Would OOP be cheaper than QSDP?

[katibosch]

We are not tremendously big eaters and the QSDP sounds like quite a bit of credits.

Before I decided to get the QSDP, I planned on us getting a small breakfast, splitting 2 entrees 3 ways for lunch and dinner and drinking only bottled water that we brought with us into the parks, with one snack or dessert somewhere during the day.

Now I am reconsidering and thinking about cancelling our QSDP. I am one of those people who will obsess about not wasting any credits and I can see myself worrying about not having used every single one! And spending a lot of time and energy figuring out what is included and what is not.

I have not been to Disney in 11 years and don't know about pricing. Do you think we might just be better off to pay OOP for the meals and snacks I described above? I trust you all who have been there more recently!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

For us it's cheaper and I think we eat similarly to you all

There are 3 of us (dh, dd 12 and myself).

When eating OOP

We buy fruit/cereal/milk/poptarts, drinks (soda cans) and " snacks" from Wal-Mart (we have our car with us in WDW).

Eat those for breakfast (except the snacks we keep those in the car - generally and snack between parks)

I budget $50 / day to cover lunch, dinner and some fun park snacks.

When we're eating a meal (lunch or dinner) we split 2 CS meals (no dessert) and drink either fountain water (free) or the sodas we brought with us. So $50 is easily doable and that's a lot less than the QS plan!

IMO the best way to figure this out for yourself is to look at the menus / prices and figure out where and what your family would enjoy eating and then simply add it up.

 

[katibosch]

For us it's cheaper and I think we eat similarly to you all

There are 3 of us (dh, dd 12 and myself).

When eating OOP

We buy fruit/cereal/milk/poptarts, drinks (soda cans) and " snacks" from Wal-Mart (we have our car with us in WDW).

Eat those for breakfast (except the snacks we keep those in the car - generally and snack between parks)

I budget $50 / day to cover lunch, dinner and some fun park snacks.

When we're eating a meal (lunch or dinner) we split 2 CS meals (no dessert) and drink either fountain water (free) or the sodas we brought with us. So $50 is easily doable and that's a lot less than the QS plan!

IMO the best way to figure this out for yourself is to look at the menus / prices and figure out where and what your family would enjoy eating and then simply add it up.

Thanks! I think I'll probably end up ditching it!

 

[sharonabe]

In our family, we don't eat dessert at every meal and we mostly drink water, so we don't need to drink entitlement either.

By sharing some meals, we can actually do 3 meals a day including a couple TS for less than the QSDP would cost us.

 

[robinb]

IMO the QSDP is a "break even" proposition and it's cheaper to pay OOP if you don't plan on drinking beverages and/or eating desserts. Personally, I think that the QS desserts are crap. We usually skip them when we have free dining. We don't share meals. I don't think the meals are large enough for our family to share. YMMV, but at $5 per kids meal it won't break you to pay for your DD's meals too.

 

[havoc315]

Basically, with the QSDP -- if you only use the credits for lunches and dinners (breakfasts are a poor "value") under the plan, if you always order qs dessert and beverage, and use all your credits, then you will probably break even. Maybe even save $1-2.
Skip 1 or 2 desserts during the trip, or skip 1 credit, or use a couple credits for breakfast -- anything like that, and it's cheaper to just pay oop.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

In addition for our family at least - it's nice to have a 'fun' snack later in the day rather than the QS desserts (which usually aren't very good).

Some places (like Starring Rolls and Main St Bakery) have wonderful desserts but if you're paying OOP you can always drop in later in the day and pick one up rather that 'needing' to eat the meal then the dessert all in one sitting.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

If you luck out and happen to get the QSDP for free, by all means I would do it, but when PAYING for the QSDP you def can come out cheaper paying out of pocket. They charge you 35.99 for 2 CS meals and 1 snack (next years plan) You can get a CS meal for $9 and a snack for $4. So $9 X 2 meals plus one snack OOP is only $22. Paying out of pocket you could actually afford a big, hot breakfast at the resort food court ($10 or less) and still come out cheaper than paying for the QSDP. And if you were willing to PAY for the QSDP for every member of your family then I see no reason to make anybody share food. If you can pay for the dining plan for them, you can still come out cheaper buying them their own meal.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

If you luck out and happen to get the QSDP for free, by all means I would do it, but when PAYING for the QSDP you def can come out cheaper paying out of pocket. They charge you 35.99 for 2 CS meals and 1 snack (next years plan) You can get a CS meal for $9 and a snack for $4. So $9 X 2 meals plus one snack OOP is only $22. Paying out of pocket you could actually afford a big, hot breakfast at the resort food court ($10 or less) and still come out cheaper than paying for the QSDP. And if you were willing to PAY for the QSDP for every member of your family then I see no reason to make anybody share food. If you can pay for the dining plan for them, you can still come out cheaper buying them their own meal.

