Does the qsddp ever save you money?

[eeyoresmom]

Unless you get it with a free dining package do you save money with the qs plan? My party make up this trip is 6 adults, two would get the alcohol with every meal and I'm estimating half the time for the other 4.

 

[siren0119]

Unless you get it with a free dining package do you save money with the qs plan? My party make up this trip is 6 adults, two would get the alcohol with every meal and I'm estimating half the time for the other 4.

The only way to know that for sure is to sit down and calcluate out what you think your group would normally spend/eat in the parks.

But from what I've seen you will break even if your QS meals come out around $18 per person (including drinks) and your snacks are around $5 each. All of the menus with prices are posted online so it's easy to take a peek and see where you would get the most value/whether it's worthwhile.

Also, "free" dining isn't really free...when you have the "free" dining package you are paying full rack rate on your room (no room discounts or ticket discounts), so you pay for it one way or the other LOL

 

[StageTek]

If everyone gets the most expensive item on the menu then it saves a little. Not (in my opinion) enough to make it worth while, but at least something. If anyone is a lighter eater or just wants, say, the chicken instead of the entire platter, or the salad instead of the double bacon cheeseburger you won't save anything.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

If you definitely use the alcohol/specialty drinks then it could be cost effective.
But what ticks me off is they took away 2 desserts per day and I don't believe they added any snacks so you're technically getting less food but can now get more expensive drinks.
At least the DDP took away the QS dessert but added a snack so it equals out.

 

[Moliphino]

But what ticks me off is they took away 2 desserts per day and I don't believe they added any snacks so you're technically getting less food but can now get more expensive drinks.
At least the DDP took away the QS dessert but added a snack so it equals out.

Originally I think the QSDP was 2 meals with dessert plus 2 snacks
First the QSDP took away one snack (when you still got dessert with meals) - so you got 2 meals with desserts and 1 snack
Then they took away the desserts with meals and added one snack back - so you get 2 meals and 2 snacks, but no desserts with meals
Then they added alcohol with meals last year

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Originally I think the QSDP was 2 meals with dessert plus 2 snacks
First the QSDP took away one snack (when you still got dessert with meals) - so you got 2 meals with desserts and 1 snack
Then they took away the desserts with meals and added one snack back - so you get 2 meals and 2 snacks, but no desserts with meals
Then they added alcohol with meals last year

Yes I was thinking of it in terms of its original value and what you got.
So yep really you're getting less in my book.
When I get FD I upgrade to the DDP.
If I'm not getting the DDP I don't bother with a QSDP instead I just pay OOP.

 

[eeyoresmom]

The only way to know that for sure is to sit down and calcluate out what you think your group would normally spend/eat in the parks.

But from what I've seen you will break even if your QS meals come out around $18 per person (including drinks) and your snacks are around $5 each. All of the menus with prices are posted online so it's easy to take a peek and see where you would get the most value/whether it's worthwhile.

Also, "free" dining isn't really free...when you have the "free" dining package you are paying full rack rate on your room (no room discounts or ticket discounts), so you pay for it one way or the other LOL

hmmm, these numbers mean the guest has to be spending $6.50 a day in refillable mug beverages. I dont think many people do that, especially considering a drink would be included if you are eating a meal at your resort. I think the meal credit has to be close to $20 to break even.

 

[siren0119]

hmmm, these numbers mean the guest has to be spending $6.50 a day in refillable mug beverages. I dont think many people do that, especially considering a drink would be included if you are eating a meal at your resort. I think the meal credit has to be close to $20 to break even.

Once you factor in the tax you'd be paying that is covered by the QSDP, $18-19 in food/beverage costs becomes $19-20 so it's still in the ballpark. In terms of calculating in my head, I'm only ever going to look at the sticker price and not factor in the tax.

 

[SL6827]

It does if you add it onto a one night reservation of a split stay!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

It does if you add it onto a one night reservation of a split stay!

I guess I need an explanation of why it saves you money if added to a one night reservation of a split stay?
I feel like that could be the case with DxDP but QSDP?

 

[SL6827]

I guess I need an explanation of why it saves you money if added to a one night reservation of a split stay?
I feel like that could be the case with DxDP but QSDP?

What it does is the fact that you pay for just one night on the DDP, and you get the mug. If you have a split stay of one night and say another 4-6 nights somewhere else you get that mug and can use it for up to fourteen more days. Paying for only one night on the DDP.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

What it does is the fact that you pay for just one night on the DDP, and you get the mug. If you have a split stay of one night and say another 4-6 nights somewhere else you get that mug and can use it for up to fourteen more days. Paying for only one night on the DDP.

