Should we add 1 child to DDP?

[beattyfamily]

IMO, I would call and ask. A case could definitely be made that if you want the benefit of your child to be able to purchase and use the plan when the child is not 3, then the child must use the plan for all meals. For the hassle of carrying around birth certificates and having to potentially argue at restaurants, I wouldn't bother getting the plan for your child. There is so much food, and kids meals are cheap when you don't want to share.

I have never seen or heard of anyone being questioned about their child being 3 when getting into the park - I don't think you will need to carry your child's birth certificate. Disney has a good honor system!

I agree. If you want to buy the dining plan for a child UNDER 3, then be prepared to pay for them and use the DDP credits everywhere. Should you be able to use the DDP for regular restaurants for them and then expect them to be free at buffets?? I don't know but somehow it doesn't seem right to me.

It wouldn't suprise me in the least if they insist on charging you for all their meals whether it be OOP or with credits.

 

[Gillian]

Since you have many of your meals planned out already, have you looked at the menus/prices and figured out if you would still save money if the first 5 kids meals (buffet or otherwise) came off the plan and you paid for the others? When you consider the CS and snack credits you'll get, it still seems like a good deal.

Which adult meals are you paying for OOP? I'm assuming that with 8 planned and only 5 credits per adult, you'll be paying for some. If buffets, no one will see your cards and your older child will be free with no controversy or explaining.

As you can get a daily snack worth up to $4 (right?) that's a good chunk of the $10-12 already. Add in a counter service meal and it surely seems worth it. Especially since you'll be able to share some of that food with your younger child.

 

[mom2alix]

I agree. If you want to buy the dining plan for a child UNDER 3, then be prepared to pay for them and use the DDP credits everywhere. Should you be able to use the DDP for regular restaurants for them and then expect them to be free at buffets?? I don't know but somehow it doesn't seem right to me.

It wouldn't suprise me in the least if they insist on charging you for all their meals whether it be OOP or with credits.

Oh, for goodness sakes! This creating rules for the DDP thing has GOT to stop.

Why on earth should she HAVE to pay for a buffet when it CLEARLY states the children under 3 eat free? I can see that the servers might be confused when the card reads 2A 1C, but showing the Birth Certificate and explaining should take care of that. Basically, she'd rather pay for the plan so that the kids can get a child's meal at the non-buffet TS's and mom and dad can order what they would like to eat rather than what can be shared with small-fry. Disney doesn't say you HAVE to share with your under 3 kids, just that you have to pay for it if you want to order something for them, which the OP is doing by purchasing the DDP.

OP - From what I'm reading you have 5 nights DDP and 8 TS ADRs (3 of which are buffets). The easiest way to avoid confusion would probably be to use those buffet meals as the ones you and DH paid OOP for. That way no need to break out the card and no server confusion. (They'll also probably be the lowest price meals as the others really add up with the Apps, entree, and dessert.) At the remaining 5 TS you order with your dining credits, pay with the plan and you're good. You can easily use up those extra CS meals with quick breakfasts from the food court. The kids meal was more than enough for my little ones to share.

 

[beattyfamily]

Oh, for goodness sakes! This creating rules for the DDP thing has GOT to stop.

Why on earth should she HAVE to pay for a buffet when it CLEARLY states the children under 3 eat free? I can see that the servers might be confused when the card reads 2A 1C, but showing the Birth Certificate and explaining should take care of that. Basically, she'd rather pay for the plan so that the kids can get a child's meal at the non-buffet TS's and mom and dad can order what they would like to eat rather than what can be shared with small-fry. Disney doesn't say you HAVE to share with your under 3 kids, just that you have to pay for it if you want to order something for them, which the OP is doing by purchasing the DDP.

Oh, for goodness sakes, I gave an opinion, not creating rules. You don't like my opinion, skip over it or ignore it.

 

[Bird-Mom]

OP, we purchased the DDP for our 2 year old, and we are bringing her birth certificate with us for the few buffets that we have planned. It does clearly state that under 3s are free, so if we have proof of her age, I don't anticipate any problems. If questioned, we are going to say that we did buy the plan for her to have her own plate at the ala carte restaurants.

 

[shondad]

i agree with two of the previous posts to pay OOP for buffets, that way there is no need to present the dining card and have to explain.

