Quick service dining - best way to use

[Vinsud]

Hi all,

I have the quick service dining plan for 7 days, family of 4, for late October.

We will be staying at the art of animation resort.
I am trying figure out the best usage of this dining plan for us.
Each morning, we plan to use one of the quick service meals for each of us in the resort restaurant for breakfast.
Then, during the day when we are in the parks, we will use the other meal (mobile ordering?) and maybe the snacks.

In the evenings, we will pay for our own meals, either quick service again (via mobile ordering) or by pre-booking a restaurant if we can. I’m not too sure the best thing to do in the evenings in terms of food. I guess we could also just eat in the evenings (and self-pay) back in the resort hotel.

How have others who have had the quick service plan managed their days? Interested to get different ideas

Thanks all.
Vinay

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

If you are going to pay OOP for a meal each day do not have it be for dinner!
Pay out of pocket for breakfast as its the cheapest meal of the day.
Then use your credits for lunch and dinner.

I also would not book table service meals since you'd have to pay out of pocket for them.
If you want table service meals each day you should upgrade to the regular dining plan.

 

[ddbowdoin]

If you are going to pay OOP for a meal each day do not have it be for dinner!
Pay out of pocket for breakfast as its the cheapest meal of the day.
Then use your credits for lunch and dinner.

I also would not book table service meals since you'd have to pay out of pocket for them.
If you want table service meals each day you should upgrade to the regular dining plan.

I agree... I also found the dining plan simply didn’t work for my wife and I. We don’t eat enough, or rather, we don’t eat on a “traditional” eating schedule. Breakfast can really vary from family to family, so I agree... out of pocket is perfect for breakfast.

 

[J Pye]

Agree with other posters - don't use meals for breakfast. You also have 2 snacks a day. There are lots of relatively filling snacks available which you could use to replace a meal (for example, breakfast). I'd be surprised if you need 2 QS meals + 2 snacks and then a table service a day. What could end up happening is you end up with a lot of unused snacks at the end of the trip.

 

[Vinsud]

Thank you.
So I’ll take on your suggestions. We will pay for breakfast out-of-pocket and use the quick service dining credits over lunch and dinner and snacks in-between.
I’ll be very annoyed with myself if we have unused credits by the end of the trip!

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Complete agreement with OOP for breakfast.....and would add the following "Value" for QS meal credits:

MK
BoG Lunch

AK
Flame Tree - Any of the combos are pricey, good food, and can be shared

DHS
ABC Commissary - Again, the barbarque combos can be shared

Epcot
Many Places to use credits, including Sunshine seasons

Snack Credits

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Epcot - Food and Wine Kiosks

 

[DisAl]

Thank you.
So I’ll take on your suggestions. We will pay for breakfast out-of-pocket and use the quick service dining credits over lunch and dinner and snacks in-between.
I’ll be very annoyed with myself if we have unused credits by the end of the trip!

As others have already said breakfast is the poorest use for a meal credit. We often use a snack credit for a pastry or other item for breakfast.
If you have any unused credits use them for snacks to take home with you. We usually get some of the huge cinnamon rolls at Gaston's Tavern or the large Mickey sugar cookies. You can also get some packaged shortbread cookies or other packaged items.
If you have any QS meals left you can use them for THREE snack credits each.
We never "leave anything on the table" when it comes to using up our snack and meal credits. (pun intended )

 

[Vinsud]

V helpful.

Complete agreement with OOP for breakfast.....and would add the following "Value" for QS meal credits:

MK
BoG Lunch

AK
Flame Tree - Any of the combos are pricey, good food, and can be shared

DHS
ABC Commissary - Again, the barbarque combos can be shared

Epcot
Many Places to use credits, including Sunshine seasons

Snack Credits

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Epcot - Food and Wine Kiosks

Could you also recommend a second QS location in each park?

 

[Legendary]

Agreed. We tend to share meals at Flame tree, Pecos Bills, most QS at Epcot and ABC Commissary (new menu is pretty good and the portions are large). We walk away satisfied but not overly full and with 2 snacks we are never hungry. Then you would have some credits for breakfast that you could use.

 

[DreamalittleDisney]

Hi all,

I have the quick service dining plan for 7 days, family of 4, for late October.

