Does anyone actually use all their snack credits?

[LovesTimone]

Entitlements are good till 11:59 pm on the day of departure.



If you are on DDP with your family that 4 snacks per day for your family. A couple of Mickey bars and a Dole Whip thrown in a day.... You should have no problem using your credits up. or save them up and use all of them at F&W..

If you go the DDXDP route there are more snack credits (8 per day for a family of 4) So it does get a bit challenging to spend then down. But we have never not spent all of them. Even with a couple of entitlements left at the end, we use for breakfast and sometimes lunch on departure day. . So you can get some items to enjoy to take home.. Its nice to have a little extra magic when returning to the real world.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Its nice to have a little extra magic when returning to the real world.

I agree

 

[TwinMom2010]

We had the DxDDP for 4 not so big eaters and I can't eat the majority of snacks because or severe food allergies and we used all but three before the bus took us to the airport but we needed snacks for the airplane so we ran to the shop and grabbed some snacks and used those last three. A lot of our snack credits went to getting water or Gatorade.

 

[mco65]

Snack credits get used...its the quick service that often gets left over.. I remember the 1st time we ever used the dining plan, we had about 6 quick services left. since we have done a better job using those credits.. of course the kids simply eating more helps take care of that.

 

[DisneyHardin]

There are only 2 of us and we go for 5 days, so we always use up our credits.

 

[kevgraub]

I wish there was a dining plan that was one meal, more snacks!

I believe you can now exchange one QS credit for 3 snack credits (has to be used at the same time). So you can turn the DDP into 1 TS and 4 snack credits if you want.

 

[DISbot]

I'm on the fence about the DDP. It seems like the cost of the DDP was running pretty even to what we would pay OOP without it...so yes, I made a spreadsheet and figured out the average cost of each meal I have planned. After adding everything up, the cost of the dining plan and paying OOP was literally only a $25 difference. However, I realized I didn't take into account all of the snack credits. If we actually used those it would make the DDP a smart move for my family, but I read a lot about people ending up taking tons of stuff home on the last day because the snack credits just piled up.

So, looking for advice from others that had the DDP and really made the snack credits work for them. FWIW, we're a family of 4, with a 4 & a 5 year old. We will be traveling during F&W also, so I see potential there, but will be in EP only one day. Any words of wisdom?

You say that it's a $25 dollar difference without accounting for snack credits. That means if you keep the plan, and spend $25 on snacks (5-7 snacks the entire trip, which can easily be done with Food & Wine), then you've broken even. At that point, is there really any issue if you have snack credits left over? You won't lose any money, right? Did you also account for the 4 resort mugs you'll get? If you plan to grab juice and a "snack" for breakfast before hitting the parks, that's probably made up the $25 difference - then you have the flexibility to use the other snacks as you see fit throughout the trip.

 

[megster1123]

Kind of - but looking at our plans for the trip it just looks like a lot of food.
I've got the TS meals set up the way we want them, but found myself saying, "well guess we'll use a QS here because we have the credits..." when we may not have made then choice to stop to eat at a QS if paying OOP. The DDP just felt like it was in ways forcing the food onto us when in reality we probably wouldn't make the same choices if we were paying OOP.

 

[VACamm]

We have gotten the Disney Dining Plan 5 years in a row, and we use our snack credits every single time! The past couple of years since Starbucks opened up, we usually use our credits on Venti Frappuccinos every day!

 

[megster1123]

We have gotten the Disney Dining Plan 5 years in a row, and we use our snack credits every single time! The past couple of years since Starbucks opened up, we usually use our credits on Venti Frappuccinos every day!

That's a good point - I work for Starbucks so my family is well acquainted with what they enjoy there

 

[DISbot]

Kind of - but looking at our plans for the trip it just looks like a lot of food.
I've got the TS meals set up the way we want them, but found myself saying, "well guess we'll use a QS here because we have the credits..." when we may not have made then choice to stop to eat at a QS if paying OOP. The DDP just felt like it was in ways forcing the food onto us when in reality we probably wouldn't make the same choices if we were paying OOP.

