Sister trip...help us decide about dining

[Calee]

We are planning a sister trip for my middle sister's 50th birthday! We go in September and are booked at a value resort with free quick service dining. We are trying to decide if we want to upgrade to the next level dining plan. The cost difference is less than $100 per person. Here is where we are conflicted about what to do...

Facts:
* 2 of us (birthday girl and me) have been to WDW several times in the last 10 years with our husbands/kids and have done table service dining on those trips.
* the 3rd sister (who we are also celebrating-she turned 50 last year) has never been to WDW. We are really trying to plan this to show her everything and do as much as we can.
*none of us are super big eaters
*none of us have ever gotten to do anything like this before (a trip with just sisters) and we probably never will again.
*Money IS a factor, but that alone is not the deciding factor
*We have 4 park days with hoppers, 4 night stay. So jam packed no rest days.
*we are all healthy and in good shape so long park days and lots of walking is not a proble..

Birthday girl and I are torn as to what we want to do... stick to QS in order to really maximize park time and allow oldest sister to experience as much as possible, or upgrade to table service which would take away from touring time but would give us some nicer, slower paced meals as adults and table service food....also giving oldest sister the experience of some of the restaurants.

We also want freedom to hop and dont want to schedule a meal and then be "stuck".

So for time and hopping freedom we talk ourselves into quick service. But for better meals and a more adult experience we talk ourselves into table lol. We would probably stay in the parks for our table service meals so as not to waste time travelling to resorts.

So. What would you do?

 

[Pumbaa_]

Ladies you are 50+

do the ts meals. It will be a welcome respite from the 90+ degrees plus humidity

plus, don’t you deserve nice meals?

 

[Calee]

Ladies you are 50+

do the ts meals. It will be a welcome respite from the 90+ degrees plus humidity

plus, don’t you deserve nice meals?

Lol. They might be but I'm only 39

 

[Pumbaa_]

I’m their age. They will need a break unless they are used to the heat and humidity and walking 10ish mikes a day

 

[Calee]

I’m their age. They will need a break unless they are used to the heat and humidity and walking 10ish mikes a day

I hear you. They actually really are used to those things. One works outdoors with animals all day and the other is an avid runner and has the scariest job of all- she's a teacher the one who has been a lot with her family knows what shes getting into though-the other really doesnt.

But Pumbaa (and others) If you were going to table service, but stick to the ones in the parks, which ones do you think offer the best experience? And how do you plan if you are hoping to hop? A mid day meal in your first park? When I've gone with my kids we've done a lot of character dining which is not what we are looking for here, or gone on longer trips and ventured to resorts to eat.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Could you maybe set aside one evening for TS dining and perhaps chose a restaurant bookable through OT so that you can change your plans right up to the last minute? There are quite a few in DS and also FF. Or maybe combine QS with stops in lounges, like Nomads for AC, drinks and snacks? That may give you the best of everything. Have fun.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I hear you. They actually really are used to those things. One works outdoors with animals all day and the other is an avid runner and has the scariest job of all- she's a teacher the one who has been a lot with her family knows what shes getting into though-the other really doesnt.

But Pumbaa (and others) If you were going to table service, but stick to the ones in the parks, which ones do you think offer the best experience? And how do you plan if you are hoping to hop? A mid day meal in your first park? When I've gone with my kids we've done a lot of character dining which is not what we are looking for here, or gone on longer trips and ventured to resorts to eat.

If you plan to hop, that's what I would do - lunch in your first park prior to hopping. It gives you a nice break in the middle of the day and allows you to keep your afternoons/evenings a little looser. Or, if you know where you will hop to, opt for dinner.

We took my sister for her first trip (well, first trip after not being there for 25 years) a few years ago. I planned a "Mickey" meal, a "princess" meal, one signature (we did Cali Grill) and one uniquely themed restaurant (we did Sci-Fi) to give her a sense of what WDW has to offer. If you aren't interested in character meals and just want one restaurant per park, I would take a look at some of the menus and see what appeals. In the parks, we like:

MK - Skipper Canteen
EP - Spice Road Table
DHS - Hollywood Brown Derby (but if you just want 1 TS, Sci-Fi and 50's Prime Time are both fun)
AK - Tiffins (but, again, if you just want 1 TS and no characters Y&Y is good. We do like Tusker House though!)

 

[CarolynFH]

MK - Skipper Canteen
EP - Spice Road Table
DHS - Hollywood Brown Derby (but if you just want 1 TS, Sci-Fi and 50's Prime Time are both fun)
AK - Tiffins (but, again, if you just want 1 TS and no characters Y&Y is good. We do like Tusker House though!)

I agree enthusiastically with this list. If you only want to do one, though, my choice would be Sci-Fi or 50s Prime Time. They are probably the most unique and fun restaurants at WDW. The others just don’t say CELEBRATION to me.

 

[glocon]

I agree with the only one sit down meal during your trip option. Stick with counter service to maximize park time. Eat lunch at BoG which is special, then at the other parks try the lounges to relax in the afternoon. Or... Maybe instead of a table service, do a dessert party!

