We’ve been to WDW a couple times but always at high crowd volume times - July. We have always used TPs with FPs and planned every detail including meals and breaks and had wonderful trips with very little wait time.
This trip in May 2017 is during low crowd volume. Our TPs so far call for very little use of FPP because of the low crowd. So my question is do I go ahead and pick 3 with the longest waits according to the TP or do I just roll without them? Our group is me (37), DH (47), DD (6), and my mom (63). Same with meals - do I go ahead and plan time and place for lunch (QS dining plan this time) or leave it more flexible since the crowds are smaller?
If you are planning on QS I would not worry about that but make FPs! The crowds have been so unpredictable! Book your priority attractions - if you are lucky maybe you can do them twice.
We like off season. Even low crowds can feel busy. Consider putting CS in plan if there is some place you want to eat. It will help minimize walking in the larger parks.
I did that from the beginning because that is how I am used to planning. We decided to do the QS plan this year to have more flexibility with DD6. I figured out Epcot days would be just where ever someone wants to eat, MK days I have BOG scheduled for lunch, Pinocchio and Pecos Bill/Columbia House the other days, but totally unsure of where to eat at HS and AK. Back to researching those!
Thanks for the advice. I will always over plan - better than to under plan!
I don’t know what to tell you about DHS but at AK, Flame Tree BBQ was delicious if you like that sort of meal. We ate there twice: once for the pulled pork fries and then again for the GIGANTIC sampler meal. I highly suggest sharing the sampler with a child and save the extra meal for a breakfast or something.
I don’t see any reason not to put QS meals in your plans. It gives you a default option but you can always change your mind. But that has to do with our personalities; my family can easily fall into “where should we go?” “I don’t know.” “I don’t know either.” “Oops it’s been 45 minutes of indecision and now instead of a little hungry we’re ravenous and grouchy.”
Treat your FPPs like any other day. It may be a “low crowd” day, but the “headliners” still will build a line and FPPs will help shorten that.
I eat very little QS at WDW so I’m sure that others can provide more input. Here’s my run-down of some highs and lows of ones that I have tried
MK
BOG - average food, beautiful location
Casey’s - not bad for a hot dog on the run
Pecos Bill’s (old menu) - over-cooked hockey puck burger that can be disguised with toppings
Cosmic Ray’s - Mall food court quality, but wider selection than most QS in MK
Sleepy Hollow - ice cream cookie sandwich is OMG good and big enough for at least 2 people
Gaston’s - cinnamon roll is my favorite MK breakfast
EP
Yorkshire Fish and Chips and Tangerine Cafe - excellent; I like them better than their TS counterparts.
Katsura and Sommerfest - both also very good
Lotus Flower and La Cantina - barely up to mall food court standards. La Cantina is OK for a basic margarita.
Kringla and Les Halles are both excellent for a pastry or snack, I’ve never tried their other food.
Electric Umbrella - Horrid 20 years ago, with all of the other options, have never wanted to go back.
Sunshine Seasons - Very large variety of generally good food with better than average “healthy” options. Good for a breakfast stop, but by lunch I’m in WS and not looking back.
AK
Kusafari - good breakfast pastries
Yac and Yeti (QS) - not bad Chinese take-out; better than Lotus Blossom
Flame Tree - Generous portions of well-prepared BBQ.
DHS
Pizza Planet (now Pizzarizzo’s) - Pizza Hut quality pizza. Not great, but better than most DHS QS options.
ABC Commissary - has the distinction of the single worst meal I’ve had on a Disney property. That was many years ago; perhaps it’s gotten better.
Min and Bill’s - Tasty hot dog as a grab-and-go
The other QSs - I’ve tried them all over the years and they all blend into an undistinguished mire of mediocrity in my mind.
This is how I feel about most QS in all the parks. They satisfy a purpose - energy and nutrition - so you can power on thru the rest of your day. I haven’t yet found a QS I would write home about.
Which is precisely the reason I typically eat TS for both lunch and dinner (breakfast for me is never a “meal”; it’s a snack). If I’m eating a QS “meal” it’s because something happened last minute and I couldn’t find an ADR…
Thank you so much for this. We definitely prefer TS, but we wanted to have more park days so we sacrificed TS for park days to keep the cost within our budget.
I’m planning on getting FPP for the headliners and if we get to ride some twice then that will be great!
