Quick Service Dinning plan? is it worth it?

[DisneyDre]

Okay so I have been to WDW many, many times, but never have gotten a dinning plan. My Husband and myself are going in September (celebrating 2nd wedding anniversary!!) and we keep going back and forth if we should get the quick service dinning plan?? We really only go to 2 or 3 sit down meals while there for 11 days. We mostly just grab quick service and snacks through out the day. Im just not sure if it is worth it?

Sooo if you have used the quick service plan could you give me some advice??

Thank You!!

 

[3pletprincesses]

Although I love the DDP and DxDDP, I wouldn't get the QS plan. It's the plan where you can save the less and the moment you eat less then what it includs, it's not worth it. If you do plan on eat 2 QS meals a day with desert and do plan on using your mug and all snacks, then I would say go for it. You migh however come out ahead if you put that same amount on a gift card and use it as you see fit. I personally can't imagine eat QS for 11 days but many like it and do it.

 

[iteachlit]

I was just "running some numbers" on this same issue. My wife and I are going for three nights next week. The last time we went without kids we did the counter service plan and liked it. Financially, here's what I came up with:

$210.00 QSDP, two adults, 3 nights
-$29.80 Two mugs plus tax
-$36.00 Six snack credits ea., averaging $3 per snack
------
$144.20 Cost for 12 counter service meals

So, I took that number and divided it by the number of meals (2 per night, per person) and came up with $12.02 per combo meal and dessert.

Now, let's take a look at a standard burger combo. For example, if you go to Rosie's at HS (we always seem to end up there at some point) you will pay $9.29 for the burger and fries, $2.19 for a Coke, and $3.59 for a cake. If you paid OOP, that meal would set you back $15.07. In this case, the dining plan "saved" you $3.05.

If you go to Cosmic Ray's at the MK, you can make out even better. A BBQ combo is $14.19, a Coke is $2.19, and (surprise) a cake is $3.59. That meal would cost you $19.97. You just "saved" $7.90 on the QSDP.

OK, let's take this one step more. If we bought that BBQ meal for each of our twelve meal entitlements, we would save $94.00 over the OOP price. That more than covers the cost of the mugs and snacks. In essence, if you choose higher-priced counter service meals, you can make the snacks and mugs "free."

Is it worth it? I think it CAN be, if you choose meals that give you a strong value. I also think you need to be a snack eater. We almost always end up grabbing something light during our time in the park; we know that we would end up buying snacks anyway. Also, are you going to make use of the refillable mugs? If not, you don't get as much bang for the buck.

 

[smitch425]

The way I see it is this...

You can pay about the same amount of money OOP for your combo and drink, OR you can pay for the dining plan and get dessert,snacks and the resort mug included for about the same price.

To me, I prefer to get more for my money and have the added convenience of everything already being paid for. I love the fact that if my kid wants popcorn I can just say "okay" without thinking about it. As a family of 4, we get 8 snacks per day so it makes it very nice to let the kids get stuff they probably would not get if we had to physically pay someone then and there for it.

Do we save a ton of money? Probably not because we don't seek out the high price items. We just eat what we want without worrying about the cost. The ease of use that it provides us is worth the cost.

 

[nandc619]

DH and I are going in September, and this will be our first time with a dining plan also. Although I can't speak from experience, I have looked into it A LOT. We are also only planning a couple of TS meals since DH HATES having to make plans ahead of time. A lot of people seem to recommend paying out of pocket over getting the Quick Service Dining Plan. We wouldn't normally get a soda and dessert with every meal, and I wasn't sure if it would really be worth it for us or not. So I actually sat down, looked at some menus, and priced out the meals/snacks we would get in an average day to see if we would atleast break even. I don't think the QSDP will SAVE us any money, but I do think we'll atleast come close to breaking even. (When you factor in using the snack credits at the Food & Wine Festival, we MAY save just a little.) I also wrote down a few of the QS restaurants who serve food that's a little different than your typical burgers and fries, as I'm sure that will get old by the end of the week!

In the end, I think it all depends on what's important to YOU... For us, knowing that all of our meals (except the TS meals) are paid for ahead of time is worth more than the little bit of money we would probably save by paying out of pocket. (I'm normally VERY "frugal"... so it really surprises me that I feel this way! ) But it gives me a small sense of relief to know that I don't have to worry about how much food is costing while we're there, and how close we are to our budget. Instead, I can focus more on just having fun! Good luck, and I hope you have a great trip!!!

 

[havoc315]

Remember, if going in 2012, there is only 1 snack per day.
If you skip any desserts or snacks, the qsdp is a waste of money. If you use any credits for breakfast, then you are wasting money. If you eat a $15 lunch, $15 dinner, and $3 snack, you have lost money.
If you eat $15 lunch, $15 dinner, $3 snack, and get 1-2 refills in your mug, then you break even for a day.
If you eat $17 lunch, dinner, $4 snack, and 3 soda refills, maybe you save a whopping $5

 

[sharonabe]

Since iteachlit has already given you the way you CAN save money and maximize the plan, allow me to show you another way to spend close to the same amount of money.

I posted this on the restaurant board a few weeks ago, but it probably should've been here.

This is my own version of eating QS while at the parks:


AK Day
Pizzafari: Breakfast pizza, juice 9.14
Yak/Yeti: Mandarin Chicken Salad, frozen lemonade 13.40
(we go to DTD on AK Day)
Earl of Sandwich: Any sandwich and soup 9.56
Ghirradeli: 1 scoop cone 4.21
TOTAL: 36.31

DHS Day
Fairfax Fare: Breakfast Sand, coffee 8.71
Starring Rolls: Sandwich, cupcake 14.04
Backlot Express: Southwest Chicken Salad 8.83
Annaheim Produce: Apple slices w/caramel 3.72
TOTAL: 35.30

MK Day
Main St Bakery: Cinn Roll, Strawberry Smoothie 8.18
Columbia Harbour: Anchors Aweigh, soup 13.61
Pinnochio Village: Penne Pasta, salad 11.91
Aloha Isle: Dole Whip 3.40
TOTAL: 37.10

EPCOT Day
Sunshine Seasons: Oatmeal, Mixed Berry Yogurt 5.84
Yakitori House: Terriyaki Beef 10.64
La Cantina: Nachos, Mexican soda 14.32
Karmel Kuche: Large Caramel Popcorn 6.34
TOTAL: 37.14


I forgot to add that unless otherwise noted, I would be drinking water as I'm not a soda drinker, so if you need soda/tea/coffee with your meal, then the QSDP will probably be better for you as those $2.19-$2.49 drinks add up very quickly.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you like the idea of everyone having dessert with every meal and/or you like the idea of prepaying your meals, it can be. Otherwise it isn't really a money-saving proposition, especially if your group would ordinarily share meals or skip desserts.

In 2012 the QSDP price stays the same but the snack allotment goes down to 1 snack per person per night, so plan accordingly if you choose to use it because you are thinking you can save money.