Madonna3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2008
- Messages
- 2,243
I wonder if might have the side benefit of a test market. Might be worth seeing if there is a market for one QS meal per day. Almost everyone does one quick service a day, but dinner is all over the board. Even when you know you are doing Table Service, there is enough variety there that the TS plans aren't worth it.
I know we often prefer the relaxed pace of a table service meal, including an adult beverage....but we'd be perfectly happy with several apps instead of a big entree. Since apps aren't part of the TS program, we either over eat, or leave food on the table, which I hate. It's not like a doggie bag is practical in that situation.
That is the main reason we never do the dining plan and would take a room discout over free dining - we don't eat (at least not all the time) the way the dining plan is set up. We split meals or just do appetizers and desserts. Plus we don't drink soda (which is included) but do drink wine/beer (which is not) - so it just isn't for us
Also, we did do it once years ago and I found myself ordering the most expensive item on the menu just to get the most value whether it was the item that appealed to me the most or not
Some people love it as they like to pre-pay and not have to worry about it and feel like they can order the most expensive item on the menu .... but for us it just doesn't work
This is mostly us too. Also, I have some diet restrictions and I can usually only consume a kids meal, if that. A child portion is more than enough for me and if there's nothing that I want on the kids menu then hubby has to share or I'll just get my own app and then a dessert. He drinks beer and wine and I can't drink anything carbonated so I usually just get water (Pomegranate Light Lemonade tastes like dishwater so icky and I am a southern gal, I hate unsweet tea)
Between our AP and TiW, we come out far better than any dining plan, but that wasn't always true. When the dining plans first came out around 2005 they were AMAZING and now it's too hard to save money on them unless, like you said, you order the most expensive items on the menu every time and the "expense" is subjective. If you had gone to a local restaurant near your home there's no way you'd pay the fees you're paying at Disney.
I feel the dining plans as they are priced and structured now is really more a commitment to overpaying and overeating.