Free dining....without upgrading????

[aebeauregard]

We just got back a couple weeks ago and was able to get a bounce back free dining deal. We aren't going until Dec 2018 and staying at POP.

The last 4 times we have gone during free dining and either stayed moderate when they still gave out the full dining plan for free or upgraded to the full dining plan. (Not deluxe)

Husband and I are considering not upgrading this time. We enjoy sit down meals but also feel like they can get in the way. Everyday there is somewhere we have to be and work FPs around. We will have two younger kids (4 and 1.5) with us.

What have others thought who have done this. Did you regret not having a sit down meal each day or did you love the flexibility? Did you hate waiting in line and eating off a cafeteria tray every day? Just looking for some opinions.

We figure not upgrading would save us about $250 plus likely another $100-$150 in tips.

 

[Disneylover99]

We go for two weeks with quick service. We love the flexibility! Rarely do we wait in line. The key is to eat at off hours - Early or late lunch and dinner. It's really stress free and there are plenty of excellent counter service places that don't feel cafeteria like.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

We just did the FD with qs plan for the first time (next time we are upgrading at PORS to regular DDP). We've done many years of FD with regular DDP and decided to try the qs this year. Overall, we really enjoyed the qs meal plan. It was a shorter trip than usual (8 days) and we made sure to eat at places like Wolfgang Puck Express, UK Fish and Chips, ABC for chicken and ribs, and BOG (breakfast and lunch) to make sure we got a lot of choices. I think that if you look at the menu lists before you go you will find that there is a lot of variety. We did get 2 meals OOP (Trails End- DD's favourite and ESPN- DH's must do).
ETA- agree with Disneylover99 that a key to avoid big lines is eating at off times. Often we had light breakfast/skipped breakfast and ate lunch at 11am and supper at 4:30pm. These times work great for us and made for low crowds at meals.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

My girl friend and I have the quick service plan for our trip in September. We have scheduled one sit down.

My husband and I have done it before. It really frees up time. And makes it so you aren't tied down to a certain park at a certain time.

I've planned our counter service much like I would plan table service. Basically, I have an idea of where I would want to eat and what I would order there. But that has more to do with my celiac disease than anything else.

 

[X and G's mom]

My family loves the QSDP. We like going when it's free (I would never pay for the QSDP ). It frees up time and if your plans change you don't have to worry about being at an ADR.
Disney has so many options and I don't feel that lines are that bad, especially if you eat in off times.

 

[scard192]

we had the QSDP last November and really enjoyed the freedom of eating where and when we wanted to, not what I chose 6 months in advance. Plus the kids are older now and were very vocal that they did not want to"waste time" at a TS meal, they wanted to be riding the attractions. In MDE I had marked restaurants the everyone in our group would like for easy reference. Don't think we will ever go back to the DDP.

Plus with FP+ requiring you to ride at a certain time, ADRs just complicates things IMO


we did 2 TS meals that were paid for by Disney Visa rewards.

 

[persimmondeb]

We like TS, but for various reasons we've done QSDP in the past. It works pretty well, although we try to avoid the large food courts, especially at busy times. WPE particularly, is a lovely relaxed meal on real plates, and feels like a TS. We like Cooke's of Dublin a lot too, and you can take it into the pub garden to eat.

 

[Realfoodfans]

We like TS, but for various reasons we've done QSDP in the past. It works pretty well, although we try to avoid the large food courts, especially at busy times. WPE particularly, is a lovely relaxed meal on real plates, and feels like a TS. We like Cooke's of Dublin a lot too, and you can take it into the pub garden to eat.

Think WPE closed today.

 

[Disneylover99]

Think WPE closed today.

Wolfgang Puck table service restaurant closed this month, but not WPE the counter service restaurant.

 

[mamamelody2]

DH and I are going this November and have free QSDP. I am so looking forward to being able to eat when we want to instead of when we were able to get an ADR. Also, it really frees up our schedule for hopping whenever we feel like it. Disney has lots of very good counter service options. I can't wait!

 

[aebeauregard]

Glad to hear mostly positive remarks. I think we will try QSDP this time. It will be weird not having to pick what parks to go to 6 months early. Haha. Maybe like others we will do 1 or 2 TS meals out of pocket on none theme park days.

It would be great if the mobile ordering on the app can be used with the dining plan by the time our trip comes along.

Any suggestions on great quick service choices? I'll put WPE and BOG on our list for sure.

