Best food/value on QSDP

[gigimom4]

We are 99% sure we are not going to go to the extra expense to upgrade to DDP and I wanted everyone's opinions on the best CS meals for food and value!

TIA!

 

[BurghFan111]

Sunshine Seasons in Epcot gives you a great deal of choice a a good amount of food. Cosmic Rays in Magic Kingdom does the same. Flametree BBQ in Animal Kingdom is a good value. Not sure where I would call the best in Hollywood Studios, not our favorite place to eat but if I had to pick one I might say Starring Rolls Cafe for value. The Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express are great Counter Service Values in DTD. Not that I make the food too much of a focal point or anything....... OK yes I do.

 

[Brook1099]

ditto! Wolfgang Puck Express is one of the absolute best CS on property.
Sunshine great choices, strawberry shortcake Yummy!
Liberty Inn.
Cosmic Rays love the fixin bar and the ribs/chicken combo great meal.
Peco Bills also has a fixin bar.
Animal Kingdom we do Pizzafari for the kids, and we are trying Flametree this year.Yak and Yeti I love the mango pie.
DHS toys story pizza again for kids, I am going to try Starring Rolls, I want a Butterfinger Cupcake in a bad way.

Corondo Springs the Peppermarket good choice there as well
Pop Century has a great CS place.

 

[bcuinohio]

Outside the parks, Wolfgang Pucks Express in DTD. Pepper Market at CSR is a good one too. WPE is my first pick though. They were on the QSDP last year. I don't know about this year.

I agree that in the parks, Sunshine Seasons is a good one. I also like Flame Tree BBQ at AK and the Yorkshire Country Fish shop at Epcot. Nothing really stood out at MK or DHS IMO.

Here is a link to the restaurant menus from allears at WDW:

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

I also found a link with the QSDP brochure. It lists the participating eateries.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...World/en_us/PDF/2010QuickService_updated2.pdf

 

[tortoni]

Ditto Wolfgang Puck Express for breakfast, lunch or dinner on the DDP.
Boardwalk Bakery is also quite good. We got huge sandwiches, a pastry and a special coffee drink for one credit.

 

[jdisnut]

Wolfgang Puck Express is the best counter service restaurant on property for its menu selection and food quality. I prefer it to plenty of table service places.

In the theme parks, I recommend saving a meal for Sunshine Seasons at Epcot. The bakery section with its fabulous desserts makes it particularly valuable for people using a dining plan.

I also like Columbia Harbour House in the Magic Kingdom, usually eating lunch there at least once or twice a trip.

 

[wildcatfan]

Keep the ideas coming! We are doing the QSDP this year for the first time. I am a little nervous about it, so all of these are great suggestions. I am going to keep reminding myself that it is free.

 

[bcuinohio]

Keep the ideas coming! We are doing the QSDP this year for the first time. I am a little nervous about it, so all of these are great suggestions. I am going to keep reminding myself that it is free.

No need to be nerveous. I find the QSDP saves you a lot of time compared the standard DDP. No waiting for ADRs or having to plan your day around your meal. You need to add some of the specialty CS locations so you don't get burned out on the normal fare.

The refillable mug and two snack credits per day are nice. I try to use the snack credits for more expensive snacks. I usually use a snack credit to get a muffin or a pastry in the morning and have one for later for some ice cream or other fun goodie. I hate to waste a snack credit on small bag of snack chips or piece of fruit. I prefer to pay out of pocket for snacks less than $2.

Another trick I like to do is ask for an extra cup and get a large drink. You can easily split it between two people.

 

[gigimom4]

No need to be nerveous. I find the QSDP saves you a lot of time compared the standard DDP. No waiting for ADRs or having to plan your day around your meal. You need to add some of the specialty CS locations so you don't get burned out on the normal fare.

The refillable mug and two snack credits per day are nice. I try to use the snack credits for more expensive snacks. I usually use a snack credit to get a muffin or a pastry in the morning and have one for later for some ice cream or other fun goodie. I hate to waste a snack credit on small bag of snack chips or piece of fruit. I prefer to pay out of pocket for snacks less than $2.

Another trick I like to do is ask for an extra cup and get a large drink. You can easily split it between two people.

I'm glad you made this point! We are doing 2 character breakfasts-just DD and I with another mom and daughter. My older kids and DH opted out. My kids are the kind that even when we just are going to the beach, hate to stop in the middle of the fun just to go eat! We really debated but even figuring the 2 breakfasts, it really wasn't worth it-esp since the QSDP is free with the pin code. If we have to do a sit down place, I have a few $25 gift cards for some chain places (mypoints rewards) as well as the $25 off coupon from HOB that was recently on restaurant.com so I think we will be fine!

 

[2Tiggies]

I have a slightly different way of determining "value" so I'll give you my picks as well.

Agree with previous posters about Sunshine Seasons (great quality and choice)

Tangierine Cafe has some good food - I like that it is something different

Now here's the curve ball: Earl of Sandwich is amongst my top picks. It is actually (as far as I know) the cheapest CS meal you can get so the value is not purely monetary. However I LOVE the huge salads with generous toppings so that is a personal favorite. It makes a full meal for me, as in no room for dessert and I like sitting outside there and people-watching.

