Does Disney enforce age for kids meals?

[RonAnnArbor]

Morally correct or not, ANYONE, including adults, can order a kids meal at a sitdown restaurant rather than an adult entree. Anyone. Each restaurant handles it slightly differently. A kidsize portion is exactly that. You can get the same foods for a surcharge at a larger portion. The Kids Meals are not designed to give you smaller portions of restaurant meals -- they are designed to give picky eaters options like mac and cheese and chicken fingers when everyone else is eating other foods. No matter what age you are, if you want mac and cheese or chicken fingers, Disney will be more than happy to accommodate you without blinking an eye -- people do it every hour every day there. But if that is what you are looking for, the counter service choices will give you much larger (and often tastier) meals.

 

[thomas998]

I have been eating from the kids menu for about 35 years now. I gotten some strange looks I'll tell you.

I wouldn't see it being a real problem for your 10 year-old though. If the waiter/waitress insists to charge as an adult just take it off his/her tip.

One thing that does stink at WDW, is the buffet situation. My son @ 16 is still a very picky eater(getting better, but a long way to go). We could not really go to dinner buffets, because he would be charged as an adult which was ridiculous because he would eat like 3 chicken nuggets. or a scoop of mac n cheese(I didn't want to even pay the kids buffet price for Mac& cheese. I would have to go to buffets for dinner with my daughter... who would has no problem getting her monies worth from a buffet especially Boma. Breakfast buffets were ok for my son though as that is his favorite meal of the day where he would actually eat his share...so I didn't mind.

Tips? That's the one thing that always irks me at Disney... I've had those automatic gratuities added on only to have service that was beyond bad... I'm not a needy diner, just don't let my glass go empty and I'm happy... I've had Disney service in so places where although they had their gratuity added in up front I had to go find waiters to get a refill.

 

[OliveMcFly]

I don't have a problem at QS restaurants. I order kids meals all the time.

 

[ajmellu7]

Can it work the other way round though? Can kids order off the adult menu or do they have to have from the child's menu?

 

[Tuvalu]

Can it work the other way round though? Can kids order off the adult menu or do they have to have from the child's menu?

Yes. Although if you are on the dining plan, it will cost an adult credit, not a child credit.

 

[BrianV]

We've found it to be hit or miss. My 12 year old is picky, my 9 year old not so much, so often we just switch.

I have no problem paying adult prices for my 12 year old at a buffet or at a sit down restaurant. But please, if you are going to say they cannot order off the kids menu, make an adult sized and priced portion of the kids meals (chicken fingers, pasta,etc.). Anyway, usually there is an appetizer she will eat and she'll just skip an entree if there is an issue.

This is usually a judgement call by the wait staff. A good waiter will do whatever it takes to make you have a good meal. They are rewarded with a higher tip. A bad waiter will stand by (hide behind) policies that don't allow you to have a good meal. They are not rewarded with a higher tip. This is the way of the world.

 

[andy773]

Regarding changing the age in their profile: I don't think you can do that in My Disney Experience. Once you enter it the first time, if you want to change it, you have to call Disney. FYI

 

[jaklgreen]

Can it work the other way round though? Can kids order off the adult menu or do they have to have from the child's menu?

Yep, as long as you pay out of pocket and not the dining plan. We never bought our kids that junk on the kids menu. We always had the 2 of them split an adult meal. The servers even split them up on 2 plates for us. All of the servers have always been very nice.

 

[WDW 3]

We always pay out of pocket and sometimes I only want the kids meal so it's what I order. I KNOW I'm not the perfect parent and honestly I don't even know one. Until I meet one I'll keep my opinions to myself unless it involves keeping people safe from harm or someone asks for advice. I'm pretty sure my dd learned most of her bad habits from me, but she is a wonderful, intelligent and caring adult in spite of my parenting .

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

Tips? That's the one thing that always irks me at Disney... I've had those automatic gratuities added on only to have service that was beyond bad... I'm not a needy diner, just don't let my glass go empty and I'm happy... I've had Disney service in so places where although they had their gratuity added in up front I had to go find waiters to get a refill.

Do you dine with a large group? It must only be certain restaurants then. I do not remember automatic tips on my bill.

Also in regards to tips... I do not get the general tip = % of the bill thing? I am basing my tip on the servers attentiveness to my table... why should I pay more if I order a Lobster instead of a burger if the same exact service was provided?