Ok I see where you are finding the value.
Although personally I don't use the mug enough to get any value out of a one night QSDP.

 

[SL6827]

Ok I see where you are finding the value.
Although personally I don't use the mug enough to get any value out of a one night QSDP.

Correct. If you won't use the mug, it won't benefit you. But with a party of two adults, two teenagers, it will be a great value for us at POR and SSR.

 

[sharonabe]

Unless you get it with a free dining package do you save money with the qs plan? My party make up this trip is 6 adults, two would get the alcohol with every meal and I'm estimating half the time for the other 4.

The two who drink alcohol with every meal will definitely save money. The other four will have to work at it to break even, but if you use your snack credits for the higher end $6-8 snacks, then you don't have to work as hard. The alcoholic drinks are an average of $10 each. You're not going to find any specialty non-alcoholic beverage for much more than $5 and there aren't many places that have them at all, so you're stuck with your $4-5 soda/coffee. That $5-6 has to be made up in your entrees, snacks, and the mug. You are right that the QS meal needs to be around $20 to break even.

 

[siren0119]

What it does is the fact that you pay for just one night on the DDP, and you get the mug. If you have a split stay of one night and say another 4-6 nights somewhere else you get that mug and can use it for up to fourteen more days. Paying for only one night on the DDP.

Are you sure? When I called to ask a few questions before agreeing to add the free dining package stay to our room only stay, I was told that the mug's RFID chip would only work on the soda stations for the length of our dining plan stay. (we are staying 4 nights under the dining plan, and 4 additional nights in the same resort under a room only reservation). I know that the reservations CM's don't always know what they're talking about when it comes to finer details like that, and it wasn't a dealbreaker for me, but has anyone actually successfully done this recently?

 

[eeyoresmom]

Are you sure? When I called to ask a few questions before agreeing to add the free dining package stay to our room only stay, I was told that the mug's RFID chip would only work on the soda stations for the length of our dining plan stay. (we are staying 4 nights under the dining plan, and 4 additional nights in the same resort under a room only reservation). I know that the reservations CM's don't always know what they're talking about when it comes to finer details like that, and it wasn't a dealbreaker for me, but has anyone actually successfully done this recently?

Unless theres been a change in the very recent past, the mugs are programmed for 14 days and will work at all resorts.

 

[siren0119]

Unless theres been a change in the very recent past, the mugs are programmed for 14 days and will work at all resorts.

That would be awesome! It doesn't affect me too much, I am a coffee drinker and there's no chip reader on the coffee urns, but my husband is a type 1 diabetic and hates water so he's all diet soda.

 

[SL6827]

Are you sure? When I called to ask a few questions before agreeing to add the free dining package stay to our room only stay, I was told that the mug's RFID chip would only work on the soda stations for the length of our dining plan stay. (we are staying 4 nights under the dining plan, and 4 additional nights in the same resort under a room only reservation). I know that the reservations CM's don't always know what they're talking about when it comes to finer details like that, and it wasn't a dealbreaker for me, but has anyone actually successfully done this recently?

If I found out about a recent change in policy before my trip I will cancel the dining plan. Disney doing this very thing at some point will not surprise me at all. Didn't the mugs used to be for the length of stay with the package you booked, or am I wrong on this?

 

[ToddlerMom311]

I also have the "free" QSDP. I'm considering upgrading to regular dining. Is that more of a value?

 

[siren0119]

If I found out about a recent change in policy before my trip I will cancel the dining plan. Disney doing this very thing at some point will not surprise me at all. Didn't the mugs used to be for the length of stay with the package you booked, or am I wrong on this?

Yes that's why I was questioning the PP who said they were good for 14 days. My dining package stay is 4 nights long but we have a split stay planned and will be staying on property an additional 4 nights on a room only reservation. It wasn't a deal breaker for us, but it would be good to know ahead of time whether the mugs will stop working once we are in our room only reservation, or if they will work for the entire stay.sa

I also have the "free" QSDP. I'm considering upgrading to regular dining. Is that more of a value?

That's really something you would have to figure out, it depends heavily on how you eat. If you normally book a lot of expensive dinners/character meals, then yes it can break even or save a little. I sat down and made a spreadsheet of all of the dining we wanted to do and priced out the cost of the meals and tax. We had enough more expensive meals on the list that adding a 4 night stay to our trip with the dining plan had us coming out a little ahead. If we were on the dining plan for our entire 8 night stay, it wouldn't have been a value to us.