To lie about his age for free admission?

[WaitForCake]

It's DS's 3rd birthday in a couple of weeks. I'm taking him to an attraction.

It's free for under 3s, but adult price at 3 upwards. Money is tight, but after a tough few months between lockdown and his DF moving out after our split, I want to do something nice for him.
As there is no inherent difference in what he'll get from the experience the day before his birthday and on the day of his birthday, WIBU to just buy him a 2 year old ticket?

I can't take him the day earlier due to work (I did consider this already).

YANBU - get the 2 year old ticket
YABU - pay the adult price for him

I'd have some sympathy with somebody who's fallen through all of the cracks and genuinely has no money whatsoever to buy bread, milk, pasta etc to feed themselves or their children, can't access benefits or foodbanks, if they saw no option but to steal it; but a theme park?

Yes you're right, theme parks aren't for poor people.

I'd do it. MN is so pearl clutchy about this kind of thing generally with all the "lying and stealing" bullshit.

YANBU - just go. Make sure your ds is distracted at the entrance so he won't say it's his bday

Or even better if you can book online..

My only concern is they may give you a wristband saying he's under three which may restrict his choices?

If not, then I'd have absolutely no qualms saying he is two.

One of my ds were under 5 for a long time when it came to a local carvery....

I'm not whining.

Yes, you are.

I'm saying it's ridiculous to pay two adult tickets when neither of us can do the activities designed for adults. I'm happy to pay my adult ticket despite the fact that I can't interact with the activities.

Is your three year old going into the aquarium by himself, then? Whilst you sit outside? Of course not. As for the rides, you have already told us that he’s not interested in them and that he wants to look at the Sea Life centre. If you don’t like the prices at Chessington, go to a different aquarium.

Your ‘but it’s on the way to visit family’ justification is bizarre. You seem to be suggesting that Chessington should let you and your son in for less than standard admission price because going to their Sea Life centre is convenient for YOU and you don’t want to drive out of your way to go to a cheaper aquarium.

You might get away with it but is the birthday boy likely to get excited and shout out loud, "I'm three!" and then blow it? I'd feel guilty and would worry about and it would no doubt show on my face.

"Yes you're right, theme parks aren't for poor people."

Aye, because access to a theme park is totally a basic human right. I'm off to my local porsche dealership to try the same argument.

The OP is clearly going regardless and this is just a goady windup thread. Yes, people do this all the time but it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, so lets at least be honest about it rather than all the woe is me shite.

Yes you're right, theme parks aren't for poor people.

Her point was that theme parks are not an essential.

Just do it.

Unless they ask for proof of age, no one will know he''s 3 the day before.

Obviously if he was a year older I'd feel differently, but one day? Not worth asking anyone, just do it.

Before having a child I would have probably said yabu... But I've turned into the person who did exactly that on my DS' 2nd birthday, made the difference of him being free vs £20 entrance. (I ended up internally justifying it as he was born in the afternoon so technically when he was admitted to the attraction he was a few hours shy of turning 2!) 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ Not perfect morals but I say go for it OP. It's not like you're trying to admit a 5 year old as a 3 year old.

Meh, I don't feel like I'm whining. I just really don't see the difference to the company if we went a day before compared with the actual day. The things we can interact with remain exactly the same.

And this may not come as a surprise, but if I can't afford an additional adult ticket - I can't afford additional petrol to drive to another venue. It's simple a case of we go or we don't. There is no in-between here.

Please do it!!
And for people saying it’s theft, do not be so ridiculous!!!
If the company was less greedy and had adults and child’s prices then this sort of thing Wouldn’t be done.

ThePlantsitter
Did you read the rest of my post Janice? I was talking about the huge mark up on food etc and the advertising revenue they get.

I did, but again, these prices are clearly advertised. You KNOW that if you chose to buy extra, you will pay extra.

What is dishonest about them exactly?

but if you have experience of the costs of goods and food, it comes as a serious shock because it's way above market price.

actually, it's not. ALL theme parks are famously very expensive, Chessington is exactly in the market range for pricing and if you are unsure, you ...check before you decide to go? Prebook your meal, or just bring your own?

I do love posters trying to turn it around and saying they are justified to steal or fraud because they don't like the pricing

If it’s an attraction aimed at children then of course they don’t expect parents to use the rides etc. The pricing structure means that the same admission cost is spread over more people. Would you be happier if adults went in free and only children paid? Then you could congratulate yourself on stealing £60, not £30.

I started a thread along these lines ages ago, asking why we always automatically expect to pay less for children, and I was largely told IWBU by, what seemed to me (just my opinion), people who just couldn't/wouldn't consider any way other than what they've always been used to. I understand at places like the theatre that each bum (except for babies and toddlers) occupies one seat, but it seems bizarre to me that there is a higher adult price to see the Wiggles or Fireman Sam Live or whatever than the discounted price for the children who actually care about seeing it. Two parents accompanying one child (one interested target customer) pay more than one parent accompanying two of them. Indeed, there are some shows aimed at very young children who will get in free and only their DPs, DGPs and bored older siblings being dragged along actually have to pay!

When it's a vast open space, with no real restrictions on numbers, it would make even more sense to charge the highest prices to the age range most likely to make use of the attraction, depending on what the attraction is, rather than the middle-aged/older folk who would have no interest at all in going were they not there because their DC or GC wanted to go. Yes, they might buy food and drink, but that's already priced separately (and not cheaply) and not included in the entrance fee.

