Confused About Snack Credits

[kileybeth]

okay, just found out that DH and I are gonna be able to make a quickie trip down to the World 2 weeks prior to our family vacation. will be using free DDP that trip as well but for just the 2 of us.

I must be over thinking this or we just really eat a lot?

Breakfast is not covered at all so. . .use a snack credit (one credit and split it for 2 of us? we do like to eat breakfast) Lunch is covered, probably counter service. a square meal, so we are fine and fairly full using 2 Counter service credits. Maybe we've saved a dessert for room later that evening (how to carry such a thing about all day is a bit troublesome) late TS ressie. We are hungry again by now and because it is hot this time of year, I've already used another snack credit for a drink we split, then paid OOP for another one. TS dinner is huge. no question. Can I pack up my leftovers to take with me or do I just let it go?

Typically watch late news in room and have a drink before bed and a little something?? so, the theory is, I'll be to full for this? I am actually diabetic but do eat most anything, just know I need that bedtime snack to stabilize me overnight. . .

really glad we are going down with just 2 of us, maybe it will feel different when I am there and I can think more clearly about what my 4 picky eaters will be doing with all their credits (they would rather the plan included 1 CS, no TS, and 4 snacks a day and a gallon of milk if truth be told! that is how they eat! yikes)

love any suggestions from large families who have made this work. I am planning on getting an order from gardengrocer for water bottles, snacks and such that I know they will eat and buying a couple refillable mugs for the jr. hi set. . .anything else?

 

[Jaime]

Thanks again! I'm trying to figure out how to transport water but I'll probably end up buying it there. Well water and booze.

Anyone want to tell me their favorite snack? Preferably something that can't be had at Disneyland (dole whips, filled pretzels, frozen lemonaid...)

We always bring a small suitcase with 24 water in it and then use it to bring home anything we buy.

 

[Katiebell]

okay, just found out that DH and I are gonna be able to make a quickie trip down to the World 2 weeks prior to our family vacation. will be using free DDP that trip as well but for just the 2 of us.

I must be over thinking this or we just really eat a lot?

Breakfast is not covered at all so. . .use a snack credit (one credit and split it for 2 of us? we do like to eat breakfast) Lunch is covered, probably counter service. a square meal, so we are fine and fairly full using 2 Counter service credits. Maybe we've saved a dessert for room later that evening (how to carry such a thing about all day is a bit troublesome) late TS ressie. We are hungry again by now and because it is hot this time of year, I've already used another snack credit for a drink we split, then paid OOP for another one. TS dinner is huge. no question. Can I pack up my leftovers to take with me or do I just let it go?

Typically watch late news in room and have a drink before bed and a little something?? so, the theory is, I'll be to full for this? I am actually diabetic but do eat most anything, just know I need that bedtime snack to stabilize me overnight. . .

really glad we are going down with just 2 of us, maybe it will feel different when I am there and I can think more clearly about what my 4 picky eaters will be doing with all their credits (they would rather the plan included 1 CS, no TS, and 4 snacks a day and a gallon of milk if truth be told! that is how they eat! yikes)

love any suggestions from large families who have made this work. I am planning on getting an order from gardengrocer for water bottles, snacks and such that I know they will eat and buying a couple refillable mugs for the jr. hi set. . .anything else?

The most important thing I read in your post is that you are diabetic. That's great that you can eat pretty much anything, but I understand the need to eat on a regular basis to keep yourself on an even keel.

The CS meals vary a lot -- depending on what you order, they can definitely be enough to share for two. If it's you and DH, you might consider sharing a CS breakfast and one snack, sharing a CS lunch and one snack, then having a TS dinner and if possible, saving a small portion, or your dessert if it's portable, to take back to your room and eat at bedtime if you need something then. For example, DH and I shared a breakfast platter at the Pop -- a lot for one person, but would have been a pretty light breakfast split two ways -- which had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and a biscuit. We also used a snack credit for a bagel with cream cheese, and paid OOP for beverages. That made a perfect breakfast for the two of us. Another morning, we used a snack credit for a bagel and cream cheese, and a second snack credit for a fresh fruit cup -- a lighter meal, but still worked well for us to share.

Some CS lunches are definitely large enough to share, especially if you use a snack credit wisely to supplement with a fresh fruit cup, etc. We shared the Chicken and Lamb Sharwarma platter at Tangierine, and it was plenty. We also shared a combo platter at the Cantina -- enough to eat, but we didn't really care for it much (we are from CA and very picky about Mexican food, I think! ) There are other large CS meals, like the chicken and rib combo at Cosmic Ray's, or a double cheeseburger at Pecos Bill's (you can purchase a second bun for less than a dollar if it's easier to share the burger that way). You can always supplement with a snack credit, and that would hopefully give you a sufficient amount to eat morning and lunchtime to keep you going. Some CS were definitely not enough to share -- like at Tusker House, the salmon was really only enough for one person (unless you are both very light eaters), as was the half sandwich turkey wrap and cup of corn chowder my husband ordered. And it's a good thing DH can't eat seafood, because I wouldn't have shared my salmon anyway -- it was too good!

Some TS meals were small enough portions that we could eat it all for that meal, but at several, we found ourselves leaving quite a bit. If you need something at bedtime, you might try looking at the meal and setting aside a part of it that would be easy to transport back to the room for later -- or see if the dessert is not too perishable, or ask if they can give you fruit for dessert. Never hurts to ask

And of course, if you run low on credits, there's absolutely nothing to stop you from paying for a few items OOP. As for when you have the picky eaters with you...if they really won't like or use TS credits, then it may not be to your advantage to do the dining plan. But if you are getting it for free, you might just try to select TS restaurants that serve things they like -- plenty of places serve meat and potatoes kind of stuff, or burgers, things like that. Or buffets, where everyone can pick exactly what they want, and if they don't like it, they can go get something else.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

The snack credits are probably the easiest to use but we still ended up having 12 credits left (between 4 people). It wasn't because we were saving them or trying to get the biggest bang for the buck -- we just weren't hungry by the time we had a CS and TS meal each day. We used them all at Goofy's and got a whole bag of treats. We ate some of them on the plane, and finished them at home.

