Twice as Many TS as QS = Crazy!?

[nikmasteed]

So our trip is 11 months away, August 2018 and nothing booked yet, but I'm experiencing significant Table Service creep in our early planning. The more DW and I discuss it the more TS meals we keeping wanting to add to the wish list when ADR bookings come around. For an 11-day/10-night (8 park day) trip, we're currently up to 13 TS and 6-7 QS.

I'm finding that if we go this route, paying out of pocket seems like a better bet simply because we just won't want the number of QS credits we'd get. The other observation I've made is that since 3 or 4 days would end up with a TS breakfast and a TS dinner, we're not likely to need an actual lunch meal and can supplement with snacks those days. This seems to bring the total number of meals down slightly-- a previous iteration of "the plan" had 11 TS and 11 QS, more in line with what the Dining Plan would dictate.

All of this early planning has tended to focus on what experiences we want and not necessarily lowest cost or fitting into DDP. We don't love the idea of dealing with credits, although I would do the Dining Plan if it ended up cheaper for what we want to do-- I just dont think it will be.

This is our first full family trip to Disney: me, DW, DD9, DD5. Wife and I went 12 years ago before kids. Her and I love character meals as it is, and we know our girls will love them, so we've packed them in. The wish list includes:

MAGIC KINGDOM days (3 days)
-Cinderella's Royal Table (never been, probably will do BBB same day if we do get the ADR)
-Be Our Guest (never been)
-Liberty Tree Tavern (fond memories, I know it's not a character meal anymore)
-Crystal Palace (long time favorite)

EPCOT days (2 days)
-Akerhsus (if any TS get axed, this may be one of them)

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS day (1 day)
-50s Prime Time Cafe (a favorite)
-Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater (nostalgia-- my own nuclear family would be shocked if a WDW trip skipped a meal in the cars)

ANIMAL KINGDOM days (2 days)
-Tusker House (never been, very intrigued since many seem to call this the best character meal)

NON-PARK days (2.5 days)
-Ohana (girls are huge Lilo and Stitch fans, will love that breakfast)
-1900 Park Fare (this breakfast is another must do for us every time we go to WDW)
-Chef Mickey (I know reviews are mixed, but I'd like to check out the contemporary also)
-Hoop Dee Doo Review (this was a later addition, the more I read about it seems like it would be such a fun show)
-TRex (may be meh for most, but DD5 absolutely loves dinos especially TRex, that could change by next summer though)

What do folks think, is this way too imbalanced? Will my wife and I have to throw out our belts, while our daughters leave piles of food uneaten? I know many think TS takes away from park time, but I've tended to keep the non-park meals on non-park days so I actually think it won't take away too much ride time. I'm also thinking both my wife and daughters won't be up for too many Rope Drops.

Thanks in advance, looking forward to the debate!

 

[ncc1701]

DH and I do more TS than QS at about the ratio of 1.5 to 1 but most of the QS are breakfast and dinner/lunch in DS ( WPE mostly). That said we are 2 adults in middle age who don't need to see and do everything at the parks (didn't do AK the last 2). If you children are under 10 getting the plan may work due to the Character Meals you are considering.Only you & your wife know if your daughters would be ok spending that much time at a sit down meals especially if this is their 1st trip. The 5 TS during 2.5 non park days seems like a lot .

 

[cruisin5]

I like it! A TS doesn't need to be a food fest for you and DW. You will be spending quite a time at your TS choices but it doesn't need to be a lengthy meal. Consider your travel time for the non-park days: Ohana, 1900 and CM can be a lot of travel depending on where your are staying. Hoop De Doo is worth the travel time regardless of where your are staying. Two TS at HS is too much .. pick one (Sci-fi IMO) and maybe add a TS at AK.

 

[Dakota731]

You are doing a lot of the same character meals we are, and when I did the math the dining plan saved us a little money. I even considered the deluxe because I don't care for counter service, but I was afraid it would cut into our ride time!

