Getting Bang for My Buck Dining Plan

[teachmedis]

To preface, this is just for fun and because of my naturally competitive nature. I know I can pay OOP and pay less. My dh insists on the dining plan because he says the sticker shock would cause him to ruin our vacation (he would ).
We still have a couple of months before I do ADR's. We love character meals which has helped us to save money on the dining plan in the past. This year I've chosen:
Chef Mickeys dinner
Bon Voyage
Ohana breakfast
Minnie's Springtime dine (hopefully Fantasmic package)
Crystal Palace dinner
Boma
Hoop Dee Doo
Now what gets us is the two breakfasts and hoop dee doo...those aren't great uses of table service credits (Hoop is worth it, right?).
So I'm looking for QS that get me big bang for my buck. Flame Tree and BOG are a go for sure. Any high priced snacks you know of you can throw in too. In the past, for us, the snacks have been a wash, we could use those credits on a banana and feel no guilt because between QS and TS we had "beat" the dining plan. This time around itll be close and I like to win! Note that we go Easter week so the buffets are at the top of their pricing scale. Again, just for fun!

 

[Disneylover99]

The baby back ribs at The Polite Pig in DS are $23.

 

[teachmedis]

The baby back ribs at The Polite Pig in DS are $23.

Thank you, I just read an article that listed them. BBQ and Pub food is our favorite, so this makes the list. I just realized BOG breakfast is $28! That's very close to the cost of the character breakfast buffets. I hope that stays QS.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Some of the snacks at the Epcot festival booths can be a great value at $7-8. Also the Venti sized drinks at Starbucks.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Disney Food Blog has a lot of videos on the most bang for your Dining Plan when it comes Snacks.

 

[Christine]

Venti drinks at Starbucks (as said above), the Dole Whip Pineapple Upside Down Cake ($6.99).

I agree with the poster above. Watch the Disney Food Blog videos on their YouTube channel. They are great. I believe they have one specifically for snacks that are worth it on the dining plan (they probably also have a PDF of it on their site).

 

[BarlowFamily]

All of my suggestions are alocohol. Just because it adds value to that quick service credit. D Luxe in DS, if you have a boozy milkshake with your burger it's an excellent use of a QS credit. A glass of wine at Wolfgang Puck Express ups the value of that QS credit too.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

And this is why I dislike the DDP, it's not "what do I wan to eat" but "what do I have to eat to make this worthwhile"

 

[Bjkandma]

Hoop Dee Doo Revue is definitely worth it. It is a 2 hour dinner show. We actually use TS credits for this meal. We go to the third seating (usually 8:30), get category one seating and it includes unlimited food and drink (Sangria), soft drinks. It also includes the tip.

Snack: first off, most snacks we find shareable. Our favorite one to share is the strawberry funnel cake with toppings at Epic Center (formerly Oasis Canteen) in HS.

 

[Moliphino]

Funnel Cakes at Epic Eats (that's what Oasis Canteen is called now, right?). Great use of a snack credit.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Hoop Dee Doo Revue is definitely worth it. It is a 2 hour dinner show. We actually use TS credits for this meal. We go to the third seating (usually 8:30), get category one seating and it includes unlimited food and drink (Sangria), soft drinks. It also includes the tip.

Snack: first off, most snacks we find shareable. Our favorite one to share is the strawberry funnel cake with toppings at Epic Center (formerly Oasis Canteen) in HS.

I believe "worth" in this thread is simply $$$ based, and if that's the case, there are no 2 credit meals that you get your $$$ worth in comparison to what each individual credit's value is on the DDP. A single credit at HDDR is "worth" only in the mid-$30's.

 

[alex9179]

We're going in a bit over a week, on free dining. I took some snack notes from Allears, especially if they were icy (for the heat) or savory (my preference). Some carts are seasonal, so may not be available for your trip.
Joffrey's frozen drinks/Starbucks drinks, pretzels with cheese in all the parks
MK
Aloha Isle -upside down pineapple cake/dole whip
Sleepy Hollow - ice cream churro
Casey's - chili cheese fries
Plaza ice cream parlour - huge sundaes
Auntie Gravity's - fruit smoothies, choc shake

Epcot
L'Artisan - cup of sorbet/ice cream, macaron sandwich
Sommerfest - nudel gratin
Kabuki Cafe - 2 pcs sushi, kakigori
Boulangerie - lobster bisque, bacon and cheese roll, pissaladiere, ham and cheese croissant, tons of sweets
Karamell-Kuche - tons of things, but salted caramel cupcake & big bag of popcorn appeals to my kids

Boardwalk
Ample hills ice cream scoop

DHS
Epic Eats - funnel cake sundae with strawberry or oreo topping
Hollywood Scoops - sundaes, cookie sandwich
Hollywood Hills - nachos
ToT cart - frozen drinks
KRNR - nachos, floats

AK - my favorite for savory snacks
Various carts - fruit and cheese plates, churros
Harambe - grilled curry corn on the cob, fruit & cheese plate
Kusafiri - colossal cinnamon roll, palmier
Mahindi - glazed nuts
Caravan Rd - beef slider, noodle salad
Mr Kamals - seasoned fries, hummus & veggies, chicken dumplings
Y&Y - fried rice, eggroll
8 Spoon Cafe - baked mac & cheese, topped with pulled pork or shrimp
Flame Tree - pulled pork fries, onion rings
Dino Bites - ice cream cookie sandwich, sundaes

 

[Christine]

I believe "worth" in this thread is simply $$$ based, and if that's the case, there are no 2 credit meals that you get your $$$ worth in comparison to what each individual credit's value is on the DDP. A single credit at HDDR is "worth" only in the mid-$30's.

I agree. I've always heard that it's a waste to use the regular DDP on 2 credit meals. You definitely lose out so it's always best to pay that one OOP and use the credit somewhere else.

 

[teachmedis]

Thanks everyone! I do check out the blogs/vlogs but I always like to hear what the average Joe thinks too. I think by worth it for hoop dee doo, I mean, is it worth the extra planning to get myself at even or to "win" on the dining plan...since clearly I like to plan, I think by all the reviews I've seen and heard here it seems "worth it".

 

[teachmedis]

And this is why I dislike the DDP, it's not "what do I wan to eat" but "what do I have to eat to make this worthwhile"

I suppose you could look at it that way. But like I've said, we prefer character meals which tend to be a good value on the dining plan. I always start with what meals I "want" to eat for table service. As far as quick service goes, that's kind of details isnt it? If I know I'm going with DDP to avoid sticker shock, why not try to break even or come out ahead? To me, that's fun. So that's where we've got to say, to each his own.

 

[teachmedis]

Some of the snacks at the Epcot festival booths can be a great value at $7-8. Also the Venti sized drinks at Starbucks.

Thank you, we will be there during Flower and Garden so I bet I can get some yummy snacks.