What do you guys think of the new Quick Service Meal Plan

[djm99]

It seems kind of high to me. It seems more expensive than last years basic dining plan which included a table service meal. I am just wondering is it just me.

 

[catne]

could you tell me where the prices are officially posted? I just got on the board!

 

[ga9497]

Check here

 

[djm99]

I was playing around with it on Disney's website. Go under tickets and reservations if the front page doesn't load correctly.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Counter service is not cheap. So I think it is right in line with what I would expect.

 

[Tiffany]

Counter service is not cheap. So I think it is right in line with what I would expect.

I made this out to be $30 per person per night for everyone in the party 10yrs and older for two quick service meals and two snacks per night. This seems high to me at best you are prepaying but I do not see how you are saving anything.

 

[Luv2Roam]

If DH and I get a counter service meal I can figure the minimum of being $20. Probably closer to $22, and that is without a dessert. (Which I think the CS meal plan includes, but don't recall as I have not looked it over that well.)
Just recent on the DDP, one CS breakfast (CSR) was around $30 for both of us. A food court CS breakfast was $24, for both of us.
Figure at least that for a lunch CS. And that's just average, without getting what I call a more high end CS for dinner or lunch at CSR or Morocco for example.
Then two snacks. And a refillable mug.
I say it is still a money saver. Esp considering you are basically locking in your price for meals. You know meal prices will only increase, just as they are everywhere.

 

[Corjack]

Well we went for 9 days in April and ate all CS and from what I can see, this is REALLY over priced. Unless you ALWAYS order the most expensive things on the menu. Even then it would not be any savings, but about the same price. Using this plan I would have spent more on our food then my actual prints outs say we spent!

Jackie

 

[SurfinTX]

Going by a typical order for me at Sunshine Seasons:

Entree - Rotisserie 1/2 Chicken - Served with choice of two side items. - $9.49
Drink - Coca-cola - $2.19
Dessert - Hand Dipped Edy's Ice Cream - Single $2.69

Comes out to $14.37.

Say I have Dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe:

Entree - Turkey Bacon Wrap - Served with your choice of apple sauce or pasta salad. - $7.59
Drink - Fanta Orange - $2.09
Dessert - Carrot Cake - Carrot Cake - $3.59

for $13.27.

2 Snacks of 20 oz. bottle Dr. Pepper $2.39 and Grapes - $3.29 for $5.68

for a total of 33.32.

I'm not sure if there are CS items not allowed on the dining plan but it certainly wouldn't be hard to get a bit of savings every day.

 

[diz_kid 777]

Don't forget you get the resort mugs as well. I don't think this is such a terrible deal. Like with the other dining plans, it all depends on how you use it.

 

[dpic]

If you only eat CS, this might make sense. But we normally do one CS/day and one TS/day. The TS is normally buffet, so we get PLENTY of food there. We often share a CS meal because of the amount of food you can get at a TS meal. That's why we've never done the DDP--too much food.

Each to their own, however.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

It probably wouldn't be something my family would want (and for $10 more I'd rather do the regular plan and get a TS), but I can see that this would be a good plan for many families.

We're not big soda or coffee drinkers (or resort eaters), so the mugs would be lost on us. Plus we like to do a sit down meal almost every day.

 

[dclfun]

I think it's priced right, esp. since CS meals don't require grats, so what you pay upfront really is totally prepaid vs. the DDP where we now have to pay grats on top of the plan price for TS. For someone who doesn't do TS meals it looks like a good, if not fantastic deal, to me, but then we never tried to order the most expensive items for TS in the past few years with the DDP either just to maximize savings. For us it was all about convenience and having our vacation prepaid totally. I'm really glad they are offering this option as it fits some vacation styles that weren't a good fit with the DDP, just like the DDxP fit some vacation styles that weren't a good fit with the regular DDP. Now there's something for everyone. With the extra snack, which may make all the difference to some, and the refillable mug the value is certainly there. ---Kathy

 

[BostonRob]

I'm telling you, the sole reason this plan exists is because of the popularity of the free dining promotion in recent years. This is a cheaper way for Disney to get more people into the park. I garuntee you, 100% sure thing, that when they offer free dining promotions this year, they'll be this counter service plan and not the standard plan.

And it will save them money in other ways too. It will free up tables for people who want to go to table service meals, making Disney more money. A family who doesn't normally do TS still probably does one or two TS per vacation (character meal or favorite epcot restaurant or something like that). Instead of using their TS credit from their plan, they'll have to pay out of pockt for that meal and they'll end up using their counter service meal for a cheaper breakfast - money for disney 2 ways.

Oh and lets not go overboard on this free mug. Most families who like counter service meals were probably buying the mug anyway. You COULD look at it like this plan is saving you $12.50 but if you stretch that out over a 7-10 day vacation, you're still talking about saving less than $2 per day. And my point is that on this plan, the average person would lose more than $2 per day because it is overpriced. under $30 spent per day on this plan

End Zone food court:
Breakfast- Mickey Waffle w/ bacon- $5.69, juice lets say $2.19 = $8.35 w/tax
Lunch - Bacon dble chsbrgr w/fries - $7.59, coke $2.19, cone $3.69 = $14.28

So if you did breakfast and lunch, you're looking at $22.63 - are you going to get $7 worth of snacks?
Yeah, lunch and dinner would get you close to $30, so the snacks are icing on the cake, but you probably had a piece of cake with your lunch and with your dinner, so do you really need the icing?

