Quick Service Vs. Basic

[Disneyfan1977]

I am trying to plan a very "budget" friendly trip. I was going to do the 4/3 and was considering doing the quick service dining plan this year to go with it.

We usually do the basic plan. Any feedback you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[PictureJumpr]

We have a trip coming up in the summer with a few very budget-minded friends in the mix (two of whom look like they may just drop out altogether, but that is a completely different discussion) and we all looked at QSDP over DDP for the trip, but the general consensus even among the budget-crunching members of our party was that for the $10/night more for adults and $2/night more for kids, the 'upgrade' to the DDP was deemed more than worth it since it included options like character dining and steaks/buffets (for the menfolk this was critical). With cases of water and juice boxes in the rooms, the mug didn't hold much interest, and those who really want one will just buy it.

 

[PinkRhombus]

I was thinking about doing this, too, but after looking at everything, it was not worth it to us.

We have two kids under 10...so $24 extra per day to upgrade us all...is $168 extra for the week...plus tips for the table service per day...so it is actually around $275-$300 extra just for upgrading.


PLUS!!!!

We'd be losing a snack credit per person per day

We'd be losing the refillable mugs.

Some of the character meals are multi-credit...so you're going to also be paying OOP for food to make up for those extra credits used.

We're okay with doing counter service all week because we can take advantage of Wolfgang Puck Express....and Sunshine Seasons...and a few others. Those places will help us make it through the other burgers, pizza, and chicken nugget meals.

 

[Disneyfan1977]

Yeah...I am thinking that it may be worth it to upgrade to the basic. We really really enjoyed chef mickeys last year and the bill was well over 100.00 so that in itself would make it worth upgrading.

We were also going to do the Hoopdee Doo and I believe we can use two table services to do that....

I really want to go this year...but I really need to be on a budget....

 

[2Monkeys]

We had this exact discussion today and opted for the QS plan. We have a 10 year old who now counts as an adult, so this was the way to go for us. We are doing 4 TS, including HDD, and paying OOP for those. I think we will still come out ahead, b/c sometimes we just want to eat a snack, or we can share a QS a couple of times a day. We don't like being so scheduled to have to do a TS every day. We did the basic before, and decided we wanted to be more spontaneous this time. There were many days with the basic plan where we really didn't want to stop what we were doing to eat, but felt we had to make our TS to get our money's worth.

There are alot of pretty good options for QS, one of our favorites also being Wolfgang Puck Express. My DS7 will eat chicken nuggets all week anyway, which he can get anywhere, so he doesn't really get a vote on where we eat!

 

[blessedby3]

We are doing the CS plan for our trip in 20 days and even with paying oop for 2 ts meals we come out cheaper than the regular plan. You have to pay the difference, plus tips and you lose a snack credit (that we will use for breakfasts some) as well as the mugs. We also dont like to have to have a TS adr everyday. That is too much time away from the rides and too much time for us to have a 1 yr old at at table meal
We tend to eat mostly CS anyway, so this plan is great for us!

 

[colinsdad]

I understand trying to save a $, but when I did the DDP in September by the end of the week I was sick of the CS meals and I only had 7 of them (and 1 was Sunshine Seasons which was great). I couldn't imagine having to do 14 of them. And adding 7 extra snacks on top of that?

But I'm glad we all have choices that will work for us (even choosing not to do any DP).

 

[ofhs93]

If you have been doing any serching for posts about the QSDP then I'm sure you have seen me That being said....We used the QSDP a couple weeks ago and loved it. It worked PERFECTLY for our family. PLENTY of food...even with us sharing with the 2 year old (who east as much as the 4 year old) When I did the math I found that the DDP was going to cost us a MINIMUM of $35-45 a day MORE for us when you figure in the tips. That is with only 2 adults and 1 child and if we did all lunch ADRs instead of dinner. (lunch is cheaper and therefore has a lower tip amount)

"You have to pay the difference, plus tips and you lose a snack credit (that we will use for breakfasts some) as well as the mugs. We also dont like to have to have a TS adr everyday. That is too much time away from the rides and too much time for us to have a 1 yr old at at table meal
We tend to eat mostly CS anyway, so this plan is great for us!"

This was the other reasoning for going with CS. We did not want all of our days revolving around HAVING to be at a certain place at a certain time just for our ADR. With little kids along this ends up being more important than with older ones. This way makes your schedule a lot more flexible.

