Can you do an entire vacation on counter service?

[Kite16510]

My son and I are going to Walt Disney World in March. He's a person with autism who is 25 years old. He's highly verbal but a lot of his personality is out of a young child. Especially is eating. What I was wondering is if maybe I should downgrade my Disney dining plan to just counter service. He can sit at a regular table service restaurant and he does enjoy that, but this vacation is costing a lot and what I wondered is if anybody had an experience with just going and only using the Disney dining plan for a counter service rather than buying the upgrade for table service.

We're not really huge into character dining. We thought we would go to be our guest, but probably not since the menu really doesn't appeal to him at all.

 

[HopperFan]

My son and I are going to Walt Disney World in March. He's a person with autism who is 25 years old. He's highly verbal but a lot of his personality is out of a young child. Especially is eating. What I was wondering is if maybe I should downgrade my Disney dining plan to just counter service. He can sit at a regular table service restaurant and he does enjoy that, but this vacation is costing a lot and what I wondered is if anybody had an experience with just going and only using the Disney dining plan for a counter service rather than buying the upgrade for table service.

We're not really huge into character dining. We thought we would go to be our guest, but probably not since the menu really doesn't appeal to him at all.

I travel often with my adult son who has some similar issues. While he will eat anything, he is perfectly happy eating at quick service restaurants. There are plenty that offer some nice items for me. I have found the last few years, with the price of table service, that quick service is the way to go.

Thoughts:
~ We can eat when he needs to eat, we aren't tied in to a table service ADR.
~ If we need a hotel break, we can leave without missing an ADR.
~ Sometimes we grab something at the hotel QS to take to room to decompress.
~ If we are having a moment where table service is a good idea, we easily can find something on the app that will meet our needs.
~ Many of the quick services have good menus with plentiful platters.

Look over some of the menus, I think you'll find some great options. Places like Connections in EPCOT provide a nice QS meal, on real plates with refillable drinks.

 

[Sweettears]

I wouldn’t. Disney dining is half of the experience for me

 

[Anthony1971]

We have done a few with 2 or 3 TS one with 1. We own DVC and got rooms for family who only wanted CS. We had no issues finding good food. So long as you eat at some resorts and DS you can easily find food just as enjoyable as many TS. To us the biggest issue is MK but easy enough to leave and go to a resort. If you are purchasing the DP I would run the numbers as it is difficult unless you drink liquor with every meal. Explore the resorts especially GF, Riv, and SSR can’t speak for Mod and value DS and EPCOT you will find plenty of great CS meals. The resorts above are easy for 2 visits if needed.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Can’t speak about the dining plan but we could do just quick service the whole trip no problem. Actually less stressful since you have no reservation times to keep you dont have to watch the time.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I agree it's more than doable, saves you time and money, and honestly can find some great values like the kids pizza at Connections in Epcot. The custom salad bar at Gasparilla. Etc.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I agree it's more than doable, saves you time and money, and honestly can find some great values like the kids pizza at Connections in Epcot. The custom salad bar at Gasparilla. Etc.

Ohh I have to look up Gasparilla now.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Sassagoula Floatworks and Riverside Mill are the best quick service places should you go through with only quick service DDP. Their dishes are quite flavorful!

 

[Mikey15]

Places like Connections at Epcot or Sa’tuli Canteen at AK have some of my favourite dishes at WDW, no ADR needed. I’d say there’s plenty enough options to plan around a QS dining plan, and then there’s the tangential benefit of the flexibility to not be tied to specific dining times.

I’m an autistic adult myself but I am grateful my childhood restrictive eating habits gave way to an interest in trying out different things.

 

[fla4fun]

I do a lot of solo trips and those are almost always QS only. There is such a wide variety of QS foods these days that I don’t get bored.

I would sit down and look at the menus on the website to see if the dining plan will save you money based on how you eat, unless you are getting the plan more for convenience than saving money. I never spend as much per day as the plan would cost, so for me it’s not a good value.