Vouchers...how good a deal?

[Pooh99]

Having not been to Disney in 15 years, I need someone to tell me about dining.

The voucher for character breakfast is $17.75 through Hotwire...but the menu list at allears.net said that the breakfast is $16.99. How much do you REALLY save with the vouchers?

 

[Pooh99]

I will be traveling with DH (who eats like a horse...)
DS - 10 who eats pretty well and is only moderately picky and DD - 5 who, being EXTREMELY picky eats about 3 things..(noodles, noodles and noodles)
I am pretty flexible, not over picky.

Having never been there with kids, I guess I just don't have any idea what we will spend on eating. It is hard to know what we will be saving.

Thanks.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

The vouchers include tax and gratuity. So you would save a bit. They are an excellent deal if you use them for Cinderella's breakfast or the Princess Breakfast at Epcot ($19.99 each)

 

[westjones]

It is hard with kids that don't eat. When we went to Disneyland when my girls were 4 1/2 (twins), what we did was DH and the girls went and got their meals (the girls got 'kids meals'), then when they had finished eating what little they ate, I ate what was left on their plates (sometimes DH even had to help). I just hated wasting money on food that would be thrown away.

You can't do this with buffets, but it worked for the other places. Now my twins are 10, so they can finish a kids meal themselves. But when they were little, it would have been wasted.

DJ

 

[Familymoon]

Personally, I didn't see them as a value at all.

Okay, MAYBE a dollar for the character breakfast - but even then, hardly worth it. Plus, if I remember correctly, the kids' vouchers cost *more* than the rate at the restaurant!

For us - we don't need dessert and an appetizer every time we eat - in fact, I'd rather *not* have all those added calories, kwim? So, when I reviewed all the counter service places and restaurants we would be eating, I realized that our typical bill for those places would be far less than the cost of a voucher. Some people split entrees between themselves and a spouse, but I'd rather have my own food.

So - yes, if you are planning a trip to Rainforest Cafe and want appetizers and entrees and desserts (and want to order the steak and lobster) - sure, you'll save. But, if you would be just as content to go to Red Lobster or eat onsite somewhere - you won't save much with the vouchers.

 

[jann1033]

I guess it depends on how you want to spend your time...I figured for the $3 savings per Bv, it was worth the 5 mins (tops) of my time it took to order them. actually it took me that long to order all the vouchers I got , for free( no s&h and nothing joining for the month I got them in plus the $10 bucks I got back. from the menus we should save about $150 for my 5 mins of work, i'll take that lol) dianapincessofwales has a detailed list of what she just used the vouchers for on the "connections" thread( first one on this board, last page)

 

[LauraR]

I've been considering vouchers too, but have decided against them, because they seem like too much work. I don't want to add up a beverage, appetizer, entree, and dessert at every restaurant I go to, to see if a voucher makes sense, and I don't want to get stuck having to order one thing from each category. Also, it seems like I might end up over-ordering to get my money's worth. Then there's trying to coordinate what everybody in the family wants...O.K., I'm probably just being lazy, but it's my vacation---I just want to relax! I wouldn't want to take a calculator around, but I also wouldn't want to assume I was getting a good deal. I think I'd rather have the flexibility to order what my appetite and the situation allow. But it seems like a lot of other people swear by them (they probably have much better math skills than I do!).

 

[my evil twin]

The value for my family is in budgeting ahead of time and not having to calculate the tip. I don't like to charge things that I could pay in advance, and we very rarely carry cash. Using the vouchers we don't need to carry nearly as much.

 

[Familymoon]

I just carry a debit card and order what we want

(disney dollars tucked away for emergency cart snacks)

 

[xlstacey]

I ordered vouchers to use on our upcoming trip. My dh eats very well as does my dd12 and her friend who is also 12. dd10 does pretty good eating and dd7 ... well she is lucky to eat 2 chicken nuggets. I think I am about an average eater. We'll be there on WDW property for 13 days and I have 6 q&c vouchers for each of us (dd10 & 7 are sharing 1 voucher). My reasoning was that these will be nicer meals and we can fill up on these occassions which will make my dh's day! We plan on using them all at Beaches & Cream and Pepper St Market, where we'll get the most bang for our buck. When we are at the parks (5 days) we'll have 1 meal there at an average of $7.50 per person (only H2O to drink).

