Quick Service Dining? Thoughts please :)

[ccgirl]

I posted previously (used QSDP once loved it and used DDP many times loved it too!)

Besides the really nice benefit of letting my DD11 order anything she wants as well as whatever snacks she wants one other benefit I really like was using our SC at the F&WF at Epcot. It was our first time doing it. We were there opening weekend. We used some of our SC getting "tastes" We didn't go overboard-even though we were using our free credits we still shared some things. That way if we didn't like it, no big deal, if we did-we could get more.

DD11 is still raving about the Beef Pita in Morocco and hopes we get to go back this year so she can do it again.

My Dsis and her DH are going this May. Looks like they aren't going to get a PIN for free QSDP. I told her not to buy the plan, just put aside the money. 2 of them for 7 nights would run them 2 x $32 x 7, so $448. If you deduct the cost of the mugs, it comes to $420. I don't think they will really spend that much on food and drinks while there. They will be doing DC one day so that takes care of 2 meals/drinks. Plus they eat a lot like we do, sharing meals occasionally. I'll ask her to keep track of her spending and see how it works out.

SOrry to hijack. Will be using the SC at F&W for the first time this year. Are all the foods at the booths included?

 

[disykat]

I wouldn't choose to pay for QSDP because it is too much food for us! We went during free dining and it was terrific though. I only had a burger once. I was traveling with two teenage boys and it was still too much food! We bought a ton of stuff to bring home the last night.

We were in the hotel 6 nights, so had six days of dining but really had five days to spend them. Our group of four had 7 meal credits and 15 snacks left over!

 

[Corjack]

Seriously, we're not fussed about sit-down meals. With 4 smalls and my husband it's more stress than it's worth half the time (yes, even at places designed for children), and I *really* don't want to have to add in stress of getting places in time.

AMEN SISTA!!! This is why we do the QSDP. When they are older and more patient I would love some of those yummy sit downs but right now, I like the easy child pleasing part of QSDP!

We did it last trip and the just eating and not having to figure out what to share and who gets what was LOVELY. I have 3 small children and it was nice to get each one their own food(saves fights right there) and they can eat it or not, the money is already gone so it stings less! Plus I can say YES to ice cream daily and we all got refillable mugs...ALL WINS TO ME!

J

 

[Dizneydaz]

SOrry to hijack. Will be using the SC at F&W for the first time this year. Are all the foods at the booths included?

Yes! Unless they change it this year. There were no restrictions on food at the booths. Inc. the lobster rolls that were $7-$8.

That's what made it so fun!

 

[dixonismydog]

I figured I'd jump on this. I am not a huge advocate of the dining plans as I find it's way to much food, however I did do the QSDP last year. I was there for 2 weeks also and did the Regular DP week one and then switched to the QSDP because my DD2 was way too unruly for the restuarants. While I did do a restaurant everyday I still did eat QS everyday also and I honestly don't think I ate a single burger or hot dog in 14 days. I had lots of 1/2 chicken with mashed potatoes and veggie (Cosmic Rays is a great place for QS), nice panini sandwiches, good salads, pizza, chicken breast sandwich, funnel cake, bbq ribs, subs, a really nice dinner at Wolfgang Puck express (great choice if you want a sit down meal that is considered QS...eat here a few times if you can it was fabulous). I did not feel like I was eating unhealthy or bad junky meals. Since you only get 2 QS meals, since you are at the All Stars (which by the way we are staying the same place as you and arriving the same day!) they have a great cafe style area and if you and your hubby feel the meals are too big, you can both share and then use the extra QS to get breakfast in the mornings. You can also do the same for the kids, if they share meals then they can also get QS breakfast at the resort. You can also use some of your snack credits to get breakfast items because 2 snack credits a day along with 2 meals a day tend to be a lot down there. I used a lot of my credits for iced coffees down there. I would certainly do the QSDP again in heart beat.

OMGosh....just had to jump in about Wolfgang Puck Express......it is out families fav!!!! The BEST QS hands DOWN!!!!! (Beats a bunch of TS too IMO)...........I'm dreaming about it already!!

 

[Disneylush]

I just wanted to jump in and say being a family of 6 you will pay the added tip at every sit down ... even buffets. Which had me really upset on our last trip bc my DD was 2, not on the dinning plan, didn't have to pay to get in the park but she made us a party of 6 so we got the pre -set tip added on. (which was 60.00 at Norway breakfast!)