 

[Lisa0503]

Bird-Mom - It is good to know that someone else has the same concerns. When are you going on your vacation? If it is before mine, I would love to hear if you had any problems or if the servers were understanding....

Laura (beattyfamily) - I do understand your and Letsbegoofy's point. I had never thought about it like that....definately something to consider... BTW, your new home is beautiful and I love the color of the bedroom. Your girls are just adorable!!!! So what do you do with your poodles when you travel? Reba looks just like a poodle my grandmother had named GiGi. That pic of her with the Wizard of Oz hat is too cute!

Since you have many of your meals planned out already, have you looked at the menus/prices and figured out if you would still save money if the first 5 kids meals (buffet or otherwise) came off the plan and you paid for the others? When you consider the CS and snack credits you'll get, it still seems like a good deal.

Gillian - Your post has really helped me make a decision!!! We are going to add DD to the dining plan. I did check out menu prices on allearsnet and even if we have to use the child's TS credit at the buffets, it is still a good deal. A previous post that stated "the kids TS we found some as high as $27.99" scared me but when I looked at the prices of just the kids meal, it was not at all that bad

 

[julia & nicks mom]

If your card is for 2 adults and one child - who is to say the child with you is the child you bought the plan for?

I guess what I am saying is that they must have situations where everyone on the card is not present for a meal - for instance - let's say DD and I eat at CRT - but my dining plan says 2 adults, 2 children b/c my DH and DS didn't go with us - they would certainly have the capability to only charge for DD and I - so if you go to a buffet and they want to charge you- just politely say - she is not 3 - she should not be charged for the buffet.

The rule at WDW is - kids under 3 are free at buffets and you pay if you order them a kids meal at a sit-down - that is all the OP wants to do - get the free buffets and pay for the sit-down meals - which is exactly Disney's policy for kids under 3

 

[beattyfamily]

beattyfamily - I do understand your and Letsbegoofy's point. I had never thought about it like that....definately something to consider... BTW, your new home is beautiful and I love the color of the bedroom. Your girls are just adorable!!!! So what do you do with your poodles when you travel? Reba looks just like a poodle my grandmother had named GiGi. That pic of her with the Wizard of Oz hat is too cute!

Why, thank you! I really need to update those links! I put my Poodles in a kennel right down the street. All five fit in one suite so they can keep each other company and I get a discount. It's $46 a day!

Thanks again!

 

[Sammie]

Basically everyone can give opinions, and you can even call and try and get an answer to a question about the use of the plan, however neither the opinions given here or the answer you get when you call will determine for sure what will happen when you actually go to eat.

As with all things Disney, it will vary from CM to CM, restaurant to restaurant, and even hour to hour.

 

[RachelEllen]

The rule at WDW is - kids under 3 are free at buffets and you pay if you order them a kids meal at a sit-down - that is all the OP wants to do - get the free buffets and pay for the sit-down meals - which is exactly Disney's policy for kids under 3

Disney's policy is also that kids under 3 are not eligable for the dining plan.

I don't go out of my way to flame anyone, and I'm certainly not flaming here, but at the core, this is basically the same questions as saying your 3 year old is 2 in order to get free park admission. In other words: 'should I lie about my child's age in order to save money'

Considering how much flak similar questions recieve, I've always been suprised how many people will let this one slide. But if all people are saying is that you shouldn't expect to get it both ways....well, I think they are actually being pretty relaxed about it.

(Please note, I'm really not trying to flame the original poster. There's a lot of drift in these sorts of conversations, and I have no idea what they intend to do at all. But this question has come up a lot recently)

 

[Lisa0503]

OP here!!!!

at the core, this is basically the same questions as saying your 3 year old is 2 in order to get free park admission. In other words: 'should I lie about my child's age in order to save money'

Rachel - I do think this is a VERY different situation. I am NOT lying about my childrens age. Disney knows how old my kids are and if it were not allowed, I would not be able to purchase the plan. I was also under the belief that under 3 was not eligible for the DDP, however, when I called DVC Member Services to book our trip, THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO ADD A CHILD TO OUR DDP since we had 2 children under three and they could share the kids meals. I did tell them I was under the impression (from what I had read here on the boards) that I would need to buy a childs park admission in order to get a DDP for a child. They told me that was not the case for DVC members since our DDP is not tied into our park tickets as it is for the rest of the resort guests... Maybe that is why they state the policy that children under 3 can't get the DDP (unless they want to buy a childs ticket...which is just silly) Anyway, when I originally booked, I did decline to add a childs DDP but since I have been going back and forth about it...which is why I started this thread in the first place...

