qsdp and oop or ddp

[kimmylaj]

hi all
right now we are booked at the poly on 40%off with qsdp . we booked 1900 park fare for 2 adult and 2 children as our only sit down meal over 7 days. i was trying to figure out what it would cost for that meal out of pocket and it is over 100 dollars for 168 i could have the ddp instead of the qsdp. the problem is i say to myself hmmmm self that seems worth it.
but the cons are
TIPS - adds up quick
it is in aug during free dining- there is still some availability in places we like but not all my first choices
waits- i heard that it takes so long to be seated and eat during free dining
have to be in certain places at certain times, and i am trying hard to not be a theme park commando this go round
no mugs, less snacks
the pros are
bigger variety of foods to choose from
air conditioned breaks , guaranteed seats
ds 7 has a nut allergy, more easily accomodated


sooo...my wonderful disers help me decide. thanks

 

[catne]

well, I'd vote in favor of sit-down restaurants-yeah it will cost a bit more in buying the plan and additional expense with tips, but we feel it's completely worth it. While we really do like some of the counter service places, we really enjoy the a/c, service, and better quality food available at the table service.

Even during free dining, if you're willing to go for "off" times for meals you will have a lot of choices for your table service. I've been working on a weekend in September and have booked/changed/booked several times now to get exactly what we want for the weekend. So even at this late date you can still get some good places. As for long waits for tables - well, same thing - if you're booked for the most popular times (like between 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. for dinner, for example) then yes, you may have a wait for your table. But last two years, during Labor Day holiday week, we found only 5-10 minutes wait for 5:30 dinner reservations. There would be a humongous crowd waiting to be seated when we came out around 6:30...but the early bird gets seated quickly, lol. Same with early lunches, or before the park opens early breakfasts.

Now if your family hates to be on a schedule, or you rarely get to go to Disney so this will be all about park time, then I'd skip the DDP and stick with QSDP.

 

[DCDisney]

Personally I think you'll be happier with the regular DDP. I think when we aren't going commando we appreciate having that sit down time even more. IN terms of waits to be seated during free dining it's very hit or miss. Certain places almost always run behind especially Coral Reef and Le Cellier but places like Chefs de France rarely run behind. Perhaps this would be a good trip to explore new places? For your son with the nut allergy I think having that 1 TS meal a day where you don't have to constantly worry will be a big relief for you. CS is very hit or miss on allergies and often takes a lot of extra time waiting for a manager and waiting for the safe meal to be made. I personally also have food allergies and tend to try and eat all my meals at resort CS locations or Sunshine seasons where they have more ingredients and kitchens available which gives me way more options. Having to worry and hassle with that constantly would drive me crazy. Since you will only be paying $168 more and you have 1 TS meal already booked you really just need 1 more TS to make money on the deal after that point you could always decide to cancel your ADR for that day and use your TS credits for CS meals as they have always offered that option during free dining just in case you want that flexibility.

 

[DCDisney]

Also on tips it really doesn't end up as bad as you think. We always tip between 18-25% and for our week we ended up only a bit more than $100 with 2 adults 1 adult aged kid and one kid aged kid. We got free dining and didn't really try and max it out just ate how we liked with a few breakfasts and lunches and drank our normal water which probably kept our tip bill a bit lower.