Who know what the future holds though. First it was the test of the chips in the refillable mugs. Now it is a credit card hold on many ADRs. Disney may just decide this is another one of those things that they need to focus on that they used to ignore.
YEs, exactly. Or, they could start charging for everyone, even infants since techinically infants can go to the shows and on a bunch of rides. Not saying it will happen. Just saying that when more and more people abuse a situation it does end up affecting others.
You guys may or may not be right. If we're betting I'd be willing to put big money on not however (and lest you misunderstand, I don't mean that in a snotty way).
Little kids are the bait...many seem to forget that when this topic arises. It's the existance of that little kid that often gets a parent to consider Disney to begin with. There's a reason why kids under 3 are free and it's NOT because Disney is trying to be nice. It's a calculated business decision that many businesses, hoping to lure in families, have in place.
In fact sometimes the the most expensive places are the ones that have the most liberal 'kid free' policies. Skiing for example....it's not unusual to find resorts that offer deals where kids under 12 actually ski free. And one of our favorite all-inclusive Ranch resorts, that used to be under 4 free, just recently started a 1 free kid under 12 with 1 paying adult offer. Why? Because it's so gosh darn expensive and they realize that if no one comes, they get nothing. Eliminating kids free? IDK...given Disney's prices these days, I'd say it won't be long before it'll be in their best interest to increase the age at which a child can get in free to 4
And parents have been lying about their kids' ages to get them into movies and amusement parks and fairs and festivals and water parks and ski resorts etc. etc. etc. for generations. This is not a new phenomenon and the owners of these establishments are not idiots. Companies understand that they must choose their battles. Fortunately for them, they are able to look at the bigger picture.
Bottom line is that free admission for a child at Disney is a significant lure for many parents. For some the fact that Junior doesn't pay makes them feel better about splurging for that expensive character meal, or that expensive souvenir. "Hey, why don't we take little Susie to the BBB now since we have 80 extra dollars in our pocket!!!" Maybe they feel better about that stroller rental and decide to leave theirs at home. The illusion of 'free' does funny things to people.
And then of course, for some, without free admission for the littlest ones, that Disney vacation no longer sounds so appealing. Or maybe they go, but they go less frequently. So now, instead of losing out on the admission of a child, Disney loses out on admissions for an entire family, plus food (maybe an expensive character meal), plus maybe a stroller rental, plus souvenirs (little kids LOVE souvenirs), plus perhaps even lodging (so convienent to be onsite with a little one). You add it up. Would they rather lose 80 bucks because Junior got in free one day or risk losing 250 bucks or more for the same day because the family decides it's just not worth it and doesn't go. Add it up over the course of a weeks vacation. It may sound silly to you but that free kid is a huge incentive for some people. Start requiring a ticket for 2 yo's, 1 yo's, and/or infants and just watch what happens to their profits. Allowing kids to be free under a certain age doesn't cost them money, it makes them money.
IDK.....having everyone pay regardless of age or, alternatively, insisting on proof of age (something which can't be reliably proven for children here in the US anyway) sounds like a pretty stupid business decision IMO. And Disney may be many things, but stupid is not one of them
so im sure people will ask for her ticket. she has been wearing size 2T for about 4 months now.
