Dining Plan Blues for a 10 yr old.

[tookydo]

We are planning a 2 week trip this summer and always get the dining plan. However, my 10 yr old DS will never eat from the adult menu. The difference in price between an adult and a child on the dining plan is pretty steep. So my choices are to not get the dining plan and pay OOP or get the dining plan and basically waste what I pay for him. Am I missing something? If I pay for the adult plan can he still order from the kids menu? I know, that's a big waste of money. Any advice?

 

[gwhb75]

I can relate to your conundrum. Our daughter just turned 10 at the end of December, so our October 2010 trip was the last one with her being on the cheaper meal plan. The thing is, she is a picky eater and would really just want things from the kids menu. Fortunately for us, our son is 8 and always wants to order from the adult menu, so we'll be able to trade them off each other. But still, It's not like she can suddenly eat $30/day more in food than last year. Oh well....

 

[Monty]

My son was thrilled when he turned 10! Disney considered him an ADULT! :king:

Of course he was the opposite, hated the choices on the kids' menus. He was a lot happier when he had the adult menu.

We don't bother with Dining Plan any more anyway, so its no longer an issue.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

My son was thrilled when he turned 10! Disney considered him an ADULT! :king:

Of course he was the opposite, hated the choices on the kids' menus. He was a lot happier when he had the adult menu.

We don't bother with Dining Plan any more anyway, so its no longer an issue.

Same situation here. My 15-month-old is happier with adult food than kid food. He does not like nuggets, hot dogs, etc... He likes whatever mommy and daddy are eating. I think this is because from the time he started eating solids he has eaten with us at meal time. When he transitioned to table food, he naturally ate what we were having. He gets rather insulted if his plate of food is different than ours. The dining plan (if we still used it) would be bad for us when he is old enough to use it (at least until he turns 10).

 

[Master Yoda]

It is up to the discretion of the restaurant but most if not all of them will allow you to order from the child's menu with an adult dining plan. Some will even provide an adult portion of whatever he orders from he child's menu. Also Disney restaurants are incredibly flexible. If there is something he will sort of like on the adult menu it might be possible for them to modify it to his liking.

 

[mickeysshoes]

I have pretty picky eaters and we have always asked to alter a dish to their liking. We have never had a issue. Disney great about this.

 

[Goofycanuck]

Buffets are another option as there will be a selection of both adult and childrens meals.

 

[lebeau]

Whenever you're making a decision involving the Dining Plan, it's worth doing the math to see if the Dining Plan makes sense. If the math doesn't come out heavily in favor of the Dining Plan, you're probably better off with the flexibility of paying out of pocket.

Also, when you make the comparisson, be sure to compare what you actually think you would eat vs. what you would pay on the dining plan. I think a lot of people compare the price of what they get on the dining plan out of pocket vs. what they pay on the meal plan which obviously comes out in favor of the meal plan. But if you wouldn't ordinarily eat a QS meal, a TS meal and a snack every single day, that's going to factor in to your decision.

 

[Master Yoda]

Whenever you're making a decision involving the Dining Plan, it's worth doing the math to see if the Dining Plan makes sense. If the math doesn't come out heavily in favor of the Dining Plan, you're probably better off with the flexibility of paying out of pocket.

Also, when you make the comparisson, be sure to compare what you actually think you would eat vs. what you would pay on the dining plan. I think a lot of people compare the price of what they get on the dining plan out of pocket vs. what they pay on the meal plan which obviously comes out in favor of the meal plan. But if you wouldn't ordinarily eat a QS meal, a TS meal and a snack every single day, that's going to factor in to your decision.

Quite true. If all you do is compare food to dollars the DDP will almost always win out. Once you start looking at what you would normally order the savings start to erode. I have often compared the DDP to that 5 gallon of mayo you get at a wholesale club. If you use every bit of it you will save money but if you throw any of it away or start putting mayo on things you normally wouldn't you are not saving a dime.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

same problem....

My son is 10 now and will be on the adult menu for the first time this Sept. I also worried a bit about what he'd get but since he'll eat chicken, steak, pork and lives for cheeseburgers I found at least one thing for him on each menu. I told him we'd ask a couple of times if he could order off the kid's menu but not for the entire trip. It does strike me as fairly sophisticated food for a 10 year old and I actually sent WDW an email suggesting an addition to the DP. I think they should have a kid's menu, adult menu and a "Junior Menu" which has things like burgers, pizza and nuggest from the kid's menu AND offerings from the adult menu like steak, chicken dishes and the like. (With the pricing also falling in between the kid's and adult prices.) So far they haven't taken my suggestion, LOL.

 

[disneygirl1]

Ugh... I am going to run into the same situation next year when my DS turns 10!!! Here is the thing, like other parents have mentioned, my DS will have no problem choosing something off the adult menu... My concern is the portion size will be too big and he will waste the food. So unless we go during a free dining promotion, I don't believe we will purchase the DDP. Just doesn't seem economical anymore.