 

[gigimom4]

I have a slightly different way of determining "value" so I'll give you my picks as well.

Agree with previous posters about Sunshine Seasons (great quality and choice)

Tangierine Cafe has some good food - I like that it is something different

Now here's the curve ball: Earl of Sandwich is amongst my top picks. It is actually (as far as I know) the cheapest CS meal you can get so the value is not purely monetary. However I LOVE the huge salads with generous toppings so that is a personal favorite. It makes a full meal for me, as in no room for dessert and I like sitting outside there and people-watching.

Because of the rave reviews, I am planning to try it also!

 

[wildcatfan]

Thanks for the confidence. I am planning to try Earl of a Sandwich too. I have heaerd great reviews.

 

[catne]

the resort food courts actually have some good non-burger/non-nuggets/non-pizza meals for counter service credits. Pasta dishes which come with small salad & a bread stick; asian dishes; flat breads, etc. And you usually have several actual bakery dessert choices or ice cream sundaes for your dessert choices (instead of the like many of the park counter service where your dessert choice is two pre-packaged, and not very good, desserts-in-a-cup.)

At Epcot, We do love Sunshine Seasons (asian or grilled pork or grilled salmon...love the bakery dessert choices. DON'T make the mistake of grabbing a pre-packaged yuck dessert here.) Also love the shwarma platter at Tangeriene Cafe (Morocco)

At MK, we love the ribs/chicken combo platter at Cosmic Rays...or the tuna sandwich at Columbia Harbor House.

At Hollywood Studios, we love the gourmet deli sandwhiches at Starring Rolls (and the array of bakery desserts to choose from, including the refrigerated ones like napoleons & tirimisu. Yummo.) But get there early, when the sandwiches are gone, there's no more. And know that there is no special orders here -- the sandwiches are pre-made so it is what it is. Delicious though.

At Animal Kingdom, Flametree BBQ is our choice.

At DTD, Wolfgang Puck (over in Marketplace area) Love the pasta dishes, especially the alfredo. Individually made pizzas are excellent, too. Not impressed with the creme brulee here...but like the frozen yogurt with your choice of topping. It's a counter service - you order at the counter, but then they bring your food & drinks out to you. Nice touch. W Puck is very pricey, you can get your total bill up to over $20 per person...so nice to use a counter service credit on this one!

Earl of Sandwich is also good, but not a particularly good value money-wise...you could easily get the meal & pay cash on this one.

 

[DisGirl23]

Sunshine Seasons in Epcot gives you a great deal of choice a a good amount of food. Cosmic Rays in Magic Kingdom does the same. Flametree BBQ in Animal Kingdom is a good value. Not sure where I would call the best in Hollywood Studios, not our favorite place to eat but if I had to pick one I might say Starring Rolls Cafe for value. The Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express are great Counter Service Values in DTD. Not that I make the food too much of a focal point or anything....... OK yes I do.

These would be my picks as well. The truth is there are plenty of quality QS choices around the World. More than most people realize. We are bouncing back this fall so we have the basic DDP but, I wouldn't hesitate to take the QSDP if that was my option.
Not sure where you are staying but, last fall DBF and I stayed at ASMu and we were pretty impressed with the food court choices. The one night we ate dinner there I had the Chicken Penne Alfredo with a salad. Plus the beverage and a dessert. DBF had a huge taco salad. Plus a beverage and a dessert.
Have a great trip!

 

[2Tiggies]

Because of the rave reviews, I am planning to try it also!

Great!!! I hope you love it as much as I do Many people dismiss it on the DDP because it is relatively cheap. If you have no problem using up your credits or if you just feel it isn't good "value" from a monetary point of view, this is one where you could pay OOP and know that you got great quality and excellent value.

 

[TikiGoddess]

Another vote for Sunshine Seasons...yummy desserts and sandwiches. We also like to use our counter services for the bakery on Main St. and Columbia Harbour House.

 

[2Tiggies]

Another vote for Sunshine Seasons...yummy desserts and sandwiches. We also like to use our counter services for the bakery on Main St. and Columbia Harbour House.

What do you get for a CS at Main St Bakery? Any idea what can be done with a kids CS there?

I do second your recommendation though - those cinnamon rolls MMMMMmmmm!

 

[TikiGoddess]

I believe last time we had some type of pastries and a drink each. I think they called it a CS credit. I don't think it was considered a snack. They were very delicious. They'll tell you in line what you can get as a counter service.

 

[ksantilli]

One of my favorite snacks is the cookie ice cream sandwich at Mainstreet Bakery. They are huge and sooo yummy!:

 

[jcarwash]

Just to add to all the spot-on ideas in this thread already...

1. I am a big fan of Yakitori House in Japan for a really satisfying and fairly authentic meal.

2. Backlot Express in HS has nice grilled sandwiches plus they have open drink refill stations...nice to refill your cup and/or (shhhhh) your refillable mug. Also seem to always end up at Pizza Planet, which has what you'd expect - basic Disney pizzas - but satisfying nonetheless.