Aack!! I am about to sacrifice the budget for convenience!!

[sandynd]

I think I am going to book the free QS dining package just announced for 2011. I had a plan all worked out to pay room separate, get homeschooling tickets, and pay a la carte for food, which would have saved me about $300 off the new value free dining package. But if I book the package, I get a few freebies and not nearly as much running around. I've asked a TA for a guaranteed price quote on the package. Quick, before I book, give me some new pros and cons to doing this!!

 

[Plumeria9]

Who's your TA? I did a few online requests and the waiting is killing me!
Well if you are saving running around time, I'm all for that. Heck, I want to stay at the CR to be able to stay at a monorail resort. I don't even want to drive from a different Disney resort! So feel better about yourself! You have plenty of time to save $$ between now and your trip. I just decided to plan our trip for Feb. yesterday. Yikes! That is, if I can get a great deal. Good luck!!!

 

[sandynd]

Plumeria, thank you for not yelling at me. My inner financial planner is screaming in despair and she won't shut up!! Of course, she thinks vacations are frivolous anyway

I asked for a package quote from Small World Vacations because I couldn't get onto Dreams Unlimited's site. I actually have the money right now - we've been saving for a while. It's just...I could spend $300 less of it if I was willing to do more legwork (well, that's my estimate, anyway). And take a few less little perks (and they aren't really that worth the money, but I like free stuff too! Although if someone asked me to pay $300 just for those perks, I would laugh them out of the park!!) I would LLLLOOOOOVVVVE to stay at a monorail resort, but that financial planner won't even let me consider a moderate!!

 

[FergieTCat]

I had a room in ASMo booked with a PIN code through WDW, but when I saw the Free Dining deal, I asked the CM to run my trip with the QSDP to see which was a better deal. It seemed to work out slightly better with the free dining, so we switched it.

 

[Shleedogg]

How many mouths do you have to feed? You might find that the room only rate saves you more than the QSDP. Plus with the extra money/possible meal sharing here or there you could possibly fit in a character meal for the kids.

We're DVC owners, but were going to book free dining for the 2nd half of our stay, 4 days. When we did the math though, it worked out better for us to do the room only code.

Just a thought. But I'm totally with you about convenience! Sometimes it's just not worth the hassle. Completely unrelated, but I'm almost there with trying to strip and refinish my kitchen cabinets. I'm ready to throw in the towel and buy new ones. Just not worth the hassle!

 

[3boymthr]

I did the DDP (w/TS) so not entirely the same but can I tell you I loved it.

I really and truly did save more than the % they projected if that helps you feel better about the extra cost of going for the QSDP.

Plus another way to look positively at this from a budget stand point, if the menu prices change between now and then you may find that you really wouldn't have saved that $300 by going a la carte on your meals.

And to look on the bright side, because the food is pre-paid you don't have to tell your kids no when they want dessert or if they want that mickey bar or the slushie cause it doesn't fit in your budget., plus they (or DH) can have the more expensive item on the menu and it won't blow the budget.

 

[eliza61]

Ok, I will pay $49 bucks for a gallon of milk just so I won't have to go into the supermarket LOL!! So I vote for convenience every time.

 

[bumbershoot]

I could spend $300 less of it if I was willing to do more legwork (well, that's my estimate, anyway).

If you haven't even run all the numbers and gotten the exact info for your timeframe, I wouldn't jump to book a more expensive package.

We actually did that with Universal, and around 2 months later I've canceled the package, bought tix from maple leaf, and have a stay/play room rate at the resort. If we'd stuck with the same type of room, it would have been hundreds cheaper than just doing the package (however, we upgraded ourselves to club level for about the same as the HP package was, total). I was VERY happy to do the work myself and potentially save myself some money.

So I would do the work first, THEN make the decision.

 

[sandynd]

I have run the numbers - I'm a bit obsessed with Excel

The "estimate" part of it is about $300 that I figure we MIGHT spend on TS meals outside of the QS dining plan, plus the extra for park tickets if we don't buy the Homeschool Days YES tickets. With the a la carte food, I figured we would probably spend about $500 on food, and $350 for park tickets, and $450 for the room (taking advantage of the 25% discount). So the a la carte price is about $1300. The QS Value package is $1290, with two meals a day. So we MIGHT spend extra on meals if we're hungry that day. Maybe $300 over the course of the week. But the package is done altogether, I don't have to keep an eye out for booking the Homeschool tickets, I don't get them separately from the package and have to worry about losing hard tickets, etc etc. I just dunno. The $300 is calling to me, but my worrywart nature tells me to take the package because there's less to worry about and screw up due to (my) possible human error.

