Can Someone Help Me Figure This Out?

[GOOFY4DONALD]

We are headed to WDW for the 4th time in Dec. We have always had the reg dining plan. The last 2x's it was "FD". This year when the 30% off code came out our standard room wasn't available but we did snag a club level (the 1st time for CL) we figured that we could pay OOP for all our meals (including the only 2 TS I had my heart set on). Now I'm starting to wonder if I should add the QS dining plan. I don't know the cost. I was planning on around 1,000 for food. But then I was thinking about food sharing and cost saving. I'm all for scrimping and saving at home but for 9 days every 2.5 years I would like to not have to worry about that. I'm looking for opinions and anything that would help me decide. We are already planning on 2 TS meals OOP and do not wish to add the reg dining plan (we were way too full last time and every time we feel like we are rushing from 1 TS to the next). We will be traveling with 4 Disney adults. We are staying 8 nights at the Beach Club and will have access to the CL lounge. We do like to try many different foods (actually excited to try many QS foods that we were too full to try last time.)
Thank you

 

[dtr_angel]

We are headed to WDW for the 4th time in Dec. We have always had the reg dining plan. The last 2x's it was "FD". This year when the 30% off code came out our standard room wasn't available but we did snag a club level (the 1st time for CL) we figured that we could pay OOP for all our meals (including the only 2 TS I had my heart set on). Now I'm starting to wonder if I should add the QS dining plan. I don't know the cost. I was planning on around 1,000 for food. But then I was thinking about food sharing and cost saving. I'm all for scrimping and saving at home but for 9 days every 2.5 years I would like to not have to worry about that. I'm looking for opinions and anything that would help me decide. We are already planning on 2 TS meals OOP and do not wish to add the reg dining plan (we were way too full last time and every time we feel like we are rushing from 1 TS to the next). We will be traveling with 4 Disney adults. We are staying 8 nights at the Beach Club and will have access to the CL lounge. We do like to try many different foods (actually excited to try many QS foods that we were too full to try last time.)
Thank you

We did the regular dining plan our first few trips to Disney and loved it, but every year the price goes up and I don't think it's a value anymore. When we did it last year, we probably barely broke even. On our our most recent trip we did OOP (although we bought APs and had a TIW card) and I will never do the dining plan again. You can order whatever you want, don't have to eat dessert at every meal. We LOVED the freedom. I tracked every penny spent and we spent well under $600 for 2 adults and a child (a toddler that we got his own meal everywhere we went because he eats a lot) for 8 days, and we had several TS meals. If we got the dining plan, it would have cost us ~$120/day for DH and I, and we would've still had to pay for DS to eat, or on QS it would've been ~$82/day for DH and I plus OOP for DS to eat. We spent much less than that and got exactly what we wanted.

I think you can do much better OOP... for 4 adults and 8 nights, even QS will cost you $168/day. With access to CL I think you will be better off without any dining plan but you know your family best.

 

[ellochka]

If you have CL, it will get you a breakfast, half-lunch and some deserts and drinks for the evening. Add one TS or QS meal per day, and you should be set. QS dining plan is an overkill, in my opinion.

 

[Baptist]

I completely agree with the PP. The concierge level is really nice. Light breakfast, mid-day treat, and evening desserts are a nice plus. I was surprised at the offering.

Getting any dining plan would be an overkill.

 

[Shmily1]

For CL, it's not meant to be meals for lunch and dinner and wouldn't really be something you could eat as a meal, but would be good for snacks. If it is possible for you to do some of that (if you'd even want to go back and to for food at the resort all during the day), then you wouldn't necessarily need a dining plan.

 

[usd2bmd]

Well, the QS dining plan is $41.99/person per night, and honestly I think you can do better paying out of pocket. If you think that you can eat for $1000 then you are definitely better off paying OOP. The QS dining plan would run you about $1350 for your trip. But it depends on how much you liek to eat. if you will be eating three meals/day then maybe the dining plan isn't a bad idea. if you will eat one or two and maybe a snack, then save your money and pay out of pocket.

We used to swear by the dining plan. Now unless we are going during free dining it no longer works for us.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Based on the PP price of $1350 to add the QSDP for 4 people for 8 nights, I definitely think you can go OOP for less, especially with access to the CL lounge.

My family of 4 includes still includes one child eating off the kids' menu, but QS meals cost us about $50 each -- that's no meal or drink sharing, with a Coke for everyone, but no desserts. If you have 4 Disney adults, I'd probably round that up to $60 total. To get 2 QS meals per day, that's $120, plus one snack each ($5 x 4 = $20), about $140. The QS plan would be $168/day. And you might not want to eat that much, especially on days when you're planning a TS meal and might eat a lighter lunch so that you have more room for dinner, or you might have the big TS character breakfast and then only want a small snack in the afternoon before a QS dinner in the evening.

I'd definitely go OOP!

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Thanks for everyone that replied. You all made my decision much easier. I don't think we could eat 2 full meals plus desserts every day. Besides I do t really care for most if the prepackaged desserts. And sometimes I may just want a mickey bar for dinner

 

[sydneysmom]

I don't know if this might help too, but this was our experience... we always did the deluxe dining, because we like the sit down meals / character meals. We chose this for our last trip along w/ a standard room. We were upgraded to club level. Now, while that was awesome, we kept saying, "no, we can't eat anything because we already paid for the deluxe plan!". Otherwise, we wouldn't have done a dining plan. But I am glad that we didn't pay for club level, at that time, because it truly would have been wasted on us. While they don't give you 'meal sized food', what they do have does fill you up. It's like going to a tapas party or cocktail, sort of....only not dressy

We are going to Universal for our next trip and my DH asked if we could do club level because we did both like it. Plus, we figure we'll have our breakfast there and a snack during the day. So really, we'll pay OOP for dinner and for lunch, it's what we feel like. I don't want to go in "locked in" to any plan if there is club level as the main option. I hope that makes sense. Believe me, it was OVERKILL of food having the dining plan (and deluxe!) plus club. I think you're making the right decision!