 

[ccgirl]

I just wanted to jump in and say being a family of 6 you will pay the added tip at every sit down ... even buffets. Which had me really upset on our last trip bc my DD was 2, not on the dinning plan, didn't have to pay to get in the park but she made us a party of 6 so we got the pre -set tip added on. (which was 60.00 at Norway breakfast!)

Confused by this. Regardless of the party size you are supposed to tip. I know some automatically add on. Quite frankly, the pre-set amount is less than my standard tip anyhow. But, you are right...some don't figure tips on the Basic Dining plan and they really need to add that to the cost.

 

[jm-mom]

Some of what I'm about to say may have already been stated so I apologize.

Our family likes the regular dining plan because our kids still like the character buffets and doing those on the meal plan is a good value. Other than that we are not fans of this plan because we don't like our schedule to be based around a meal schedule.

The quick service plan will allow you two meals per day and believe me, there are plenty of dining options that don't have to be standard fast food fare. The food court at most any of the hotels will a number of healthier options and each of the theme parks also have places with a variety of options. For the most part we didn't find the portions to be way too much. Remember you only get two meals a day so if you share now and then and add something using a snack credit you can stretch the plan to cover all your meals. Yes, the meals do come with dessert but I think you can sub in fruit at many places or get the cookie or cake to take back to the room.

With quick service you also don't have the added expense of tipping and the bonus of knowing most/all of your food is paid for ahead of time. If you do some research before you leave home you can get an idea of where to eat and find the foods you want ahead of time.

 

[ValpoCory]

To really be able to assess whether or not it is a good deal.....try viewing the menus at Allearsnet.com. Price out what your typical meal would cost. Unless you order dessert, I would assess the plan components as follows:

I'm assuming all adults here:

Typical Counter service meal @ $11 each (no dessert)
2 snacks at @ $4 each

That brings the total to roughly $30 and you are paying $35 per day.

Then the mugs are roughly $15 a piece. So if you spread this out over the two weeks, then for an adult, you are paying $35 per day for $31 of value.....and this also assumes that you are going with the most expensive snacks.

The plan could make sense IF you typically order dessert with every meal and / or if you eat at the more expensive options like the Pepper Market. I have not priced this out for children.....and of course the value will vary depending on your eating habits. I would advise to just go to Allears and check out the pricing at the places where you think you'll eat.

As for the convenience, I really see no difference between handing your room key over for a meal entitlement or to charge to the room.

But consider doing the math first........YMMV....

Yep. QSDP, and the DDP for that matter, is more about piece of mind than it is about saving money. Now with the DxDP, you can save some money. But you have to eat a lot.

If you have multiple, big eating 3-9 year old kids, then the QSDP and DDP plans are of more value.

 

[jm-mom]

I have to agree, if you look up the menus and do the math, it's probably cheaper to pay out of pocket ordering what you would typically order if you were paying cash. However, I think most people when paying out of pocket will order something inexpensive most of the time to keep costs down. Whereas, on the meal plan you tend to get something more expensive because a credit is a credit whether it's used for a $4 cheeseburger or a $14 rib plate at a counter service restaurant. I think you have to consider your family's typical eating out choices but remember, you aren't eating out at a typical place when at WDW. If money is a big consideration and you are trying to keep costs down then probably without the dining plan of any kind, you are going to lean towards burgers, hot dogs, fries and soft drinks as those are often the cheapest menu items. However if you want to have salads, vegetables, grilled items, ethnic foods, etc., you are going to pay WDW prices for those things. That's where having it prepaid and on a plan ahead of time will benefit you. Two weeks is a long time to have to survive on burgers and fries.

I'm not sure what resort you're staying at but look up their menu. We stayed at POFQ and I had a wonderful salad many meals and a nice bowl of fruit for dessert plus a bottle of juice. If I wasn't on the meal plan, I would not have made that choice because it did cost more. With the meal plan I was happy to look on the menu and see salads, roast beef or turkey platters, meatloaf, and vegetables at a counter service restaurant. I was able to incorporate some healthy eating choices into all of us during our stay and I know I wouldn't have done so if I was paying for each menu item. As I said, a credit is a credit so why not use it and make the healthier, pricier choice at least some of the time. You might do the math and see that you'd spend a little more for the QSDP than you would ordering cheaply off any of the menus, but in the long run you'll have a much more satisfying vacation.

Good luck!