 

[Foxes Den]

I was reading somewhere else that you can use a snack credit on a childrens meal? Is this true?

Taylor

 

[grumpy.uncle]

The DDP really gives you alot of food. I think those posters that suggest using 1CS w/ 1 or 2 snacks added, split between two people, have the right idea. It seems that if you use your meals for yourself, you tend to be so stuffed that you can't snack between meals. I tend to like a light breakfast, so I would tend to use a snack credit for breakfast and then use the CS and TS for lunch and dinner. The DDP gives you a huge amount of food. I think you get an appetizer, beverage, entree, and dessert for each meal. That is alot to eat at one sitting. If you are getting DDP free, it really is an incredible deal. Eating OOP at Disney can be a real killer. We normally keep some grocery items in our room. Most of the Disney resorts have a little store somewhere where you can purchase the basics. While they may be a little more expensive, you don't have to deal w/ transportation to a market and back. I know the store downstairs at the Boardwalk has continually added more and more to their grocery selection. They even have some fresh fruit. I'm not sure if you can use DDP in these stores but I bet you could.

 

[illiniowl]

I was reading somewhere else that you can use a snack credit on a childrens meal? Is this true?

Taylor

Not true, at least not officially. I'm not saying there has never been a CM somewhere who somehow allowed someone to get a "kids meal" (i.e., at a CS or even a TS restaurant, although I think if it was to happen it would almost have to be at a CS place since TS places generally don't even sell snack items on the DDP) in exchange for a SC, but officially, the only things you can purchase with a SC are items marked with the DDP symbol (these items tend to be under $4 but this does not mean that every under-$4 item is available for a SC).

Now, what you can do is buy something with a SC and feed it to your child for his/her meal. ( - I'm sure you knew this.) The classic example is a box of doughnuts or a box of cold cereal at a resort food court.

 

[kileybeth]

sorry OT

katiebell

Thank you so much for offering those helpful suggetions. I do think 1 CS and 1 snack will be just about right for DH and I to split for B and L. Dinner is just gonna have to be played by ear. And yes, evenings are the worst, usually just have "planovers" at home or cheese and saltines before bed but we shall see how it all works. Unfortunatly, stress and change and heat do effect my #s so I will be "working" at not over doing it in any direction.

thank again.

 

[mkycrzy1971]

I really liked the Pineapple Float I just had from Aloha Isle in Adventureland.

Me too! I had never had one during my past trips...I found it very refreshing on a hot day.

 

[nikky luvs mickey]

Need some ideas on my last days snack credits for the plane ride home. we are doing mk any thought on what would travel well for the plane ride to eat as a snack later that we can get at mk?

 

[Katiebell]

katiebell

Thank you so much for offering those helpful suggetions. I do think 1 CS and 1 snack will be just about right for DH and I to split for B and L. Dinner is just gonna have to be played by ear. And yes, evenings are the worst, usually just have "planovers" at home or cheese and saltines before bed but we shall see how it all works. Unfortunatly, stress and change and heat do effect my #s so I will be "working" at not over doing it in any direction.

thank again.

No problem! At the Poly, you'll have a refrigerator, won't you? You might consider ordering from Garden Grocer, if you will be there for long enough to make it worth your while. My sister and her family were there just a few days after us, so we split an order. It costs about $12 for delivery, I think, and had a $50 minimum, but we each ordered a case of water, a couple of 12 packs of soda, and she ordered cheddar cheese and coffee creamer. We even got a couple of cheap styrofoam coolers, but if you have a fridge, you wouldn't have to worry about that. If you look at their website, they might have a lot of appropriate snack type items, and it's a lot cheaper if you drink a lot of water. I can't drink local water anywhere I go or I get traveler's tummy so I only drink bottled water on vacation. It really adds up if you are paying $2 a pop!

Need some ideas on my last days snack credits for the plane ride home. we are doing mk any thought on what would travel well for the plane ride to eat as a snack later that we can get at mk?

We stopped at the candy store on Main Street on our way out and got a lot of great stuff, including this incredible fudge in all sorts of wonderful flavors There were quite a lot of choices there, and the CM was very helpful -- I got the impression she often had people asking how to spend their snack credits there on their way out of the park on their last day...

 

[nikky luvs mickey]

Thanks. i forgot about the candy store.

 

[annaaidan99]

We had quite a few snack credits left over in our Feb 2006 trip, due to the fact that the plan was a bit more limited, and it was freezing. The drink we got with our CS lasted us the whole day. I didn't want cold drinks or bottled water or anything of that nature. In September that year- well, we used all of them. I mostly bought coffee at the espresso stands with mine- DH bought a lot of cold drinks, DS had a lot of ice cream. I think there are so many items you can get with the snack credits now that it is much harder to not use them.

 

[ReneeA]

Our first trip using the DDP, we had SC's left over. The second one, I made an effort to stop and get my kids (and the grownups!) anything they yelled for. It didn't matter if we were on our way for a TS ADR...if we wanted one, we got it.

I found I could use mine on specialty coffees at CSR in the mornings, and we split the huge danishes some days.

We also ordered 2 cases of water and a 12 pack of beer from gardengrocer (wonderful, wonderful service) so we didn't use our sc's on water.

I spent the whole trip stuffed. It really is a huge quantity of food.