Do your Snack Credits fill you?

[Tammy296]

Ok this is going to seem ridiculous but I thought I'd post it. Do any of you find that when you go to Disney, you get real finicky how you "spend" your Snack credits?

It seems that snack credits just isn't enough to satisfy a hunger pang. At least for 3 hours!! I mean come on....one little strawberry = one snack credit isn't going to fill you up.

When I went to WDW in 2007, I got so frustrated that at the end of my trip, I had all of these snack credits unused. I ended up using them for the plane ride home and purchased things from the resort hotel with them. Every single time I'd go to the parks I'd say to myself... ok what do I want with a snack credit? You can't get a soda and a small snack for one snack credit. You have to use 2!! Forgive me for this rant, but does anyone else agree with me?

I seriously think Disney should wise up and give at least a $4 allottment per snack credit on ANYTHING. That is, if its $4 and under, it's covered up to $4. This would at least allow us to get a soda AND whatever snack we select to satisfy a 3 hr term until dinner time comes around...

I hate thinking of my next WDW trip where I have to actually PLAN my snacks too.

Even my 8 yr old daughter would get upset because on a snack credit she'd want at least a soda and a small snack to satisfy her!

-T

 

[a1tinkfans]

To us they're really just "extra's" so we do not even think about them. We just get the popcorn or ice cream or whatever. Its a BONUS in my mind, but we're not snack crazy people at home so I guess maybe thats why.
We always have some left over and grab stuff at hotel for give aways when we get home.
By the way, in all the times I have had the food plan, I have never ever paid for it, I know CRAZY, but we always get it all for free so I say, whatever it is, it is.... we just pay for what extra we want (I do not budget on vacation generally speaking anyway) we think of it all as " woohoo whatever we did not pay for is
Freebie and we're not complaining!

have a great trip, I would NEVER consider planning snacks, that is just crazy to me!! Its hard enough planning dinners, LOL
Good Luck and have a great trip, and EAT those yummy snacks!

 

[mbordeleau]

I seriously think Disney should wise up and give at least a $4 allottment per snack credit on ANYTHING. That is, if its $4 and under, it's covered up to $4. This would at least allow us to get a soda AND whatever snack we select to satisfy a 3 hr term until dinner time comes around...

I agree - that would be great!

 

[tamclan]

Ok this is going to seem ridiculous but I thought I'd post it. Do any of you find that when you go to Disney, you get real finicky how you "spend" your Snack credits?

It seems that snack credits just isn't enough to satisfy a hunger pang. At least for 3 hours!! I mean come on....one little strawberry = one snack credit isn't going to fill you up.

When I went to WDW in 2007, I got so frustrated that at the end of my trip, I had all of these snack credits unused. I ended up using them for the plane ride home and purchased things from the resort hotel with them. Every single time I'd go to the parks I'd say to myself... ok what do I want with a snack credit? You can't get a soda and a small snack for one snack credit. You have to use 2!! Forgive me for this rant, but does anyone else agree with me?


Even my 8 yr old daughter would get upset because on a snack credit she'd want at least a soda and a small snack to satisfy her!

-T

I am not sure I get your complaint.

You say you have all these snacks, unused leftover but you don't want to use them when you want a beverage and food item.

This is the way I approach the snacks, I consider them free on Dining Plan and let my kids (I have 2 boys) get whatever they want. They basically have 2 each (their own and 1 from mom and dad).

I am not trying to get the most bang for the buck, just trying to enjoy them.

 

[Shagley]

I got so frustrated that at the end of my trip, I had all of these snack credits unused.

I seriously think Disney should wise up

You saved Disney money by not using all your snack credits. I think they did wise up, because they used to offer snacks up to $4.00 and they realized they were losing money on the deal. Now you can only get a single serving item (rather than an entire box of donuts) for each snack credit. I personally think it is odd that you are complaining about not getting enough snacks, but yet you didn't even use all of your snack credits I use my snack credits on Mickey bars or Dole Whips or at Goofy's candy store at DTD. I'm not sure where you are going that you only get one small strawberry for a snack credit?

 

[GoodFairies]

I am not sure I get your complaint.

You say you have all these snacks, unused leftover but you don't want to use them when you want a beverage and food item.

This is the way I approach the snacks, I consider them free on Dining Plan and let my kids (I have 2 boys) get whatever they want. They basically have 2 each (their own and 1 from mom and dad).

I am not trying to get the most bang for the buck, just trying to enjoy them.

Yeah..makes no sense.

You would rather have a bunch of snack credits left over than use 2 at once?


Snacks aren't meant to be a filling meal; they are meant to tide you over until the next meal. If it's not enough food for you you could try the deluxe dining plan which does give you 3 full meals per day.

