I just wanted to weigh in on the table thing, also so that i get notifications from this thread again.
As an adult I would not mind a cocktail party style event where you mingle with other guests and share tables. But as a single mother traveling alone with her 8 year old, this makes things harder on me. Not hard enough that I am leaning toward NOT booking but this is the reason I avoid QS as well.... having to stand in line for drinks and stand in line again for desserts dragging my kid with me while he is buzzing all around me and then balance his drink, my drink, and two plates of dessert is going to be a challenge... and then to have to fight for a table (since I have no one in my party who can reserve a table for me) makes it even more difficult... we are going to have to insert ourselves into someone else's good time after they have already been there.
Now a whole group of us from our planning thread are planning to go on the same night so that will help with that a bit... it is a group of wonderful DISers who are all excited about their trip so we'll be "expected" and kind of sort of "with" a larger party. It will help in my personal scenario. But to me it is a little bit problematic when Disney sets up these premium events so that guests feel they have to jostle to get their money's worth. I will be bringing our resort refillable mugs so that we can have larger drinks (fewer trips to the bar) and lids on our beverages as well (my son is on the spectrum and has issues with knowing where his body is sometimes and I'd rather not be indirectly responsible for him walking with some weird colored drink and dousing someone with it). So that should help. I might also throw a couple of the larger paper plates from our DVC unit into the backpack as well, just to minimize trips. Again if I were alone or with another adult no biggie but every trip to the buffet is another chance for disaster to happen with my somewhat klutzy kiddo. Again I guess my feeling is that for the cost of the event that I should not have these worries.... long lines, whining about waiting, and having to drag my kid over multiple trips with open cups and tiny plates. you don't have to do dinner size plates but a salad sized plate would be a good compromise.
On the subject of chairs, I think if they cut the number in half to provide chairs a $10 per person bump would not cut it. that is a huge loss in revenue. They would have to double the price for half the people to make the same money. Disney is not going to do that!
I just hope that by the time we get there it is not a matter of being in the party for 15 minutes before having to run out to the beat the crowds for a good viewing spot too.
