New Quick/Counter Service Plan Question

[BuzzBiteyear]

Am I somewhat correct in my calculating, that this new quick service plan at $29.99 is more about "convenience" of pre-paying for your meals vs. any tangible savings vs. paying oop?

I'm just looking what might be a normal day for myself:

$3.00? - SNACK - Breakfast item (Pop Century)
$11.57 - QS - Buzz Meal, Cookie, Drink at Pizza Planet (DHS)
$11.77 - QS - Fish & Chips, Shortbread, Drink at Yorkshire (Epcot)
$3.70 - SNACK - Napoleon (France)
$30.04

It just looks like pricing these out, I'm just barely coming up to the $29.99 daily price. Perhaps those prices are outdated, and I need to add tax, but not really seeing much savings to it. Perhaps if you have several kids, you see it making more sense. Or am I just looking at this incorrectly? Any thoughts?

TIA

 

[Faldred]

And you get the resort mug, too.

It's probably a better deal if you have kids (under 10) in the group -- adults are pretty close to break-even, but the little ones come out ahead on QSDP, basically getting the two snacks for free.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

Thank you, didn't realize you get the mug. That means I won't have to pack my mug from 5 years ago in our luggage.



Really though, with only going 3 days, that mug might just put me over on doing this now. I know we'd buy at least 2 of them for our trip, regardless. Plus we do have a 5 y/o, so I can see where it would be a good deal for him. And I'm not a big fan of carrying cash on me anyways.

 

[tndisneyfan]

Well I've read on the Dis that you don't pay taxes on the $29.99 per night that the DDP costs. So if that is true you also save the tax of paying OOP. Not sure if your figures included tax or not.

Can anyone verify for sure, do you or don't you pay tax on the DDP?

 

[thunderbird1]

Well I've read on the Dis that you don't pay taxes on the $29.99 per night that the DDP costs. So if that is true you also save the tax of paying OOP. Not sure if your figures included tax or not.

Can anyone verify for sure, do you or don't you pay tax on the DDP?

You do not pay tax on the $29.99 per day for the ddp. But if you want to compare it to OOP prices, you do have to add the tax to each item you would purchase OOP.

Initially, I didn't think the QSDDP would be worth it, but after looking at the numbers, the only way I can see us not coming out ahead is if we skipped desserts or drinks at all the CS meals or made every meal a turkey leg or Casey's hot dog.

If you really don't want desserts and are happy drinking tap water, or want a few TS meals during your trip, you probably can make out better going OOP.

To me, the biggest advantage of the QSDDP, though, is never having to say no to snack requests. If I had to pay OOP every time one of the kids bought an ice cream that melted before it was half eaten, it would not make for a very fun vacation, lol.

 

[expatcat]

I agree with thunderbird - the advantage lies in being able to say yes to kids with the snacks!

 

[mark_o_2005]

I agree with thunderbird - the advantage lies in being able to say yes to kids with the snacks!

Please, the advantage lies in being able to say yes to myself with the snacks

But in all honestly, I love the idea of knowing in advance exactly how much will be spent on the entire vacation, rather than coming home, adding up the receipts and being shocked at the inane amount I spent on food for one week.

 

[Twinkly-Tink]

Please, the advantage lies in being able to say yes to myself with the snacks

But in all honestly, I love the idea of knowing in advance exactly how much will be spent on the entire vacation, rather than coming home, adding up the receipts and being shocked at the inane amount I spent on food for one week.

I agree - and for us Brits it's even worse with the exchange rate being as low as it is!!

QSDP all the way for us!

 

[accountingbabe08]

I've read on some other posts that food prices have gone up in WDW. We are thinking about the qsdp next trip, and I figure it will save some money.

Good Luck

 

[patsal]

Am I somewhat correct in my calculating, that this new quick service plan at $29.99 is more about "convenience" of pre-paying for your meals vs. any tangible savings vs. paying oop?

I'm just looking what might be a normal day for myself:

$3.00? - SNACK - Breakfast item (Pop Century)
$11.57 - QS - Buzz Meal, Cookie, Drink at Pizza Planet (DHS)
$11.77 - QS - Fish & Chips, Shortbread, Drink at Yorkshire (Epcot)
$3.70 - SNACK - Napoleon (France)
$30.04

It just looks like pricing these out, I'm just barely coming up to the $29.99 daily price. Perhaps those prices are outdated, and I need to add tax, but not really seeing much savings to it. Perhaps if you have several kids, you see it making more sense. Or am I just looking at this incorrectly? Any thoughts?

