What age do you stop.......

[theflame]

At what age do you stop buying your child's Char. meal/WDW buffet at the kids price?

I plan on getting kid's meals for my 12 yo at the counter and table service meals(at least I hope?!):shrug:

When we went 3 years ago this was not an issue.

Now I have a 12dd and 7ds and I suppose I will be required to pay adult price for the 12 yo!? (BTW-the 12yo will turn 13 at WDW, not that it will matter to WDW kids price bracket)

Can I have advice and opinions?:wave:

Thanks so much!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

If your child is an "adult" at Disney then pay the appropriate price

 

[theflame]

Thank you for your kind answer. It was so full of opinion and advice!?!

 

[tigsmom]

At what age do you stop buying your child's Char. meal/WDW buffet at the kids price?

I plan on getting kid's meals for my 12 yo at the counter and table service meals(at least I hope?!):shrug:

When we went 3 years ago this was not an issue.

Now I have a 12dd and 7ds and I suppose I will be required to pay adult price for the 12 yo!? (BTW-the 12yo will turn 13 at WDW, not that it will matter to WDW kids price bracket)

Can I have advice and opinions?:wave:

Thanks so much!

If you have the dining plan you really have no choice, anyone over 10 is charged as an adult. If you are paying out of pocket then you can usually buy kid's meals (TS & CS) as many adults with small appetites do so. I think the buffets may be different though, since its an all inclusive meal so you may not have any choice, but to pay the adult price.

Your daughter is the same age as mine and she outgrew kid's meals years ago.

 

[ConstanceIrene]

Thank you for your kind answer. It was so full of opinion and advice!?!

Captain Hook's answer is correct.

 

[cymbaldiva]

At what age do you stop buying your child's Char. meal/WDW buffet at the kids price?

I plan on getting kid's meals for my 12 yo at the counter and table service meals(at least I hope?!):shrug:

When we went 3 years ago this was not an issue.

Now I have a 12dd and 7ds and I suppose I will be required to pay adult price for the 12 yo!? (BTW-the 12yo will turn 13 at WDW, not that it will matter to WDW kids price bracket)

Can I have advice and opinions?:wave:

Thanks so much!

I'm not sure what you're looking for advice on ... sounds like you understand the pricing structure :shrug:

 

[lilclerk]

I plan on getting kid's meals for my 12 yo at the counter and table service meals(at least I hope?!):shrug:

When we went 3 years ago this was not an issue.

I honestly don't mean to be rude, but 3 years ago, she counted as a kid... why would it have been an issue?

But I'm 23 and have had no problems ordering off kids menus at counter service restaurants. Not sure about table service. And at a buffet, you'll be required to pay the adult price for her. I think either 9 or 10 is the cutoff.
Unless you're using the dining plan. Then anyone 10 and up counts as an adult.

 

[theflame]

I guess my question is related to cs and ts meals w/o resv.

I plan on buying the 12yo a kids meal at all of these meals and wondered if that would be an issue.

Since I already know that she will be charged as adult for our Char. meals I wondered if they ask you your child's age at the time you put your name down or you order...say at a walk-up meal at Trails End or one of the rest. in Epcot?

It was never an issue for me to pay ADULT prices for the char. meals because they always ask for the ages of the children when you make the resv.

I wasn't asking HOW IS THE BEST WAY TO RIP OFF DISNEY?!

 

[tigsmom]

I guess my question is related to cs and ts meals w/o resv.

I plan on buying the 12yo a kids meal at all of these meals and wondered if that would be an issue.

Since I already know that she will be charged as adult for our Char. meals I wondered if they ask you your child's age at the time you put your name down or you order...say at a walk-up meal at Trails End or one of the rest. in Epcot?

It was never an issue for me to pay ADULT prices for the char. meals because they always ask for the ages of the children when you make the resv.

I wasn't asking HOW IS THE BEST WAY TO RIP OFF DISNEY?!

There are not too many slots for walk ups these days because of the dining plan (especially during the free period), but yes, they do ask ages when you request a table, at least we have always been asked.

 

[theflame]

I honestly don't mean to be rude, but 3 years ago, she counted as a kid... why would it have been an issue?

I was referring to the fact that she was 9 and was considered a "kid" price wise at Disney during that trip already. I am talking about her now being 12 and wanting to order kids meals at cs meals, and if that would be an issue.

 

[theflame]

We are not going during the "free period". Are you saying that it would be hard to walk-up to any Disney rest. that takes ADR even during the "off-season"?

 

[tigsmom]

I was referring to the fact that she was 9 and was considered a "kid" price wise at Disney during that trip already. I am talking about her now being 12 and wanting to order kids meals at cs meals, and if that would be an issue.