Then I'd suggest re-running the numbers. Cut out the QS that you said "because we have credits", but also try to realistically factor in other spending. Do you normally do 3 meals a day? If so, consider if breakfast would be a starbucks snack or a Quick Service dining meal. If you cut out a QS, factor in that you might also get 2-3 snacks to tide over hunger.

If the OOP vs. DP is close, I think the question is whether the plan will give you liberty to breathe easy and eat (would you otherwise pick the cheapest thing on the menu), or if it will force you to eat more than you want/should ("because we have credits").

 

[disneymom0104]

We have always used all of our snacks, even if that meant buying prepackaged goodies to bring home. This time we will have 45 credits over 9 days (reg. DDPx5)- that seems like a LOT of snacks. We'll see I guess!

 

[HollVoll]

We always use our snack credits. If we have any leftover, we go to the Karamell-Kuche in Germany and buy snacks that we can either take home or eat on later.

This is what we do. We eat them on our drive home. A little Disney for the 9 hour drive!

 

[mickeygirl78]

We always use all of our credits. Some days I'll get a pastry with a snack for breakfast. Using my refillable mug for my drink, breakfast is covered. During F&W I'll use several to snack around the world for lunch and don't use the QS - I'll use that for breakfast another day. Between breakfast, F&W, karamel kuche, ice cream - there is no problem in my family using them all.

 

[SunnieRN]

Now that the DDP is so versatile, by having the opportunity to swap drinks and desserts out, in QS meals, it adds even more options! It's now easier to split QS meals, which most are too large, and get two drinks. We use extra QS for breakfast for the munchkins or trade them out for extra snacks.

The munchkins for sure want an afternoon snack, so there's 1/2 of our snack credits. My daughter loves Starbucks, so there's one more. Between snacks, drawings and F&W, I bet it will turn out to be a good deal for your family.

 

[lilly6]

We don't usually eat lunch when we use the DDP so those snacks come in handy during the day for a lemonade or an ice cream, etc. etc. I did find myself wanting to hold back on snack credits at the beginning of the week which really backfired, because by the end of the week 3 of the 4 of us had a stomach virus. On our last morning we ended up using our snack credits to load up on stomach-friendly food (fruit, dry cereal, pretzels etc.) to take in the car for the drive home. That was kind of a bummer.

 

[megster1123]

Now that the DDP is so versatile, by having the opportunity to swap drinks and desserts out, in QS meals, it adds even more options! It's now easier to split QS meals, which most are too large, and get two drinks. We use extra QS for breakfast for the munchkins or trade them out for extra snacks.

The munchkins for sure want an afternoon snack, so there's 1/2 of our snack credits. My daughter loves Starbucks, so there's one more. Between snacks, drawings and F&W, I bet it will turn out to be a good deal for your family.

I think I'm sold on keeping the DDP. I admit, it'll be nice to let the kids go nuts with the snacks

 

[verleniahall]

We enjoyed being able to bring some snacks home at the end of the trip - we didnt plan it that way, but now that you can trade 1 QS for 3 Snack credits, we did that several times at Kiosks during F&W - we loved having those snacks for movie nights later on - we brought home the Chip and Dales Trail Mix and Mickey Head Pretzels

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Yes, we use all of our snack credits...and would be happy to take anybody's extras We go foodie crazy at WDW, and that is when we get to have stuff we never have at home. We watch what we eat at home, so we go a little nuts. I am also cupcake crazy, so bring on the snack credits!!! I'm sad about the stuffed pretzels being removed from WDW, as I ate those a lot on our last trip. But that just means I'll get to try and find my new favorite

 

[shortnsassy730]

Lol I'm a Starbucks junkie so I can definitely use mine up not that they are in each of the parks. A Venti Very Berry Hibiscus tea really hits the spot when its hot out.