Value and QSD Plan

[rileyroosmom]

Am I the only one who did not upgrade to the regular dinning plan? I was even considering upgrading to a mod, but I only want the QSD. Am I crazy?

 

[southcarolinagirl]

Nope, we wanted QSDP this time. We did regular DP in June, it was nice. However; it did take up a lot of time & out of 7 TS, maybe would do 2 or 3 of them again. Not great food, or service. We are looking forward to our mugs, eating whenever & lots of snacking!

Kim

 

[nooneshome]

I wanted the regular plan but now I am quite pleased with the quick service plan. We won't have to fight to get ADRs and have to plan around them. We can eat whenever and try out a few CS places we haven't tried yet.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

The QS plan is just right for us and I had planned to buy it for the upcoming trip if they had not offered the FD code. My math says that even after we paid more for the room we are still getting one of our meal plans for free.

No ADR's to make, no worries, free bird!

SG

 

[summerlady]

We've done both the DDP and the QSDP, while it was nice to have dinner in some of the more expensive table service restaurants, we actually prefer the counter service plan for it's flexibility. If you plan well in advance you never have to get stuck eating burgers and fries for every meal. When the Disney Visa offer came out with free dining I booked a vacation, but after a couple of days when the room only discount was offered, I changed our reservation and added the QSDP and dropped the free DDP. I only ended up saving about $35 dollars over the free dining offer, and actually I lost money because the DDP is worth more than the QSDP, but I'm happy that I did. Just my DH and I are going this time and staying at a mod, so it's much easier just to eat when we're hungry rather than plan our park days around ADRs.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

summerlady, I totally agree with you having done the DP many times. This is our first time with the QS but since we usually end up changing our TS for a CS and 2 snacks I have no doubt that it will suit us fine.

All things being equal if you offered both DP for free the regular one is a tad bit better because you get more snacks credits, if you do not want nor need a refillable mug.

If they should tweak the program again it might be nice to be able to add a TS meal or two to the package for more choices.

SG

 

[TheRatPack]

We've done the regular free dining 3 or 4 times and it's been great.....and we did think seriously about upgrading this year. We decided that QSDP might fit us better and we wanted to try it out. We started thinking we'd pay OOP for our TS meals but once we got out our old Passporters to check prices for TS meals, we realized out of all the TS meals we've had we really would only do 2-3 of them again. We just always booked the ADRs because we had the credits.....but seriously the food at the majority of them is mediocre, none of our kids eat enough to justify the added cost and the characters coming around every few minutes makes it difficult for anyone to eat and enjoy their meal too.....so we're sticking with the QSDP this year. We are booking a few TS ADRs, the ones we've come to enjoy over the years....and we like being forced to sit to down and 'rest' too, but I think we'll like the QSDP if we can find alternatives to burgers in every park.

 

[cab0ad]

We don't want the regular dining plan! We've done it twice before and quite frankly--its not worth the hastle!

You have to spend too much time planning out where you'll be and where to find a suitable place to go. Then you make your ADR's and pray they have SOMETHING available close to when you want to eat and where. Then you end up having to change half of them anyway due to changes in your schedule. We also hate having to give up so much time of our vacation to eat. When you add in the time you wait for your table, time to eat, and travel to get to/from your destination it really adds up. Plus our family never wanted to leave the activity we were engaged in to go trek across the park to eat. I remember more than once we had to quit and go eat due to our ressies and we weren't even hungry! Couldn't skip it though or we'd never get in anywhere else.

Food wise--we have only had a few meals in our 2 trips (8-9 days each time) that we considered really good quality. We loved Le Cellier and Liberty Tree Tavern. But most of our meals were comparable in quality to outside vendor restraunts--certainly not worthy of the $40 plus per person we were paying. Not to mention the 18% tip you are expected to leave. The tips alone for the meals could have killed our budget! And all for food we didn't particularly think was "awesome" or anything.

With quick service you can eat when you want, where you want, and no worrying about the tip! Sure, it takes planning if you don't want to eat burgers/pizza the whole time but no more planning than you would have to do for the regular dining plan.

Even character dining wasn't worth it for us. You have to sit and wait forever for characters to come around sometimes. We went to dinner at 1900 park last summer and I kid you not--we were seated at 4:45 and we didn't get to see the last character until 7:30. That's ridiculous! We left MK at 4:15 to get there and didn't get back to MK until around 8:00. That is almost 4 hours of our park day devoted to 1 meal...could've eaten at Cosmic Rays in 30 minutes with plenty of time leftover to go seek characters out.

 

[summerlady]

If they should tweak the program again it might be nice to be able to add a TS meal or two to the package for more choices.

SG

The only way they'll tweak the program is to raise the price! </sourpuss

This is going to be a quickie 4 day trip for DH's birthday...the only TS ADR I'm making is for lunch at the Biergarten so he can pig out and then go back for a three hour nap, a birthday dream come true for him. Two more refillable mugs to add to the pile of them in my kitchen cabinet. Ha!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Cab0ad I sure do agree about the tips. The prices are so high that the tip really adds up. It equals what we might pay to eat out back home, in total. Not so bad for great food and great service but there is scant amounts of that lately.

Summerlady, raise the prices? Surely you jest! I hope I am wrong but as bad as things are I think they will be worse next year. People are having enough trouble paying for things that they need and the extras are going to have go by the wayside or become cheaper so folks can afford them. We are going this year because who knows if we will be able to next year. Only one trip this year also. I appreciate the fact that we are getting to go at all and for an extended time when many cannot. Wish I could win the lottery and take them all with me.