 

[JerseyJanice]

That is a whole lot of scheduling that is likely to interfere with your ability to tour the parks. If this is your family's first trip, IMO, you should concentrate on doing attractions, not dining. You can go out to eat at home, but you likely won't see the headlining Disney rides and shows live at home. One TS meal per day is plenty with the regular DP.

Random remarks:

Two ADRs at the Studios is one too many.

I would axe Hoop Dee Doo and T-Rex. Both meals will consume several hours including transportation to and from.

Most of your non-park restaurants are near the Magic Kingdom. They're all good choices IMO, but you may want to consider going to them on MK days. You might want to stretch out where you go so that you can see and enjoy more areas of the WDW resort.

Some of these will be difficult to book, and you may not get them without driving yourself crazy.

Have fun.

 

[Lisa F]

with two disney kids and all those character meals, the DDP might actually work out for you, so I'd take the time to run the numbers. It's a tremendous value for kids and AYCTE pricing.

I agree I'd not do 50PT and Sci Fi in one trip... I would pick Sci Fi and have milkshakes the food is so heavy at 50's PT and you are doing a lot of dining in general... two meals like that is TOO much in one day at HS IMO.

Also you have 13 TS but it would require 15 TS credits so keep that in mind - CRT and HDDR are both 2 credit meals. I would not do HDDR on credits because I prefer category 1 seating at an earlier time. Even if you end up doing the DDP it might be worth it to pay for that one out of pocket.

I did an 8 day trip and we did 2 TS a day and snacks in between... breakfast and dinner. it was not too much and the breaks are great for little ones, especially when they involve characters.... but we also did the deluxe plan and did get tired of eating heavy by the end... actually buffets are better for me to eat lighter at than a sit down on DxDDP because I feel compelled to try to clean my pre-plated plate while at a buffet i will choose lighter options and stop when done... sort of in control of my own portions. I have never been one to pile my plate at a buffet.

Be Our Guest COULD be experienced as a QS if you wanted to, it's a good value at both breakfast and lunch. That might help balance you out. Breakfast and lunch adrs are MUCH easier to get as well.

If you do Tusker House on DDP, make sure to try to get the full value out of it with the RoL package if you have any interest in seeing that show. If you go OOP it may or may not be worth it to you go pay extra for that.

I would not worry about what your daughters do or don't eat at character meals and if you go OOP they can share with each other or you can share with them at TS. We were on DxDDP and I shared a couple of meals with my son (split app, entree, drink and dessert) and it was plenty of food for both of us.

IMO your plan is good because you are lightest on TS restaurants at the two parks with the best QS options, AK and Epcot.

 

[10CJ]

I don't think it is too many TS meals but it would be way too many character meals for me. There will definitely be character overlap with those choices.

One thing I see is you only have one meal planned at Epcot and I feel like that park has some of the best restaurant options.

If you are want to check out the Contemporary why not try The Wave? We were very pleased with our dinner there.

 

[mamamelody2]

That would be too many for me, since that would take up too many "park hours" for my liking.
If you want to do it, though...do it! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

 

[nikmasteed]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts so far!

I do agree that 2 TS at DHS is probably a killer in a single day there, will probably rethink that one.

I will take a closer look at transportation timing once we solidify resorts (likely split stay AKL/BWI), but I figure on non-park days we'll have some more leeway to scoot around property.

 

[disneyvoice]

For us, especially in August, that would be WAY too much food.

I do exactly what you do when it comes to planning - there are a gazillion places I want to eat but there just isn't enough time to fit them all in no matter how long our trip is. We go several times a year and there are STILL TS places we haven't been to that I really want to try because there are also so many must dos that we do every trip.