Basically everyone can give opinions, and you can even call and try and get an answer to a question about the use of the plan, however neither the opinions given here or the answer you get when you call will determine for sure what will happen when you actually go to eat. As with all things Disney, it will vary from CM to CM, restaurant to restaurant, and even hour to hour.

Sammie - From what I have read here on the boards, I think you hit the nail on the head. I did figure that if I do add the childs DDP, and have to use it at the buffets (and all meals like I would if DD was 3), it will still be a cost savings with the added CS meals for the kids and the snacks...and we would just pay OOP or share for the extra TS meals we have planned. If I can get the buffets for her without using the childs TS credit, GREAT I won't have to share or pay OOP at one of the 'sit down' ADR's we have. If not...no biggie..either way, it is all good!

 

[mom2alix]

Disney's policy is also that kids under 3 are not eligable for the dining plan.

I don't go out of my way to flame anyone, and I'm certainly not flaming here, but at the core, this is basically the same questions as saying your 3 year old is 2 in order to get free park admission. In other words: 'should I lie about my child's age in order to save money'

Actually I think Disney will allow anyone to add their 2 year old to DP, but non-DVC MYW packages would have to add a ticket to get the package which negates the savings (although even in that case, I think it's possible the parent could simply save the ticket for future use). The main thing is that I believe their computer systems are only set up to sell it as a package and they can't separate dining from tickets (nor do I think they can price the components separately if posts here are accurate).

DVC had to be put on a different system which allows us to purchase DP without buying tickets. Many DVC'ers have APs (since we get a discount on those) and a lot of us go more than once per year, which makes APs better than MYW for us. I think this is one reason DVC wasn't eligible for DP when it first came out, the programming had to be put in place.


I think the analogy about lying about the child's age to avoid paying admission is a little off - OP didn't say she was going to lie to anyone. She's asking to pay 3 year old dining prices for her 2 year old. She's paying for child's meals she intends to use as child's meals at the child's rate. This is more similar to those who are upgrading their 8-9 year old to the adult plan because they'd rather be able to order off the adult menu. According to posters here, Disney if offering that option for a fee, so they obviously allow it. It's a paid upgrade.

Disney certainly doesn't mind if you want to spend MORE money with them. OP is eating 8 TS meals in a 5 night stay (3 of which she'll pay OOP) - she is Disney's dream customer!

 

[mom2alix]

OP here!!!!
...when I called DVC Member Services to book our trip, THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO ADD A CHILD TO OUR DDP since we had 2 children under three and they could share the kids meals.

Lisa, thanks for sharing that. As I said beore I'd heard about upgrade offers for almost adult-age kids, but not the 2 year olds. Our friends who are coming with us in December will have 18 month old twins. I think they might be interested in adding a child's DP too. It's nice that they're offering the option.

 

[RachelEllen]

OP here!!!!



Rachel - I do think this is a VERY different situation. I am NOT lying about my childrens age. Disney knows how old my kids are and if it were not allowed, I would not be able to purchase the plan. I was also under the belief that under 3 was not eligible for the DDP, however, when I called DVC Member Services to book our trip, THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO ADD A CHILD TO OUR DDP since we had 2 children under three and they could share the kids meals. I did tell them I was under the impression (from what I had read here on the boards) that I would need to buy a childs park admission in order to get a DDP for a child. They told me that was not the case for DVC members since our DDP is not tied into our park tickets as it is for the rest of the resort guests... Maybe that is why they state the policy that children under 3 can't get the DDP (unless they want to buy a childs ticket...which is just silly) Anyway, when I originally booked, I did decline to add a childs DDP but since I have been going back and forth about it...which is why I started this thread in the first place...

!

Thanks for (I believe) not taking my comment as a flame, as it really wasn't intended that way. There's no reason for me (or anyone) not to believe that you were offered that option, however, the DDP for 2 year olds issue opens a whole can of worms.