 

[cgattis]

I would absolutely do California Grill and watch fireworks from there. To save a little, you can do brunch or lunch and come back with your receipt. OR pre-game at Trader Sams and then just have sushi. If you’ve never seen fireworks from there, it’s pretty special

You hang onto that 39!!!! I was 39 once.......sigh

 

[Oneanne]

Utilize the lounges, like Nomad at Tiffins and the one at Hollywood Brown Derby. You don't have to commit to an ADR but can have a nice relaxing sit with TS food. The veranda at Nomad is particularly lovely. Also, it is easy to pick up ADRs for lots of places day of, if you decide on the fly that you want to sit and relax a bit.

 

[clutter]

If you plan to hop, that's what I would do - lunch in your first park prior to hopping. It gives you a nice break in the middle of the day and allows you to keep your afternoons/evenings a little looser. Or, if you know where you will hop to, opt for dinner.

We took my sister for her first trip (well, first trip after not being there for 25 years) a few years ago. I planned a "Mickey" meal, a "princess" meal, one signature (we did Cali Grill) and one uniquely themed restaurant (we did Sci-Fi) to give her a sense of what WDW has to offer. If you aren't interested in character meals and just want one restaurant per park, I would take a look at some of the menus and see what appeals. In the parks, we like:

MK - Skipper Canteen
EP - Spice Road Table
DHS - Hollywood Brown Derby (but if you just want 1 TS, Sci-Fi and 50's Prime Time are both fun)
AK - Tiffins (but, again, if you just want 1 TS and no characters Y&Y is good. We do like Tusker House though!)

I like the list, but....

I disagree about both taking a rest AND doing a sit-down dinner. Four days, you will be just jam packed. I made the mistake of doing the DP for a short trip with friends. There was just too much to do! But I would do a couple ADRs that you can keep or cancel each day. Are you sure you want QS dining? Last trip, we found that doing one meal a day at a lounge was a great compromise. Faster than sit-down, but a better rest than QS.

 

[kiford]

While DH & I generally prefer to do TS for the rest time, air conditioning and general relaxation and socializing together, I wouldn't worry so much that you'll be stuck eating poor quality fast food if you just do, or mainly do, CS/QS. There are a lot of options now that are tastier, healthier and not the standard burger and fries that you once might have seen. You just have to check out where to go beforehand and you can do just fine. I also second the lounge options. Some of them have very limited menus but may do for a nice break and others have a larger set of options which may well substitute for a meal especially if you aren't big eaters.

 

[Miffy]

My sister and I have 1 TS meal nearly every day we're at WDW. But that plus breakfast plus a snack (we don't eat 3 meals) never even comes close to what a WDW dining plan would cost. The only day we spend more than $100 between us is our Tusker House lunch.

OP, you have to price out the meals you're thinking of having and see if paying to upgrade your free plan is worth it.

 

[heatherenae71]

My sister and I are also doing a sister trip in Sept (staying at a value with the free dining offer, too!!!). We upgraded to the regular dining plan from QS and didn't give it a second thought! Tomorrow is our "ADR day" - I'm so excited!!!

 

[Lindsey17]

I think it ultimately depends on what's important for you to show your sister who hasn't been there. If you're more focused on showing her rides then I would stick with QS and maybe pay out of pocket for 1 table service meal. Probably one of my favorite things about a WDW vacation is the food and trying new places/dishes so I would probably splurge on the upgrade. Also, I think Sept is still a slower time so wait times will hopefully be a little less and you'll be able to do more. We went Sept 18 and it was much less crowded then our Aug 19 trip. Have fun on your girls trip!!

 

[MarkS2112]

I would upgrade as you can get some great meals with TS that just adds value to your trip. A little sit down time never hurt.

 

[DKNHM]

Florida in September - I would upgrade the dining plan for the air conditioning, and more food options. Burgers, nuggets, French fries - they don't sound so delish (to me) on hot park days. Table service restaurants will offer more options, including lighter entrees, and there's air conditioning. Can you tell that I dislike waiting in line in the hot FL sun?

 

[CHIPSTER]

I would do one table service to celebrate the fact that you are all together and present and past birthdays. Suggest Narcoosees. There are plenty of QS where you can sit inside in the air conditioning and as the original poster said they are not big eaters and if they study the menus there are some good dinners at QS restaurants. I have 2 sisters and we cherish our time together - especially at WDW - our big splurge is Narcoosees. 2 of us live in PA and the 3rd sis lives in Colorado.

 

[dachsie]

I would say it depends on what kind of food you like. If you don't want to spend a lot of food time, then maybe pay for one or two TS out of pocket. But if you want experiences, then I would recommend Takumi Tei and Jiko. Both have excellent food choices. I would also recommend a character breakfast just to give your sister a little fun for her b-day - Tusker house, Topolino, Cape May, or Garden Grill depending on which characters you like. If you upgrade the plan then you may mix 1 and 2 credit TS restaurants but may pay more OOP for some QS. Sounds like a fun trip for you all.