Skipping TS

[goofyintoronto]

It all depends on your likes and dislikes and such. For me, disney dining is part of the fun so I always include TS in my plans. if you prefer to have a relaxed touring style without reservations, then QS is definitely for you. There are a lot of great options out there.

Keep in mind that you can walk up to some TS....and it doesnt have to be expensive. For example, I walked up to Raglan Road, ordered a beer and an appt. No reservation, and the bill was quite cheap.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I have a trip in September with a friend, and we are doing one table service meal. We weren't going to do any, but she said that since I am doing all of the planning, she wants to treat me to a meal.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Different strokes for different folks

Disney food is expensive. Quality does not always follow

Qs has some great choices too

If your budget, or tastebuds, don't allow for ts, no worries! So many other great options, esp in the countries in Epcot and ak

If you do want to splurge on a ts meal, I would do a last seating bfast at Tusker house. Lunch will start and dishes will be swapped out.

You get to have some bfast options and then some lunch options
And characters! Yes, adults can and do indulge in character meals

Lots of other suggestions if you want a ts, but qs works too. All depends on your budget, wants and plans

 

[jsmla]

If I were going to splurge I would do so at Hollywood Studios. I enjoy both Brown Derby and the Brown Derby Lounge and DHS has the worst QS of the four parks IMHO.

 

[MaC410]

My wife and I love doing TS but we pretty much only do the TS places where we get a special Disney experience with it. We enjoy the heavily themed restaurants where the atmosphere is what makes it fun. We don't really care too much about having something fancy and we aren't ever too worried about the quality of food. We aren't big eaters so we can keep the cost down by ordering appetizers for our meal or by sharing food. To us personally we would feel like we were missing out if we didn't go to some of our favorite TS places.

 

[rebelbuddhist]

We are an adult couple visiting in January. Are we missing out if we skip TS restaurants? We're not sure if it's worth it on our budget. Anyone else do the same?

That really depends on your eating habits. For my wife and I and many others the TS restaurants are really a fifth park. Eating great food while at WDW is an important part of our day at the other 4 parks or at the resorts. That said, there are also many people who don't want to take time away from the attractions at the parks to spend an hour or more in a restaurant. You need to consider your priorities and if eating on the go is your thing it would be fine and advisable to skip the TS restaurants. But if a good meal or two a day or every few days is important to you then book some TS restaurants. Le Cellier in Canada is great as is Narcoosees at the Grand Floridian. But that's our opinion. For any restaurant you will find reviews that say the place is top notch and not to be missed. Then you will find a review that says the place is the worst and don't waste your money!
Like all things Disney, you need to decide what is important enough to you to spend the time and money it takes.

 

[Eastern]

I agree about visiting the lounges if you want something 'sit down' but don't want a big, expensive meal.

 

[Harambe]

We backed out of a lot of TS places this past January. The TS food is expensive (we were 4 adults), and since the QS options are now varied and delicious throughout the parks - as well as a little more pricey than in past years - we went with more QS.

I know the next time we go I will still have 2 or 3 TS ADRs in hand, since there are restaurants we love or maybe one we have always wanted to try, but with the Disney app, you can add a TS or drop a TS as you go along.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think it depends on your vacation expectations. My family likes a mix of CS and TS meals, so we allocate time for dining. It really is part of my vacation. How do you view mealtime on vacation? I think that if you want TS experience but not the cost of some of the restaurants, a little research is in order. It is possible to have nice TS meals without the inflated cost if you research the menus, and avoid the "best" restaurants. It is also possible to have good meals in QS restaurants if you research that as well. Yes, you miss some of the TS experience, but if having someone actually provide the service is not important to you, you will be fine.

I knwo that if I traveled with my DGD we would skip a lot of the TS meals and opt for CS. No way would the two of us want to be tied to a schedule. I woudl probably just book two: one for our arrival night and one to see the fireworks.

 

[ChimCher-ee]

Before adult only trips, we ate at QS only. Last two trips I tried to make up for it by fitting in all the places we used to walk by (San Angel, Chefs de France, Biergarten, Rose and Crown, Yak and Yeti, Tiffins, Be Our Guest dinner, Brown Derby, 50s Prime Time, among others). I did one trip dining plan, one trip OOP. As I think about my next trip, I'm considering going back to QS, on the dining plan.

First, it's been just too much food. And I'm a big eater. I start out fine, but a few days in, I start to feel like I'm ordering because I have to (dining plan) or eating at all because I need to honor the reservation (didn't cancel before midnight).

Second, with one or two exceptions, all are "one and done" -- I'm glad I had the experience, but I don't NEED to eat there again. (The exception? Biergarten. I know, go figure. But it's got a hold on me!)

