Two sit down meals a day

[CynBeth]

I have family members with food allergies so we usually do 3 TS a day. We space it out a certain way and eat lighter at lunch. We are at the parks from open to close and find the time spent at lunch and dinner is when we relax and recharge.

 

[ncc1701]

We have plenty of days with a sit-down lunch and dinner . It depends on what you order and your appetite if it is too much. Like another poster I too miss lunch menus at many of the restaurants in the parks ( looking at you Chef's de France) We aren't all-day park people so going to a resort TS or even Disney Springs for lunch is not an issue. In most cases they have sandwiches or entree salads. We also rarely have a dessert with lunch ( Mama Melrose cannolis being an exception) . Even at MM we share a flatbreads pizza ( or 2 depending on dinner plans) and a Caesar salad rather then getting big meals.

 

[angelmav]

It probably is easier to do more TS if you are paying OOP, so you can order light if not feeling like you have to max your credits. What I don't get though is the thinking that your getting mountains more food at TS vs QS. It's pretty much a trade off of time, not the amount of food.

 

[Disneypro1]

IMHO, Too much time..too much $$$
Counter service choices are great at Disney. Honestly, In a whole 7 day trip..we probably only do ONE TS. There is too much to do to waste time and they are just too$$.
So we stick to counter service. A lot of times a 8.00 kids meal fills me up just fine.
We love Pecos Bills, Cosmic Rays, Eelctric Umbrella...All of the parks have a good selection of Counter service.
I say Counter service...same as Quick service, Some folks use different terms.

 

[k_hase]

I'm curious about what you don't like about QS? Is it the food, service, finding your own table? The incredible number of food choices for QS rivals the choices for TS, so I'm assuming it's something about the QS feeling.

We did one trip on the deluxe dining, and even with ordering salad, sushi, light, etc. I can remember feeling overly full by day 3 and just not eating for an entire day because of it.

 

[Dakota731]

We’ve tried about 20 different QS Restaurants over the years and haven’t enjoyed any of them. On the other hand we have had some great table service meals during our trips, and there are more I’d like to try. ITs also nice getting out of the sun for a bit. I’m not really worried about the cost or quantity of food just the time it would take. We aren’t big breakfast eaters so we’d do lunch and dinner and with small children we’d have to do maybe noon and six. It’s a quandary!

 

[NYCgrrl]

I'm curious about what you don't like about QS? Is it the food, service, finding your own table? The incredible number of food choices for QS rivals the choices for TS, so I'm assuming it's something about the QS feeling.

We did one trip on the deluxe dining, and even with ordering salad, sushi, light, etc. I can remember feeling overly full by day 3 and just not eating for an entire day because of it.

I can't speak for others but my thinking has little to do with service or finding our own table even if our one foray into the "healthier" food offered at Pecos Bill was a total dud when looking for a clean table or any table at all.
Approx. 35 years ago (time flies when you're having fun) I adopted a perimeter shopper mentality. Initially, it was a cost saving measure but in time I felt it was better for my family's overall health.
I avoid what I consider overly processed foods: too much sodium, sugar, and ingredients that needs a science degree to translate thus try to stay away from fast food wherever it is served. It can be limiting especially when traveling on the nation's interstate highways but there are ways to get around it.

I'm sure others could have different reasons.

When we opt for a dining plan at WDW it's normally the deluxe plan as we prefer to eat at Signature restaurants for our main meal of the day. We frequently find it covers our main meal food costs even if we don't eat included courses that don't appeal to us like desserts.
Since of late we've been staying CL we often ignore the plans, have lunch at a lounge, and dine OOP using discounted gift cards and our AP.

 

[Master Fastpasser]

We’ve tried about 20 different QS Restaurants over the years and haven’t enjoyed any of them. On the other hand we have had some great table service meals during our trips, and there are more I’d like to try. ITs also nice getting out of the sun for a bit. I’m not really worried about the cost or quantity of food just the time it would take. We aren’t big breakfast eaters so we’d do lunch and dinner and with small children we’d have to do maybe noon and six. It’s a quandary!

The question remains... What about them do you not like? If its the food and you haven't tried QS in a while you may want to look at some menus. Disney is no longer as limited as it used to be for menu items.
Also every QS I eat at is inside with AC and no sun.
I also kinda wonder why you would ask if 2 TS is too many if you do not want to eat QS.
Why would it even matter what our opinion is?
Not meaning for that to seem rude or anything just genuinely curious.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

I love that WDW offers so many sit down restaurant choices. As an adult only visitor for the past years, I love the down time from the hustle and heat. I love the atmosphere. As far as too much food, I seem to remember last year at The Brown Deby, I ordered Salmon and there wasn't much else on the plate (LOL). ENJOY!!!

 

[k_hase]

I can't speak for others but my thinking has little to do with service or finding our own table even if our one foray into the "healthier" food offered at Pecos Bill was a total dude when looking for a clean table or any table at all.
Approx. 35 years ago (time flies when you're having fun) I adopted a perimeter shopper mentality. Initially, it was a cost saving measure but in time I felt it was better for my family's overall health.
I avoid what I consider overly processed foods: too much sodium, sugar, and ingredients that needs a scientific degree to translate thus try to stay away from fast food wherever it is served. It can be limiting especially when traveling on the nation's interstate highways but there are ways to get around it.

I'm sure others could have different reasons.