We will be staying at the art of animation resort.
I am trying figure out the best usage of this dining plan for us.
Each morning, we plan to use one of the quick service meals for each of us in the resort restaurant for breakfast.
Then, during the day when we are in the parks, we will use the other meal (mobile ordering?) and maybe the snacks.

In the evenings, we will pay for our own meals, either quick service again (via mobile ordering) or by pre-booking a restaurant if we can. I’m not too sure the best thing to do in the evenings in terms of food. I guess we could also just eat in the evenings (and self-pay) back in the resort hotel.

How have others who have had the quick service plan managed their days? Interested to get different ideas

Thanks all.
Vinay

You said there are 4 of you .. do you are have large appetites or are some kids?

Some of the adult QS meals me and my 6yo old can share and still have plenty.

Doing a little research online can stretch the credits example of blaze pizza .. we order using 2 QS credits and then just buy another soda and we share the pizzas between 2 adults and a child.

Again bit of research will work out whether it's worth you upgrading to TS or other you mix and match your pay out of pocket. Also sometimes if we go for a sit down buffet table service for breakfast of dinner we end up skipping lunch and just having a snack and end up saving a meal credit.

Also if you do have QS meal credits left you can swap at the end of your trip for DDP snacks .. we always hit up Goofys candy at DS or at resort shop before we leave and use up any unused credits .. make great gifts for people ar home.

 

[allgiggles]

Thank you.
So I’ll take on your suggestions. We will pay for breakfast out-of-pocket and use the quick service dining credits over lunch and dinner and snacks in-between.
I’ll be very annoyed with myself if we have unused credits by the end of the trip!

I agree, pay OOP for breakfast. Just keep an eye on how many credits you have left as you approach the end of your stay. If you have extra meal credits, start using them for breakfast as well.

You might find that it's easier and cheaper to go without a dining plan -- especially if your kids are over 9 (paying the adult price for the dining plan) and are light eaters. We have 3 children who still travel with us (all teens/college age). We never buy a dining plan (but have gotten it "free" on 2 trips). Last year the QS dining plan would have cost us ~$1850 for our stay. Instead of buying the dining plan, I just put that money in our savings account and then we pay OOP for everything -- charging everything to our Disney Visa to get the rewards dollars. When the bill comes, I pay it off with the money I set aside. Last year we saved almost $400 by *not* having the dining plan. That savings amount even took into account the amount I spent on groceries so we could eat breakfast in the room most days, 5 refillable mugs, meals at both BOG and WPE (most of our entrees at those restaurants were in the $20 range) along with numerous bottled drinks and many snacks in the parks each day. We do tend to share snacks and drinks -- not because we're trying to save money but because we don't want to throw away half eaten snacks and half empty bottles of drinks that got warm and are no longer appetizing. I haven't kept detailed notes/receipts from all of our trips, but I did on the last 3 trips and we saved several hundred dollars on each trip by not having the dining plan (and without trying to save money).

Take some time to look at the menus online and figure out if the dining plan is a convenience you're willing to pay for. It's worth the convenience for some families and that's ok -- as long as they realize they most likely aren't saving money. I know several families who would be so stressed out worrying about how much their food is costing them that it's just easier to buy the dining plan and not have to worry about the costs of food on their vacation. We're not one of those families...I'd rather save $400.

 

[Vinsud]

You said there are 4 of you .. do you are have large appetites or are some kids?

Some of the adult QS meals me and my 6yo old can share and still have plenty.

Doing a little research online can stretch the credits example of blaze pizza .. we order using 2 QS credits and then just buy another soda and we share the pizzas between 2 adults and a child.

Again bit of research will work out whether it's worth you upgrading to TS or other you mix and match your pay out of pocket. Also sometimes if we go for a sit down buffet table service for breakfast of dinner we end up skipping lunch and just having a snack and end up saving a meal credit.

Also if you do have QS meal credits left you can swap at the end of your trip for DDP snacks .. we always hit up Goofys candy at DS or at resort shop before we leave and use up any unused credits .. make great gifts for people ar home.

2 adults with 2 boys 7 & 9.
The eldest has quite an appetite, youngest could probably share some meals.
I thought that a formal table service with kids might be too much (and not necessary), plus wanted some flexibility with when we have meals - This is why I went for the QS plan.
We tend to eat a good portion for breakfast when on trips like this (so probably more than just snacks) - enough to take us through to mid afternoon.

