Universal Quick Dining Plan worth it?

[ShannShann]

Hi!

Traveling with my 9 year old daughter for 3 days for our 1st trip to Universal. Not familiar with the food pricing and wondering if the dining plans are a good value.

Thanks for your replies!

 

[damo]

It can be. It is offered at every cash register at each restaurant, so if you find that your entree will make the dining plan a bargain, just purchase it there.

 

[macraven]

I order a high end and usually it would be $19.99 for the meal

if the plan costs me about $23, then I come out ahead

Drinks are included in the meal plan/ counter service

I get two coupons that I can use up to 14 days later
One for a beverage and one for a snack

I use the snack coupon for a butterbeer or the Lards lad pink donut which is $5

Beverage could be soda or water for me

Depends where you use the meal deal to make it worth the money for you

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Does this mean that "non-alcoholic beverage" is only bottled water or fountain drinks? No butterbeer? No pumpkin juice? None of the other Harry Potter drinks?

 

[damo]

Does this mean that "non-alcoholic beverage" is only bottled water or fountain drinks? No butterbeer? No pumpkin juice? None of the other Harry Potter drinks?

Correct. Specialty drinks count as a snack.

 

[kohlby]

Does this mean that "non-alcoholic beverage" is only bottled water or fountain drinks? No butterbeer? No pumpkin juice? None of the other Harry Potter drinks?

We did get some more unusual fountain drinks though. I want to say Apple Cider once and pear juice the other time. It may have not been pear juice, but it was something quite a bit different than the normal fountain drinks. We always do lemonade for one of our fountain drinks too.

 

[kohlby]

Also note that you don't have to buy a meal plan for both you and your child. You could just buy one for you and share. Doing the math, I haven't found the child's plan to ever work out for us. Plus, my kids like being able to choose off the adult's menu too. (My 10 and 7 year old could never finish an adult meal but it's perfect for sharing!) Our favorite sharing meal is chicken and ribs from 3 Broomsticks. We actually have managed to just get two meals for the five of us! (So we buy two adult meal plans). And then we share the two huge drinks. And later share the two butterbeers we get with our snack credits. (And still have two drink credits left for us to share another drink later). We've tried the chicken and ribs at Terrace Falls and twice was very disappointed. It's always been great at 3 Broomsticks though. The ribs platter gives you an even greater value - but we like the chicken and ribs better so that's what we get. We do save money. We don't get the meal plan unless we plan on it being our chicken and ribs day though.

 

[damo]

We did get some more unusual fountain drinks though. I want to say Apple Cider once and pear juice the other time. It may have not been pear juice, but it was something quite a bit different than the normal fountain drinks. We always do lemonade for one of our fountain drinks too.

Yes, there are a couple of drinks...pumpkin fizz and apple or pear cider that you can get.

 

[tony67]

Overall I found it saved a few dollars...nothing great..but worth it.

For the snack I pretty much got the Ice Cream in the HP area - that is 6.99 and I suspect I'd of gotten that every day - don't get sticky toffee ice cream in the states anywhere else I know of.

A bottle of water in the HP area is 4 or 4.50 in some spots - a bit of a rip off - but if your in the HP area and want a water that is the option.
The breakfast at LC is 16.99 + a drink that is about $4.

So around $33 in "Value" for 21.99 + Tax.
Since I would have paid OOP for all that stuff anyway it was worthwhile and you can use them over a few days - so if you have an AP you can buy a second at half price currently and it is a much better value. Although you can;t officially use it on different days they are not enforcing that - and even the cashier said it was not an issue to use them over multiple days.