I also purchase the breakfast vouchers for each person, as we have not done a character meal before and I wanted to surprise my children

Last, but not least, I purchased the Kingdom Lunch vouchers for our Rainforest Cafe dinner. Yes, the vouchers did end up costing us around $95 for this meal, but I figure we're here and we'll chalk it up to our "vacation memories". We've not been there b4, so something new to experience. I also figured out that we would spend well over $250 at this restuarant w/out the vouchers.

So, it pretty much boils down to what you want to eat when you are there & how much do you and the others eat???? It's all choice and palete and what you really want and are willing to pay for ... gotta love the choices the mouse offers.

 

[crisi]

In addition to the time and hassle of ordering the voucher, and perhaps the time and hassle of planning to make sure you will use the vouchers in the right places for the right meals, remember to factor in the time and hassle of getting to the places where these are a good value.

If B&C is a must stop for you, a voucher makes sense. If getting to B&C means one less ride on M:S and you'd rather ride M:S, a voucher makes less sense. B&C takes ten minutes to get to from Epcot. (Fifteen from M:S at a quick pace) And about twenty and a quick pace from the MGM gate. Remember to add the time walking back. Is the meal worth and extra half hour or more of travel time?

If you are staying at CSR and Pepper Market is right there, vouchers make sense. If you are leaving a park in the middle of the day to go eat at Pepper Market because the voucher is a good deal for you, the voucher makes less sense - unless you are the type who always leaves the park in the middle of the day anyway. Yes, you could save some money - but you are paying $45 a day to be in the park, you want to get the value you can out of that $45.

If you are going to AK or DTD and want to do Rainforest Cafe, a voucher can save you money. If you are one of those people who doesn't like AK and are going to skip that park, and you never get to DTD, going out of your way to get value out of a Rainforest Cafe meal may make less sense.

When you are just using them for counter service at Peco's Bills, the vouchers save you less money (and may be more expensive) and then the math comes in.

Also keep in mind that they are pre-paid. A feature some people love. But that means that you need to use them (or sell them when you get back) or the money has been wasted. You aren't saving much money if you are the type to buy ten vouchers and return with four that you throw into a desk drawer and forget about.

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by Pooh99
I will be traveling with DH (who eats like a horse...)
DS - 10 who eats pretty well and is only moderately picky and DD - 5 who, being EXTREMELY picky eats about 3 things..(noodles, noodles and noodles)
I am pretty flexible, not over picky.

Having never been there with kids, I guess I just don't have any idea what we will spend on eating. It is hard to know what we will be saving.

Thanks.

short and sweet cause I have lost this reply 3 times due to crazy computer
www.allearsnet.com for menus to help decide
www.landrysrestaurants.com for safari club and good discounts you can use along with vouchers click on RFC icon
travel time argument only valid if not going to make PS since will be going to the same place and traveling the same distance just not saving any money once you get there without the vouchers..you may be better off than me but i would rather have 3 dollars in my pocket than in disneys and since I plan and make ps anyway(a long with probably 90%of others on these boards) why would I not try to save a few bucks here and there on food. i guess i am willing to "sacrifice" a few mins to buy the vouchers since I have already done the rest just in my trip planning and doubt I will faint walking to a rest. I can use them at
do not mean to be terse but am tired of trying to reply to this with out losing it at computer!!!!

edited this now that the computer is ok again( had to restore it what a mess look out for anything "n-CASE" .somehow it downloaded itself, I couldn't remove it and it really messed up my computer)

I was losing the replies not my patience.

just wanted to clarify that..one of my original replies( that are floating in cyberspace somewhere) I said it isn't black and white and has a lot to do with what you personally like or do not like...I can see how they would not be good for someone who does not want to follow any schedule although they are usable at many places in each park.I do think think if saving money is an object they are a pretty painless way to do it, much easier than imo packing lunches or what ever. also they are a built in budget helper since you know pretty exactly what you are spending for that meal. as far as the amount of food, that is why we are splitting it. which is not a problem for me since we never get a dessert or appe we do not split any time we eat out since entrees are usually way to big to eat in additoin to those.

 

[crisi]

I disagree Jann that travel time is an arguement only if you aren't making PSs. You can't make a PS at B&C or Pepper Market. We make a lot of PSs, but we make them anticipating where we will be at the time. And if we aren't there and it turns out to be out of the way, we change plans - with a prepaid voucher that could be an issue. Sometimes, but not often, we will go out of our way to eat. Travel time not an issue if you are willing to go out of your way to eat. But if you are not willing to go out of your way to get to Beaches and Cream or Pepper Market, than your savings will be very different than someone who does.

