How strict on age for children on dining plan

[VEROFORUS]

Has anyone ever fibbed a little on the age of their child for the dining plan? How much do the servers enforce this? I have a DD age 12, who would much prefer the childrens menu over the adult menu selections at most restaurants.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Most 12 yo's can't pass for 9 and under so you would have to pay adult price for her dining plan.

People have been able to order kids meal foods for their older kids on an adult credit (some even got more of the kids food when using an adult credit for it.)
At Buffet's she'll pay adult price but can choose whatever foode she wants.

OR

Order her a kids meal, pay cash for a kids meal then save the extra credits to do a 2ts credit meal or luau or hoop-de-doo....

Basically, she should be able to get food that makes her happy but I wouldn't try to pretend she is 3 years younger and tons of money cheaper, the age gap is just too big to get away with it. Tell the truth about her age and ask for a kids menu anyway.

 

[PoohHappens]

Also DDP is part of a package (unless DVC) and you would have to give her age for the appropriate gate ticket. I really can't imagine a 12year old that looks like a 9 year old, of course there is also the "honesty" issue. I would suggest letting her look through the menus at allearsnet, she may find all kinds of things she never knew she would like. The other suggestions here were really good ones.

 

[Lewisc]

If the dining plan won't work for your family then don't buy it. Just because your 12 year old doesn't eat much your family as a whole may come out OK.

You have an option not to buy it but you really don't have the right to lie and cheat. I can sort of understand parents who have children that are just over the age lying to save $$$ on meals and tickets but not three years. Kind of like the difference between going 5 mph over the speed limit vs going 30 mph over the speed limit.

 

[jamal]

My son will be 12 in two weeks and I can honestly say he looks nine and eats about half what his six year old brother eats! We will probably pay OOP for him to eat off the child's menu some since that's all he will eat: pizza, macaroni and grilled cheese. We absolutely will not lie or sneak anything, but I wondered if you all thought this would be the best way to feed the little flea! I'm open to ideas! I guess we could use his TS credit and only order off the child's menu, but that almost seems ridiculous when we could just pay OOP. Opinions?

 

[tabrizia]

My son will be 12 in two weeks and I can honestly say he looks nine and eats about half what his six year old brother eats! We will probably pay OOP for him to eat off the child's menu some since that's all he will eat: pizza, macaroni and grilled cheese. We absolutely will not lie or sneak anything, but I wondered if you all thought this would be the best way to feed the little flea! I'm open to ideas! I guess we could use his TS credit and only order off the child's menu, but that almost seems ridiculous when we could just pay OOP. Opinions?

Might be easiest to just pay out of pocket for him and then use his extra credits for some nice 2 ticket places. The other option is does your 6 year old eat adult meals? You can order him the adult meal and the 12 year old the kid meal (or they order for each other and swap).

 

[bicker]

If the dining plan won't work for your family then don't buy it.

This is really the crux of the issue. Rather than try to make the offering fit what you with was offered, it is better to consider the offering as it is made, and then choose whether or not it meets your needs or not. If not, pass it by.

 

[DisneycrazedX6]

Never ask about fibbing about age or trying to cheat Disney on the boards.....You will always get flamed here . Don't you know that everyone that goes to Disney wears a halo over their head??? (yes that is sarcasm). Don't feel so bad about asking, you won't be the first nor the last!!! Go with your gut and that is all that I am going to say!!!!

 

[Tinker74]

Never ask about fibbing about age or trying to cheat Disney on the boards.....You will always get flamed here . Don't you know that everyone that goes to Disney wears a halo over their head??? (yes that is sarcasm). Don't feel so bad about asking, you won't be the first nor the last!!! Go with your gut and that is all that I am going to say!!!!

Lol...My thoughts exactly.

 

[formernyer]

My recommendation would be to order ONE adult TS meal per day using your 12-year old's credit and get an extra plate to split it between the two boys. It should be more than enough food for both. Now exchange your 6-year old's TS credits for CS meals and use them to pay for your breakfasts. This is the "ethical" way to handle the situation.