Third, even though I read extensively about how OOP is cheaper than dining plan, I somehow managed to overeat my budget (I checked menus ahead of time, calculated what I'd be most likely to order, and theb put $$ on a gift card). But that's nothing new. Budgets and I have a wary relationship at best; dining plan keeps me honest!

 

[trouttigger]

I think you can research the QS options at each park and plan to eat at places that suit your tastes. Don't just not plan. I hear great things about the tuna sandwich at Columbia House, but DH hates tuna, so we never eat there; we choose Pecos Bill's at MK.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I don't want a TS every day. They are time-consuming and making ADRs can be stressful, but I wouldn't eliminate them completely as long as I can afford them.

My upcoming trip is 8 nights. I have 3 dinners planned, but one of those is a birthday. There are 2 other TS meals I'm planning that do not require ADRs and will be decent deals.

One is Bluezoo where we are planning to take advantage of the Magical Dining Month menu. The other is Yak & Yeti where I have a birthday reward and gift cards.

If your trip is in September, look up the Magical Dining Month menus. $35 for 3 courses. Landry's Select Club is a good deal for Yak & Yeti.

 

[Poor Gail]

We've always treated TS dining as a treat, mainly because of the expense. There are plenty of good QS places around, so unless you see a TS that you just have to try, you aren't missing anything.

 

[raddisneyfan]

I usually do TS at lunch--it's a good break in the day for me, especially during the warmer months. The only times I've done without TS have been on some days at Food & Wine and Flower & Garden since some of the kiosk fare is so unbelievably good, that I can't help going to them for both lunch and dinner! If I were to go non-F&W or non-F&G, I could possibly do no TS at AK or EP, definitely do not like QS options at MK or HS. Enjoy your time at Disney--nice and cool hopefully in January.

 

[moesy4]

We had several TS booed on our last trip and cancelled most in the end...kept breakfast buffet at the fort (so yummy!), yak and yeti, the Plaza restaurant, and kona cafe. The bill at the Plaza was hard to swallow for the price...we couldve gotten 3 meals of the same quality elsewhere. And that was a cheap TS for Disney standad's as we got out of there for under 100 for a group of 6.
So no, if you don't personally feel like it will bother you, it probably wont. We were perfectly happy with the qs meals we got and didn't feel like we had to sell our child for a mediocre buffet.

 

[Wild4Walt]

You know your budget best. We usually don't do TS nightly and try to stay away from the 'hot' one's that are hard to get ADRs for. If we're there for a week, we usually do 2-3 TS. We find the mix works for us ( both for budget and sanity ) - after a long day in the parks sometimes a TS meal is a good break from the crowds. There are sites that have current ( or pretty current ) that have pricing. There are a few gems out there that don't break the bank.

 

[Harambe]

One more thing to keep in mind is times that you might be better off with an ADR. For instance, with the new Pandora area in AK, that park will be busier now, and if you go at lunch time you might find long lines at the QS places (not just at Pandora, since more people will be all throughout AK now). So an ADR for lunch makes sense. Same for if you plan on doing a late EMH park - lots of people heading in at dinner time, maybe more folks lining up for QS. So here you might want to have an ADR for dinner, especially if you are planning on going to the park for the whole day/night.

 

[scrapquitler]

We are an adult couple visiting in January. Are we missing out if we skip TS restaurants? We're not sure if it's worth it on our budget. Anyone else do the same?

We usually do only one TS (or none) per trip. I don't feel like we miss out on anything. My DH and DS14 don't care about food (DS REALLY doesn't care), they'd rather snack and eat burgers or pizza most of the time if I'm not making homemade food.

 

[MrsDuck]

DH and I are fortunate to get to the World multiple times a year. We typically do 1 TS during a weekend trip.

 

[Barbydoll8]

Two adults who frequent. We typically only do TS and typically not in the parks but more at the resorts. The food is much better and we find a better value. We are not typical WDW vets though.We are locals who go frequently so squeezing in park time is a non-issue. There is also a difference between TS and signature TS. We do not do signature. I won't pay OOP as there are better signature places near me if I want that experience (well except maybe V&A).

If we do CS, it's because we want a light meal, not a burger & fries. I have been known to order from the kids meal section at QS because I want to enjoy my TS. We also do not order apps, alcohol or dessert at TS to keep in line with the budget. But we HAVE gone to the lounges and ordered and done just fine with good quality and lower $. You can also just order dessert at TS if you want an experience (exception would be character meals which are AYCE or buffet).
So maybe plan a dessert or app one night at TS after a late QS lunch?
Just an option.