 

[beroh2253]

I get either a hot sticky bun for breakfast or an ice cream sundae when arriving back at the resort at night. Or try a dole whip float at the MK,these are good uses of snack credits.

 

[sherabby]

If we end up with extra snack credits we take things home with us. My son has allergies and those Divies are super extra treats for him at home! I know you can buy them online as well but it is more fun coming from Disney World.

 

[tndisneyfan]

Ok this is going to seem ridiculous but I thought I'd post it. Do any of you find that when you go to Disney, you get real finicky how you "spend" your Snack credits?


-T

There were times I wouldn't purchase something with a snack credit because I didn't feel like I was getting my "money's worth". I think one time there was a something I wanted that was just like a buck fifty and I just couldn't part with a credit for that. IF it was a really cheap item I would just pay OOP. But if you end up using up credits on the last day on something you don't really want just to use your credits up then you're not really getting your moneys' worth either.

 

[Tammy296]

Ok I might get FLAMED for posting this but here's the explanation to my complaint.

While yes, I had snack credits left over... the point of the whole thing is.... why did I have those snack credits left over?

Well...

1) Whenever I'd find a snack I might like, the portion of the snack was either too small for me - so why bother getting it? I knew I'd want more and only had ONE credit to use

2) Why buy food when you dont have anything to drink with it? I don't often eat food without pouring myself something to drink first...

3) I spent more time asking counter people - does this count as a snack credit? I mean every single time I turned around I was asking. Especially at Epcot where NOTHING was accepted (rarely anything that is except the kaki gori shaved ice!) could be used as a snack credit. And this was for things even at 3.50 or smaller items!

4) If you are spending your money to get the DDP, you WANT the MOST bang for your buck. Thus my complaint is, I PAID for that DDP. I didn't get it for free. If I paid for it, I want to get my moneys worth and then some. We don't want to buy something that won't be beneficial to us.

So the reason why I had snack credits left over was because it didn't seem worth it to get a snack with the above 4 conditions. One choc covered strawberry isn't going to cut it (as someone else posted in another post) and I agree.

So my point being Disney SHOULD go back to the regular under $4 rule or incorporate a new up to $4 rule on snack credit use. Then maybe I wouldnt have to struggle so much with using snack credits I PAID FOR ON MY VACATION.

The gist of the whole thing is this...

I paid for it
its a vacation - I don't want to plan my snacks out
I don't know anyone on here who hasn't tried to make the most use of their snack credits when they go to Disney at least somehow. To me, if I get a snack I want to be full until my next meal time. Buying a DDP and then BUYING snacks on top of it to stay full is not going to cut it. There. Rant done. I appreciate everyone's feedback. Maybe some of you have helpful advice on how to reduce that stress for my next vacation to WDW.

-T

 

[Tammy296]

Someone on here mentioned that ice cream being a good use of a snack credit. I agree!!

When we went in 2007, we used snack credits on the sundaes at MK and they were quite big. Other than that, I didn't find much use for them only because I didn't have enough over the course of the full 6 days...

while I could have used 2 snack credits in the afternoon for a churro and drink, the next day I'd be minus one snack credit or that night I'd be without any.

It's not about having enough food at a sit down dinner or counter service meal. It's about having enough food throughout the course of the day when you're busy. Thus why I said I can live without desserts at counter service meals or appetizers at table service meals, etc. But snacks??/ These are amusement parks for gods sake... Snacks are

 

[Tammy296]

Someone else mentioned that I possibly using snack credits just before we left wasn't getting our moneys worth either.

We ended up getting the types of snacks that you wouldnt find anywhere BUT disney world to take home with us either to give out to friends, family or whatnot. It was fun picking things out on our last day for this but I just felt bad not being able to use our snack credits in a more worthy way during the course of the entire vacation.


Tammy

 

[Tricia1972]

Snack credits (and the limitations therein) are one of the reasons that I LOVED traveling without the DDP.

I ran into the same deal as you, I always wanted to make sure I came out ahead on the plan. (October 2007 trip) I drove myself batty!

We went again in March 2008 and spent a total of $102 on snacks, much of which wouldn't have been covered by a DDP Snack credit. Even figuring that everything WOULD have been covered as a snack credit - the value of our 38 snack credits would have been $114 figuring $3/credit.

It's a whole complicated icky math thing (how I got here) but my bottom line is that it was nicer for us without the DDP. We got what we wanted (not only snacks, but also at our meals), we spent less, and I had much less stress.

Sometimes the best dining plan is no plan at all, and that's just as OK as those who use the plan and love it.

 

[Faldred]

We're going DxDP with myself, DW, DS3, DD2, and DS2 -- even with just three of us on plan, that's 6 snack credits a day!

