used to be 13 if I recall correctly. I would have suggested canceling and rebooking but when I saw it was CRT I felt it unlikely this would still be available. As Chuck points out, the rules can change, Disney is certainly in charge. Still, my understanding is as I posted above and I wish mdurette luck in getting this resolved. After thinking about it though, I'm thinking that a dinner reservation likely doesn't run with the reservation and each night would stand alone. I suspect if they added the DDP, it would revert to under 3 since they can't do it both ways.

 

[BevS97]

I would leave the DDP and tickets as they are, and pay OOP for the child at Cindys if you are charged.

 

[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!!!

 

[Dean]

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!!!

I'm glad you've gotten the info you needed, it sounds like it's been a learning experience for all of us. Have a great trip and enjoy CRT.

 

[moredisneyplease]

It does sound like they changed the policy. It used to be that your child would be considered 2 for the entire trip if she/he was 2 on the first day of the trip. Hmmmm........interesting

 

[DisneyMama27]

Interesting... may all depend on who you talk to, and when. My DS turned 10 between booking and traveling, and they gave us the option of calling him a child or adult on DDP. He was so excited at the idea of ordering off the adult menu that we paid for him as an adult, but they did say that when we booked he was still a child so he would be considered a child if we wanted. (We had previously purchased APs, so tix were not a problem. Purchased those right before he turned 10, so we were able to "buy" another year of childhood for him!)

DD9 dreads the day that she "has to" order from the adult menu - she is our mac and cheese queen!

As for the 3yo...sorry, we never went with a 3yo! 6mo, 1, 2, 4+ but never 3. That was my kids' toughest age!

 

[jekjones1558]

I'm wondering whether going from a "free" to a "fee" category is different from going from one "fee" to another "fee" category. Maybe Disney is okay with getting LESS revenue from an age increase during stay but not okay with getting NO revenue.

 

[janni518]

DD9 dreads the day that she "has to" order from the adult menu - she is our mac and cheese queen!

As for the 3yo...sorry, we never went with a 3yo! 6mo, 1, 2, 4+ but never 3. That was my kids' toughest age!

I'm always more interested in the kids menu too! Not a foodie me.

And I totally sympathize with the 3 thing. Terrible 2s? Pfftt! My kids were so much more difficult at 3!

Back to the OP:
So, what if you didn't tell anyone your kid had a birthday? Does Disney keep track of that or is it on the honor system?

 

[Chuck S]

I'm always more interested in the kids menu too! Not a foodie me.

And I totally sympathize with the 3 thing. Terrible 2s? Pfftt! My kids were so much more difficult at 3!

Back to the OP:
So, what if you didn't tell anyone your kid had a birthday? Does Disney keep track of that or is it on the honor system?

Disney does keep records of previous visits, so if "Johnny" was 8 three years ago, he is 11 now. They may not have actual birthdates, but they do have a history of your stays, and who was in the room.