 

[Disneylover99]

Glad to hear mostly positive remarks. I think we will try QSDP this time. It will be weird not having to pick what parks to go to 6 months early. Haha. Maybe like others we will do 1 or 2 TS meals out of pocket on none theme park days.

It would be great if the mobile ordering on the app can be used with the dining plan by the time our trip comes along.

Any suggestions on great quick service choices? I'll put WPE and BOG on our list for sure.

The Polite Pig and Blaze Pizza are our favourites in DS.
Tangerine Cafe in Epcot is great - so many great choices in Epcot though, it's hard to choose.

 

[DJFan88]

I second the Tangiere in Epcot, it gives you a Chinese plate that's good (in China).
I'll also second the Dublins fish choice.
Of course the main place in France is good too, Boulangie? Plus great desserts there.
Yak and Yeti take out at AK
Or Flame tree at AK
Even good old fashioned resort food courts have multiple tasty options, many opting with Make your Own selections like Pasta, and they throw in
a meat, you pick the sauce, etc., Or make your own Salads (POR is one that has this, but others do too, maybe POP?)
People like Sunshine Seasons at Epcot, for good chicken dinners and other great entrees.

Just make sure if you do BOG, you still need to get an ADR

 

[peg2001]

I second the Tangiere in Epcot, it gives you a Chinese plate that's good (in China).

Just a small point of clarification:

Tangierine Cafe serves Mediterranean food (chicken or lamb shawarma platters, couscous, lentils)and is located in Epcot's Morocco. This QS gets good reviews generally.

Lotus Blossom Cafe serves Chinese food (fried rice, pot stickers, orange chicken, etc.) and is located in Epcot's China. This QS gets mixed reviews although my oldest DD likes it and insists on eating here every trip. About the quality you'd expect from a mall food court Chinese place.

 

[DJFan88]

Just a small point of clarification:

Tangierine Cafe serves Mediterranean food (chicken or lamb shawarma platters, couscous, lentils)and is located in Epcot's Morocco. This QS gets good reviews generally.

Lotus Blossom Cafe serves Chinese food (fried rice, pot stickers, orange chicken, etc.) and is located in Epcot's China. This QS gets mixed reviews although my oldest DD likes it and insists on eating here every trip. About the quality you'd expect from a mall food court Chinese place.

Yes, thank you, that is the one I was looking for! Don't know about the Mediterranean, it doesn't appeal to me.

 

[DisneyDeb83]

DH and I have free QSDP at POP next week. Initially I upgraded to the DDP for our 4 night stay at around $160. Then, when looking over our reservations I realized there weren't any that I was really looking forward to eating at. The few places we might have liked were now signature and two credits for a meal just seems wasteful to me. So I went back to quick service.

I agree with everyone here who says that there are so many good QS choices, not like years ago when you were limited to burgers and chicken nuggets at so many restaurants. We especially love Sunshine Seasons, and are looking forward to checking out some of the newer places at the Springs.

We also like saving time not doing table service every day. Though we may do a couple on the second half of the trip OOP once we move to Saratoga.

 

[newestkg06]

We did free QSDP in 2015 and did one ADR at Crystal Palace PPO breakfast. It was really great to have that freedom to eat when we wanted and not worry about running to a dining reservation, even if we weren't hungry. We stayed at AoA and the food court there was very good, but also busy.
We loved BOG for lunch (it's a QS credit). The QS in Poly (Captain Cook's) and Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary are also very good! There are a ton of great places at Disney Springs. I've heard good things about the new menu at Pecos Bill's. Also, Epcot has so many great choices! They only place that is tough is DHS, but I'm excited for the chicken and waffles!

 

[Pumbaa_]

Take that saved money and plan one one or two ts meals out of pocket if there are any character meals you might want to do w the kids

 

[DJFan88]

The QS in Poly (Captain Cook's) and Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary are also very good!

And YUM on the Contempo's Cupcakes!

 

[Espers]

One thing people never mention is that when you upgrade, you are getting the TS meal INSTEAD of a QS meal, not IN ADDITION TO.

While I agree with all of the posts saying that there are great QS locations, my wife and I usually go alone and we enjoy the sit-down meals. We've found that for us, not upgrading is the way to go. For example, on a 7-night stay, we can usually eat 3-4 TS meals for about the same price that it would cost to upgrade. Then, we still have the extra QS meals to use on breakfast or whatever. And it should be noted, we usually only use a dining plan when free dining is offered.

And, we try to eat California Grill brunch every trip, and pay for it out of pocket anyway. It's our favorite Disney meal