However, it's so ingrained that adults pay more, because they're likely to be earning - with the anomaly that 'adult' prices usually kick in from 12 or so, when you're still too young to have your own income - that nobody wants to question it. If we're talking fair, a typical theme park would offer free entry to under 3s, a token fee to the over 30s because they might want to look at the Winter gardens or have a serene ride on the Swans whilst they're there for the kids and then full whack to everybody aged 3-30. Never going to happen, though!

If the company was less greedy and had adults and child’s prices then this sort of thing Wouldn’t be done.

If there were separate adult and child prices, and the child prices were much cheaper, the adult prices would go up to compensate. Don’t you get how business works?

Do you expect the operator to reduce its revenue by 40% at a stroke to ‘be less greedy’? Have you looked at the accounts for Chessington and analysed their operating profits? If not, how do you know that they are ‘greedy’? Theme parks are not a public service. If the operator isn’t making a profit, they will close the park. Would you be happier than?

If the company was less greedy and had adults and child’s prices then this sort of thing Wouldn’t be done.

they do.
otherwise we wouldn't have this thread in the first place

THEN, not than!

Please don't do this. Pay the correct amount.

@Iamthewombat

If the company was less greedy and had adults and child’s prices then this sort of thing Wouldn’t be done.

If there were separate adult and child prices, and the child prices were much cheaper, the adult prices would go up to compensate. Don’t you get how business works?

Do you expect the operator to reduce its revenue by 40% at a stroke to ‘be less greedy’? Have you looked at the accounts for Chessington and analysed their operating profits? If not, how do you know that they are ‘greedy’? Theme parks are not a public service. If the operator isn’t making a profit, they will close the park. Would you be happier than?

Drayton Manor has that kind of price structure, and it's much more reasonable.

£29 for adults, 12+
£15 for 4 - 11
£8.50 for 3 - 4 year olds
Free for under 3s

In fact most other theme parks offer different price structures for different ages, as few 11 unders can access the 'adult' rides due to height restrictions.

Yes you're right, theme parks aren't for poor people.

what kind of argument is that? The sense of entitlement is ridiculous. So I should be entitled to go to Disney and paying the airline/park/hotel what I feel is "honest" because why not? and why should my family be penalised because I am poor?

Say you don't want to pay full price, and you didn't find a pack of cornflakes giving free entry if you want, but don't pretend you are entitled because you don't agree with the prices...

Yes you're right, theme parks aren't for poor people.

Others have already responded to echo what I thought was my obvious point there, but do you really think that expensive luxuries should be available to everybody who wants them regardless?

For the last couple of tough years, my family wouldn't have been able to countenance theme parks - they were just out of the question and that was that. That's life. OTOH, struggling to afford the food we needed and replace outgrown school shoes concerned us a little more than that, for some reason.

In fact most other theme parks offer different price structures for different ages, as few 11 unders can access the 'adult' rides due to height restrictions.

surely the answer is to vote with your feet and go some place else?

If the price structure is in place, it means it works. If the place was deserted, something would have to change.

No they're not essential, but for the sake of a few hours it's not exactly harming anyone. I grew up with fuck all, not enough food or hot water let alone going to theme parks; it doesn't mean I think others should live in misery if they have a chance which doesnt impinge on anyone else to do something nice for their sons birthday.

@JaniceWebster

ThePlantsitter Did you read the rest of my post Janice? I was talking about the huge mark up on food etc and the advertising revenue they get.

I did, but again, these prices are clearly advertised. You KNOW that if you chose to buy extra, you will pay extra.

What is dishonest about them exactly?

but if you have experience of the costs of goods and food, it comes as a serious shock because it's way above market price.

actually, it's not. ALL theme parks are famously very expensive, Chessington is exactly in the market range for pricing and if you are unsure, you ...check before you decide to go? Prebook your meal, or just bring your own?

I do love posters trying to turn it around and saying they are justified to steal or fraud because they don't like the pricing

And I love posters who call it fraud when someone gets a 2 yr old ticket for their kids on their 3rd birthday. .

I do think it's underhand - if not dishonest- to mark up prices on things like drinks when you are selling to a captive clientele. I also think it's not entirely open and honest to charge £30 quid so other companies can pay MORE money to 'build awareness of your brand with families with young children.' (that's from Chessington's advertising site).

That's how these places make their money. That's why there are so many 2 for 1 offers. Once they have you in there they can fleece you for as much as possible.

@JaniceWebster

In fact most other theme parks offer different price structures for different ages, as few 11 unders can access the 'adult' rides due to height restrictions.

surely the answer is to vote with your feet and go some place else?

If the price structure is in place, it means it works. If the place was deserted, something would have to change.

Or it means there's an awful lot of 3 year olds walking around who have got in on a 2 year old ticket.

@Standardy

No they're not essential, but for the sake of a few hours it's not exactly harming anyone. I grew up with fuck all, not enough food or hot water let alone going to theme parks; it doesn't mean I think others should live in misery if they have a chance which doesnt impinge on anyone else to do something nice for their sons birthday.

ONE person doing it isn't harming anyone. If everybody did it, they would lose a lot of money and be in difficulties theirselves.