Need some advice on the QS plan

[captaindavidhook]

I just booked my trip yesterday and went with the quick service plan. While chatting with the Disney cast member on the phone, he mentioned to me that it would only cost an extra $168 to do the ts/qs plan together. I had mentioned to him that, I had planned to eat at there four ts restaurants:

Boma (breakfast)
Yachtsman steakhouse
Mama Melrose
Biegarten (Germany-dinner)

I had planned to pay out of my pocket for those meals. He said those meals would roughly cost me about $145 or so. He did a quote for me since he ate there. Does it make sense to change over now. He said I always could still stick with the QS plan and meals and always add another ts service. Just curious what everyone thinks if it is a wise decision to do this.

 

[supersnoop]

I just booked my trip yesterday and went with the quick service plan. While chatting with the Disney cast member on the phone, he mentioned to me that it would only cost an extra $168 to do the ts/qs plan together. I had mentioned to him that, I had planned to eat at there four ts restaurants:

Boma (breakfast)
Yachtsman steakhouse
Mama Melrose
Biegarten (Germany-dinner)

I had planned to pay out of my pocket for those meals. He said those meals would roughly cost me about $145 or so. He did a quote for me since he ate there. Does it make sense to change over now. He said I always could still stick with the QS plan and meals and always add another ts service. Just curious what everyone thinks if it is a wise decision to do this.

It all depends on how many people, their ages, and how many nights you're staying on-site. Since your signature says you're going solo in February, and at an additional cost of $168, I'm going to assume you're going for 9 nights and not during "free" dining.

The difference between the two plans is, essentially, trading one counter-service meal for a table-service meal. Certainly, 9 of those would easily make up the $168 difference. However, I don't think that show how great a value the upgrade is, but rather, how terrible the counter-service is financially. The www.distripplanner.com website is a good place to estimate your dining expenses. If my assumptions are correct, you'd probably be better off without any dining plan at all.

 

[sharonabe]

Just the two buffets you have planned will cost you right at $64. So if you are staying for 9 nights, you can easily "spend" that other $100 on a few more TS meals. Do be aware that Yachtsman Steakhouse will take two of your TS credit allotment.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Just the two buffets you have planned will cost you right at $64. So if you are staying for 9 nights, you can easily "spend" that other $100 on a few more TS meals. Do be aware that Yachtsman Steakhouse will take two of your TS credit allotment.

So you think upgrading to a TS/QS plan would make more sense.

 

[supersnoop]

So you think upgrading to a TS/QS plan would make more sense.

While it would make more sense, going with no prepaid plan at all might make the most sense.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It totally depends on how you end up using it.

The absolute best money saver on the regular (1 TS, 1 QS, 1 snack per night) dining plan is a family with 2 parents and at least 2 kids under 10 who are planning on having at least one table service a day for lunch or dinner (not breakfast), stick to one credit restaurants and put an emphasis on buffets, family style, or fixed price restaurants.

The more you deviate from that model (unless you add more kids under 10) the greater the decline in the strict monetary value of the prepaid plan. Like a la carte restaurants better than buffet or family style? Then you have to figure whether you would each have a dessert and a drink that isn't water with every meal. Like signature restaurants? They cost 2 credits each and you get nothing extra - the same entree, dessert and drink you'd get anywhere else. Do you share meals? have picky kids over age 10 who would rather eat a kids meal? like to order appetizers instead of desserts? Then you need to think about it.

I would never recommend the dining plan to a guest staying 9 nights who plans to eat at 4 sit-down restaurants, one of those a signature. You'd need to add a few more restaurants (and most likely make them fixed price ones).

The only way I'd recommend it under those circumstances is if you really don't care about whether it saves money or not, and the real value in the dining plan for you is the prepayment issue.

 

[sharonabe]

So you think upgrading to a TS/QS plan would make more sense.

If you want a dining plan, then yes, I would upgrade. Do you want desserts with EVERY meal? Do you drink soda/tea/coffee with EVERY meal? Do you like the idea of an almost all inclusive vacation? If that's what you want, then you probably need to upgrade and find a few more TS places.

However, as others have said, just paying OOP might be the cheapest route for you.

Go to allearsnet or look at the dining tab on this site and check out the menus to see what you might order.

 

[ibela]

Here's what I do:
1) Make a list of where I want to eat. Doesn't matter which QS or TS, just a list, assuming I'm paying OOP.
2) Look at online menus to determine how much it would cost. Again, assuming I'm paying OOP. So if I think my family of 4 would order 2 desserts, that's what I count. If I think I would want to order the cheapest entree vs the most expensive or somewhere in the middle, that's what I count.
3) Estimate snacks and/or count refillable mugs.
3) Total up my OOP cost.
4) Compare the DDP cost.

Then make a decision.

I think to look at menus and order assuming you were on the DDP to compare value is wrong. If I'm not going to order a soda and dessert with each meal, it's not really the correct "value" of that meal. That said, we are going with the DDP this trip because we do have 2 kids under 10 and most of our TS meals are fixed price. After my calculation, my DDP cost was $30 more than OOP but for that $30 we get a total of an additional 8 QS meals, 5 snacks, drinks with every meal and QS desserts (which I would skip if OOP but the kids enjoy).

If you don't want to do the calculations, I agree with PP on using distripplaner.com since that will estimate for you.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Thank you for your advice. This has been very helpful.