 

[jm-mom]

I can see why this person is upset about automatically being charged a specific tip amount based on their party size because if this is the case, it's not fair. I think that if you receive good service, you should pay a tip and how much you tip should be your decision. Frankly some people just can't afford to pay 20 percent at every meal. At buffets paying much of a tip at all seems ridiculous to me. We have eaten at almost every buffet at WDW and I will say that the wait staff did little more than refill our drinks now and then. Rarely were our plates removed promptly and often our drinks were refilled as the wait person was rushing by. At one buffet we had the waiter bring us the check at the end of the meal and point out on the receipt how much tip we were required to leave. My husband was insulted by this man's boldness and his service hadn't even been that great. My dh wrote "cash" on the tip line and then left a couple of dollars on the table but still more than this particular guy deserved in my book. But as I said, the customer should be able to determine the tip amount and not be charged a specific amount based on party size. However, I do think if you have a larger party, say over 11 people, and they have only one person assigned to you, then there should be some kind of surcharge to accomodate this large of a party in the restaurant. But there again, the actual tip should be your own choice.

 

[Sundancer UK]

OK, one more question then!

If we were to get the more expensive end of our options most of the time on the QSDP, would we save money to do it that way rather than paying cash?

I'm liking the thinking that I'm more likely to order *good* if it's already paid for. I'm also liking the idea that the children can order what ever they want without me trying to push them either way.

I am so easily swayed! I thought I had it before, but I really am that fickle

 

[DisneyMomma81]

OK, one more question then!

If we were to get the more expensive end of our options most of the time on the QSDP, would we save money to do it that way rather than paying cash?

I'm liking the thinking that I'm more likely to order *good* if it's already paid for. I'm also liking the idea that the children can order what ever they want without me trying to push them either way.

I am so easily swayed! I thought I had it before, but I really am that fickle

I'm the same way ~ I'd order the cheapest meal if I was paying for it right then, but on the Dining Plan I'd get whatever I wanted.... That is the nice thing about it, it's paid for - get what you want. Too bad you didn't get it for free... Did you get any sort of discount??

 

[v.t.]

Have you called to make sure you di not have the free dining pin attached to you or DH's name? If you did that would solve all your problems!

If not, I would say go with the QSDP. We stayed at the ASMu last year and one of the highlights of the trip was the kids being able to order what they wanted. If they wanted the double dip sundae as dessert, they got it because it was part of the plan. And being able to get a snack in the park was an even bigger treat. Last night we went to the Ranger game and asked if they could have some peanuts, I handed out the peanuts in the ziplock bags I had brought and they all rolled their eyes and said they wanted to go back to Disney!

 

[Sundancer UK]

No we definitely don't have free dining, the deal we got was 14 days of park tickets for the price of 7 I think (DH booked it all)
Actually, DH isn't sure if it can even be added on now. I'm swaying more in the 'yes, get it' direction, but wondering if it's even possible! I'm not sure how differently things work as we're in teh UK, is it the same kind of rules? Can it be added?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

No we definitely don't have free dining, the deal we got was 14 days of park tickets for the price of 7 I think (DH booked it all)
Actually, DH isn't sure if it can even be added on now. I'm swaying more in the 'yes, get it' direction, but wondering if it's even possible! I'm not sure how differently things work as we're in teh UK, is it the same kind of rules? Can it be added?

Call and ask. Sorry 14 days for the price of 7 isn't really that great in my opinion ~ after a few days each additional days is only a few dollars....

 

[Sundancer UK]

Yeah I'm not surprised to be honest - can you tell we're new to this?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Yeah I'm not surprised to be honest - can you tell we're new to this?

No worries ~ at least you found the DIS before your holiday, can you imagine going without having found "us"?

 

[Corjack]

OK, one more question then!

If we were to get the more expensive end of our options most of the time on the QSDP, would we save money to do it that way rather than paying cash?

I'm liking the thinking that I'm more likely to order *good* if it's already paid for. I'm also liking the idea that the children can order what ever they want without me trying to push them either way.

I am so easily swayed! I thought I had it before, but I really am that fickle

Honestly, it makes me feel like I am elminating some of my stress before I get there. I forsee agruments and stressful situations before they happen, a Mommy thing you know. I want it to be smooth and relaxing for me too!

 

[Sundancer UK]

No worries ~ at least you found the DIS before your holiday, can you imagine going without having found "us"?

Perish the thought! I'm just disappointed I never found this place sooner!