Slightly Goofy

 

[summerlady]

Summerlady, raise the prices? Surely you jest!
Slightly Goofy

Someone posted this tonight on another thread:
The basic dining plan 2010:

$42 per adult (ages 10+) $12 per child (age 3-9) per night above the cost of the Magic Your Way Package for travel dates: 1/01/10 – 2/11/10 ; 4/11/10 – 6/03/10 ; 8/15/10 – 12/16/10

$47 per adult (ages 10+) $13 per child (age 3-9) per night above the cost of the Magic Your Way Package for travel dates: 2/12/10 – 4/10/10 ; 6/04/10 – 8/14/10 ; 12/17/10 – 12/31/10

(I didn't see the qsdp prices and don't know where the op got the info)

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Summerlady, my tongue was in cheek when I replied. I forget that folks cannot see my grin. That is not a big increase but bet they take away the entree or silverware, possibly both. It does not cost significantly more to cook good food as opposed to bad food and people come back.

SG

 

[summerlady]

Summerlady, my tongue was in cheek when I replied. I forget that folks cannot see my grin. That is not a big increase but bet they take away the entree or silverware, possibly both. It does not cost significantly more to cook good food as opposed to bad food and people come back.

SG

Oh, I saw that grin alright! Just raising it from approx. $40 per day to $47 (on those certain dates) seems a bit overpriced for what you actually get for your money. By the way, do you know if it's possible to trade counter service desserts for anything else? I did that at the food court at POFQ and had prepared fresh fruit salads a couple of times but I don't know if they allow that in the parks. Sometimes one just can't stomach another pre-packaged carrot cake.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Summerlady, I have been able to trade a dessert for a bottle of water or a piece of fruit at some places in the parks. I am with you on the prepackaged chocolate or carrot cakes and I have been on a diet for nearly three years. It is bad when a carb deprived person gets sick and tired of dessert.

Did you know that you can trade TS for CS and two desserts, at least I have been able to the past couple of years. It is the only time that the regular DP beats the QS for me.

I am hoping that someone will start a thread about QS dining options. Not that I do not already know, mostly by heart, my options.

If you have not tried Wolfgang Puck's Express please do. If they can serve quality food at reasonable prices maybe they should be given the job of fixing food for EVERY Disney restaurant.

If I wanted to eat cheeseburgers and fries or cardboard pizza I could stay at home and do so for much less. Orlando Ale House is an option if you want to go off site.

Rambling, time to head to bed. I am tired. Off perchance to dream Disney dreams. Hope you have great ones yourself

SG

 

[wdw.dreamer]

Did you know that you can trade TS for CS and two desserts, at least I have been able to the past couple of years. It is the only time that the regular DP beats the QS for me.



SG

I was looking around to see if anyone knew if I could do this!

I booked FD in Oct with my DV. We have never done the Dining Plan in the past as we only usually make 1-2 ADR's during our trip.
I am having trouble coming up with 10 places I WANT to make ADR's at besides the fact that I don;t know that the days I make them we will even feel like going to that park!

When you have used a TS at a CS in the past have you just told them to use a TS credit when you order?

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

wdw.dreamer,it is my understanding that the reason you were able to trade a TS for one CS and two snacks had to do with the fact that there was no availability at some many of the TS places because of all the folks on FD.

The past two years I have been able to take my room key, with dining privileges to the ordering stand at any CS, resort or park, and tell them that I wanted to do a swap. I then ordered my CS meal and they also gave me a voucher good for two snack credits. It is cheaper for them so I figure they might do the same this year as well.

I always do my agenda and what parks I want to go to each day as well as sort of what attractions I want to do and then find a convenient place to eat from there. Seems to work a bit better than planning your agenda around meals.

Don't cha just love figuring out where you want to eat months in advance? Heck, I barely know what I am going to eat for dinner today!

Slightly Goofy

 

[jennapens]

I specifically wanted the QS plan. We were originally booked at CSR for 11/28 to 12/5. I wanted to add on the QS to that and was told that I couldn't. It had to be the regular plan or nothing. So, we switched our reservation to the POP, got the free QSdining, and a preferred room for $100 cheaper (plus whatever we would pay for food) than CSR. DH was adamant about not changing resorts, but when he saw the savings, he caved! For some strange reason, he got excited when I told him that the refillable mugs are now free. I swear, sometimes I just don't understand that man!! =)

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

sometimes I just don't understand that man!! =)

Jennapens, just give it up now and save yourself a whole lot of trouble.

Congratulations on the great deal! I think you will like POP. It has some great pools and lots of color and excitement. With all that free food you will not be able to move much any old way.

SG

 

[Bete]

to upgrade or not, myself. I'm going to wait for my 90 mark for ADRs and see what I can get for TS meals. If I get my wish list, I'll consider the upgrade for it.

I think it really depends if you want to plan out your day or not. Logistically, you need to be where your reservation is and that means you don't want to back track too much (a waste of time) in the parks. I like the rest at TS and we usually put in longer days by doing TS meals; it's like getting a recharge for us. I like Epcot especially for TS; because, you have many authetic servers from the country, perse. For shorter trips I think I would lean towards QS only.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi ya Bete! I always wait until the hours come out and then plan my agenda by what park on what day, usually going to the park that had EMH the day before, and then plan morning attractions, afternoon attractions and late evening. THEN I plan where we might eat, sometimes marking more than one choice. I go by where we will be near.

We stay extended lengths of time and buying one or two TS meals OP works for us and gives us CS to use for breakfast the day we leave and even sometimes something to pack for lunch along the road.

We are older now and do the parks in sections rather than whole parks in one day. Works for us.

EPCOT restaurants rock!

Slightly Goofy