TIA

You are using two of the lowest price CS's here as well. Use QS at Sunshine Seasons, Flame Tree BBQ, etc. and your much closer to $15 OOP plus tax for a CS. Most CS in the "countries" in EPCOT are low QS value (not Tangierine Cafe). Pizza, drink and dessert at Pinocchios is $13.88 before tax. The key is a few $ savings per person but when you multiply it by 4 people over a 10 day period of time the value becomes greater. So that $13.88 plus tax becomes $55.52 plus tax, $60 plus tax at Sunshine seasons, add in snacks and it saves about $27 per day on the family of 4, now go for 8 days (7 nights) and you've saved $189. It really is a numbers game the more children you have the better the deal, the more nights you stay the more the savings add up. If I were going alone I'd most likely skip it, but bring the family and I see some savings.

 

[johde]

I'm also trying to decide if I want to do the QSDP. For me, I think the deciding factor is the ability to not eat the things I normally eat. I normally to 2 counter service meals a day but don't get the drink or desert. Then, I get 1 snack a day. I buy pop, breakfast foods, and snacks for the room on the way.

 

[Jennyvelaz]

I'm having trouble trying to eat at a TS for 7 nights. The QSDP spoke to me because of the snack accumulations. TS, if not at a buffet, is it worth the interuption in the day? What do ya do with left over TS if you miss an ADR?

 

[TravelinMommy]

It was a good deal for us...since we used the most expensive items for snacks and for the meals...so it actually saved us money.



So instead of buying a 99 cent snack on the plan...we got the 3-4 dollar snacks . Same for the meals.


I would do it again in a heartbeat...makes everything much easier.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

I realize I'm not using the most expensive CS places, but those are the places that we would likely be going to. I know what would happen if I had us go to a place like Sunshine, Morocco, or Flame Tree, at Sunshine, it would be the cheapest items, if anything, and I'd probably be the only one who might eat at Flame Tree, and it would be a cheap item, and I definitely would be the only one likely willing to try Morocco. If I'm paying for it, I figure I need to look at pricing the plan vs. where we'd pay out-of-pocket to eat. Now, when we went on Free Dining last September, we did go to some of the more expensive places, as we were just paying tips. We're going for 4 days/3 nights, and this is where I'd expect us to eat:

Wed Night:
Me - Germany
DS(5)/DW - Electric Umbrella
Snack - France

Thurs Lunch:
All - Casey's
Snack - breakfast items

Thurs Night:
All - Cosmic Rays
Snack - ice cream

Fri Lunch:
All - Pizza Planet
Snack - breakfast items

Fri Night:
Me - Yorkshire Co.
DS(5)/DW - U.S.
Snack - Norway/France

Sat Lunch:
All - Pecos Bills
Snack - items for plane or breakfast


I think for us, with such a short trip it will make sense, because of the mugs, and having 1 child. I think DW and I, will be pretty much a wash plan vs. oop, and it will a decent deal for DS(5). With only 3 days on it, we only have to spread that mug (which we would buy anyway) over that short period, for figuring the "savings" per day. Also, perhaps not great time management of money, but I like the thought of having most everything paid for before we go, and not having to carry much cash on me.

Just wish we had the time this coming trip to go to DTD. Wolfgang's CS was DW's and my favorite CS, and maybe even meal, including TS during our September trip last year.

 

[patsal]

It really is so subjective to what you like to eat and where you like to eat it. The one nice thing about it being breakeven is that you don't have to worry about the per item cost of things and you don't hav eto worry about the almost $4.00 for a slushie when your brain does the quick math on that! Even if it is a breakeven, which it should be even with a worse case scenario, you have not lost money doing it.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

It really is so subjective to what you like to eat and where you like to eat it. The one nice thing about it being breakeven is that you don't have to worry about the per item cost of things and you don't hav eto worry about the almost $4.00 for a slushie when your brain does the quick math on that! Even if it is a breakeven, which it should be even with a worse case scenario, you have not lost money doing it.

I hear you on that. Last year, DS wanted a snack at one of the ice cream carts, and saw the picture of the itzakadoozie. We used a snack credit, but I was looking at prices, to kind of see what we would have been spending. I just remember thinking, that? for a popsicle? DS had never had one before, and just thought it was the greatest thing ever.