Is Quick Service Dining Plan worth it?

[patsal]

If purchasing OOP at a quick service restaurant, can you get free water to drink or do they make you purchase bottled water?

Tap water in a cup with ice is free.

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

We used it once (2 adults and 2 children) and this was when you got 2 snacks per day on the plan. I roughly kept track of what our food would have cost compared to what we paid for QSDP and by using the QSDP, we came out a little bit ahead of the cost of food ordered.

The next trip we didn't use the plan but spent less overall on food and wasted less food. When we were on the QSDP, we got dessert with each meal because it was included but rarely ate more than a bite or two. None of us particularly cared for the carrot cake or chocolate cake that comes with so many of the adult meals. If you deduct the cost of uneaten desserts we probably would have been in the hole on QSDP value or very close to breaking even.

There were also several meals off of the DDP where we were less hungry and shared meals in various ways. DD and I sometimes shared an adult meal, DD and DS sometimes shared a meal and occasionally I ordered a kids meal instead of a full adult meal.

Now that DS is a Disney adult we won't do any meal plan unless it's free

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

We did QS dining plan only once and broke even, but since we ordinarily never order desserts, that is deceptive. We had tons of snack credits left over and took stuff home, which we also would not usually do.
Overall, we prefer to pay OOP.

 

[Andrewsminustwo]

We will be going the first week of December and decided against a meal plan this time...we ate way more food than we needed to, half the time wasting the dessert because we were just too full....and we are water drinkers, not big on soda....this time we will be buying disney gift cards throughout the year and using those for meals....by the time we get to disney in 8 months, it will feel like our meals are free because the cards were purchased so long before! Mind Games!!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

We used it once (2 adults and 2 children) and this was when you got 2 snacks per day on the plan. I roughly kept track of what our food would have cost compared to what we paid for QSDP and by using the QSDP, we came out a little bit ahead of the cost of food ordered.

The next trip we didn't use the plan but spent less overall on food and wasted less food. When we were on the QSDP, we got dessert with each meal because it was included but rarely ate more than a bite or two. None of us particularly cared for the carrot cake or chocolate cake that comes with so many of the adult meals. If you deduct the cost of uneaten desserts we probably would have been in the hole on QSDP value or very close to breaking even.

There were also several meals off of the DDP where we were less hungry and shared meals in various ways. DD and I sometimes shared an adult meal, DD and DS sometimes shared a meal and occasionally I ordered a kids meal instead of a full adult meal.

Now that DS is a Disney adult we won't do any meal plan unless it's free [/QUOTE]




I can relate to this. We are staying offsite for our upcoming trip; but when we were considering staying onsite we knew we would not purchase the dining plan and felt that it wouldn't be a good value for us to pay for. During our last trip we had the quick service plan through the free dining promotion and got two meals and two snacks per day. Those snack credits go a long way and there are a lot of foods you can use snack credits for which is great for breakfast. Now that they have eliminated a snack per day, I am not sure if the dining plan is a good value for our dollar anymore; especially since two of our kids are at adult prices. We are planning on using prepaid Disney gift cards in the parks to pay for counterservice lunches and snacks during our upcoming Disney trip.