 

[Dwarful]

Take into account that during the summer Disney typically has 'summer seasonal' pricing. For our last trip it was cheaper to do the ddp (ughhhh!) than to pay out of pocket simply because of our dinner choices...sorry but none of those buffets are worth $38. Also, we never get a dessert at a CS but they 'give' you one on the ddp. Sometimes you can substitute fruit or a bottle of water but not always.

This year our youngest also hits double digits...but like others she was eager to get the adult food. Everyone has different tastes...my youngest would live on asparagus, cauliflower and baked potatoes if I let her. My oldest would live off of various salads and both girls love a great steak dinner.

I'd suggest looking at your adr's, crunching the numbers and adding in your counter service options. Only then will you know if it is really worth it for you to get the ddp. Most places will let your 10 yr old order off of the kids meal...buffets you'll pay adult prices.

 

[jduran]

Not that I have children, but I since I read this it has me wondering: How does Disney know your child is over the age of 10? I mean... :lookaroun ...couldn't you just say your child is 9 and get away with it?

This brings back memories of my mom asking me to lie about my age as a child so we could get a discount when available :lol:

 

[EvilQueen-T]

can you take the approach of a special dietary need request with the ts restaurants that is where you notify the restaurant ahead of time and ask them for what she would eat...such as if she'd eat chicken nuggets off the kids menu ask them to do it in an amount to make it an adult portion? we have vegetarians in our family and have a child who has a more adult palate (won't eat pb&j, pizza, or mac n cheese that makes up most of the wdw kids menus) and they've met dietary requests from us. for example my granddaughter will eat a chicken caesar salad or similar and LOVES steamed veggies but hates things i mentioned earlier and with advanced notice the restaurants have worked with us. we also did a lot of buffets so she had a wider choice.

 

[dreamfinder]

Not that I have children, but I since I read this it has me wondering: How does Disney know your child is over the age of 10? I mean... :lookaroun ...couldn't you just say your child is 9 and get away with it?

This brings back memories of my mom asking me to lie about my age as a child so we could get a discount when available :lol:

Nothing stopping you from doing that, except that teaching your child to lie is acceptable. Or looking foolish when someone asks how old they are and you quickly say 9, and Johnnie or Susie goes, "Mom, I'm 10 1/2!!!" That choice is really up to you. (Then again my wife and I will order a TS meal from the kids menu if we aren't terribly hungry so yes, I am a pot thank you.)

Beyond that, if it doesn't make sense for you to pay adult prices when your child will only eat kids meals, why even consider the DDP? Any savings you MAY get for the other members of your party will more than likely be wiped out by the extra cost for the child compared to if you had paid OOP for their meals.

 

[4everDory]

Another option, if your 10 year old only wants food off of the kid's menu, is to go ahead and pay OOP for your son, and "bank" his dining credits. Use them later, and you can get at least one or 2 extra TS meals out of it. We've always done this, and it works really well for us.

 

[tookydo]

Another option, if your 10 year old only wants food off of the kid's menu, is to go ahead and pay OOP for your son, and "bank" his dining credits. Use them later, and you can get at least one or 2 extra TS meals out of it. We've always done this, and it works really well for us.

I never thought of this. :hammer:We might be able to do a few more 2TS meals during our stay. I have played around with so many numbers. It's just hard to tell what you would actually spend OOP for food - what will people order, will they be in the mood for dessert, would we use the snack credits or would we miss them. It's just so hard to determine what we would spend. I'm going to go back through my plans and see if I can use up my DS's TS credits and pay for him OOP. Who knows, maybe once in awhile he will order from the adult menu with some special requests. Thanks everyone!

 

[4everDory]

Glad to help! Like you said, maybe he'll surprise you and eat some adult meals. DD13 surprised us this past trip and tried some adult meals. DD9 is looking forward to being able to order off the adult menu for our next trip

 

[SpoonOfSugar]

M youngest is 11 and last year when she was 10 they let her eat off the kids menu. It's not so much that she is a picky eater, more that she can't eat adult portions yet so it ends up being a big waste of food.

 

[slappy magoo]

Someone with a little more dining plan savvy might know the answer to this question...

I know that every one on any given reservation must be on the dining plan, or else no one can be on the dining plan. But does that mean that everyone must use their credits when they all eat together?

Hypothetical, 3 people, 2 parents and the child of a 12 year old sit down to eat together at a table service restaurant, but one person isn't terribly hungry and only wants an appetizer and soda. Unless the restaurant in question is a buffet, where it's pay one price (or one credit) regardless of what you eat, couldn't that family ask to use 2 table credits for the 2 full meals, pay for the appetizer out of pocket, and then save the unused credit for a meal later, or use it towards a Signature Dining meal?

If that sort of thing is possible, I wonder if that might be a way to go for the OP - put the 10-year old on the dining plan as an adult, but pay for his meals out of pocket, and then keep using his unused table credits for Signature Dining Credits, and his counter service credits for other meals where necessary. I know that Disney portions are pretty big, and I don't think I'd want to eat 3 table-service meals a day, but when we're on the dining plan we still tend to pay for a counter-service breakfast OOP (maybe one or two breakfast buffets over the course of a vacation), counter service credits for lunch and table-service for dinner.

And on the flip-flop, if the OP's son decides to start being adventurous, you already have the dining plan.