Eating a meal off snack credits

[levenhopper]

Hey all-
Do you think it's possible/practical to eat a meal solely off snack credits (breakfast or lunch, in our case)?

My friend and I are traveling to WDW in December, using the DxDDP, and am running into some issues allocating dining credits. As it stands now, we each have three meal credits left, but still have six meals unaccounted for. I'm hoping that we can use some of our snack credits to fill us up for meals/tide us over until our TS meals...we will be getting 24 snack credits total (combined for both of us) for our trip.

Meals unbooked: two breakfasts, four lunches. The PTR in my signature has details on the ADRs we've booked, if that'll help the decision.

Thoughts/suggestions? Any help would be wonderful!

 

[Partridge]

After skimming through your plans, I think you'll be FINE! You have a couple heavier meals (buffets) on days that you just have two meals total planned, so snacking your way through to that next ADR will do you just fine. I kept a guide of known snack credit items for each of the parks on my phone, so I could kind of skim through at will and see what sounded best. Plus, you get to try all kinds of things that way!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards!

 

[auntfrannie]

Definitely! Especially for breakfast. I've done the DxDP before and that's how I used some of my snack credits. Sounds like you're going to have a great trip!

 

[CraigInPA]

I looked over your adr's. You have no dinner on Sunday?

You probably won't be missing lunch with the schedule you've put together. On Tuesday, specifically, it is very unlikely you'll feel like eating lunch after the breakfast buffet at Crystal Palace.

It's easy to get a breakfast muffin or pastry as one of your snack credits at your hotel or Starring Rolls (DHS) or Main Street Bakery (MC) or numerous places in Epcot. Along with your refillable mug, you're probably set for breakfast.

Likewise, if you feel hungry in the afternoon on a skipped lunch day, there are MANY choices for filling snack items (ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, funnel cakes, etc...)

Trust me, you will not be hungry on this trip.

 

[ses1230]

There are definitely snacks that are more substantial than a bag of chips or a cookie, For example, you can get a baked potato at Liberty Square Market or egg rolls at the Adventureland cart in MK. Or a ham and cheese croissant at the French bakery in Epcot.

HERE is the confirmed snack credit thread, you can go through it and see what looks good to you.

 

[hsmamato2]

wow, that is a LOT of snacks...I had no idea!

 

[sydsmom1997]

We have used snack credits for breakfasts without a problem. We liked to get the fruit bowls in the food court of the resort as a snack credit. We would then eat them for breakfast. We also found that many of the desserts that you get with your QS meals are prepackaged. I ate a lot of carrot cake for breakfasts too!

 

[levenhopper]

I looked over your adr's. You have no dinner on Sunday?

Good catch! We have Via Napoli booked for Sunday dinner (6:20PM) but I forgot to list it on the PTR.

 

[levenhopper]

Thanks everyone! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear

 

[havoc315]

I've practically never heard of running out of credits on the DxDP.

Snack credit breakfasts are quite easy -- Bagel, cereal, danish -- these things can each be had as a snack credit.

But as I said, it is hard to actually use all the DxDP credits. 3 sitdown meals can be too much food and too much time.
I see for you, on the 12/16, you are doing a breakfast buffet followed by an early lunch.
So estimate, breakfast: 8-9:30
Lunch: 11:50-1:30
Dinner: 6:20 - 8 pm.
So between 8am and 8 pm -- In 12 hours, you will have spent about 5 hours in restaurants... 5 out of 12 hours. And after an all you can eat breakfast buffet concluding at 9:30ish, are you really going to be in the mood for a big steak lunch just 2-2:30 hours later?

The other things to remember, in terms of economizing your credits, is the ability to share credits.
Lets use the 16th as an example again -- You both have to "pay" for breakfast. But after a big buffet breakfast, and then with the early lunch -- maybe you'll just want to share the lunch. Especially since it includes an appetizer.... after a big buffet breakfast, you may be able to share an app/entree/dessert for lunch, without going hungry. And thus, only use 1 credit instead of 2.

Same with Tuesday the 18th -- You have "all you can eat" for breakfast and dinner. Maybe you can just share a credit for lunch.

Between using snacks for some meals, skipping some meals (because of time and simply lack of hunger) and sharing some meals, I doubt you will have an issue with credits.

 

[smiths02]

Take my advice with a grain of salt...BUT I am a big eater
Mon, Dec 17. Animal Kingdom (with EMH AM). Breakfast at Tusker House at 9:10AM. Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at 4:25PM. Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage in the evening, possibly heading to Disney Boardwalk after, for Jellyrolls.