If you're a person who's willing to bend the rules a little (no flaming here...this is just a theory and not a suggestion ) then theoretically you can order the TS meals the way I described above and after three days you will have saved three TS credits. Now you'd have enough to make another entire TS meal for your family of four (since the credits don't specify adult vs. child).

 

[steelersfan1]

I hear you PoohHappens------I can't imagine a 12 year old passing for a 9 year old. My 12 year old DS never could. Plus he eats like a horse! It's well worth it for us to pay the 37.50 for him to eat, plus with the character meals and some of our table service meals I know he would rather eat off the adult menu!! Do what fits your situation best! BE HONEST!

 

[brentalex]

I had the same dilemna. My DD who is 11, would never eat a single thing off of the adult menus. Macaroni and cheese and pizza and hot dogs will get her by for the week we are at disney. I could not see paying an adult rate for her. Plus when I thought about how we as a family tend to eat when at disney, we will have a table service meal maybe every other day. All other days will be on the go meals, at the parks or at the hotels. So I have passed on the dining plan. I will save all my food receipts and see how much I end up spending and see where we come out at the end. Maybe by our next trip she will be eating more and if the dining plan still exists we will try it then. Right now it just did not seem to be a good deal.

 

[jjohnson]

3 years!

Just be prepared for your DD to tell a "little fib" too because they will ask your daughter her age at most restaurants.

 

[Panther mom]

I have a 12 year old DS that will be 13 in August. He eats like a flea. On the other hand, I have a 6 year old DD who really eats well but definitely cannot eat an adult meal. We opted out of the dining plan and will see how it goes. We are going to try to do 4 table service meals. We don't want to spend too much of our precious Disney time in the restaurants!

 

[pta-mom]

Never ask about fibbing about age or trying to cheat Disney on the boards.....You will always get flamed here . Don't you know that everyone that goes to Disney wears a halo over their head??? (yes that is sarcasm). Don't feel so bad about asking, you won't be the first nor the last!!! Go with your gut and that is all that I am going to say!!!!

That is really unfair! Veroforus asked for our opinion!! Dont' want to know the answer...don't ask the question! Do I wear a halo? Hardly!! Am I honest about my kids ages while getting the Disney Food Plan? You betcha!

 

[bicker]

It's not only unfair, but really sad, when folks belittle honesty and integrity.

 

[Merriwind]

Really the server has nothing to do with enforcing ages. When you purchase the dining plan, a 12 year old must purchase the adult plan. When you are at the restaurants, if your twelve year old wants to use his credit to order off the children's menu, that shouldn't be a problem. Not very economical for you, but I can't imagine any server saying that you couldn't do that.

Enjoy!

 

[Lewisc]

Never ask about fibbing about age or trying to cheat Disney on the boards.....You will always get flamed here . Don't you know that everyone that goes to Disney wears a halo over their head??? (yes that is sarcasm). Don't feel so bad about asking, you won't be the first nor the last!!! Go with your gut and that is all that I am going to say!!!!

We're not discussing a child who had a birthday a few days before the trip. We're talking about a parent that wants to take 3 years off the child's age.

How much lying do you think is appropirate? One week? 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?

I think a good analagy is the speed limit. Many of us go a few mph over the speed limit but most of us would expect a ticket if we go 30 mph over the limit.

 

[Tinker74]

Really the server has nothing to do with enforcing ages. When you purchase the dining plan, a 12 year old must purchase the adult plan. When you are at the restaurants, if your twelve year old wants to use his credit to order off the children's menu, that shouldn't be a problem. Not very economical for you, but I can't imagine any server saying that you couldn't do that.

Enjoy!

Lol..This Is what Iam going to have to do .My 13 yr old will want to order off the kids menu. Not very economical for me.. But Iam not too worried...I got the plan more for the convience than anything..Its handy to have our meals paid for in advance

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Go with your gut and that is all that I am going to say!!!!

I'm afraid this advice won't work in the OPs circumstances. If she buys the DP for a "child" then the admission ticket must also be a "child's".

I don't go to WDW with a halo over my head, but I don't cheat at WDW anymore than I cheat in my every day life.