Your thoughts on QS Dining Plan

[Momto2Princesses&1Pirate]

We are a family of 5: Me, DH, DD15, DD10, DS7. We did the table service dining plan last time and decided it takes too much time to have a sit down meal everyday. Trying to decide if the QS plan would work better this time. I thought it didn't seem like a good deal money-wise but DH and I just got back from a trip by ourselves and most of our counter service meals were pretty pricey. Please share your thoughts on the plan and point out tips that we can think about. Thanks!

[buzznwoodysmom]

I think that if you eat at the right QS places you can surely get your money's worth with that dining plan option. The food prices at WDW in general have gone up so much that without any of the dining plan options you notice the cost of food more now than in the past. I find it ridiculous to eat at a QS location with a family of 4 and the bill is over $50! Not all QS locations cost this much, but on our trip in Oct. more than once we were hit with a $50+ bill at a QS location. Great way to make your dining plan work for you, but not so great for those who don't do the dining plan.

[DizneyRox]

Personally, I get sick of too much QS at WDW. It tends to mostly be the same, chicken fingers and fries. I like to mix it up with TS and QS and snacks.

We don't eat based ont he mold that Disney would put us into by going with a dining plan. Based on how we ate, we've found that paying OOP would be cheaper than using a dining plan.

[magicman]

We do the plan. Otherwise, we worry/fuss/fret over every meal expenditure.

Since we have a family of 6, I like knowing ahead of time that most everything is already paid for; otherwise, I find the cost anguishing as each meal runs $60 - $75.

[princessjojo]

I like the spontanity of the QS plan. You can eat your allotment whenever you like. Guess that's a plus.

But for us, we get tired of eating quick service food. Just how much pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets and fries can one person eat over a weeks time.

We also like to take time to just sit around a table and rest, while being able to actually hear each other and enjoy a meal as a family.

[buzznwoodysmom]

There are several locations on property to have a nice QS meal that's not your typical burger, pizza or chicken fingers. You have to go a bit more out your way to get to them, but we've found some places with different options. Wolf Gang Puck Express at DTD is probably one of the best places to get a great meal out of your QS dining credits. They have lots of options. We've also found a great selection, including steaks, mexican dishes, asian dishes, and tons more options at Pepper Market at Coronado Springs Resort. At Grand Floridian you can get a Lobster Mac N Cheese dish or a Chicken Teriyaki dish at their QS location, and Captain Cook's at the Poly also has a few "unique" options. Port Orleans French Quarter has really good shrimp poboys. We've had great noodles, fried rice and egg rolls at the Yak and Yeti QS location at AK, and Sunshine Season's at Epcot has a wide selection as well. World Showcase has several QS options that are different. At MK Columbia Harbour House is the place to go if your looking for some different choices. We enjoy some of our TS meals too much to go with only the QS plan, but there are some really decent QS meals to be had if you look in the right places. There is definitely more to be had than burgers and fries!

[Jared]

We do the plan. Otherwise, we worry/fuss/fret over every meal expenditure.

Since we have a family of 6, I like knowing ahead of time that most everything is already paid for; otherwise, I find the cost anguishing as each meal runs $60 - $75.
In my very unscientific observations, I find this rationale to be the primary justification for purchasing the dining plan. I surmise that people simply like to believe they are eating "for free." After all, when you walk up to the register, you're not paying anything for your food.

Still, it seems the plan costs people more money than they realize. Do most families usually buy all those desserts and drinks? We sure don't, and I suspect many groups are like us. That said, I understand the appeal of paying for everything up front, and sometimes peace of mind is worth a few extra bucks.

[sainter]

There are several locations on property to have a nice QS meal that's not your typical burger, pizza or chicken fingers. You have to go a bit more out your way to get to them, but we've found some places with different options. Wolf Gang Puck Express at DTD is probably one of the best places to get a great meal out of your QS dining credits. They have lots of options. We've also found a great selection, including steaks, mexican dishes, asian dishes, and tons more options at Pepper Market at Coronado Springs Resort. At Grand Floridian you can get a Lobster Mac N Cheese dish or a Chicken Teriyaki dish at their QS location, and Captain Cook's at the Poly also has a few "unique" options. Port Orleans French Quarter has really good shrimp poboys. We've had great noodles, fried rice and egg rolls at the Yak and Yeti QS location at AK, and Sunshine Season's at Epcot has a wide selection as well. World Showcase has several QS options that are different. At MK Columbia Harbour House is the place to go if your looking for some different choices. We enjoy some of our TS meals too much to go with only the QS plan, but there are some really decent QS meals to be had if you look in the right places. There is definitely more to be had than burgers and fries!

I agree! I almost never eat a hamburger or chicken strips during a whole trip - and we are usually there 10 or 11 days! We eat TS maybe twice a trip.
May I add there are some great choices at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot, ABC Commissary in HS, and QS ethnic foods at every country in World Showcase.

