We are returning to Disney this winter with our 2 year old. This is our first trip with a child. We have the standard dining plan for both of us, but our daughter is not required to have it. We plan to both share our meals with her and/or order a kid's meal. For those who have done something similar, how have you handled a buffet? We have reservations at one restaurant, which is a buffet. Do we pay the regular price for her eat for that meal, or will they let us share with her? Thanks!
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Toddler at Buffet
- Thread starter hystericalbende
- Start date
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
Your child can eat whatever they want from the buffet at that age, no charge. Don't forget to include them on the reservation though so they have a spot for the highchair.
That is so helpful! Thank you.
RememberWhen
Well-Known Member
We’ll be traveling with our 19 month old and have several buffets planned. They’re great because there are so many options for little people to choose from!
belledream
Well-Known Member
3 and above is a paying guest for park admission and yes, buffets. It’ll be a child’s price though... slightly cheaper than the adult price.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
Disney dining at TS restaurants can be painful when you have a "just over 3" child for whom you have to pay child prices, or "just over 9" child who now has to pay adult prices, particularly when the child's appetite is far below the price point! When our kids were in those ranges, we tended to avoid the dining plan, and all "per person"-priced buffet and family-style TS restaurants. Confining ourselves to mostly a la carte places gave us sufficient flexibility to order (and have to pay for) only what the kids were able to eat -- which was often just a side item or two, or an appetizer, or a split portion of whatever I was having.
Of course, now they're both almost teenagers and growing like weeds, which means there's no amount of food too large for them to consume in a day...
DISR
Well-Known Member
The age 3-9 is in a strange place for Disney pricing. At ~23.00-29.00 (using Boma as an example) there are few 3-9 year olds who will get their money's worth out of the buffet. For a character buffet, at least some of the cost is justified by the entertainment. We also prefer table service with something the kids will like on the kids menu...it never costs 29.00 for their meal. You can also pre-feed them at a counter service place and order them dessert while you enjoy your table service meal. I have been avoiding buffets with my pre-teen kids. It gets worse as a 10 year old when she now pays adult prices but still cannot finish a McDonalds Happy Meal....$40+ for tiny kids dinner is not happening.Disney dining at TS restaurants can be painful when you have a "just over 3" child for whom you have to pay child prices, or "just over 9" child who now has to pay adult prices, particularly when the child's appetite is far below the price point! When our kids were in those ranges, we tended to avoid the dining plan, and all "per person"-priced buffet and family-style TS restaurants. Confining ourselves to mostly a la carte places gave us sufficient flexibility to order (and have to pay for) only what the kids were able to eat -- which was often just a side item or two, or an appetizer, or a split portion of whatever I was having.
Of course, now they're both almost teenagers and growing like weeds, which means there's no amount of food too large for them to consume in a day...
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
Disney dining at TS restaurants can be painful when you have a "just over 3" child for whom you have to pay child prices, or "just over 9" child who now has to pay adult prices, particularly when the child's appetite is far below the price point! When our kids were in those ranges, we tended to avoid the dining plan, and all "per person"-priced buffet and family-style TS restaurants. Confining ourselves to mostly a la carte places gave us sufficient flexibility to order (and have to pay for) only what the kids were able to eat -- which was often just a side item or two, or an appetizer, or a split portion of whatever I was having.
Of course, now they're both almost teenagers and growing like weeds, which means there's no amount of food too large for them to consume in a day...
We did the same thing. My kids are a year apart and they would split and adult meal. The servers where amazing and at many places, they brought the food out already on 2 plates. 1 main, chicken/veggie/potato plate was plenty of food for the 2 of them to split.
DISR
Well-Known Member
There is no getting around the fact that Disney is expensive. One thing Disney really gets right is being very friendly to those trying to save money. Bringing snacks/drinks into the parks, getting free cups of water, splitting/sharing dishes at restaurants is never a problem. Other places can make you feel like you are committing some kind of grave social faux pas for these things.