 

[LAKid53]

Given that the portion size of most adult meals at Disney is large enough to feed a small army, I on occasion have ordered off the kid's menu - especially if the selections are more appealing (not the usual something resembling chicken nuggets, etc.). I wanted a side salad with my dinner at Brown Derby and they ended up giving me the kid's menu salad,

Restaurants need to understand that not all adults have the appetite of an NFL defensive lineman and shouldn't penalize the patron if he/she wants to order off the kid's menu. For me, it's not the price, but the quantity of food. And giving you a take home box does no good if you are not returning to your resort after dinner.

 

[jaklgreen]

Given that the portion size of most adult meals at Disney is large enough to feed a small army, I on occasion have ordered off the kid's menu - especially if the selections are more appealing (not the usual something resembling chicken nuggets, etc.). I wanted a side salad with my dinner at Brown Derby and they ended up giving me the kid's menu salad,

Restaurants need to understand that not all adults have the appetite of an NFL defensive lineman and shouldn't penalize the patron if he/she wants to order off the kid's menu. For me, it's not the price, but the quantity of food. And giving you a take home box does no good if you are not returning to your resort after dinner.

They do give way too much food. We usually end up splitting a couple of meals. When we do, the servers have always been very nice about splitting it up and we always tip good. I also wish they would have better kids meals. Like smaller portions of normal food. That way I could order my kids a size appropriate order of chicken and broccoli, etc.

 

[Tink0102]

My son [now 20] was absolutely thrilled when he turned 10 and Disney considered him an "Adult"!

Dad wasn't as impressed...

My son turned 10 during our last stay but was 9 at check in. He is super excited about being considered an adult this trip!

 

[kbmb]

I just wonder why it's necessary to get all preachy on the message board...I don't get it. I mean this place is supposed to be fun. I get if the OP wanted to shave like several years off of their child's age but they are talking literally a year and maybe months depending on when exactly their child turned 10. Also, it's not like they are asking to pay children's meal prices and get an adult's meal in exchange. They want exactly what they're paying for.

Thank you for understanding! And that's exactly my thinking. I pay for a kids meal for the food served.....whether it be the type of food or the amount. I completely understand enforcing the age for buffets, but for sit down restaurants I would hope Disney would allow anyone to order from the kids menu. Even us big kids.

Regarding changing the age in their profile: I don't think you can do that in My Disney Experience. Once you enter it the first time, if you want to change it, you have to call Disney. FYI

You can as long as you don't have the exact birthday in the profile and only the age (I can at least). You can change it via the website but for some reason it takes changing it twice for it to stick (change it, hit done, go back in it will be the same as before, change it again and hit done, this time it sticks).

-Kevin

 

[JennSmith]

Thank you for understanding! And that's exactly my thinking. I pay for a kids meal for the food served.....whether it be the type of food or the amount. I completely understand enforcing the age for buffets, but for sit down restaurants I would hope Disney would allow anyone to order from the kids menu. Even us big kids.

No problem and have fun!!

 

[Jaly05]

Well I just want to say thank you for asking this because I never thought about the fact that my ds being 10 on our reservations for Tusker House he'd get charged as an adult. I didn't even think about it! But duh. Now I won't be surprised when we get the bill.

 

[CarmelHP]

Can it work the other way round though? Can kids order off the adult menu or do they have to have from the child's menu?

When you're paying OOP, you can order whatever you want. On DDP, your "Disney adult" child can order a kid's meal. The problem, when on DDP, is using a child TS credit to try to order an adult TS meal, that's not allowed.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Also in regards to tips... I do not get the general tip = % of the bill thing? I am basing my tip on the servers attentiveness to my table... why should I pay more if I order a Lobster instead of a burger if the same exact service was provided?

Come back after you've waited on tables for two months and then we'll talk.

 

[LdyApxr]

My son is 17, and even now getting him to eat a full meal(even a combo meal from a fast food place) is near impossible. Granted he is 5'2" and only weighs 90lbs(we keep waiting for him to grow wider....) so he looks much younger until he speaks and is often mistaken for a 13yr old. It's more about not wasting food for us than it is price. In DLR in 2013, we took so much food back to the room that never got eaten and on the day we checked out we had a fridge full of his half eaten meals. LOL Compromise if they make him order an adult meal is soup and salad as opposed to an entree. Buffets are a loss with us no matter what and is more for the ambiance than the food.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

Come back after you've waited on tables for two months and then we'll talk.

It doesn't matter if I have or haven't waited tables in the past... the idea of tipping is based on service of the waiter/waitress NOT the cost of what they are bringing me on the plate.