From your postings I take it you do not have the dining plan, so no, it would not be a problem. As long as you are paying cash the only problem you will run into is the price of buffets, she will be charged the adult price.

 

[theflame]

From your postings I take it you do not have the dining plan, so no, it would not be a problem. As long as you are paying cash the only problem you will run into is the price of buffets, she will be charged the adult price.

No we do not have the dp. I know I will pay adult prices at the buffets but I am looking to budget for the cs and ts meals and save where I can.
Thanks for the information!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We are not going during the "free period". Are you saying that it would be hard to walk-up to any Disney rest. that takes ADR even during the "off-season"?

As so many have stated before me in other threads, there really isn't an off or slow season anymore. WDW has steadily increased it's attendance over the past several years. Around normal meal times/hours it would be difficult to walk up to a counter service or character meal and not have a big wait. That's just the way the ball rolls, I guess.

I understand your predicament with your 12yo. I have an 11yo son who is a pretty picky eater and often still wants stuff off the kids menus. My other son, 9yo, is the exact opposite. This past trip was the 1st time we started hitting that cut-off with the ages. We accepted the fact that we would have to pay full price at the buffetts/character meals. Whenever our server would come at table service places we would let them know that although our eldest is considered a grown-up now he would prefer the kids food. We let them know we understood the rules and told them if they needed to charge us full-price then fair was fair. In the case of like Ohana, Liberty Tree, and Garden Grill our server only charged us the kids price for him. Basically, we let them decide what was appropriate without expecting any breaks. Of course we tipped good, too. :animwink:

I've never seen anyone ask for proof of age for a child. If it's cutting it close then I wouldn't be opposed to fudging a little. But if it's an obvious difference, I wouldn't try to push it. Fair is fair. Our kids grow up and it doesn't get any cheaper as the years go by.

Good luck to you and enjoy your trip!

 

[tigsmom]

We are not going during the "free period". Are you saying that it would be hard to walk-up to any Disney rest. that takes ADR even during the "off-season"?

There really isn't an "off season" anymore.

When we were at WDW in March we witnessed many people being turned away that were walkups (we had been turned away a few times over the past 2 years, at different times of the year) and at Le Cellier (as an example) they were told there were no openings for over a month! The lines at CS places were ridiculous and we had to wait almost an hour at a few places just for a burger and chicken fingers. We have WDW dining pre programmed into our cells phones so we can call and see what is open near the times we want to eat and we have had to run across parks to pick up the last tables at a few places. We have even gone back to our resort to eat dinner at the snack bar because there were no places available in the parks.

Plan as much as you can and try to get ADR's if possible. That was never our style, but its become a necessity.

 

[wdwmomof3]

We are not going during the "free period". Are you saying that it would be hard to walk-up to any Disney rest. that takes ADR even during the "off-season"?

Yes, I would not advise this at all unless you want to wait, and wait, and wait some more. ADR's are the best way to go. My sister and family waited almost two hours to eat at Sci Fi @ MGM, and then their food was bad. She learned after that to made ADR's.

I have three children and it can get expensive eating out especially at Disney. We are going in Sept and our oldest will not be going due to school. This was not a planned trip so please don't look down on me. Anyway, with my two that are going, and not on the dinning plan, I had thought about ordering adult meals for them and letting them split it. There is so much food that it will be plenty for them. The thing about the children's menu's is, my children sometimes don't like what is on them so we may be doing this. I don't think Disney will mind because I'll end up spending more in the long run. I really wont know until we get there but I think that they will work with you and help you the best that they can.

 

[Nemo14]

I know several people who split adult meals for their children, and to tell you the truth, it's not a bad idea for adults. Some of the portions are huge.

As far as CS meals are concerned, my 22 yr old daughter always orders kids meals since she's not a big eater.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh yeah. I agree. Make as many ADRs as you can ahead of time. I even have a few meals that I'm booked in 2 different places. When it gets closer to time I can cancel one or the other. I generally try to cancel any extras a minimum of 24 hours in advance. I know Disney won't have a problem filling my cancelled table. Take the time to make ADRs. It's time well spent. When it comes time if you don't see that you want to eat at your reserved place/time just give 'em a call. It's not a big deal. Disney WILL fill the tables.

 

[cymbaldiva]

I thought that there was now a system in place to prevent double bookings...? :veryconfu

Seems like we're working against each other here- Some people can't/don't make ADRs because there is no available seating, while others book too many seatings because they can't decide where to eat, thus there is no available seating for those wanting ADRs ...

Quite the vicious circle -

 

[wdwmomof3]

I thought that there was now a system in place to prevent double bookings...? :veryconfu

I thought so too. If not, there needs to be so that others can plan better too.