QSDP when you've always done DDP

[TheRatPack]

Okay, this is our first year on the QSDP and I kind of went overboard booking TS meals too so we could still eat at some of our old favorites. We've been on the regular DDP for YEARS, and then they go and change it on us LOL So now that we're less than a week away, I've been thinking. The point of the dining plan is to have your food paid for before your go, worry less about money while you're there, not be stuck with ADRs...etc. I started cancelling reservations a week or so ago, ones that we really didn't need...we were just eating there because we had in the past and it was sort of 'vacation' to us. Which is probably what Disney hopes happens to a lot of us free diners that have booked for years. It feels like vacation when we go to these TS meals....so we pay OOP for them.

Anyhow, back to the point. For those that have always done regular dining plan, and now went with the QSDP....did you have regrets? We are keeping the TS before MNSSHP but as far as the others....I'm wondering if I should just cancel them and go with the QSDP all out. We don't have anything fancy booked....but there are 7 of us in our family and so any TS is close to 200.00 We could drive offsite and eat at a steakhouse for less LOL

 

[blue65829]

My situation is a bit different, it's just DH and I who had no dining plan in 2005, free DDP in 2008 and then chose QSDP in 2010, we overwhelmingly preferred QSDP!

Based on the tips for counter service places I picked up on the boards we had some of the best meals we have ever at Disney and felt like the QSDP was an excellent value.

I also loved saving a ton of time that we had spent in restaurants in 2008, not to mention the flexibility of going wherever we wanted without having to worry about getting to a reservation.

After this trip I don't think I will ever go back to a table service plan.

 

[nooneshome]

We loved the QSDP. We don't like being tied down to ADRs so we only make one for a favorite TS eatery and we don't take the kids. There is so much food you can't eat it all. We also enjoy the two snacks per day.

 

[TheRatPack]

Thanks everyone I'm glad to hear that the QSDP isn't so bad and we'll enjoy it I'm sure.

 

[poohluv2u]

We had the QSDP for our 10 day trip earlier this month, and we really enjoyed the freedom to go to any park we felt like that day, rather than be tied to the park we had ADR's in. Last year we found ourselves eating when we were not hungry, just because that was the time of our reservation. This year it was nice to eat whenever we felt hungry.

10 days on QSDP is a long time! If we were to do it over again, I would take the time to make a few ADR's to break up all the counter services. Upgrading would have cost the two of us $200 and about $100-150 in tips. So next time I would use some of that money towards some table service meals. Even with using only QSDP we had counter service and snacks credits left over at the end. At our hotel (Pop Century) they allowed us to use a counter service for 3 snacks, so we ended up taking food home with us