If you go onto AllEars.net and LOOK at all of the CS menus and options I think you can find TONS of variety and options to go with. We did not ONCE get "sick" of CS...because we made sure to keep things interesting. The only hamburger we ate all week was on our arrival day at the Pop Cafe for a quick lunch before heading to Epcot....and that wss only because my wife is a picky eater and was afraid to try some of the other options. She tried my chicken alfredo and didn't have another burger all week We used a decent portion of our snacks for breakfasts...which lowered our OOP food costs to basically zero. We STILL had 20 snack credits left with 36 hours to go though haha. Needless to say we used them a little less frugally the last 2 days and brought some goodies home with us.

Bottom line....I would chose the QSDP in a heartbeat for our next trip as well. I think it is the perfect plan for those with younger children or traveling in larger groups where it can be either difficult to keep everyone on the same schedule or disappointing to some in the party to have to leave something that they are having fun doing to go eat.

 

[TDC Nala]

Some of the character meals are multi-credit...so you're going to also be paying OOP for food to make up for those extra credits used.

Only one character meal costs two TS credits per person - Cinderella's Royal Table.

Mickey's Backyard Barbecue features characters and costs two credits, but is considered a dinner show, not a character meal.

All other character meals cost one credit per person.

 

[ofhs93]

For those on a budget saying it makes sense to upgrade to DDP over the QSDP. You MUST calculate your tips into the mix...that is a huge chunk of change at the end of the week. If you are a party of 4 eating dinner at an ADR place then $18-20 a meal for tips adds up quick.

 

[colinsdad]

For those on a budget saying it makes sense to upgrade to DDP over the QSDP. You MUST calculate your tips into the mix...that is a huge chunk of change at the end of the week. If you are a party of 4 eating dinner at an ADR place then $18-20 a meal for tips adds up quick.

I would never get QSDP but I agree 100% with your post. We were a party of 2 adults and 1 child and ate at some pretty good 1TS credits last trip; Le Celier, Spoodles, Tutto Italia, Cape May, Crystal Palace, Play 'n Dine, and Big River Grille (not good ). Our average non-buffet dinner check was close to or over $100. You are also more likely on DDP to order extras like app's and drinks. I figure we spent at least $150 on tips for the week.

However that noted, those tips are earned by servers, and are based on what we "spent" even if the dinner item is covered under the DDP. Based on the cost of the plan (we would eat TS 1X per day anyway), we saved close to $300 because we ate like Kings.

I wish tip was included in the DDP, but realistically they couldn't do that any longer (the servers were getting basically nothing for bringing you a filet). So with that noted, I'm glad Disney came up with a way to keep costs down for guests and to give us a choice.

 

[maggieb9975]

FWIW, I am probably in the minority here, but if I was TRULY on a budget I would go OOP. That way you can bring food for your room for breakfast, have CS when wanted and share if want to. TS meals can also be shared , both appetizer/entree and not get dessert....

I think too often we buy into the so called "deals" from Disney ( I am one of them!DxDP last time), and eat way more than we normally would..

BUT, if I was really looking at what we would buy while watching my money I wouldn't be having steak at every meal and I sure wouldn't have dessert.....

I am going again this March on the basic DDP and I did look at menus...ordering the most expensive items (I do like my steak) we are ahead by about $10- 15 each a day...BUT, if I looked at what I would do on a strict budget, I know I would spend less than $40 a day.....

The intrinsic value of the plans is definitely a factor..it is nice to know your meals are already paid for, but I do believe Disney knows this and uses it to their advantage....I, personally, love that part of it but it really doesn't help the budget conscious planner

Good Luck deciding!

 

[ofhs93]

I would never get QSDP but I agree 100% with your post. We were a party of 2 adults and 1 child and ate at some pretty good 1TS credits last trip; Le Celier, Spoodles, Tutto Italia, Cape May, Crystal Palace, Play 'n Dine, and Big River Grille (not good ). Our average non-buffet dinner check was close to or over $100. You are also more likely on DDP to order extras like app's and drinks. I figure we spent at least $150 on tips for the week.

However that noted, those tips are earned by servers, and are based on what we "spent" even if the dinner item is covered under the DDP. Based on the cost of the plan (we would eat TS 1X per day anyway), we saved close to $300 because we ate like Kings.

I wish tip was included in the DDP, but realistically they couldn't do that any longer (the servers were getting basically nothing for bringing you a filet). So with that noted, I'm glad Disney came up with a way to keep costs down for guests and to give us a choice.