[kakn7294]

My mother has used it and loved it. For my family of 4 it's not worth it. We don't eat dessert at the QS locations, we don't buy the refillable mugs, and we generally don't eat 2 snacks a day. Plus my 11 yo DD often still eats from the kids' menu but I would pay for an adult dining plan. We also like to throw in a few TS meals as well but since we don't eat 3 meals a day, we would probably have QS credits that would go to waste by the end of the trip.

[sommer]

Personally I don't think I enjoyed any of our in park QS meals. It was always too chaotic and confusing - maybe we just picked the wrong time of day to eat?. Of course we also had a 2 yo with so that added to it. Balancing the trays and my kids was stressful while looking for somewhere to eat was way too stressful for me. I found that our one TS meal a day was so much more relaxing, and yes it took time, but I loved having my food brought to me at the table!

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

We are a family of 5: Me, DH, DD15, DD10, DS7. We did the table service dining plan last time and decided it takes too much time to have a sit down meal everyday. Trying to decide if the QS plan would work better this time. I thought it didn't seem like a good deal money-wise but DH and I just got back from a trip by ourselves and most of our counter service meals were pretty pricey. Please share your thoughts on the plan and point out tips that we can think about. Thanks!


We are also a family of five (DD 8-5-4) and on our recent December trip we were there on the free dining plan. This was our 3rd time have DDP, twice with just the wife and I and this last time with kids. If I could have done it over again, I probably would have opted for a room discount then debated paying for the QS plan instead of getting the DDP. The main reason, the one you stated, the amount of time it consumed going from park to resort back to park. Don't get me wrong, we had some really good dinners (Ohana, Coral Reef, Momma Melrose, 50's Prime Time, Chef Mickey's to name a few) but with the schedule we were keeping, sometimes the TS seemed more a hindrance than a godsend.

I think the longstanding myth is that if you are going to do QS in the World you are limiting yourself to chicken nuggets and bad burgers. While you can certainly get that, there are many many better options, but it takes a little time to find them. I know that for my DW and I, we found two new places (for us) that we had never tried, Flame Tree BBQ at AK and Starring Rolls at DHS, both were excellent QS lunches. Yorkshire fish and chips is another must for me when in Epcot.

The good food is out there, you just have to look for it.

[garthbarth1]

The past two years we have done the QS and we love it. One year we did the regular DDP and it was not for us. We felt very tied down to our reservations, for one, and I did not like that feeling at all! Second, and I may be in the minority here, lol~DH and I just do not think the sit down places at WDW are that great :secret:. We have eaten at Coral Reef, 50s Prime Time Cafe, Tonys, Teppan Edo, Liberty Tree Tavern, and a few other places. The only place we find the food is good and consistent is Teppan Edo. When we go, we just pay out of pocket to eat there. We too, only have one burger while we are there-usually 5 days, and no chicken fingers. Some of the meals we enjoy are the fried shrimp from Columbia Harbor House, the burger from Electric Umbrella, Cheese Steak Sandwich from Cosmic Rays, Ribs/Chicken from Flame Tree BBQ, Taco Salads from Pecos Bills, and Chili Dogs from Caseys. We also like the Chicken Caesar Salad from Mara at AKL. Makes me hungry just thinking about it! :thumbsup:

[DryCreek]

The QS option is pretty good for adults. The DW and I have decided that when we return to WDW that is the way to go.
I do agree that the QS inside the theme parks leaves much to be desired. If you're looking for quiet time, catch a bus/monorail/boat to a resort and avail yourself of their QS offerings. The QS at the Wilderness Lodge is tucked away into a nice, quiet nook, same goes for the Poly. I really liked the food choices for at POR Riverside Mill food court.
As far as the snack credits go, we used them for juices (properly sterilized with rum, of course) in the evenings, as well as fruits for breakfast.

[TinkerbellT421]

Personally, I get sick of too much QS at WDW. It tends to mostly be the same, chicken fingers and fries. I like to mix it up with TS and QS and snacks.

We don't eat based ont he mold that Disney would put us into by going with a dining plan. Based on how we ate, we've found that paying OOP would be cheaper than using a dining plan.

I agree with Diz! DBF and I third trip together we chose to do the DDP. For giggles, we saved all our receipts. We calculated what we ate, versus what we paid for the DDP. The next trip we decided to save the same amount of money the DDP costs, but instead pay out of pocket. This excludes deserts with every meal, daily snacks (which normally we would even eat if it wasnt for the DDP). We still had reservations at some "pricy" restaurants. And we came home with almost $300.00!!! So from what we calculated, thats using a quick service for lunch, a table service for dinner, and maybe once or twice in the trip we had bought a lemonade and pretzel, we found its cheaper to budget as if your going to use the DDP, but pay out of pocket with cash, and we found ourselves coming home with money which then we would just roll over into next years trip!

