Favorite quick service locations??

[Mom&RN]

My son and I are going for a quick trip to WDW at the end of May and I'm trying to keep costs down. Thinking of either doing QS meal plan or no meal plan. What are some of your favorite quick service locations? Any cost saving eating tips for Disney? We're flying Southwest so I was planning on bringing simple breakfast stuff with us like granola bars, etc. so I'm mostly worried about lunch and dinner. Is the QS meal plan worth it? Sorry this was so wordy and THANKS!!

So excited to be going to Disney, didn't think we'd be able to afford it this year!!!

 

[Flipper]

Definitely bring some breakfast items for your room, that will save some $ (small boxes of cereal and buy milk at the resort, breakfast bars, etc).
Here are some of our favorite CS
Epcot:
Sunshine Seasons
MK:
Columbia Harbor House
Cosmic Rays
AK:
Yak and Yeti
Pizzafari
DHS...can't say that we have one here.

Another cost saver is to bring some of those flavored water packets (Gatorade/Crystal Light) and ask for a cup of ice water which is free at CS locations.

We have only done the traditional dining plan, not the QS, so I cannot give any advice on that. Have a great trip!

 

[minniebride]

Tangierine Cafe (Epcot) & Captain Cook's (Poly) are my absolute favorite!

 

[cancersucks]

We won't go back without the qs plan. We have priced it out, and while we may not order all the food that comes with the plan if we payed OOP, being on a budget we would probley go for what was "cheapest" and not what we actualy wanted...which would be burgers ect. BORING!! so it usually payes for itself, and then some. Plus not having to worry about shelling out the $$ is great.

We were still able to enjoy a dole whip with the snack credits, (there is soooo much to choose from, and if it's not labled as a snack, just ask. Lots of time it still counts) and we had 9 snacks left at the end of our trip, so we stocked up on goodies in the hotel gift shop. We could have used these for rolls in the bakery on main st. for breakfast...but we didn't think of that till after the fact. We did use our leftover desserts for breakfasts, or used snack credits for donughts or yogurt ect.

As far as meals, some places are better than others, but either way, you will be paying for food, so you might as well get what you want right? We REALLY enjoy the QS in Morocco at Tangerine Cafe (even my picky boys-DH included

Sunshine seasons has a large selection of different things
Turkey legs from the carts
Sushi in Japan
The QS at Yak and Yeti (forget the name)

Lots of chioces. All ears net has current QS locations and menus with prices so you can price it out for yourself and see if it cost effective for your trip.

Also, we have used gardengrocier.com to order bread, pb&j, granola bars, beer, ect. They are reasonably priced, and charge a flat rate of $12 to deliver right to the hotel. (That was the price when we used it.) they were great, and everything was waiting at bell services when we checked in.
Have fun!!

 

[Mom&RN]

To all you wonderful posters thanks for all the great input so far. Cancersucks, I really appreciate your input about the qs dining plan. I also like things "all taken care of" prior to getting there. We ate at Marrakesh last year and my usually picky eater loved it so will definately try the qs location there. I was feeling bummed about not being able to afford the "regular" dining plan this year but now I'm starting to get excited about trying things differently. Our trip is so fast this year that I don't think I'd want to spend that time for sit down meals anyway... Thanks again everyone! I'm starting my "TRY THIS" list for qs locations.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

We won't go back without the qs plan. We have priced it out, and while we may not order all the food that comes with the plan if we payed OOP, being on a budget we would probley go for what was "cheapest" and not what we actualy wanted...which would be burgers ect. BORING!! so it usually payes for itself, and then some. Plus not having to worry about shelling out the $$ is great.

Interestingly, I have the opposite problem as you. We did the DxDP once, and I found that when I'm on a dining plan, I feel like I have to order the most expensive items on the menu just to get my money's worth. So I might feel like seafood or chicken, but I'll get steak instead. I feel like I have more flexibility if I don't prepay. Whatever works!

I would definitely say Gasparilla Grill and Games at GF. It has some relatively upscale options, such as lobster mac n' cheese, shrimp stir fry, and a lobster cobb salad. There are also more standard options, like lasagna, burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, club sandwiches, and other salads.

I also like Contempo Cafe at CR. It has some nice flatbreads (I love the beef flatbread with goat cheese, arugula, tomato, and caramelized onion), burgers, sandwiches, fresh-tossed salads, pasta dishes, etc.

 

[stamot]

I can tell you we always do the QS. Last trip I made the math and it save us so much money. We use the snacks for great breakfast and it work. We never were hungry.
Our favorites:
AK- Flame Tree BBQ and the Yak and Yeti QS
MK- Columbia Harbor (is the best), Pecos Bill, Main St Bakery and Aloha Isle (for great snacks)
HS- we really dont have a favorite. we usually eat at the Backlot Express
Epcot- Sunshine Seasons (1st choice) Tangerine Cafe. and for a great snack: Boulangerie Patisserie

I hope this helps

 

[canopynut66]

My son and I are going for a quick trip to WDW at the end of May and I'm trying to keep costs down. Thinking of either doing QS meal plan or no meal plan. What are some of your favorite quick service locations? Any cost saving eating tips for Disney? We're flying Southwest so I was planning on bringing simple breakfast stuff with us like granola bars, etc. so I'm mostly worried about lunch and dinner. Is the QS meal plan worth it? Sorry this was so wordy and THANKS!!