Our last trip we had planned to eat at B&C, but plans changed and we ended up at Biergarten. We planned to eat at Primetime, but didn't want to rush to MGM and ended up going to Spoodles after the pool.

Vouchers can save you a ton of money....but the most money on the Q&Cs is saved by those willing (or eager) to go to the places where the voucher offers the greatest value. i.e. you can still save a couple bucks using vouchers if you eat all your meals at Cosmic Rays or Peco's Bills, but the big money is saved if you go out of your way - and if you are looking at "is it worth it for a few bucks" (which for a lot of people it isn't) travel time is something to keep in mind.

(Now the Breakfast Vouchers - or the Kingdom Lunch Vouchers, they are something different, yep, have to plan ahead for those anyway, might as well save a buck or two, if its worth the hassle to you.)

Not sure why you are losing it. All I'm saying is that for some people Beaches and Cream and Pepper Market are out of the way, and if you are thinking you are going to save a lot of money using Q&C vouchers, you are going to need to save it at places like this. For someone who hasn't been to Disney in a while, they may not realize how out of the way Pepper Market is. I'd hate for someone to plan their vacation around saving money using vouchers, get the scoop on the good voucher deals, and then discover that Beaches and Cream is a good ten minute walk and has an hour wait and lunchtime, and then come back from their vacation disappointed that they didn't get to see what they wanted because they were too busy running around property to save the most money on vouchers.

 

[xlstacey]

I have to say that I agree with both of you. We are going to be there a good long time and well I really want to check out the other resorts, shop, boat, ride the monorail and w/13 days there and only 5 at the parks, it's just not an issue w/us, but can be with others.

Good points to ponder & it comes down to choice & preference once again.

Thank you both

 

[Muffy]

We will be using vouchers for the second time in a few weeks. They really do save you money and it is not inconvenient to use them. They are excepted almost everywhere and great for families!

 

[Familymoon]

I just wanted to reiterate that it only saves money (Character meals aside) if you are already planning to order an appetizer and a dessert and the most expensive item on the menu. Then, yes, they are a great deal and can save a lot of money.

However, if you typically order an entree and skip dessert for a treat in the park later, then you won't save much. The links above are great - we looked at the prices there and plotted out what a typical meal would be for us and the kids. We typically split a soda, each get an entree, and share fries (or get a combo meal)...we figured out that *we* were saving up to $5 a meal by ordering what we would on a normal vacation in lieu of the vouchers. (Especially true at the rather pricey lunch voucher level).

But - if you will order a bunch of food - and get pricey desserts -and want to live high on the hog you'll be saving a bundle - kwim?

 

[TandyR]

We do the vouchers because I know that two Q&C vouchers will fed my family of four without a problem. My DDs love to try everything and anything, but they aren't big eaters so with an apetizer, entree and dessert the four of us have a filling meal. Then since I was ordering the Q&C vouchers anyhow I ordered the breakfast ones to cover our princess breakfast and one lunch one for 50s Prime time since my DDs and my DH and I split an appeticer and dessert there and DH and I split a meal there and DDs order there own meals there. It we end up saving money. I just do research before hand which isn't a problem for me...I love research.

 

[xlstacey]

Familymoon, yes you are right on the deserts for the q&c and it really depends on where you go as to how much $$ you can save. I am using these meals as a nice treat for my family, because we generally do not get desserts. They will be thrilled!!

As far as the Kingdom Lunch Vouchers we'll be using, they'll be thrilled once again to have an dessert to themselves AND an appetizer too. This will be a trip they'll remember. My kids (dd12, dd10 and dd7) have now decided that they too LOVE steak and want that above the chicken or hotdogs (what have we done???) at our BBQ's. Needless to say, now dh and I have more chicken because having that much steak that often is wayyy to spendy. Maybe I am more excited for them to be able to have their own steak and I am sure we'll be taking a lot of leftovers back to the condo

I too enjoy the research. Wayyy toooo much fun

 

[xlstacey]

Familymoon - have a SUPER time and say "hi" to the Mouse for us all ... we're coming soon

 

[Familymoon]

Can do!

I can't believe it's almost time!!!

I had a fun time researching everything - and it was REALLY tempting (since our kids actually love filet AND salmon!- ugh - we've ruined them! LOL) to get the Lunch vouchers (especially after seeing the desserts at Beaches and Cream! WHOAH!)

But - this time we're on a budget - so maybe next time we'll be a little more indulgent (or if the kids were older - ours are 6, 4, and 2 - so they practically share a kids meal at this age!)