I absolutely believe the wait staff deserves every cent they get (typically) and that people NEED to remember to tip them on what the meal WOULD have costed without the DDP credit. It's just that people need to remember that that part of the expense is NOT included with their DDP cost.

 

[TDC Nala]

All tipping issues should be discussed in the Tipping Information Thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2056032


This thread will be closed if it becomes a discussion about tipping or a debate regarding tipping amounts, customs or expectations. Please stay on topic regarding discussing the merits of the quick service plan versus the regular plan.

 

[tndisneyfan]

We are going with the QSDP this trip. We are planning on staying 9 nights and only plan on having two maybe three TS meals. We've done the regular DP before and really liked it but I just don't like the time that it takes to have a TS meal. Unless you can eat in the park you are already in, you have to account for at least an hour to get to your ADR, then probably another hour to hour and a half for your meal (if not longer). That's if you don't have to wait past your ADR time. For us we just don't like to spend that much time out of the parks every day. Two or three TS is plenty for us.

 

[KorieDWnut]

We did the regular DDP last time and loved it, but DH really didn't like having to be anywhere for a certain time. It was nice to eat at TS places because we normally don't at WDW but, like I said, having ADRs really was not DH's cup of tea.

This trip next week is just DH and I and we are doing the QSMP. It's funny because the last time we went, they didn't offer this and Dh said "I wish they had a prepaid plan for counter service" and voila...here it is.

We don't get sick of CS because we mix it up. We go to different places, eat different things. DH loves Cosmic Rays and he will get a burger, but I usually get a pulled pork sandwich.

Sometimes we get salads, or pasta plates, anything different.

There used to be an AWESOME CS place in AK...Tusker House? I am SOO upset that they made it TS, they had a great half turkey wrap/ corn chowder meal.

My question about the included mugs in QSDP though, do you just pick it up any time and have them scan your card..is it like a credit and once you purchase the mug, the credit is gone?

 

[ofhs93]

DH loves Cosmic Rays and he will get a burger, but I usually get a pulled pork sandwich.


My question about the included mugs in QSDP though, do you just pick it up any time and have them scan your card..is it like a credit and once you purchase the mug, the credit is gone?

Just remember...this time around you can get the awesome Chicken and Rib combo (which costs $13.99) and it will only be 1 CS credit! That was probably the BEST CS deal we found using the QSDP. That combo with a drink and dessert would be almost $20 oop...and it only costs you 1 CS credit

Regarding the mugs....My wife picked them up and I believe she just took them to the checkout and they scanned her KTTW card. The cashiers (I'm assuming) could see that we had not yet picked them up.

 

[allyphoe]

I am trying to plan a very "budget" friendly trip.

Another vote for OOP. Kids on the QSDP come out way ahead - the 2 CS meals cover the cost of the plan, and the snack credits + mug are freebies.

But adults don't necessarily. When I priced it out as "how I'd eat if I were paying OOP," QSDP came out a couple dollars a day more expensive than cash. (I'm happy drinking free ice water, so the mug and included drinks didn't benefit me, and I'm not a huge fan of the CS desserts, so wouldn't pay cash for one with every meal.) Plus a CS meal is usually big enough to share 3 between 4 adults even without buying the highest-priced items. Plus there are things our group would get between-meals that aren't on the DDP, like the fruit and cheese pack at AK, and the Garbage Pail at BB.

 

[Dani C]

We are trying it this trip. Actually, we are mixing it up. As we are staying at two resorts with different packages, we have a quick service at one and the standard plan at the other. That way we get our table service meals that we want and also get to reduce our cost during the stay. (Note: We use the AP so we don't have ticket issues to go with the packages.)

As you appear to have the 4-3 package this would not be an option, so as others have said before consider the option of goinf OOP as well as getting the QSDP. You can look at sample menus on AllEars to get information such as what is offered and even some general pricing guides for what you would be ordering. That way you can determine what would be the better cost-benefit for your family.

All the best!

 

[PLibster]

We are staying for 2 weeks on different packages. We are thinking about doing the QSDP the first week and OOP the 2nd week. I figure any extra snack credits we can get the last day(fruit,chips,bottled drinks) and use that food while on our 2nd week. Since we are driving, I will go to the store and grab items we need for the 2nd week. Our 2nd week will be more relaxing with only 3 park days, so I think we will be fine.