Opinions of QS DDP

[disneymomof2boyz]

I'm sure that this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find the thread. But to those that have done the regular DDP and the QS DPP: what were your opinions on the QS? And how does it measure up to the original DDP in terms of value and overall satisfaction?

I am kinda nervous about this, simply because I loved the regular DDP, but we have already gone to Disney this year and this is a surprise trip. So, we have to budget. Please qualm my fears, but I also want the truth!

 

[marcyinPA]

We did the QSDP in June, after having done the regular DDP on two previous trips. The reason we went with the QSDP is that we didn't want to be tied down to ADR's all week long. We do like our TS meals, but not every day.

So this time around, we did the QSDP but we also booked three TS meals and paid for those using Disney Rewards.

We enjoyed the QSDP. We mainly either shared breakfast every day, or ate a lighter continental breakfast, ate lunch, and ate dinner. I did a lot of research ahead of time to find the restaurants that would have some good "real food" choices, so we didn't feel like we were eating sandwiches all the time. The plan worked well for us. We should have used our snack credits better...as in we should have bought more bottled water rather than filling them up at fountains. I was worried that we'd run out of credits, as it was REALLY HOT the week we were there and we were drinking a lot. As it turned out, we had 27 snack credits leftover on our last night there. A trip to Goofy's and those were used up on our last day!

Our very favorite place to eat was Wolfgang Puck's Express. It was so good that we ate there twice!

The best part about the QSDP was that we could eat what we wanted, when we wanted, and we could change our plans without worrying about not being able to use the credits someplace else. This made our trip so much more enjoyable! We were able to "go with the flow" and didn't feel like we had to watch the clock. With our ADR's, it was no pressure either, since they were OOP, we could cancel them if we wanted. We didn't....we made it to them, but there were only three!

The downside of doing it this way is that we had 4 CS credits leftover that we just could not use. I ended up buying dinner for 4 people in Roaring Fork before we got on the ME bus.

Would I do the plan again? I'm not sure. It was a good value, but it was still more food than we normally eat. We don't eat dessert at every meal and sometimes we're just not hungry enough for a full meal. We still like to do a few TS meals and I don't like having wasted CS credits at the end because we couldn't eat that much. The mugs were OK, but we don't use them enough to justify getting them.

I think cost will be a factor next time too. We'll have 4 adults next trip...this past trip, my youngest was still a kid! I don't know if it would be cost effective for us next time.

Hope this helps!

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

Thank you so much for your opinion regarding the QS DDP. I also think that it would be nice to not be tied down to a certain park, at a certain time. Gives everyone a lot more flexibility.

Well, I will try it. And if I don't like it, then we'll just get the regular DDP next time.

 

[patsal]

We tried the QSDDP in July. Although it was still too much food and snacks for us, we really enjoyed it. Freedom form ADR's, no worries about where we went and what we were doing. No sticker shock at $17+ for 4 icees. Overall I was pleased. The only thing was we really didnt' need that much food and I think we could have saved money by just doing OOP for everything we really did want. Normally we would not order desserts for all of us at all CS--just what anyone wanted at that time. We also would not have eaten 2 snacks per person per day--filling a suitcase with treats formt eh candystore is not money saved it is money wasted--I did it so I cna make that call. Since we have a villa each time we vacation, I would not have spent any money OOP for breakfasts so any CS we used at breakfast was a waste as well--the credits kept piling up. If you divert form WDW just one day you will be backed up in credits--we did a day at Seaworld and were chasing the credits for the rest of the trip. We left 5 CS behind. I broke even before that, but I'm still not sure I'd call it breakeven since there was a lot of stuff I wouldn't have bought. The mugs for us were a waste--since we stayed at OKW they were only filled when we picked them up--going allthe way to the HH was a huge waste of time. I know I would not get the regular DDP since the changes as we do not go to buffets, prefer appitizers to dessert and prefer the bigger meal in the afternoon as a break. I find the regular DDP is not the no brainer it used to be. In 2010 when they surcharge it for the busy season it will be even less of a value,imho.

Dining plans are so subjective to your personal tastes and lifestyles, but the QSDDP was fun, and provided lots of flexibility and variety.

 

[corkery719]

I feel that each person has their own way of how they want to do a Disney Vacation. I have gone with both the regular and the quick service. The DDP was done when we were a party of 8. the QS was done on a solo trip. I enjoyed both. I will have to say that on my solo trip, I never once ate a burger. I ate great QS food. My DD15 went this last time. on QS, and she liked it also. Not being tied down to an ADR was extremely helpful for our touring style. There was so much we wanted to do, althought we love to enjoy the food. Sooooo..... figure out what is best for you and GO FOR IT!!! If you decide you don't care for it, hey there is always next time!