When we opt for a dining plan at WDW it's normally the deluxe plan as we prefer to eat at Signature restaurants for our main meal of the day. We frequently find it covers our main meal food costs even if we don't eat included courses that don't appeal to us like desserts.
Since of late we've been staying CL we often ignore the plans, have lunch at a lounge, and dine OOP using discounted gift cards and our AP.

I agree on all counts and we typically eat that way as well. When fast food is the option, I get the salad (mcdonald's salads aren't terrible!). Have you tried Sunshine Seasons at Epcot, or Tangerine Cafe in the Morroco pavilion? Both of those are really atypical fast food and offer a wide variety of options are every trip stops for us. We do a lot of eating in our rooms (DVC, so kitchen) as well, along with signatures for 3 or 4 nights a week-long trip.

I was asking the OP b/c I wondered if they had visited some of the QS that aren't burger and fries fast food type.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Would that be too much? I don’t like fast food counter service - haven’t liked any that I’ve tried over the years. Just wondered how long it would take for two sit down meals?

Each will take 1.5 hours plus travel time if not eating in same park etc.
it’s a lot of food and a lot of time spent eating. For foodies... great, for most it’s Overkill.
We ve done all the plans. We be settled on one sitdown per day and it’s typically a later lunch/earlier dinner. For us, It’s not about cost it’s about comfort and what works best for us. The sitdown meal is our Unwind, relax and regroup with something yummy. Actually, We typically skip the plans altogether now and just choose our one sitdown plus whatever works each day. Sometimes that’s skipping a meal, sometimes it’s a snack and other times .. it’s a bit of everything.
Enjoy, whatever you choose.

 

[Quarky]

I agree that cost is definitely an important consideration, but other concerns such as time & quantity of food are very much in your control. Having a sit down meal does not necessarily mean every person in the group sitting down and ordering an appetizer, entree, and dessert, a la Disney Dining Plan.

My family tends to go to WDW during holidays, due to scheduling limitations, and so we more often than not end up doing two TS meals in one day. It may be different these days with the new mobile ordering via app, but queueing for QS can be an absolute gongshow during peak season. Also, we don't really like to leave the park during crazy busy times of year since transportation can be awful, so we prefer to get off our feet by having a nice sit down meal during the hottest hours of the day vs. taking double the amount of time to go back to the resort, take a nap, etc.

 

[gharter]

For us, it would be too much food and take too much time.
We usually do CS for noon and a TS early evening, then watch the evening show at that park.
YMMV

 

[mamamelody2]

It's going to depend on your preferences. 2 TS meals a day will take around 3 hours. I'm not willing to devote that much time to eating. Our last 2 trips we had free QSDP after having the DDP the 2 trips before that. I actually prefer QSDP as we love not being tied to ADRs and not spending so much time in restaurants.
Last year we ate all QS for 9 days and I did not have pizza, burger, or chicken tenders once. There are many many options in Disney quick service.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We always eat 2 TS a day. The only drawback to that is we rarely have room for snacks, but we aren't big eaters. I don't find TS meals more filling than CS meals, if you're only ordering entrees. I also don't think breakfast & lunch TS takes a lot more time than CS does. I'm willing to sacrifice an extra 30 minutes for a better meal. We normally eat at signature restaurants for dinner, which does take quite a bit more time than CS.

 

[goodeats]

I find this debate so funny. I’m not a big eater but I do like three meals a day. I don’t find two TS meals at Disney to be too much food, but I don’t finish everything on my plate or gorge myself. Buffets are hard to justify at the price point, but I don’t think eating at San Angel Inn at noon and then say California Grill at 7 to be too much food OR too much time.

I do not like carby snacks as a substitute for a meal.

 

[gorkt]

I have some days in my plans where we do 2 TS meals a day, and those generally work well for us as more relaxing days. I honestly don't go to WDW anymore to ride the rides, as much as I go to soak in the atmosphere. I have a few rides I target and as long as I get to them, I am happy to take it slower and spend more time at restaurants. A typical day for me might be: Rope drop, ride a headliner or two, eat a park or resort later time breakfast (10am), tour another few hours, go back to the resort for a few hours, then hit up another park or DS in the evening with a dinner reservation.

That being said, QS in 2019 is not the same as QS even 4 or 5 years ago. There is a greater focus on healthy options, and many of my QS meals are a salad, pasta or some sort of healthier, lighter option.

 

[mco65]

i don't think it would be too much food but i do think it would take too much time.. at least for me and my family. My kids are still teenagers and would rather spend their time riding vs sitting and eating.... hoping that someday we can slow down but i don't see it in the near future.

 

[sponica]

I know 90 minutes is sort of the worst case scenario, but I don't think I've ever taken that long to eat a meal at Disney. Maybe Tiffins, but that's because we stretched it out as long as possible. We were hot and tired.

The one time we did do counter service it still took 45 minutes between trying to find a seat and whatnot. And I don't like to inhale my food.

We did 2 TS a day. Sometimes breakfast and dinner, other times lunch and dinner.

 

[Lilsia]

I don't eat a lot and I don't eat the burgers/nuggets/pizza at WDW. I have no problem finding decent food while there. Epcot is easy to find good food at the counter service locations. MK, I usually get a greek salad or share something at Pecos Bills with my girls. AK, I get the steak bowl at Satu'li Canteen or find something at Harambe market. I don't go often to HS, but I know they have a variety of food there. We also tend to eat at off hours and do not linger over our meals so doing 2 counter sit down's is doable. I would look a bit harder at all of your options again because, unless you are very picky, there are plenty of decent counter service options out there.