 

[Vinsud]

I agree, pay OOP for breakfast. Just keep an eye on how many credits you have left as you approach the end of your stay. If you have extra meal credits, start using them for breakfast as well.

You might find that it's easier and cheaper to go without a dining plan -- especially if your kids are over 9 (paying the adult price for the dining plan) and are light eaters. We have 3 children who still travel with us (all teens/college age). We never buy a dining plan (but have gotten it "free" on 2 trips). Last year the QS dining plan would have cost us ~$1850 for our stay. Instead of buying the dining plan, I just put that money in our savings account and then we pay OOP for everything -- charging everything to our Disney Visa to get the rewards dollars. When the bill comes, I pay it off with the money I set aside. Last year we saved almost $400 by *not* having the dining plan. That savings amount even took into account the amount I spent on groceries so we could eat breakfast in the room most days, 5 refillable mugs, meals at both BOG and WPE (most of our entrees at those restaurants were in the $20 range) along with numerous bottled drinks and many snacks in the parks each day. We do tend to share snacks and drinks -- not because we're trying to save money but because we don't want to throw away half eaten snacks and half empty bottles of drinks that got warm and are no longer appetizing. I haven't kept detailed notes/receipts from all of our trips, but I did on the last 3 trips and we saved several hundred dollars on each trip by not having the dining plan (and without trying to save money).

Take some time to look at the menus online and figure out if the dining plan is a convenience you're willing to pay for. It's worth the convenience for some families and that's ok -- as long as they realize they most likely aren't saving money. I know several families who would be so stressed out worrying about how much their food is costing them that it's just easier to buy the dining plan and not have to worry about the costs of food on their vacation. We're not one of those families...I'd rather save $400.

Too late as I already bought the QS plan
I think you are right, it will probably end up costing a little more than if we had just paid for what we wanted when there, I was mostly thinking of convenience at the time and didn’t do the research on costings. What’s done is done - we WILL make it work!

 

[DisAl]

I suggest that you visit this web page: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/
You can look at the menu and prices for every restaurant at Disney World. Based on what your family likes you can make choices that give you the best value for YOUR family. Since you are on the dining plan the cost doesn't matter, just pick the ones that have the foods you like.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

V helpful.


Could you also recommend a second QS location in each park?

MK
1st choice - BoG - Lunch Only.....if you can't snag the ressie you could try a walk up as it might not be as busy in late October
2nd Choice - Columbia Harbour House - while it may not be the best "value" for a QS, the food is better than the rest of MK QS

DHS
ABC Commissary - Many large combos with plenty to share
Backlot Express

----Stay away from Woody's Lunchbox

AK
Flame Tree BBQ
Satu'll Cafe - We've only had this once, and it was when it was first opened

Epcot - there are many places here
Sunshine Seasons
Tangerine Cafe
Via Napoli Pizza Counter

Disney Springs - We don't go "Downtown" Anymore, but Wolfgang Puck's is one of the best values of all....

 

[JIMINYCR]

Thank you.
So I’ll take on your suggestions. We will pay for breakfast out-of-pocket and use the quick service dining credits over lunch and dinner and snacks in-between.
I’ll be very annoyed with myself if we have unused credits by the end of the trip!

To get better value thats exactly what you should be doing. When you use your credits you get a total of what you have used and what you have left. You can also go to the resort lobby desk and they can check on your totals. We keep track of our meal and snack credits and make sure they are properly accounted for throughout our trip. There should be no reason you fail to use everything. At the end of your trip you can use snack credits and bring home Disney snacks to have after the trip.

 

[Jon81uk]

Agree with other posters - don't use meals for breakfast. You also have 2 snacks a day. There are lots of relatively filling snacks available which you could use to replace a meal (for example, breakfast). I'd be surprised if you need 2 QS meals + 2 snacks and then a table service a day. What could end up happening is you end up with a lot of unused snacks at the end of the trip.

We were on the regular dining plan and used a snack for breakfast on several mornings. Often a cinnamon whirl as a snack credit and then the reusable mug for coffee was enough and then we got earlyish lunch around noon, often with another snack in the mid-afternoon such as an ice cream sundae. If it seemed like we weren't using snacks quick enough then bottles of drink were good options.

 

[alitressa]

Can you guys offer some suggestions for breakfast snacks? Locations and items? Thanks!