Actually, QSDP is 34.99 per adult. It also includes a refillable mug per person.
Although I agree that you can easily come out ahead OOP if you do not order drinks and dessert it can also be a good money saver as well. A lot of meals are way over $9. At Wolfgangs at DTD meals are easily $13-$18. Add a drink and dessert and you are close to $25 per meal. At Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom the chicken/rib combo is $15. There are many qs restaurants in every park with meals over $10. Of course, now that they have eliminated one snack you really have to work the plan to get your money's worth but it is doable.

 

[Bete]

I can see if you use all your entitlements and you order more expensive meals that you can still come out ahead on the QSDP. Also, if you are willing to drag your resort mug full to the parks then that helps defer costs on the first drinks and that would be beneficial.

With that said it's hard for that to all happen. Everyone in your group would have to be on the same page, too with ordering more expensive meals. One benefit is that tax is included with the plans; otherwise, you pay tax OOP. It takes some extra planning, too for the plan to work for you with coming out ahead.

I could easily skip dessert, but if it's included you feel compelled to do it. I think this is the greatest drawback.

I'm getting to a point where I will probably skip any dining plans; unless, there's a promo for free dining. I will be making a decision for next December 2012 that way, myself. Chances are we will probably stay off site; so, we will eat out at other non-Disney places for at least one meal a day. Even staying on site is getting to look less attractive for us; because, everyone in your party has to be equal with regards to park tickets and meal plans to do a vacation package. This just doesn't suit us anymore.

 

[LisaBi]

I only do DDP if it is free.

Here is my logic: If I am paying OOP for food, I am budget conscious about what we order, and can easily do it for less than the DDP price.

As far as free dining, we usually stay at value resorts and do mostly counter service - we don't like being tied down to too many ADR times. We are better off with free dining than a room discount. I figure, depending on the promotion, the room discount is $40 at best - I can't feed us (2 people) for $40. Of course, if you have more people, that becomes even more true. However, if you are staying moderate or deluxe, the room discount could easily be more than food would cost, so you are better off with the room discount than the free dining.

It all comes down to how many people and how much it would cost to buy the food you would normally choose OOP vs. the value of a room discount. For me, it would never be worth the price to actually pay for DDP - we just don't eat enough. Now, for an adults only trip when we did want to eat at more table service, that might change.

 

[rafiki14]

I'm seeing conflicting reports....

Does QSDP in 2011 have 1 or 2 snacks per guest per night?

 

[sharonabe]

I'm seeing conflicting reports....

Does QSDP in 2011 have 1 or 2 snacks per guest per night?

2011 has 2 snacks

2012 has 1 snack

 

[tndisneyfan]

It seems like for us the QSDP is a break even deal. We may save some, but I would think just a few dollars. But the way we eat fits the plan. We eat breakfast in the room (poptarts, cereal, ect, from home) then a CS lunch and dinner. I like being able to get a dessert at MOST of the CS restaurants. Some of them, mostly in the parks, isn't worth it. But I've got some really great desserts that I wouldn't normally have ordered without the QSDP. Then we use the snack credits for drinks to share while touring the parks, an occasional park snack, and sometimes treats to take home.

IMHO if you think you'll want to split meals, I think you would probably be better off paying OOP. Dining plans aren't a perfect fit for every family. You just have to decide if it's right for yours.

 

[rafiki14]

2011 has 2 snacks

2012 has 1 snack

Thank you! Glad I'm getting that extra snack

 

[disneymom06]

I think OOP for QS is the way to go now. While you can work on maximizing the plan, in the end I believe that OOP is best for my family. We do order a soft drink, but prefer a snack later, not at lunch. OOP now gives us the freedom of how much, when and where with no thoughts of any restrictions. And the ability to skip a meal without worrying about leaving credits when we leave.

 

[Juliet25]

Earlier this evening I did some math and determined that my family of 2 adults/2 kids would need to spend $41 on each of 16 CS meals to break even. Depending on where we dine, that's possible. However, my DH and I think we can average $30 a meal and still eat what we want, so we've decided to pay OOP this time. If the extra snack were included, we might go for it. Since it's not, we're not doing the dining plan on our 2012 trip.