IMO, QS, DDP's, etc, in the scheme of things your "saving" 20% or whatever the percentage is now, while you may be saving 20%, your saving 20% based half on things you wouldnt normally eat, Not sure if I worded this to make sense? lol ie. desert with every meal, snack a day, etc...but again, we personally, just find QS or any DDP doesnt save money at all when it comes down to what our normal eating habits are.

[PrettyMinnie]

You really having to understand what you are getting when you pay for any dining plan. That being said I believe it is true that you can find some exceptional places to get a QS meal both at resorts AND in the parks. I know a PP already mention Columbia Harbour House and Wolfgang Pucks but also many of the places in WS feature delicious QS meals (Mexico! :thumbsup:).

We also like the snack portion because they can often substitute for a meal. Like getting a cinnamon roll in AK in the morning. For us, QS works well because we have a family of 6 and coordinating everyone's separate tastes and dining schedule is a bit of a hassle. Allows for a lot more freedom.

[BandMan]

I actually make it a personal challenge not to eat any of the "standard" QS fare - That is to say no burgers, no hot dogs, no chicken fingers, no pizza.

The last trip, the only time I broke that rule was to get a Casey's hot dog (which it seems, unfortunately, have been changed :( ).

I mangaged to do very well. I had chowder at Columbia Harbor House, rotisserie chicken at Cosmic Ray's, a grilled pannini at Pinocchio's, stir fry at the Lotus Blossom, fish and chips at Yorkshire Fish Shop, bbq ribs at Flame Tree, a turkey leg at Toluca Legs, some kind of stir fry at Sunshine Seasons, a burrito at the Mexico CS, and so on. There really are a lot of choices if you look.

Now, having said this, some parks have more than others. HS is a bit lacking in CS choices, IMHO. EPCOT, on the other hand, has an almost endless variety.

[4myprincesses]

I will be going in early April with my girls, 1adult, three children in the room. We have been before on the DDP, but never the quick service plan, though we are considering it for this trip instead of the DDP. My concern is, will my girls be eating nuggests and burgers the whole trip? It seems to me that while more and more QS have a variety in the adult menu, the six children's meals we will get a day will be rather limited. We usually eat a wide variety of meats, veggies, whole grains,and fruit. It is rare for us to eat the same meal twice in two weeks, let along a few days time.

[forever a child]

With the exception of DHS, I feel that there are a lot of choices at both the parks and the resorts for QS meals. You just have to know where to look. We have NEVER eaten a burger, pizza or nugget meals while at WDW. I can't stand pizza myself (I know, call me strange).

We have had house and chicken salads, turkey wraps, rotisserie chicken w/mashed potatoes, bbq chicken, pasta, lasagna, Chinese and I am sure more.

That being said, I would never pay for the QSDP. If I were staying at a value and the savings for "free" dining were more than the room only discount, then I might consider it. But we usually eat at at least 3-4 TS during our stay. So even "Free" QS Dining may not be a good savings for us.

I really think you have to experience the DDP one time to determine the value and convenience for your family and how you prefer to eat while staying at WDW. Once you have, it makes any future planning for dining a lot easier to decide if you want ANY of the dining plans. For us, the winter months may include MORE TS meals than during the warmer month visits...we just like to get in out of the cold and go at a slower pace. In the summer months...it seems too hot to eat a big meal and we will eat lighter and more salads which are readily available at QS locations. So each trip is a little different.

Have fun deciding!:mickey:

[ransam]

Thank you. this is great info.

[CleveRocks]

I totally agree with the several people above who've said that QS at WDW doesn't have to be burgers and chicken fingers all week.

We eat maybe two table-service meals a week while at WDW, we just don't like to slow down and wait for service, we like to eat and then keep going.

During one of our trips, my wife and I were training for our first-ever half-marathon (and I was 40) and there was no way we were going to assault our bodies with burgers and fried foods. We ate quite well with almost all lunches and dinners at quick-service outlets plus breakfast in our room.

As for the QS dining plan, believe me, I've obsessively done the math a few times, and the only way it makes financial sense to me is if you take advantage of getting dessert during almost all of the 2 meals a day. Even on vacation, we can't manage dessert with lunch AND dinner every day ... it would be more common for us to skip dessert and then grab a sweet snack in mid-afternoon or later at night. As a result, if you give up dessert a lot, you lose out on the money-saving aspect of the WS DDP.

[Momto2Princesses&1Pirate]

Thanks for all of the replies. After weighing the pros and cons, it probably would not save us any money to do the QS plan since we normally would not eat dessert for lunch and dinner every day. Also, if we are on the other side of the resort (like last family trip) we would not trek to the food court just to use our refillable mugs (so they would not be a benefit).
As far as food choices at QS places there are MANY places to get a good meal besides burgers, chicken and pizza. I think we would be better off just ordering what we want at those places rather than being locked in to a dining plan. Thanks for your help!