I WAY over schedule and then reality sets in and I start adjusting and canceling. For me there is nothing more uncomfortable than being stuffed to the gills while touring the parks, especially in the heat and humidity you will be dealing with in August. We find that when we are there during really hot and humid times we are MUCH less hungry than at cooler times of the year as well. This past summer we went for week long trips in both June and July and ended up cancelling all but maybe 2 or 3 TS ADRS. We ended up doing primarily QS meals which is rare for us. There are so many really great new interesting QS options in the parks that it was just much more comfortable for us in the heat to not have to worry about not being hungry when we had another ADR. We ended up splitting several counter meals. Typically even when do a bunch of TS meals we share meals or split some appetizers - I just can't do much more than that or I feel like I will burst as I walk all over the place.

I also agree that doing so many TS meals greatly cuts into your park time. It's not just the amount of time you will be spending actually eating meals but the fact that you have to arrive at a specific time. This often means that you don't have time to wait in line for the ride you want to do so you either end up wandering around searching for a shorter line or you end up doing nothing while you wait to eat at your ADR time. Not a big deal if you are only doing a few TS meals but, if you are doing more than one a day you can end up without of wandering around time. That isn't always bad - when it happens to us we will doing a little shopping.

I would also suggest looking into the restaurants at Epcot. Epcot has ALWAYS been the place we go heavy on TS meals, even when our son was younger. I also think you are REALLY heavy on character meals. We LOVE character meals to but I know we would be burned out on them with that many.

 

[JPM4]

I think it really depends on your family. My son loves character meals. I'm also going in August with the dp and am looking to do at least 5-6 character meals. But to us it's not cutting into touring time it is what our ds really loves to do so it's worth it to us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Can I ask is park time at all a priority? Or is this less of a ride/attraction/show trip?

Only reason I ask is if you're wanting a good balance having too many meals would interfere with that. I might suggest because your children haven't been before to perhaps go over what attractions/rides/shows they may want to do and since it's been 12 years for you and your wife I'm sure there's some new additions you may want to give it a go. If rides/shows/attractions start to become more of a priority you may find yourself cutting back on some TS meals.

With the heat I certaintly understand wanting to relax in a cooler place but shows can help with that even just going into the souvenir shops (such as on Main Street instead of walking out on Main Street) can help. This is def. personal but I don't tend to eat as much in the heat especially when I'm actually out and about in it. We also had breakfast in our resort room as a small meal.

I have heard allow 1hr to 1 hr 30mins per TS meal.

We went during hurricane irma and thus our experience isn't one I could use as a reference (we had 3 total ADRs for 5 total WDW park days; 2 for dinner and 1 for lunch). At Epcot we were there during Food and Wine so we ate a few of the samplings there.

For us it was about 90% water water water as it was hot at times and having alcohol or soda didn't appeal to us much during the daytime (we would wait til nighttime) as we didn't want dehydration or upset stomachs. I mention that for the purpose of comparing costs if you were going to do that with out of pocket vs dining plan.

 

[Lisa F]

I think it really depends on your family. My son loves character meals. I'm also going in August with the dp and am looking to do at least 5-6 character meals. But to us it's not cutting into touring time it is what our ds really loves to do so it's worth it to us.

I don't think it is too many either. My son loves character meals and on our december trip we did: 'Ohana, Garden Grill, Tusker House and Crystal Palace breakfast and Hollywood & Vine Dinner... so 5 in an 8 day trip. We definitely had overlap. I don't think 7 in 11 days is too many... I would have added a princess meal if my son would have done it, but he doesn't want to (it would totally be for me, lol). We waited in exactly one line to see characters and that was for Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps at MVMCP (Zootopia is his favorite movie). So yes we had a 60 minute meal but in that time we saw 4 characters as well... I've never been in a character line less than a half hour, so I think it is a pretty good use of my time.

Also people bemoan park time but I'm all for quality park time. We had a couple of days where we went open to close... so 9am to 9pm at Epcot one day. That is a pretty long day and both leisurely sit down breaks were appreciated (Coral Reef lunch at 11:30am and Biergarten dinner at 6:30pm). By both of those times we were quite hungry and quite ready to take a load off for a while.