As I'm sure you know, when a child turns from 2 to 3, there is a huge change in the pricing options available to them. Park tickets to pay for, buffets to pay for, etc. It's pretty hard to believe that this is an instance where 'officially' Disney is ok not only with people deciding to change pricing structures for their child...but also picking and choosing which parts of those pricing structures to take advantage of. Sort of like the people that argue that their 3 year old is very small, can't take advantage of rides, and shouldn't have to pay for a ticket.

Again, not flaming you. If the option was offered to me, I'd certainly consider it. It just suprises me (as there have been many of these posts), that people get so up in arms about the adult/child credit issue (which seems to revolve around an interpretation of the rules) and are so ok with this (which, even if encourged by some CM's certainly involves going against the policy as written.

 

[Lisa0503]

Rachel - I did not take your post as a flame at all. This thread has kind of turned into a FRIENDLY discussion about interpretation and workings of DDP. I am grateful that it had not turned ugly since I really dislike those posts where people start to get insulting. There is really no need for that. If we do get the childs DDP, we will use it for children's TS/CS meals. As per people using child's table service credit for adult meals debate, there are enough threads on that so I don't want this thread to become a debate about that.

I do believe that if people have a three year old, there is no question, they SHOULD buy a park ticket for them. The biggest reason we decided to go to WDW this fall was because both our children would be under 3 so no park tickets needed and our DS will be able to fly free since he is under two and those two things would be a HUGE cost savings. We are hoping our next trip will be in Dec '08 and our kids will be 3 & 5 then so we will budget accordingly for their park/plane tickets.

I do think that Disney is making money off me if I get the child's DDP. Without it, I would certainly just bring more kids snacks, juice/water to the parks with me and then we would just share the meals. I would probably also feed the kids back at the villa during our afternoon breaks. The advantage of having the childs DDP is that I really won't have to worry about making meals ect for the kids. I know there will be more than enough food for everyone and I can order the chicken nuggets or mac n cheese or whatever to satisfy my kids appetitie and DH & I can dine on whatever we choose without worrying about sharing and the kids likes/dislikes.

 

[Bird-Mom]

Liss0503, we are going at the end of August, so I will let you know if we have any problems.

When I made the reservation, the CM told me it would be fine to add my dd, buy all of us one day passes, and upgrade everyone else at check in (or to APs at guest services at the park).

It is great for us to have the DDP for her b/c she always wants her own and she eats enough to justify her own meal. I can just see her fighting her big sister for dessert!

 

[DCDisney]

I don't think you'd save enough from having 1 child on the plan to make it worth the confusion and potential issues in the buffet places. The other thing is that you'd have maximum flexibility. I really didn't want my kids sharing some meals because often the chicken nuggets or chicken leg would be ok for 1 child and then it would be a big pile of fries, pasta, etc on the side. I'd rather my kids eat more of the protein and fruit and not need to fill up on the junkier stuff so we really needed to buy 2 meals to get more of the "real" food. Not having them on the plan you can just buy what you want which would also apply to TS places that specialize in pizza but don't have kids pizza. There it would be very easy to order a pizza for kids to share or even just share yours and get an extra dish of fruit.

Yvonne

 

[Gillian]

I don't think you'd save enough from having 1 child on the plan to make it worth the confusion and potential issues in the buffet places. The other thing is that you'd have maximum flexibility. I really didn't want my kids sharing some meals because often the chicken nuggets or chicken leg would be ok for 1 child and then it would be a big pile of fries, pasta, etc on the side. I'd rather my kids eat more of the protein and fruit and not need to fill up on the junkier stuff so we really needed to buy 2 meals to get more of the "real" food. Not having them on the plan you can just buy what you want which would also apply to TS places that specialize in pizza but don't have kids pizza. There it would be very easy to order a pizza for kids to share or even just share yours and get an extra dish of fruit.

Yvonne

Good point about sharing, but I still think the plan is worth it because you can get fruit for your snacks and/or desserts if you want, and you can often get something other than fries as a side. A kids plan is so inexpensive that it would be pretty hard not to get your money's worth.

The new list of snacks looks pretty good too!