why is the childs age for dinning plan so low 9?

[cornish pixie]

I don't know what reaction Im going to get but please be nice
I personally think that the cut off age of 9 years old is to young for things like disney dining, buffets etc.
I know all children are very different but to eat out say for a buffet dinner my girls would only really choose from the childrens menu.
Even if they did find anything from the adults menu they would still only eat a small amount.
They are only just 10 and 11 but I'm sure we would eat at more Disney proprties if it was a little cheaper for the girls . 4 adult prices for us is just not value for money.
I would be more than happy to pay say a middle price for that middley age group but to have to pay an adults price is just to much.
Obviously we will have to wait until our children are better eaters ( please don't think all they eat is fast food far from it ) and then we can justify paying the price.
Am I the only person who feels this way
Would love to hear
Cornish Pixie

 

[Sammie]

The age will never appeal to everyone. I am sure that many have teen daughters that eat less than 9 year old boys.

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

I totally agree with you! I have a DS who will be 9 this fall. There is no way that kid can eat the amount of an adult, but my 5 year old can. I think they should have a child, junior and adult package.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I am sure there are many others who feel the way you do. It is a huge jump in price from child to adult. That said, DS11 eats more than either myself or my husband. Also, DS8's favorite food is shrimp and when he was 2 he ate so much shrimp at one of the buffets it probably amounted to the adult price. I guess there really is no good way to decide a cut off age for buffets. I like to go to the character breakfasts and not just regular buffets. That way, even if someone doesn't eat much, I feel like we got some of our moneys worth.

 

[Allison]

This has been discussed many times.

Why 9?-Because that is the age Disney picked and it corresponds with ticket pricing. No matter what age they picked, it wouldn't suit someone.

 

[eva]

I agree that there will never be a perfect answer for everyone. All I know is that by the time my daughters were 10 they were no longer eating off the children's menu. They have never been huge eaters. But by that time their taste went above chicken tenders and hamburgers at every meal. They wanted to enjoy the same type of food that the adults were eating. The first time that we took the girls to WDW they were 10 and 12. I'm pretty sure they didn't order off the childrens menu at any meal. I don't know how they could put a third tier in the pricing. What type of meals would you allow them to order?

 

[cornish pixie]

My 10 and 11 year olds like things like steaks, different meats, veg, potatoes but a smaller portion would be more suitable for them.
Like I said before, I realise everyones different but like 3 boys r disney freaks said a child junior and adult pricing would be in my opinion a good idea.
Thanks for being nice
Cornish Pixie

 

[amykathleen2005]

I have seen kids around age 9 in buffets, etc. that eat more than I do ! I think from the consensus of repliers boys should now be charged adult prices from age two and up and girls charge according to their height....

 

[natalielongstaff]

I have seen kids around age 9 in buffets, etc. that eat more than I do ! I think from the consensus of repliers boys should now be charged adult prices from age two and up and girls charge according to their height....

that is so true

 

[50 years Too!]

The norm iat most restaurants is under 12. I would think Disney could use that age, but they don't. Again, that bottom line.
Not sure what Disneyland is now but it was 11 and under for tickets when my teens were that age. We also went to DW when they were younger and the age was 9. Don't know why they had the discrepency.

 

[cornish pixie]

Thankgoodness that we can all laugh and boy you have given me the giggles.
Cornish Pixe

I have seen kids around age 9 in buffets, etc. that eat more than I do ! I think from the consensus of repliers boys should now be charged adult prices from age two and up and girls charge according to their height....

 

[Katiebell]

I have seen kids around age 9 in buffets, etc. that eat more than I do ! I think from the consensus of repliers boys should now be charged adult prices from age two and up and girls charge according to their height....

Thanks, I needed a good laugh this morning! I had three boys -- the oldest two were never picky, ate like horses until they stopped growing. The youngest is almost 16, and just now starting to eat quite a bit, but he has always eaten very little, and is still a really picky eater, likes only plain meat, no sauces, no veggies on his sandwiches. Fortunately, he's finally starting to expand his tastes a bit.

