Under 3 and the Dining Plan?

[Kelrykengab]

And now I see where you are coming from!

The DDP was not around when my DD was under 3 but I don't recall having to pay too much OOP for her. She either ate off the buffets or she ate the food that I brought with us. She would also occasionally eat off our plate. Some places (like CRT breakfast) gave her food free of charge.

FWIW, if you are the type to share sides, order water and skip desserts then the DDP is probably not for you. You will be spending more on food you wouldn't usually eat DDP than if you just payed OOP for the food actually do eat. The CS desserts are a prime example. They are, IMO, generally nasty and I will only buy a CS dessert once or maybe twice a week. If you pay for the DDP you have paid for SEVEN of them in a week.

This is a good point. I do like the DDP, mainly b/c I like having as much of our trip paid for up front as possible and I think we actually spend less on food then we would if we didn't have it (one reason being is that I think we might be tempted to eat 3 meals per day if we weren't "limited" by the DDP, which is plenty of food with the 2 meals. However, it is true that we would not normally be ordering desserts, especially at counter meals. Well, it is nice that it is an option.

 

[DCbride]

We have a 2 yo and loved having the regular dining plan. We booked buffets 1x a day, usually shared our snack and then made sure we chose an item off the counter service menu that she liked. I think we maybe paid for mac n cheese 4x - and that is going 4x last year.

She turns 3 this summer and I am not looking forward to paying for her

 

[FoundMyPrince]

When DD was 2 we were on the dining plan. At first we ordered an extra child's meal for her. However, between the five of us, there was more than enough food. So, after a couple days we gave DD some of our food and we all shared.

 

[bwilcox]

We had more than enough food to share with my 2 year old. And by the way, it is perfectly acceptable to get your DD her own plate at buffets. At CS, I would split my hamburger or chicken strips and french fries with her, and we didn't finish one meal between us. Really, it's a lot of food! The only thing I would be worried about is if your DD is picky or would be OK with sharing "adult" food with you at TS restaurants.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

When we had an under-3, I used my Disney Reward dollars to buy his meals. We are just not a 'sharing' family -- we all like what we like and often don't like the same things the same way. My youngest does not like burgers at all, so I usually got him chicken fingers or a hot dog at a CS place. We did a lot of buffets so he could eat for free, but when we ate a regular TS places, I usually ordered him his own meal. We eat breakfast in our room most days (I bring Nutrigrain bars, pop-tarts, cereal) and I never spent more than about $50 over the course of a week on his food that was not covered by the DDP.

 

[tzolkin]

My parents went with my sister and my 2yo niece last year and did the deluxe dining plan. My sister assumed that she would share her meals with her DD or order something separate for her, but I don't think they ever wound up buying anything for her.

Since they were doing the deluxe plan they ate two TS meals per day (usually one character buffet and one other meal). The child was able to get whatever she wanted at the buffets and they said at almost every other TS meal they brought her something (pasta with butter, etc) for free. My mom said they always brought out a plate and drink for her whether she shared with my sister or not.

They drove, so they did bring snacks for the little one to eat in the room and in the parks between meals. I also think you can use your snack credits to buy side-items at CS that the little one may want to eat.

 

[blessedby3]

We tried the CS dining plan last year and we did enjoy having everything pre-paid, but it was tons of food- more than we could eat. We have 4 kids, one under 3, and I NEVER bought her a meal. She shared off of our plates. You have to remember that you get dessert with every meal AND a snack (or 2 if you are on the CS plan) credit every day. We had so many snack credits that often times I would use a snack credit for yogurt or fruit for our under 3 and then she would still share with us off our plates. Our dd is not a big eater at all-and this worked out well for us.
For our trip next month we are not going to do the dining plan, but I am going to order a Disney Gift Card and put our dining money on that, so it is essentially prepaid this trip too. We just wont be paying for lots of desserts and snacks we wont eat. (We had like 24 snack credits on our last day of our last trip and bought our weight in Mickey rice krispie bars to bring home)

 

[MNGaspar]

Great question. We were in WDW with our DD, who was just under 2 at the time and we really tried to have most of our ADRs at buffet restaurants. In this setting (and at Aekershus, which is family style, but kids under 3 eat free), the kids under 3 can eat off of the parent's plate.

When we ate at traditional sit-down restaurants (Coral Reef, etc) we paid OOP for the kid's meal and charged it to the room. The kid's meals at WDW are reasonably priced, relatively speaking.

 

[pooh4evr]

We also did mostly buffets for table service- for quick serv we just got her a meal- there really isn't enough in 1 kids meal to split- for our kids anyway (8, 6 and 2 at travel time) so we also charged to the room.

 

[arielmomma]

We have used the DP 3 times with a child under 3 and have never had to pay for any food or drinks. There is plenty and the portions are huge. We generally do a lot of table service at character buffets where DD ate for free. When it wasn't a buffet, she shared with me (and we are both hearty eaters). At CS, we tend to get meals such as the 1/2 chicken meals, ribs, etc - more hearty things rather than burgers and hot dogs. Once again, I shared. No one ever went hungry. Honestly, we had snack credits left over for the ride home.

Like you, I was concerned that there would not be enough and I would have to buy extra, but I assure you, that is not necessary. If you get just the basic DP, you will have plenty!