Qsdp

[disneymagicgirl]

Most counter service meals at Disney at in the $8-$10 range. If we're paying out of pocket, we would get those meals, drink water (or bring sodas), and skip the dessert. The kids can share one meal (or kids meals are about $5), so for us it would cost about $30 per meal for four of us to eat counter service.

If we're on the dining plan, we get the drink and dessert and might choose one of the few high-value meals, so we could get $15-$25 "value" out of a meal, but it's a false value since it's more than we would normally get or need.

As for snacks, if we're paying out of pocket we almost never get them. We might bring snacks with us (and even skip lunch of those are substantial enough), but those are usually in the $0.25 - $1 range. Very few of the snacks are really worth more than that.

For our family of four, it would cost about $650 per week for the QSDP or about $850 (plus tips) for the DDP, plus potentially some out of pocket meals. Instead, we'll probably spend about $200 on groceries, pack lunches (or snacks) some days, eat counter service on site a few times (under $100 total), and eat off-site a couple times (under $100 total), and cook in the timeshare the rest of the time - for half the price.

It's easy to justify "free dining", but far harder to justify paying for the dining plan.

I agree that you can def eat OOP for less than or equal to what you would pay for a DDP or QSDP. The problem is that I am on vacation...therefore I do not want to pack a sandwich or my own snacks. I want what I can only get while I am in Disney. I have decided to go w/ the QSDP and pay OOP for our 4 TS meals. We should have plenty of food, lots of snacks...and easily be able to feed our 2 y/o off the plan also...which is a bonus since we don't have to pay for him. I will re-evaluate next year when his costs me $$.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I took my 2 sons (8, 4) on a last-minute trip in May - I booked on Monday, we left on Thursday, so no time to make a bunch of ADRs. I opted for the QSDP instead to try it out. We ate one TS meal (Garden Grill) and I did buy some various things OOP - we ate at Boardwalk Pizza one night, for example, and often I paid OOP for adult meals for my 8-yr-old when he didn't like the children's menu offerings. Likewise, I also paid OOP for some items my 4-yr-old would eat if the children's menu offerings didn't appeal to him. I kept track of what we ordered on the QSDP, and kept track of my snacks as closely as I could. Overall, the QSDP cost me $260 (5 nights, 1 adult, 2 children). The pre-tax value of the meals we ate was roughly $248 - but 8 kids' meals and 3 adult meals were used at the Pop foodcourt for breakfast, which was not the optimal use of credits dollar-wise. However, the value of our snacks was around $90, plus we had the mugs. Even with the money I spent OOP, I felt like we got a decent value for the money the plan cost. Maybe it wasn't a huge savings cash-wise, but it was much easier to use the QSDP and like another poster said, I didn't feel like I had to pick the cheapest option every time.

Hope this helps!

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

We have gone w/ just the DDP, so I am speaking from that. I actually LIKE to have ADR's and finding places to eat that I have NEVER been to at Disney. It is nice to see the other resorts and maybe even try some foods (Ohana) that you have never had before. Many table service places are more than just eating a meal, there is the setting, the characters, etc that add to the experience and I'll gladly pay for that. If you look at menu prices, usually the price of one table service meal (again, gotta look around) can almost cover the cost of an adults daily rate. Throw in some of the great table service places and snacks, and I do know we save a lot from what we would have paid OOP. Sitting down for an hour or so to eat is a nice break from a day of marching through the parks. One thing we have done is schedule meals later than we would normally eat (645 pm or 7pm) and then have the rest of the evening to enjoy the parks, or hop to a park for EMH's.

It is a lot of food and, I agree, I'd rather pay up front and not cut corners. It is vacation and if the costs are that high, food is actually the smallest of costs for a family of 4 to get to Disney for a week.

 

[essom71]

We have always done the basic DP and we are thinking of doing the QSP for next august for a few reasons.

1) My husband hates the stress of trying to make sure that our teen boys don't miss ADR.

2) We are staying at ASMU and it is the plan included.... I know we can upgrade!

3) We wouldn't have to worry about tips... these are not included and can really add up!

Our plan is to stop and get bagels and cereal etc for breakfast and use our meal credits through the day.