So even within one family, there is no way to know how much those kids will eat. And if Disney opened up a junior pricing category, it could be a real mess. There are no "junior" ticket prices. People with little kids might want to order off the junior menu...or you know adults would want to, and that would seriously cut into Disney's profits so THAT isn't gonna happen...

If you have younger kids that want a lot of variety and might eat a lot, your best bet is going to be buffets. It may not be the nice sit down restaurant you would prefer, but it's the best way to feed kids with those kinds of appetites.

If you have older kids that eat very little, then the DDP is probably not going to save you money. You'd do better to order OOP and plan on the kids sharing an adult entree, or ordering them appetizers only or the smallest adult menu items. Anyway you look at it, it isn't cheap to eat at Disney -- unless you got FREE dining, and then there is no reason to complain!

 

[goofy4tink]

Dining prices correspond with park pass prices. If it is a huge issue, then my suggestion would be to not do the DDP. My dd is 13 and eats basically from the kids menu at every meal we have. But, we pay $38 a day for her when using the DDP. It's those character buffets that will get you though. What we did was start cutting back on them all together. We love them but they get expensive for 3 adults, one of whom is eating some mac and cheese and a hot dog (maybe!).
Do I wish they had a step pricing? Sure..it would be nice to have one price for 3-8, another for 9-14, and then adult pricing, but Disney makes the rules. I guess we all just have to budget better.

 

[shellybaxter]

When the disney dining plan was introduced Disney had to look at the correlation between dining and ticket prices. They had to consider which age became the best value for both dining and tickets.

From the perspective of tickets we get a great deal in our family. My 7 year old niece is tall enough to ride all of the rides and loves the coasters and trill rides. We get our child's ticket price worth with her and way more. In fact, from Disney's perspective we probably get more value than they expect.

So when we have to pay adult prices for her in two years I won't be upset that she isn't eating adult size portions, I'll be thankful that she got to take advantage of the "adult" attractions at a child's price for two years.

Just a different perspective

 

[MBELSANTI]

Like I said before, I realise everyones different but like 3 boys r disney freaks said a child junior and adult pricing would be in my opinion a good idea.
Thanks for being nice
Cornish Pixie

I totally agree with you about the pricing. DS is now 9 and so I luck out, but when we go next summer when he is 10, I cannot justify paying almost $40 a day for him. I would really rather pay more for myself ( as I eat the expensive foods like steak, shrimp, shellfish) than to have to pay that much for him to eat chicken fingers and mac n cheese. Maybe his tastes will change next year, but I doubt it!

 

[DianeV]

As someone stated many many restaurants have kids ages 12 and under and seem to do just fine. I dont see many adults asking to order off the kids menu when I dine out however I'm sure some would ask

Disney is one of the only places I personally have seen that considers a 9 year old an adult for eating purposes

 

[shellybaxter]

As someone stated many many restaurants have kids ages 12 and under and seem to do just fine. I dont see many adults asking to order off the kids menu when I dine out however I'm sure some would ask

Disney is one of the only places I personally have seen that considers a 9 year old an adult for eating purposes

I think you are right about that. Most restaurants that I've eaten at have a child's menu that extends to age 12. However, as has already been pointed out, disney is not simply setting a dining age, they are setting a dining AND admissions age

 

[daisyduck123]

My DS9 can eat more steak than almost any adult.
We usually get him an adult meal, & DD12 orders a kid meal & eats that.

 

[tfiga]

Just wanted to mention that Big Boy's (Shoney's) and Bavarian Inn actually has a cut off of age 10 for any buffets meal. So it might be a change that has happened in the past fews years due to the large amounts some kids can eat now.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Think of it this way. Kids (3-9) get a discount. Babies (under 3) are free. All others pay full price.