QS plan = horrible

[DJFan88]

Sorry OP, just one more thing, had to add it in. When I went back to the message board topics, there is one thing that keeps coming up. It starts like this: "Can I get (whatever they want) on the dining plan "? Guess what, we're getting it if we want it! (Of course, I'm sure many of these people are lucky enough to get the free dining, which I would love too, but this post is about reasoning whether to buy a plan or not)

 

[Albytaps]

I think I view convenience a little different than some. We've done it both ways, and honestly, with the regular DP you still pay a good 15-20 dollars per meal in tips, and with QS your options are a bit more limited. Having to fit into a mold of what we eat is not convenient to me. I can assure you price wise, you do just fine to pay out of pocket and eat WHAT YOU WANT. We still make some table restaurant choices since we like to sit down and have our fav's. But, as other's pointed out, I may want an appetizer then, or may not want dessert, but as I'm strolling around Epcot, may want my dessert, which by the way, may cost a dollar more than a snack credit, so I'll get that item. But, if I was on the DP, I may say, Oh, that's not a snack credit, can't get it! To me, being under my own control is more convenient.
Would I accept free dining, absolutely! But we don't have that option this trip and will be paying out of pocket. Oh, and some days we just snack around grabbing whatever we want to try wherever. This food may not fit into a mold of accepted purchases. I do have 4 ADR's booked during this time of places we love, and plan on stopping by 2 that do not accept ADR's. I've done the math on everything like you did OP and I also will not be thinking with how to maximize my credits or not eat breakfast with this or that because of the credits, etc., no, our freedom = convenience to me.

Exactly. Convenience to me is paying for what I want and not have to worry about boundaries and limitations. You might buy less food than what you get on the dining plan, but it's what you want and not forced to get something. There is more peace of mind for me that way. However, as said in other posts... it still makes sense for my family to get the dining plan with the amount of kids we have.

 

[DJFan88]

... with the amount of kids we have.

Wow, just noticed in your sig you have 4 -- that's a whole lot of different math than I have to do!
Also, I can see where you do need to convenience things a bit more than I do with 2 kids.
Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a great trip once you've made your decision and go with it!

 

[Suellen]

Personally I think you can save WAY more than 10% if you are eating at the right places. Here is my math for our next trip:

34.99 * 7 = 244.93 including tax
13.50 cost of mug ~ 231.43 for 7 days Okay let's break it down per meal that includes 14 meals. 16.53 per meal

Wolf Gang Puck:
BBQ Chicken Pizza ~ $13
Drink ~ 2.79 (just a guess... could be a little more or less)
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake ~ $5.00

Total cost: 20.79 (+tax) $22.14 Savings on this meal $5.59 or 25%

Here is where we really make it work for us.... this will EASILY feed two people for lunch and then you have another meal to get breakfast with.

So let's move on to dinner and say you are at MK.

Peco's Bills sounds good.
Taco Salad 8.19
Drink 2.89
cake 3.59

Total cost: 14.67 (+tax) 15.62 (no savings here)

Total value for the day 37.76 or 2.77 savings without taking a snack into account or your mug. Let's add the snack

Dole Whip Float sounds good to me!

4.49 (+tax) 4.78

Total savings for the day? 5.42 (again not counting the mug)

I didn't even pick the most expensive thing on the menu or take into account the cost savings for the kids. Which since we have two under 9 is a lot for us. We typically split our adult meals with them and then get the kids meals for breakfast and share those.

It works really, really well for our family. For now.

Don't get me wrong ~ I'm bummed we lost the 2nd snack. I just don't think it is horrible.

 

[StuckInKS]

Because we have 4 kids plus 1 eating free, the dining plans will always, always save us money.

The QSDP for 2A/4C is $118/day. Our 6 snacks will be about $24. 4 kids meals @ $5.50 is $23.43 with tax. That leaves about $11.78 per meal for the adults, which we will likely hit with a $9 meal, a drink and tax. This means 6 mugs and any desserts we may decide to order are free. If we go somewhere where the kids meals are more than $5.50 or decide to order an adult meal that is more than $9, then we are saving on the actual meals.

The DxDP would be $266 per day. On our CRT day alone (cost is $290 for that meal) we would save $24 on the meal, plus get a free meal (TS or CS) and 12 free snacks that day. Other signatures will cost us $200, so that means we are paying $66 for an additional meal (TS or CS) and 12 snacks. Even if we did CM for breakfast ($156.50) and LTT for dinner ($132) and SKIPPED our other meal that day, we would still SAVE $22.50 and have 12 free snack credits to spend.

It just seems impossible for us to "lose" on any plan, even if we skip dessert with QSDP or leave unused credits on the table with DxDP. That said, we will probably do DDP if we stay 10-14 nights, just because the cost of DxDP would be cost prohibitive for that many nights and we don't want just CS. But it is nice to know that we can choose any plan and not have to worry about "losing".

 

[Friendly Frog]

Keep in mind that if anyone chooses to consider splitting meals in their cost equasion, they should remember that splitting a meal must be a part of the out of pocket cost comparison side as well.

 

[Suellen]

Sure do FF! We don't let them go to waste....as long as the dollars work I don't really care how I use my meals! We split mostly because it is too much food and better than throwing away.... plus we then end up covering all three meals each day!

 

[luvthemouse71]

I had gotten the QS plan for my upcoming trip but just called earlier today to drop it. The past few trips I haven't been getting any kind of a dining plan and its been fine.

If I can get free dining, ok. But I doubt I'll purchase the plan again.