Also I consider Disney restaurants to be part of the overall resort experience... it's not like you're sitting down in Denny's or something.... the atmosphere and entertainment value of character meals and places like sci fi dine in or biergarten or coral reef to me are part of the fun of a Disney vacation... especially a longer one. 8 days was pretty long for me and we could not have gone those long days day after day without sit down meal breaks.

Also I find QS meals to be stressful. If you go at typical meal times, you're jostling for tables with trays of food and unstable beverages and kids in tow... or if one parent sits with the kids another parent has to handle 2 overfull trays of food. QS is pretty much hell on earth for me and NOT relaxing, by the time I've waited in line to order, waited in line for my food, waited in line or pushed my way through for condiments/toppings/napkins, fought for a table after being beat out a couple of times, realized that table was open because it is filthy and spill some of my expensive bottled water onto napkins to clean up the table, sit down and eat... yes I get fed and maybe it is less time, but I'm always so stressed at the end of it. I'd rather just wait for a table, be seated and then have someone bring me my food... even buffets are better because I know where I'm going with my food and I don't have to deal with drinks as well.

JMHO of course but I don't consider TS a waste of park time but rather a way to make my park time WAY more enjoyable by giving me a break from the crowds and the lines and recharging during meal times rather than just getting fed.

 

[JPM4]

Yes. I agree with you on the quick service. It was stressful especially compared to the sit down environments. Last time we did tusker house and Hollywood and Vine twice. Once with Mickey and the other time with Disney junior. That's all my son has talked about since we got back. I also was able to book a bounce back with free quick service dining so the upgrade was very cost efficient for us to upgrade to the regular dining plan. We are planning on crystal palace,h&v,tusker,akershus, and 1900 park fare. We may even add ohana as well for our off day. We also don't mind the over lap of characters my son right now couldn't meet goofy and Mickey enough. So as you said meeting them at meals is a two for one for us get the characters a nice meal and then have more ride time as opposed to waiting for characters.

I don't think it is too many either. My son loves character meals and on our december trip we did: 'Ohana, Garden Grill, Tusker House and Crystal Palace breakfast and Hollywood & Vine Dinner... so 5 in an 8 day trip. We definitely had overlap. I don't think 7 in 11 days is too many... I would have added a princess meal if my son would have done it, but he doesn't want to (it would totally be for me, lol). We waited in exactly one line to see characters and that was for Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps at MVMCP (Zootopia is his favorite movie). So yes we had a 60 minute meal but in that time we saw 4 characters as well... I've never been in a character line less than a half hour, so I think it is a pretty good use of my time.

Also people bemoan park time but I'm all for quality park time. We had a couple of days where we went open to close... so 9am to 9pm at Epcot one day. That is a pretty long day and both leisurely sit down breaks were appreciated (Coral Reef lunch at 11:30am and Biergarten dinner at 6:30pm). By both of those times we were quite hungry and quite ready to take a load off for a while.

Also I consider Disney restaurants to be part of the overall resort experience... it's not like you're sitting down in Denny's or something.... the atmosphere and entertainment value of character meals and places like sci fi dine in or biergarten or coral reef to me are part of the fun of a Disney vacation... especially a longer one. 8 days was pretty long for me and we could not have gone those long days day after day without sit down meal breaks.

Also I find QS meals to be stressful. If you go at typical meal times, you're jostling for tables with trays of food and unstable beverages and kids in tow... or if one parent sits with the kids another parent has to handle 2 overfull trays of food. QS is pretty much hell on earth for me and NOT relaxing, by the time I've waited in line to order, waited in line for my food, waited in line or pushed my way through for condiments/toppings/napkins, fought for a table after being beat out a couple of times, realized that table was open because it is filthy and spill some of my expensive bottled water onto napkins to clean up the table, sit down and eat... yes I get fed and maybe it is less time, but I'm always so stressed at the end of it. I'd rather just wait for a table, be seated and then have someone bring me my food... even buffets are better because I know where I'm going with my food and I don't have to deal with drinks as well.

JMHO of course but I don't consider TS a waste of park time but rather a way to make my park time WAY more enjoyable by giving me a break from the crowds and the lines and recharging during meal times rather than just getting fed.

