Confused on Q&C vouchers....help!

[3boysluvndisney]

Okay, I'm confused on how buying these vouchers saves you money. For example...if my family (2 adults and 3 kids) eat at Cosmic Ray's this would be what we would get (allears menu and prices)....

Adults 2 Chicken Strips with fries $6.49 a piece for 2 $12.98
2 beverages $1.99 a piece for 2 $3.98

Kids 3 Corn dog nuggets with fries and kids drink $3.49 a
piece so for 3 $10.47

Total bill plus tax is around $30.00

Where do buying vouchers do I break even or save money???? I'm so confused. Trying to save money anyway possible so am I looking at these vouchers wrong or are they just not for us? Thanks for helping.

 

[dizcrazy]

I think the trick to the vouchers is that they include desserts and that you can save money if you plan on sharing meals. And some people buy the vouchers so that they know they have meals already paid for, not exactly to save money.

I saw someone post that he didn't think the vouchers were only good deals if you eat want to eat dessert with your meal. He also said vouchers were great for Beaches and Cream.

I checked out the menus on allearsnet.com and had to agree - I would be eating a lot of calories just to save money!!

We belong to hotwire, so I went ahead and ordered a few vouchers just for Beaches and Cream.

Am interested in hearing others' opinions!

 

[buzz2400]

Don't forget the price includes tax. You only save a little, except if you are at beaches and cream and the food court at coronado springs (at least that is what has been posted). I'm trying the vouchers in June.

 

[zippehsmom]

I used vouchers the last time we went to WDW.

We ate at Beaches & Cream 3 times and we really got our money's worth there.

The other places that we used the vouchers I can honestly say that we usually broke even.

At some places we may have come out a buck or two ahead. I made sure that I saved my receipts, so that I could compare when I got home.

We usually got a desert that we could take with us and we ate it later as a snack in the room or later in the park.

It was DH, DS12, DD3 and myself at the time. We never bought a meal for DD she always shared with everyone else.

This time we plan on trying Pepper Market. From looking at the menus it looks like it will be a good deal. We are also staying our first night at Pop Century, and it looks like we may do pretty good in their food court.

It was also a convenience having all of that paid for before the trip.

This trip we plan on doing Q & C vouchers again, we also purchased Breakfast vouchers and VKL's (we will use these at Rainforest Cafe).

I hope this helps a little.

BTW, I did keep my receipts so if you would like more detail let me know.

zippehsmom

 

[BrerMama]

This is why we're not buying them. Although I like the idea of having my meals prepaid, we wouldn't normally order a dessert with our lunch. For a counter service meal in the park, you're lucky to break even with what you would have spent without the voucher. But some people love them and use them all the time. It's just a matter of what appeals to you.

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

We just returned from POFQ where we used our vouchers in the food court several times. Each time my bill was $17 - $18. The dinners were around $9.99 with a side salad for $1.69, a bottled drink $2.99 (we had mugs but one child did not like fountain drinks) and a pie or cake for $3.99. I would definitely buy them again. We only used them once in the parks at Epcot. Our meal at Mexico came to around $14 which we shared.

 

[zippehsmom]

I read that the food court at POFQ had some good values for Q & C's. I may have to look into eating there one day on our trip.

zippehsmom

 

[mad4themouse]

This is why it's important to consider your family's dining habits when you contemplate using vouchers. They really are not a bargain when you use them to purchase kid's meals and are often no better than an even break when purchasing adult's meals.

With 4 adult-size appetites in our family, the vouchers make a little more sense. The kids still love dessert and DH and I almost never eat them (although I will taste them). DD14 is more likely to live on salad and french fries all week while DS12 won't touch a vegetable if he can help it. Between the 4 of us, 2 vouchers and an extra side dish pretty much buys enough food to satisfy everyone. Total cost to feed all 4 with vouchers: about $25.

 

[RonnieM]

The other posters are correct. The vouchers will save a little money in the parks if you split meals, usually order dessert, or are big eaters. Just be careful of the "coupon syndrome" - buying something you won't use or have to work hard to use because you have a coupon therefore it's a great deal... If you wouldn't normally buy dessert, the vouchers aren't a great deal, especially considering you're a little limited on where you can use them.

That said, I have 20 for our 8 day trip in June with DH, DD 6 and DS 3. We are not picky, we are pigs and we like to have our dessert. We'll be staying at the Dolphin with a car. I've not had a lot of luck with the WDW sit down restaurants and we all really like the Pepper Market (it's a cross between a sit down and counter service). We'd go to POR for the beignets anyway so we might as well have dinner/lunch. I'd like to check out POP so lunch/dinner there is a possibility. Of course the Dolphin is convienent to Beaches and Cream and the WS so there are plenty of options. The prepayment for the vouchers is the best part - a little less shock when the CC bill arrives.

The vouchers work pretty well for my family, but may not for others.

Madforthemouse - french fries ARE a vegetable, right? And if you add cheese sauce then you have protein too! If I had a nickel for every time I heard that logic, I'd go to WDW a LOT more often....

 

[jlw29]

This is our first trip, so my logic is based only on what I've read / heard. Take this with a grain of salt therefore!

I got the vouchers for our trip because we are staying at CSR. We plan to go back to the hotel for a rest most days and will probably eat lunch at that time. I looked at the menu for Pepper Market on the AllEars site, and even WITHOUT dessert, we will probably save money using the vouchers since they include tax and the added tip there. Also, DD6 is a very light eater, as am I most of the time (although DD8 makes up for us!), so we can probably get an extra side or 2 and use 2 vouchers for our family of 4. Another reason I like the idea of the vouchers is I will order what I WANT off the menu, instead of my inherent cheapness making me feel guilty if I don't order the cheapest thing.

Like so many other people have said, it makes sense to figure out where you are likely to eat, look at the menus to see what you would order, and see if you would save. At many of the park counter service places, that answer for us is no so we will only use the vouchers when it makes sense like back at CSR.

 

[3boysluvndisney]

Thank you all for posting your experience and your advice. It looks like with all I've read and looking at the menus the vouchers are not a good deal for us. I'm not a big eater and neither are my kids (especially when they are excited). To be honest my dh isn't a big eater either. So therefor I think buying vouchers wouldn't be a good idea in our case. So thanks for clarifying everything. You've really helped out alot.

 

[tarmand]

Originally posted by jlw29
Another reason I like the idea of the vouchers is I will order what I WANT off the menu, instead of my inherent cheapness making me feel guilty if I don't order the cheapest thing.

Are you sure we're not sisters????? OMG, I do the exact same thing. When my husband and I go out to eat, he never looks at prices so I always order something cheap to balance it out.

 

[crisi]

In addition to not ordering dessert, vouchers are not a great deal if you don't order a soda to go with the meal and skip fries (they just sit on my hips anyway). We often have our own bottled water along - or will split a pop between the family - no soda, no dessert, no fries and a voucher turns a $6.00 burger into an $11.50 burger.

(We then go eat sit down dinner with drinks and dessert and eat every single one of those calories we skipped at lunch - and spend a lot more than the $5.50 we saved).