December CS/Snack Help!

[Frankiemack]

My family will be vacationing from December 13 - December 19.

We're staying at POP and upgraded to the free DP for our stay. We do NOT have hopper passes.

There are 3 of us: Me, wife and DD (2 turning 3 during trip)

I've made all of my ADR's for TS meals but now need some recommendations on the best CS meals to take advantage of.

Our current tentative agenda is:

December 13: Arrive at POP around 1pm (Chef Mickey's Dinner at 7:30)
December 14: Magic Kingdom (Crystal Palace Dinner at 6)
December 15: Hollywood Studios (Cape May Cafe Breakfast at 9:15)
December 16: Animal Kingdom (Kona Cafe Dinner at 7:05)
December 17: DD's 3rd b'day! - Magic Kingdom (Ohana Dinner at 6:25)
December 18: Epcot (Akershus Dinner at 5:25)
December 19: Depart POP around 3pm

What would your recommendations be for spacing out our snacks/CS meals to make the most out of the DP and keep out of pocket food expenses minimal?

 

[MainMom]

We are doing our first trip with the DP in Dec. My plan for the snack credits is to just use them! If we want a bottle of water then just use a credit for it. I'm not into stressing out on getting the most bang for my buck. I would rather use them up and 'maybe' have to pay for a couple of things towards the end of the trip than have 20 leftover and have paid for something because it wasn't the best thing I could get. Who cares? JMO

 

[Taja]

Have to agree with MainMom's philosophy of using the snack credits.

We did free dining in September/October 2006 and planned to go with "highest and best use" of our snack and CS credits. Since we were full from our TS and CS meals, we didn't buy many snacks. We had a dozen or so snack credits and a couple of CS credits left at the end of our visit. Of course, we used most of the snack credits to purchase Rice Krispie treats for my BFF to take home to her grandchildren! *LOL*

BTW, think "young" grandmother--the odd silver strand in dark hair and no wrinkles! All of my grandparents were in their 70s when I was born, so that's my frame of reference!

 

[Quin]

Our current tentative agenda is:

December 13: Arrive at POP around 1pm (Chef Mickey's Dinner at 7:30)
December 14: Magic Kingdom (Crystal Palace Dinner at 6)
December 15: Hollywood Studios (Cape May Cafe Breakfast at 9:15)
December 16: Animal Kingdom (Kona Cafe Dinner at 7:05)
December 17: DD's 3rd b'day! - Magic Kingdom (Ohana Dinner at 6:25)
December 18: Epcot (Akershus Dinner at 5:25)
December 19: Depart POP around 3pm

What would your recommendations be for spacing out our snacks/CS meals to make the most out of the DP and keep out of pocket food expenses minimal?

If at all possible, bring enough to eat breakfast nearly every day in the room: pop tarts, cereal bars, granola, whatever. That way you can use the CS credits for lunches and the snack credits for true snacks. With only 1 snack/day, I don't think trying to use them for breakfast is a good idea.

12/13: lunch before you arrive.

12/14: lunch in the MK if you are planning to stay through the afternoon. I'd eat pretty much wherever was most convenient: Pecos Bill, CHH, Pinnocchio, Cosmic Ray. The CS meal is pretty filling, and remember they all come with a dessert. If DD needs to get away from the park by noontime, take the monorail to the CS location at the CR or the Poly. Both are nice, have more food options than in the parks, and give you more of a breather. If DD is refreshed you can go back to the MK. If she needs a nap, just take the monorail back to the MK stop and go get on the Pop bus. Snacks: early lunch, mid-afternoon snack: if the weather is warm, stop at Aloha Isle for a Dole Whip (not the float). If you're not sure what DD would like, the vanilla/orange twist might be safest. Get it in a cup with 3 spoons. It's plenty big. Then if you're doing the parade and Wishes in the evening, get something to share from the Main St. bakery for a little carb boost to get you through the fireworks.

12/15: This is a little harder. I'd get snacks at Writers Stop mid-afternoon instead of a sit-down lunch. What are your plans for the evening? If DD needs to crash, this is a good night to have dinner at the Pop CS food court. If you're staying at HS, the street leading down towards ToT has multiple food stands and a shared picnic-style seating area. IF the weather is nice, this will work well because you and your DW can get food from different stands, then sit together.

12/16: mid-morning I'd get a snack at the Kusafiri bakery in Harambe. I bet DD would love the cupcake with the hard white chocolate elephant on top. Lunch around 1 pm at Flame Tree BBQ.

12/17: Back to MK. For CS, same options/alternatives as the first MK day. For snacks, just make sure that one snack is a classic Mickey bar. Everybody has to try a Mickey bar once during their vacation.

12/18: This is easiest; in some countries the CS lunches are better than the TS. I know you're having dinner at Norway but the lunch there is completely different and one of my favorites. France has some good options. If you like the food, Morocco gets good reviews too. DH loves the fish & chips from England but agrees that the dessert (an itty bitty shortbread cookie) is pretty poor compared to, say, the Napoleon from France. Snacks? Bakery items in Norway or France if you don't eat lunch there. 2 scoops of ice cream from the Fountainview is a single snack credit. And, of course, there's the Werthers Karamel shop in Germany.

12/19: mid-morning snacks and final CS lunch in whatever park you're visiting that day.

 

[Frankiemack]

Great advice! Thanks for the tips everyone!