.

 

[smiths02]

MAGIC KINGDOM days (3 days)
-Cinderella's Royal Table (never been, probably will do BBB same day if we do get the ADR)
-Be Our Guest (never been) (Do this as a quick service for breakfast or lunch-still impressive inside)
-Liberty Tree Tavern (fond memories, I know it's not a character meal anymore) (I would take this off the list since you only have 3 days in MK and 4 places you are eating)
-Crystal Palace (long time favorite)

EPCOT days (2 days)
-Akerhsus (if any TS get axed, this may be one of them) (I would change this to one of the really good restaurants in World Showcase as you already have princesses or if you really must keep Liberty Tree Tavern, just do quick service around Epcot, there are lots of good choices)

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS day (1 day)
-50s Prime Time Cafe (a favorite)
-Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater (nostalgia-- my own nuclear family would be shocked if a WDW trip skipped a meal in the cars) (maybe pay out of pocket for this for lunch...just get burgers)

ANIMAL KINGDOM days (2 days)
-Tusker House (never been, very intrigued since many seem to call this the best character meal)

NON-PARK days (2.5 days)
-Ohana (girls are huge Lilo and Stitch fans, will love that breakfast)
-1900 Park Fare (this breakfast is another must do for us every time we go to WDW)
-Chef Mickey (I know reviews are mixed, but I'd like to check out the contemporary also)
-Hoop Dee Doo Review (this was a later addition, the more I read about it seems like it would be such a fun show)
-TRex (may be meh for most, but DD5 absolutely loves dinos especially TRex, that could change by next summer though) (again, this would be an easy one to pay out of pocket, there is also Landry's card which can offer a discount if you have a birthday/anniversary/whatever in August) (A tip would be to make the reservation directly with the restaurant not through Disney, that way if you change your mind, there is not a penalty for cancelling. If you are going to Disney Springs, you can also just eat at one of the many quick services there to use credits and go have dessert at T-Rex or have appetizers at T-Rex and a meal elsewhere)


While I am more of a TS fan than QS...having 2 Disney kids and 2 Disney adults and lots of character meals does make the Dining Plan more cost effective. If you use all the table service as above, you may not have to effectively use all the QS and snacks to come out ahead.

On the other hand, we as family have decided that we like TS more and the dining plan doesn't work for us (but we also had Tables in Wonderland and APs and Landry card).

 

[DrunkJam]

We have 19 TS booked for a 10 night stay. We also have the DXDP. This way we get to have a sit down / character breakfast AND proper dinner. And try lots more of the fun choices!

 

[Micca]

Some great advice from fellow Dis-ers here already! I just have some random thoughts...

You have a nice long trip planned, I think taking some time for TS meals is a very good idea. It's a nice break and the quality of food at TS eateries is better than CS meals.

Def. price-out a dining plan, but consider whether or not your DDs will make it worthwhile. My most recent experience is with two DGDs who together would just about finish one kids meal. They just don't eat much at a sitting, how do your kids deal with meal time? From what I can discern the dining plan is based around everyone ordering the most expensive item on the menu in each food category. That's great if you like to select the top-priced items but the minute someone opts for chicken rather than the steak, you're on the losing side. I get that some people just like having everything paid for ahead of time, but if you feel like tracking your credits would be cumbersome that's certainly a valid concern.

One TS per day is sufficient for us and we're not lightweights at the dinner table There are so many choices for snacks/treats around WDW, nobody need be hungry.

 

[kniquy]

All of this early planning has tended to focus on what experiences we want and not necessarily lowest cost or fitting into DDP. We don't love the idea of dealing with credits, although I would do the Dining Plan if it ended up cheaper for what we want to do-- I just dont think it will be.