I don't see you needing lunch this day (OR you could share a CS for lunch-Flame Tree BBQ has rib combos or big turkey sandwiches)
Tues, Dec 18. Magic Kingdom. Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 8:10AM. Quick Serve lunch at Cosmic Ray's. Dinner at 'Ohana at 4:45PM. MVMCP at night
Again, you really won't need lunch this day, a Dole Whip Float or something will be fine. Those are two really big meals. If you must have lunch, I would split a CS at Cosmic Ray's and maybe use snack credits to supplement (like a side of fries or something0
Thurs, Dec 20. Hollywood Studios. Lunch at Mama Melrose with Fantasmic! Dining Package at 1:30PM. Fantasmic at night. Dinner at Sci-Fi Dine-In at 8:20PM.
Totally grab a cupcake from Starring Rolls for breakfast. Or bring some cinnamon rolls back to your hotel from Main Street Bakery since you are hitting MK the night before OR Sci Fi is a good place to share especially on Deluxe For one TS credit you could get 2 milkshakes, app, and entree. Then just pay for one entree OOP By this point in your trip you will know if you are running out of meal credits or not

 

[daizieduck]

You have to watch the CMs. DH got an orange juice and a bagel (forget where). He told the CM he wanted to use two snack credits and she told him he had to use a quick service credit. I was so mad when I found out what happened. What a waste of a quick service credit!!! In hindsight I probably should have went to the front desk at our resort and tried to get it corrected.

 

[levenhopper]

I see for you, on the 12/16, you are doing a breakfast buffet followed by an early lunch.
So estimate, breakfast: 8-9:30
Lunch: 11:50-1:30
Dinner: 6:20 - 8 pm.
So between 8am and 8 pm -- In 12 hours, you will have spent about 5 hours in restaurants... 5 out of 12 hours. And after an all you can eat breakfast buffet concluding at 9:30ish, are you really going to be in the mood for a big steak lunch just 2-2:30 hours later?

So if you had to drop one, which would you drop?

 

[waffles77]

Cinnamon Rolls at the Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom are soooo delicious.

They are a snack credit, and we definitely were filled for breakfast.

 

[smiths02]

So if you had to drop one, which would you drop?

Could you move dinner to later on that evening?
Is this the Via Napoli dinner...leftover pizza is always good for breakfast

For any of your dinners that aren't all-you-can-eat...you may be able to pack up the dessert (chocolate cake, fruit, etc.) and eat that for breakfast the next morning.

 

[havoc315]

So if you had to drop one, which would you drop?

That really comes down to personal preference.
For me, personally, I don't do sitdown breakfasts. I like to be active in the park at ropedrop, plus I'm not a big breakfast person. So I eat breakfast in the room, or grab a quick snack or shared QS meal before heading to the parks.
And purely personally, I don't like Le Cellier, so I might drop that one.

If you and your girlfriend have your heart set on a princess breakfast at Akershus, then keep it. Either drop Le Cellier, or just plan on sharing a credit there.

If you want to maximize your park time, while eating really well, but without the need to be rolled around the park... Then I'd skip the breakfast, and do an early lunch at whatever restaurant looks good to you. (Certainly, an 11:50 at Le Cellier would work).

But overall.. if it was me and my wife.. we are a bit of foodies....
I'd take those 3 credits per night, and do a signature meal just about every night... with an early lunch every day. And then I'd just use snack credits for breakfast every day. (With using your refillable mugs for coffee... get 1 big cinnamon roll, and you have a filling breakfast for 2, having spent only 1 snack credit for the entire meal)

 

[gtpoohbear]

We do the DxDp and always run out of credits. We just figure out our cheapest meals and pay OOP for them.

Breakfast is probably the easiest to get by with on snack credits, if you can make do with a muffin or bagel. (Doesn't work for us b/c DH is a bacon and eggs type of guy, lol!)

Just be careful and double check with the CM when they ring you up. Some things will be in the "snack" area but they won't let you use snack credits for it. Tried to do that once with a PB&J Uncrustable that was in the Snacks part of the refrigerator but the CM rudely informed me that we couldn't use a snack credit even though it was in the snack section. (Off topic, but probably the ONLY time at Disney that a CM was outwardly rude to me)

 

[levenhopper]

Could you move dinner to later on that evening?
Is this the Via Napoli dinner...leftover pizza is always good for breakfast

For any of your dinners that aren't all-you-can-eat...you may be able to pack up the dessert (chocolate cake, fruit, etc.) and eat that for breakfast the next morning.

Good idea on packing up desert for breakfast

I just moved Via Napoli back to 7PM...the next thing after that was 7:45PM, and it'd be cutting it close for Illuminations.

 

[levenhopper]

If you and your girlfriend have your heart set on a princess breakfast at Akershus, then keep it. Either drop Le Cellier, or just plan on sharing a credit there.

What if I moved to Akershus to lunch on Saturday? We were planning on doing a few hours in the park just to look around and get in the Disney spirit before heading to Cirque du Soleil that night. There is a 1:55PM lunch reservation...our flight lands in Orlando at 10:21AM. Even if we use DME, 3.5 hours should be enough time, right?

We can't share Le Cellier because we're doing the Candlelight Processional package, so we each need to use credits so we get the passes for the Candlelight Processional.

 

[NorCalGal]

Another vote for saving dessert for breakfast! If you don't mind eating sweets for breakfast, that's a really easy way to conserve credits. Also, oatmeal is a snack credit if you want something healthier. You could also take some oatmeal packets from home and just use the hot water at the resort if you want some "just in case" food. I do that frequently when I travel for those times when I just want something quick and easy and not too filling in my room.