We'll probably use 2, maybe 3, per day on average between the 5 of us, considering that we're going to be eating 3 good sized meals pretty much every day. (Well, we'll probably use more at Epcot, munching our way around the World Showcase, but we'll be walking it off as we do it... right?)

We figure we'll have quite a few snack credits left over at the end of the week, which we plan on using to bring back treats, especially since DS3's birthday is only 3 weeks after we get back -- they could make great party favors!

 

[dvcdisney]

Most of the snacks that we usually get are large enough to share, but we use them as snacks so we are not really hungry. For instance, the popcorn that you can get with a snack credit, it is not very big, but the 4 of us (2 adults, 2 children) would share one. We don't really like to have anything heavy while we are walking around in the park. We usually get two Dole Whip floats to share between the 4 of us. We've shared pastries, cakes, soft serve ice cream, milkshakes and most definitely, fresh fruit salad etc. We have used them for baked goods for breakfast. And generally we would use maybe 2-3 snacks per day and end up with extras. We usually use them to buy snacks for the plane ride home.

But I do understand the OP. Generally, we tend not to use them for drinks or lower cost items because we don't find it worth it. But if we are at the park and we want some water, we have, a few times, used it for that. If I thought that we would be able to use all our snack credits by the end of the vacation, we would pay OOP for the water, but as it is we do end up with at least 10-15 snack credits by the end which I use to get snacks for the plane home.

 

[Allison]

I don't get the complaint.

I use my snack credits to purchase what I want to eat. I'm not looking for something to completely fill me up. I'm not looking to spend a certain amount. I'm getting what I want because I enjoy it.

Why would you think you aren't getting your money's worth with a cup of coffee or a muffin or whatever? There are not specific dollar amounts assigned to the snack, quick service, or table-service credits.

It just shows people have a wide variety of perceptions and different views.

 

[Twinkly-Tink]

I'm not sure I get the point??

If you dont feel like you're getting good value then don't buy the Dining Plan? Or is that too simple?

We'll be using the plan for the first time this year and whilst it would be nice to 'get our money's worth' for us, it's more about the convenience of having everything paid up front.

 

[Tromba]

I don't get the complaint.

There are not specific dollar amounts assigned to the snack, quick service, or table-service credits.

Not officially. But Len Testa of the Unofficial Guide has calculated the costs of individual items on the meal plans, and they break down like this for the QSDP:

QS meal = $10.08
Snack = $2.53
Refillable mug = $4.48
30 min. arcade time = $.30

He has also calculated the DDP and the DxDP, but I don't have those figures. I think he has calculated a TS meal as around $25. The snack and QS credits are the same on all plans.

So, theoretically, if you spend more than $2.53 for a snack, you are getting your money's worth. If you spend less, you are not, and it would be better to buy it OOP.

Tromba

 

[3boymthr]

If you are that concerned about your snack credits and using them efficiently for snacks then use them instead to buy your breakfast foods or for a small lunch if you have a big breakfast - they are good for cinnamon rolls, muffins, etc. I saw a dining review thread by someone who had used their snack credits each day to buy croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins, school bread, etc. each night then brought the items back to the room to have for breakfast the next day. They had coffee and water in the room to go with them. They were actually complaining that there was too much food with what they had bought with their snack credits. That if they had both wanted the same foods they could have gotten by using 1 snack credit for both of them for the breakfast items. I have to say the muffin and cinnamon rolls they bought were HUGE.

 

[maggiew]

Thus why I said I can live without desserts at counter service meals or appetizers at table service meals, etc. But snacks??/ These are amusement parks for gods sake... Snacks are

You could take your desserts from the counter service meals and use them for snacks later instead of using a snack credit. Then use your snack credit for your drink.


I used the dining plan one time when I went with a friend to Mousefest. I felt it was so much food that I could barely walk around because I was always so full. I also used my snack credit on a cup of tea in the morning at the food court (I know not a "good" use of my credit) but I was getting that anyway, so why pay OOP when I had credits left. I figured I would pay OOP at the end of the trip if need be. (Which I didn't.)

You would have been better off spending your credits (even two if you wanted a muffin and a drink) when you wanted it rather than buying stuff at the end just because you had credits left over.

I think there are snacks EVERYWHERE at EPCOT. Almost everything in the France bakery is considered a snack. Most stuff in Norway bakery and Morrocco bakery. I imagine a churro is too. And I saw some huge dessert things in a Sunshine Seasons trip report like key lie pie and strawberry shortcake.

In MK, there are many muffins, croissants, etc. at Main street bakery. Figaro Fries (I think still considered a snack but didn't check on this years list). I saw a report of a baked potato and a corn dog.

These are just examples. From reading the snack thread, it seemed to me that good snacks are everywhere.

Maggie