We found the credits a bit confusing when we tried to get a bunch of things in france and ended up using QS credits that we didn't intend on using. The dining plan feels like it is too much food. If you want to just go somewhere and have a few apps and dessert, well this really isn't allowed on the dining plan. One thing that jumped out at me is that you are going for 10 days. With this long of a trip one option is to upgrade one person to an annual pass -- this in the long run would save money on your trip -- shopping and dining discounts and as of right now the AP includes the memory maker. This would help negate any need or want to use the dining plan.

EPCOT days (2 days)
-Akerhsus (if any TS get axed, this may be one of them)

If you are traveling at the end of August -- this is when food and wine is going on -- i would scrap any TS meals and snack around the world. I have heard mixed reviews for this restaurant and not sure if it is worth the money. If princesses are what you are looking for then this is a good option.

NON-PARK days (2.5 days)

I would consider a non park day at animal kingdom lodge -- go in the evening, have dinner (I'm going in April but have heard great reviews about Boma) and then take part in the evening animal viewing.

 

[Colleen27]

We don't do QS at all on many of our trips. We do a TS breakfast or lunch, and another for dinner. I just don't like the QS experience, particularly in the heat when tables at fully indoor QS locations can be hard to come by, and would prefer to sit down and relax in the air conditioning while a waiter brings my meal to me. Basically, for us meals function as both meals and as mini-breaks from the parks, and that's especially nice when the weather is hot and just being outdoors can sap your energy. We either use the DxDDP or pay out of pocket, because we don't want all the QS that the basic dining plan includes. And if you're not on a dining plan, there is nothing that says everyone has to order an entree at every meal - appetizers and desserts make a nice meal at a lot of Disney restaurants, and if your girls like "real" food they might be happier sharing one adult entree between the two of them rather than each ordering kids' meals.

It does take more planning to arrange TS meals so that they don't take up an excessive amount of park time or add a ton of back-and-forth on Disney transportation to your trip, but it can be done if that's how you want to travel. And it doesn't have to take away from park time, especially with a nice long trip like the one you're planning.

Some more specific thoughts:

As others have said, 2 TS meals in 1 day at Studios is excessive. Pick the one you want more and do it for lunch, then have dinner at one of the resort meals you have in mind for a non-park day. Or make reservations for both, 50s PT for lunch and Sci-Fi for a mid-afternoon milkshake and cool down to enjoy the atmosphere. Just because you have an ADR doesn't mean you have to eat a full meal.

If you don't have time planned to spend at Disney Springs, I'd second the earlier advice to cancel T-Rex. It is a pretty cool atmosphere but that's a lot of travel time just for dinner and my experience taking younger kids there has been mixed; some love it, some are scared or annoyed by the very loud effects and atmosphere. Have you ever been to a Rainforest Cafe with the kids? That would be a good "test" of how they'd handle it because they're basically the same restaurant (same parent company and very similar menus) with different themes. If you keep it, look into the Landry's Select Club to save money. For $25 sign-up you get a $25 welcome reward and a $25 birthday reward; they don't ask for verification of your birth date so you can just put in a birthday during your trip month so you have both to use.

I'd suggest looking for Be Our Guest before the park opens. You'll have to make sure it isn't an Early Morning Magic day but that way you can not only experience the restaurant but also get a bit of a head start on your park time by being among the first to ride 7DMT for the day. So that helps with the concern about dining taking too much time from attractions.

I'd also suggest adding a TS on your other Epcot day. While snacking around the World is fun if you're there during the Food & Wine festival, we tend to find it less enjoyable in the heat, particularly since it can be tough to find shady places to sit and eat. A lot of the tables set up for the festival events are standing height, which isn't great with kids. There are so many good restaurants around the World Showcase, and it is a hard park to tour all day without a break - lots of walking, and a fair number of things (shopping, "boring" movie attractions) that tax kids' patience. I'd look for a late lunch/early dinner on those days, to get out of the sun at the hottest part of the day. My kids loved Teppan Edo (hibachi-style Japanese), Rose & Crown, and Tutto Italia when they were around your kids' ages.

 

[nikmasteed]

Oh geez I just realized I left Jiko off the TS list in my original post, haha...