 

[apnep]

It's just...I could spend $300 less of it if I was willing to do more legwork

It's a vacation. Relaaaaax a little. Just do it so you don't have to spend time running around and you can eat where you want. Then enjoy yourself and head on over to the Main Street Bakery and get one of those BIG ice cream cookie sandwiches the size of your head as a snack. You won't regret it then!

 

[sandynd]

It's a vacation. Relaaaaax a little. Just do it so you don't have to spend time running around and you can eat where you want. Then enjoy yourself and head on over to the Main Street Bakery and get one of those BIG ice cream cookie sandwiches the size of your head as a snack. You won't regret it then!

Okay Ang, you are my hero!! Ice cream the size of my head...I love it. I take that as permission to forget all about the niggling little nutritionist in my head too, eh?

 

[Vijoge]

My inner financial planner is screaming in despair and she won't shut up!!

I take that as permission to forget all about the niggling little nutritionist in my head too, eh?

Oh, my. . .it must be getting crowded in there. . .and tense with all that nagging. . .

 

[cmrules]

You've done the homework. Book the package, buy a few less souvies. ENJOY.....

 

[apnep]

Okay Ang, you are my hero!! Ice cream the size of my head...I love it. I take that as permission to forget all about the niggling little nutritionist in my head too, eh?

LOL! Well, um, OK, it's not exactly the size of your head. But it's pretty darn big and was kind of tough to finish alone. We got a few and shared between the five of us.

Oh, my. . .it must be getting crowded in there. . .and tense with all that nagging. . .

Haha!

Sandy, Saaaandy, I sit and wonder whyeee, whyeee, whyeee oh whyeeee, just relaaax oh Saaandy. Dude, if you're gonna be on the QSP you're gonna have to live a little. If you're gonna go to Disney, you're gonna have to live a little. Don't worry, you'll be walking all your calories off. Yea, that's it.

 

[sandynd]

Oh, my. . .it must be getting crowded in there. . .and tense with all that nagging. . .

Snort.... I grew up in a very uptight religious community - you have NO IDEA how many wee and used to argue about every breath I took!! If it's just the financial planner, nutritionist and parenting expert chattering away, it's probably because I've been medicated

Y'all have talked me into it - booking package as soon as the TA gets back to me.

 

[VirataMama4]

You can always upgrade the QSD to the regular DDP, not sure if that would save you any of that $300, but its worth looking into if you want to do TS. Me- I vote for convenience.

 

[sandynd]

Virata, most of what we would want would be CS anyway. The only real "table service" meals I was thinking about would be some sort of character buffet (we had a hoot at 1900 Park Faire last time) and a lunch at Le Cellier (I really want to see what they have done to the poutine - I can't believe they could wreck it!!) But I'm not sure we could only do two meals a day either (we used up all our snack credits for drinks in the parks the last time we were there.) So we could use all our credits for food, and have drinks OOP - which would work for my DD as she is a big water drinker and we could get ice water at the CS places. I would just need to financially support my Diet Coke habit But thanks for the suggestion! If I decide we want more sit-down meals, your plan probably would save me some money!

 

[wdwfan16]

Would you order this at each meal:


Each quick-service meal includes:

For Breakfast

* 1 juice
* 1 entrée
* 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

For Lunch and Dinner

* 1 entrée
* 1 dessert
* 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

Children ages 3-9 must order from the Children's Menu (if one is available).

2 Snacks

Examples of snacks are:

* 1 frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle, fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single-serving box), single-serving bag of snacks, single piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, 22-oz. fountain soft drink, 12-oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea, single-serving prepackaged milk or juice

Children ages 3-9 must order from a Children's Menu where available.






Would you have to buy more food for the meal not covered?

 

[Vijoge]

Would you order this at each meal:
Each quick-service meal includes:

For Breakfast

* 1 juice
* 1 entrée
* 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage

I think I read somewhere that breakfast no longer includes the 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage.

 

[wdwfan16]

I think I read somewhere that breakfast no longer includes the 1 single-serving, non-alcoholic beverage.

This is where I got the post from:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/vacation-packages/2010/quick-serve-dining/