Quick Service at the Parks vs at the Resort in July

[MrVargas]

My family of 4 and I (kids ages 6 and 8) are going to Disney this July. We plan to take an afternoon nap/break each day right after lunch each day. We have the regular dining plan but we are using our table service credits mostly at table-service breakfasts (CRT, Tusker house, garden grill, etc.).

How crowded are the quick service restaurants in the park at lunch time in July? How difficult is it to get a seat? How long are the lines?

We are staying at Caribbean Beach and the two quick service locations there look like they'll fit our needs for lunch. What are your opinions on eating lunch at our resort when we get back for the break? Anybody else do this?

 

[DISNEY1975]

I have never been in July, though I have been in Sept, Oct, March and May. Aside from March the other months are known as being less crowded than July and even those months QS lunch can get crowded in the parks.

That being said, I do all character breakfasts at the parks every morning during my trips and there is no way I, or anyone in my family, am hungry for lunch. We usually get an ice cream/drink around 2 -3pm then dinner around 5. I would save the QS for dinner, when most are at TS. QS dinner doesnt seem as crowded.

Just my opinion! Have a great trip!!

 

[MrVargas]

I have never been in July, though I have been in Sept, Oct, March and May. Aside from March the other months are known as being less crowded than July and even those months QS lunch can get crowded in the parks.

That being said, I do all character breakfasts at the parks every morning during my trips and there is no way I, or anyone in my family, am hungry for lunch. We usually get an ice cream/drink around 2 -3pm then dinner around 5. I would save the QS for dinner, when most are at TS. QS dinner doesnt seem as crowded.

Just my opinion! Have a great trip!!

Thanks for the reply. You actually read my forgetful mind because I intended to ask "if we would even be hungry by lunch time." It seems like there is a good chance we won't be.

 

[jsbowl16]

To answer your question we used our QS one year while at POFQ during July and ate lunch there most days which worked out really well. We also love to eat at some of the QS at Disney Springs for lunch before our afternoon break including Polite Pig, DLuxe Burger and Blaze Pizza but they can be a bit of a hassle to get to if you dont have a car. We are not fans of QS in the parks unless it is Satuli Canteen or Sunshine Seasons.

The other tip that most people give with the DDP is to not use TS credits for breakfast. To each his own but breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day so it is very difficult to get your moneys worth out of the DDP eating TS for breakfast. If you are doing it for convenience then I get it but you might want to either do your character meals for dinner or double check your cost for OOP vs the DDP and maybe cancel the DDP to save some money.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

With your character meals you may not want a full lunch.

Play it by ear- the QS locations anywhere have the potential to be busy but the resort is probably the less crowded of the two. Some QS locations have more seating than others. Mobile ordering whenever possible helps with the lines.

 

[DISNEY1975]

The other tip that most people give with the DDP is to not use TS credits for breakfast. To each his own but breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day so it is very difficult to get your moneys worth out of the DDP eating TS for breakfast. If you are doing it for convenience then I get it but you might want to either do your character meals for dinner or double check your cost for OOP vs the DDP and maybe cancel the DDP to save some money.

I like the character breakfast. It may be a cheaper credit value, but I feel if I didnt get a hearty breakfast, I would be eating lunch too, which I dont after a buffet breakfast. That would be spending more $$ out of pocket. Seeing he (she?) is going in July, Im guessing he/she got free dining!

 

[jsbowl16]

I like the character breakfast. It may be a cheaper credit value, but I feel if I didnt get a hearty breakfast, I would be eating lunch too, which I dont after a buffet breakfast. That would be spending more $$ out of pocket. Seeing he (she?) is going in July, Im guessing he/she got free dining!

We do a light breakfast in our room, QS lunch and TS dinner each July. That way we dont waste valuable morning park time sitting at a TS when crowds are lower especially with an afternoon break. This also allows us to have a DDP beer with lunch and then a DDP glass of wine with dinner. Most places dont serve alcohol for breakfast. We are also going in July but we dont have free dining since we rented DVC points. Like I said to each his own. I just try to help people save money and time where they can.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

The other tip that most people give with the DDP is to not use TS credits for breakfast. To each his own but breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day so it is very difficult to get your moneys worth out of the DDP eating TS for breakfast. If you are doing it for convenience then I get it but you might want to either do your character meals for dinner or double check your cost for OOP vs the DDP and maybe cancel the DDP to save some money.