 

[disneyfan55]

I'm telling you, the sole reason this plan exists is because of the popularity of the free dining promotion in recent years. This is a cheaper way for Disney to get more people into the park. I garuntee you, 100% sure thing, that when they offer free dining promotions this year, they'll be this counter service plan and not the standard plan.

And it will save them money in other ways too. It will free up tables for people who want to go to table service meals, making Disney more money. A family who doesn't normally do TS still probably does one or two TS per vacation (character meal or favorite epcot restaurant or something like that). Instead of using their TS credit from their plan, they'll have to pay out of pockt for that meal and they'll end up using their counter service meal for a cheaper breakfast - money for disney 2 ways.

Oh and lets not go overboard on this free mug. Most families who like counter service meals were probably buying the mug anyway. You COULD look at it like this plan is saving you $12.50 but if you stretch that out over a 7-10 day vacation, you're still talking about saving less than $2 per day. And my point is that on this plan, the average person would lose more than $2 per day because it is overpriced. under $30 spent per day on this plan

End Zone food court:
Breakfast- Mickey Waffle w/ bacon- $5.69, juice lets say $2.19 = $8.35 w/tax
Lunch - Bacon dble chsbrgr w/fries - $7.59, coke $2.19, cone $3.69 = $14.28

So if you did breakfast and lunch, you're looking at $22.63 - are you going to get $7 worth of snacks?
Yeah, lunch and dinner would get you close to $30, so the snacks are icing on the cake, but you probably had a piece of cake with your lunch and with your dinner, so do you really need the icing?

Just was I was thinking about the freee dining offers. THis will probably be the free one and now the CS places will be crowded again!! They seem to be less crowded than before the dining plans were available even without the free dining. Disney is in this to make money and I'm sure it's all been figured out for them to do so. We have the DDE and have been staying in Values lately so that's a better deal for us. You can use it for fast food in the values.

 

[dclfun]

First of all, I figure we can count ourselves lucky IF FD is even offered again. If there is a FD offer and they only include the CS plan, anyone is free to upgrade to the regular or deluxe DDP. It isn't much more to upgrade to the DDP and this way, those who didn't want to go the TS route will have something they want to use. Of course Disney is in this to make money- they are responsible to shareholders after all, and it IS a business. I just wish they'd offer some kind of plan that still included grats. I'd pay more just for the convenience even if it didn't save me a dime. BostonRob- I'm glad you posted your comparison which is of the cheapest meals that could be ordered vs. the more expensive. Even with what you posted, if someone did get the dessert, those meals along with their two snacks would add up to $30 per day easily. Of course for a longer stay, the daily "value" of the mug is less, but then that person is still getting the extra days of free unlimited soda, coffee, tea, hot choc, etc. The plan, even with the least costly meals chosen, comes out at least even if not saving guests some $$. If someone decides not to use a breakfast CS ( using a snack instead or eating their "dessert" muffin or croissant from the night before from their prior CS meal ) and orders something other than cheeseburgers and fries, they would definitely save $$.---Kathy

 

[BostonRob]

I'm glad you posted your comparison which is of the cheapest meals that could be ordered vs. the more expensive. Even with what you posted, if someone did get the dessert, those meals along with their two snacks would add up to $30 per day easily.

I tried to choose average meals - not the highest or the lowest.
Maybe you can save a few bucks on this plan or maybe you'll lose a few bucks but we're not talking about an overwhelming amount of money either way. This leads me to another problem I have with these plans. If they're not going to save you money, they should at least be convenient. To me, convenience would be giving me three meals a day, so I don't have to worry about paying for food at all. But they don't do that. Despite the fact that most people eat three meals a day, they give you two.
So as far as I'm concerned, if it isn't convenient, and it doesn't save you any significant amount of money, I'm not buying it.

 

[Finiamh]

I like the idea of the plan. It depends on how you use it as to wether you or Disney come out ahead. Your mileage may vary.

And yes even if it is the plan offered during the dining promo, free is still free. And if you want an ADR at the time, you will probly like the idea of tables being freed up from the people that no longer feel obligated to make one.

 

[Golf4food]

How dare Disney possibly give away less free food...

There is also the possibility that the basic DDP will go with value and moderate resorts and the regular DDP might go with deluxe resorts, etc. - entice more people to move up to the higher room category.

For us we'd mostly break even on the new plan if we did just CS meals - the two of us can eat for around $20 - tack on snacks and dessert and we're probably right around the $30 cost, though we never have used refillable mugs in the past and probably wouldn't get much use out of them as part of the plan either.

Gotta agree with a PP about not having a three meal per day option.

 

[Crisgw]

We'll upgrade to the DDP or DDPD but I can see how this could save some $ and be a good option for those who don't really enjoy being "tied down" by an ADR To each their own