How Can I get BLD with Quick Service Dining Plan

[Texian@WDW]

I'm getting the Quick Service Dining Plan and was wondering how I can stretch it out to include all three meals a day. I want to pay as little OOP as possible as we are going to be a party of 7. Staying at POFQ so I can pick up biscuits and gravy, muffins, etc., and have it count as snacks, but I'm wondering how other families may have been able to include all 3 meals in the plan.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

I'm getting the Quick Service Dining Plan and was wondering how I can stretch it out to include all three meals a day. I want to pay as little OOP as possible as we are going to be a party of 7. Staying at POFQ so I can pick up biscuits and gravy, muffins, etc., and have it count as snacks, but I'm wondering how other families may have been able to include all 3 meals in the plan.

Nothing wrong with sharing meals with the CS dining plan, especially if some of the party are younger kids with smaller appetites. This will allow you to carry over some credits for later use.

On another note, as breakfast is usually our lightest meal, we'll either bring along some oatmeal, protein bars, etc or use our snack credit for breakfast

 

[dthogue]

We are a family of 4 - me, dh and dd's 19 and 13 - for the most part we share 3 CS meals for the 4 of us at lunch and dinner - that allows us several days to get CS for breakfast (again sharing), on the days that we don't have extra credits for breakfast we will use snack credits to get Cinnamon Rolls either at MK Bakery or Starring Rolls, or we'll have a quick breakfast in our room (I take along pop tarts, granola bars, bananas, apples, individual boxes of cereal and oatmeal).

Personally though I wouldn't use my snack credits to buy things other than the Cinnamon rolls for breakfast - there are too many other snacks that I want

With a little planning you can stretch your credits, but I don't think I could stretch it far enough to get all 3 meals every day.

 

[sharonabe]

And in 2012, you only get ONE snack per day instead of two, so stretching to three meals a day will be even harder.

 

[Texian@WDW]

And in 2012, you only get ONE snack per day instead of two, so stretching to three meals a day will be even harder.

Since we get there Dec. 30th, I wonder if the plan will switch over to the 2012 plan on Jan. 1st, during our stay?

 

[rznhal]

We split a CS breakfast (i think they have pretty large platters for breakfast, i can't remember what, I'm sure someone else will have a better memory than me), and a CS lunch. One good place to split lunch is Cosmic Rays in MK....we got a chicken/ribs combo....lots of food!

We also took granola bars and fruit snacks. My kids (ok, it was more like "me" ) like to eat as soon as they wake up, so I was very glad I packed morning snacks.

I also think you can get slices of bread to toast in the food court (we were at POP) for less than a dollar. Just depends on how light your group can go for breakfast.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

Since we get there Dec. 30th, I wonder if the plan will switch over to the 2012 plan on Jan. 1st, during our stay?

I could be wrong - please correct me if so - but I believe you will continue with the 2011 plan as when you check in, your room card will be pre-loaded with all your meal credits. I don't see how they would then be able to take them away.

 

[rznhal]

Everything I've ever heard about disney is that whatever you are (age, promotion, etc.) when you check in is valid for you whole trip, so I would think you are safe! Did you get that confirmation email from Disney's Travel Co? Mine showed the amount of TS, CS and Snacks for my trip.

 

[disneychic2]

You can send boxed cereal, bread, peanut butter and snacks ahead of time to be delivered to you when you arrive. Just get milk at the resort gift shop and you're good to go for breakfast and then make pb sandwiches for lunch.

DH and I always split our cs meals for breakfast and lunch. We are on the regular dining plan, so we each get one cs meal a day. You get quite a bit of food at most cs places. I think, though, with 7, you may need to supplement with food brought from home. Good luck!

 

[LisaBi]

Another way we stretch to buy kids meals OOP for a light meal, then use the CS credits for larger meals. Esp. in the food courts, a kids meal is often more than enough. Or like others have said, have cold breakfast foods in the room. Often, a snack-credit item makes a perfect breakfast too. I'm thinking the last time I went, the food court had a really good yogurt parfait that counted as a snack. And my son likes the donut holes that can be purchased in the gift shop. For like $4.00, it was breakfast for several days. (Oh no - it just hit me that they were Entemans - and I'm not sure what has happened to that company. I can't find Entemans products here anymore!)

 

[catne]

couple of notes...

1) last two times we stayed at POFQ (in Fall 2010, and winter 2011) they did not allow biscuits and gravy as a snack credit, even though the price fell under the $4.00 general rule-of-thumb price. The manager told us that biscuits and gravy was considered a "Plated item, not a snack item" whatever that means (since the cake slices were also "plated items" but they did count as snack credi, and the beignets were also a hot plated item, but they were allowed.) Anyway, don't count on getting biscuits and gravy with your snack credit unless they change back (we had previously been allowed to get biscuits & gravy for snack credit at POFQ in early 2010, and late 2009.)

and

2) people have reported being at Disney when the new dining plan "year" kicks in...was just reading a post about the one drink/two drink change that occurred between 2010 and 2011 plans. Anyway, the person said they were allowed 2 drinks with breakfast on Jan 4, 2011, but on Jan 5, and through the remainder of their vacation, they were only allowed one drink. Even though they had checked in prior to the change. So again, be prepared that your plan may change in the middle of your stay.

 

[loislane]

I think it's possible under the 2011 plan to make a breakfast with one of your 2 snack credits. Like others said, it depends on how big of a breakfast you like to have. We all tend to go pretty light, so something like Pop Tarts or a cereal bar or yogurt is good for each of my gang.

That said, we're trying to save up our snack credits to sample some goodies around the park, so we're packing our own Pop Tarts and other assorted snacks in our suitcases. I have things like granola bars and individual bags of trail mix that everyone can stuff in a pocket and bring to the parks, and then little bags of snack cookies and such in case anyone wants a little sweet treat at night.

That's the good part about having 5 people going and flying on Southwest - we can check 5 bags if we need to.

 

[mrstomrice]

If you have young ones, use your snack credits to get an uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You will have 14 snacks a day, so this should be plenty. Also, do not waste your snacks on drinks...you can get a large drink instead of a small or ask for free ice water.

 

[3boys4me]

On our last trip we tried the quick service plan and loved it. We did a little of whtat everyone suggested. Mpst often we would eat dinner at the hotel. My oldest son would go get our mugs when we got back to the resort. We would get chocolate milk or O.J. for our drinks with dinner and we would get either a muffin or fruit for our dessert. There was the next days breakfast. If the kids were in the mood for a hot breakfast we would get one meal and one kids meal OOP. That was pelnty for the 3 of them to share.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

Oatmeal and biscuits and gray were on the snack menu.. I can get a good but small breakfast from the snack menu if I am willing to drink water if I have breakfast in the parks.