I like the character breakfast. It may be a cheaper credit value, but I feel if I didnt get a hearty breakfast, I would be eating lunch too, which I dont after a buffet breakfast. That would be spending more $$ out of pocket. Seeing he (she?) is going in July, Im guessing he/she got free dining!

Not to take this off topic, but some of those character breakfasts cost more than a TS dinner, so I wouldn’t discount a character breakfast as being not worth the credits over dinner. Garden Grill breakfast is around $34 for an adult and $20 for a child, and dinner can easily be had for less than that. Also as Disney1975 points out, after a buffet breakfast you may not want lunch and would be happy using up a snack credit instead. Sometimes my kiddos would sit just fine for breakfast and by dinner they could hardly handle sitting down for a full meal so TS dinner would have been wasted on us. Overall, whichever option results in less OOP costs is the better value.

OP, another thing that may be helpful- the QS locations at CBR also accept mobile ordering. You could put your order together while you’re on the bus ride over, tell it “I’m here” on the way over and your food will be ready and waiting for you. You can use dining plan credits with mobile ordering.

 

[epcotobsessed]

Most QS locations have mobile ordering now, which has been a game changer for us. Getting a seat can be a challenge during peak times, but if you send one or two people to get the food and the rest to scout out a table, you usually can get one within 5 minutes or so.

 

[rdaky]

In my experience, if you're eating lunch right at 12 or close to that, all of the counter service options will be very busy with long lines and less seating. If you can eat a little later (which you will probably be able to if you're having a huge breakfast) then the crowds will be much lighter by 2 or 3 pm.

It has been a couple of years since we stayed at CBR- although we are staying there again this April- and we found that breakfast was basically insane with crowds, but lunch and dinner were both ok. Probably because more people are in the parks than at the resort.

 

[jsbowl16]

Not to take this off topic, but some of those character breakfasts cost more than a TS dinner, so I wouldn’t discount a character breakfast as being not worth the credits over dinner. Garden Grill breakfast is around $34 for an adult and $20 for a child, and dinner can easily be had for less than that. Also as Disney1975 points out, after a buffet breakfast you may not want lunch and would be happy using up a snack credit instead. Sometimes my kiddos would sit just fine for breakfast and by dinner they could hardly handle sitting down for a full meal so TS dinner would have been wasted on us. Overall, whichever option results in less OOP costs is the better value.

OP, another thing that may be helpful- the QS locations at CBR also accept mobile ordering. You could put your order together while you’re on the bus ride over, tell it “I’m here” on the way over and your food will be ready and waiting for you. You can use dining plan credits with mobile ordering.

Garden Grill is $50 and $30 for dinner and lunch and $34 and $20 for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are much better values on the DDP especially with alcohol added to that price. Lunch and dinner at the same restaurant are always a better value than breakfast. The DDP is setup to make money for Disney and confuse people.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

Garden Grill is $50 and $30 for dinner and lunch and $34 and $20 for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are much better values on the DDP especially with alcohol added to that price. Lunch and dinner at the same restaurant are always a better value than breakfast.

Yes, lunch and dinner are more at the same restaurant. Breakfast at Garden Grill is still more than breakfast at a QS, or breakfast at Kona, or dinner at many places. It really boils down to how people want to eat. My family wouldn't make it through a buffet character dinner, and we don't have alcohol at lunch and dinner (not usually both and usually only one of us has one drink at dinner) so there's no one right way to do this.

BUT, none of this is what the OP asked and it does seem that they've decided to use their credits for character breakfasts which aren't by far the worst use of a TS credit.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Lunch and dinner are much better values on the DDP especially with alcohol added to that price. Lunch and dinner at the same restaurant are always a better value than breakfast.

Yes, possibly, but my point it is if you are having a QS breakfast or lunch, you most likely will be paying OOP for one of the meals. A QS breakfast wouldnt hold me over until dinner time with a snack in between. So Id have QS breakfast, OOP lunch (added $60ish/day for family of 4) and a TS dinner. Or, OOP breakfast ($40-ish family of 4), QS lunch and TS dinner. You could use the snack credits for breakfast, but then youll have to start getting really creative in search of a breakfast/hearty snack item on the DP, leaving you with no credits for a drink or snack later.

Id rather have the hearty breakfast, ice cream (snack) and QS dinner. No OOP expense. To me, the best value is when Im not paying additional real $$ over the cost of the imaginary value of a DP credit.