So excited to be going to Disney, didn't think we'd be able to afford it this year!!!

for a great QS meal try Wolf Gang express in DTD was very good when we there last November. also Earl of Sandwich is there. are a lot of places to get things other than hot dogs and hamburgers on QS but we still upgrade as were on vacation and like the steaks and salmon and etc that would get when home as saving $$ for the next WDW trip Yak and Yeti have to pass as they use MSG in foods and can't have.
Flame tree BBQ good at AK however. Green grocer is good use them for water each trip.but no cooking or eating in our room for us. were all on vacation

 

[mykidsand_i]

For Epcot: Sunshine seasons and the french bakery!!! OH MY both are sooooo good! I was a bit sad, because us being on the dinning plan, we only got to eat at 1 of them this last trip of ours. We had a great meal at Sunshine Seasons. Everything was fresh tasting, the meals and Desserts were wonderful!
Magic Kingdom: Pecos Bills- we like to build a great burger- with ALL THE toppings anyone would want.
Animal Kingdom: Flametree BBQ...I wouldn't pay OOP for the ribs (we only got one order, my DH wanted to try them since we were on the dinning plan...we both LOVED the chicken there)
If you are hungry for a nice sized snack that is reasonably priced- hit up the Writers stop in Hollywood Studios...they have HUGE muffins there that are REALLY good.

 

[podsnel]

This is so funny, Mom&RN- I could have written the exact same question- as a matter of fact I came over here to research QS for the exact same reasons- just that I am going 2 weeks from today. But since it is just DS11 & myself, I really want to keep costs down by doing a lot of CS. I usually am more of a TS traveler. We are staying at SSR- I plan to hit EOS the first day and the last day (before we leave) as I LOVE it there and it is SO REASONABLE! Also WPE, and I also have read many good things about Captain Cook's at the Poly and of course Columbia Harbor House. Boulangerie has some great & inexpensive sandwiches & yummy pastries, too. Really looking forward to this unexpected trip of ours- hope you have fun on yours!!

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

I think OOP would be cheaper is you like to share meals or if your big breakfast eaters. But if your DS is anything like mine was at 15, there is never enough food to share, I think perhaps QSDP could be a great option. My favorites have already been mentioned. The reason we like them, is because they offer above and beyond the standard hamburgers and hot dogs.

MK
Cosmic Rays
Pecos Bills

Epcot
Sunshine Seasons
Boulangerie Patisserie - great use of snack credits. I usually plan on ending a day in that area, so that we can get a few pastries to take back to the room for breakfast.

AK
Flame Tree BBQ

Poly
Capt Cooks - We will be making a visit this year for breakfast to get tonga toast.

Have fun!

 

[anjalee6]

We love Captain Cook's at the Poly. We also really like Columbia Harbour House in MK and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot (The Land Pavillion). They are our absolute favorites. If we are looking for snacks we go to Aloha Isle in Adventure land in MK.

 

[podsnel]

I wanted to mention Starring Rolls at DHS- don't they have a yummy ham sandwich?

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Columbia Harbor House

 

[doclegler]

We really enjoy:
EP - Sunshine Seasons, works for all 5 of us
AK - Flame Tree BBQ, lots of choices and big portions to split
MK - Cosmic Rays for me, lots of choices again
HS - don't really like most options here, but Starring Rolls for the cupcakes of course!!

 

[Luv4Disney]

MK: Columbia Harbour House, Pecos Bill's
Epcot: Sunshine Seasons, Yakitori House
AK: Flame Tree BBQ
DHS: Studio Catering or Backlot Express

 

[tink0283]

we really enjoyed our CS meals on our last trip. these are some of our favs...

MK= Columbia Harbour House & Cosmic Rays

DHS= Starring Rolls (great sandwiches and awesome cupcakes!)

Epcot= Sunshine Seasons always has a great selection, but personally i enjoy sampling snacks around the World Showcase instead (maybe a sandwich in norway or ham & cheese croissant from france and then sample some sweet treats from france or the caramel shop in germany just an idea)

AK= Flame Tree or Yak & Yeti

another favorite for breakfast lunch or dinner for us is Captain Cook's at the Poly! tonga toast in the morning and an aloha pork sandwich for lunch...yum!

DTD= Wolfgang Puck Express & Earl of Sandwich are both awesome!

 

[Bimmy56]

Interesting - hardly anyone has a favorite at DHS. We usually eat on Sunset Blvd because at least there are several stands to chose from.

My favorite MK lunch is Tortuga Tavern (Pirate and the Parrot) It is also one of the healthiest and least expensive

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I do Back Lot Express

 

[DVCconvert]

In Epcot; Tangierine Cafe and Yakitori House
In MK: Pecos Bills & Caseys
In AK: Yak & Yeti & Pizzafari