How do people have left over CS credits?

[ElizabethB]

I agree. We felt no pressure really to use them. Based on the room discount we gave up in order to get the free dining, we were ahead after we'd had $350 worth of food -- that was pretty easy to do.

So, for us, if the food was not good -- it wasn't worth the calories to consume it.

 

[Sammie]

I think if you're able to be there during the free dining plan promotion, you're more likely to have credits left. But if you are paying for the meal plan, I would assume that you'd make sure you used them up before you left. After all, you paid for them out of your own pocket. But I could be wrong. What do you all think?

KC

We did not have any left. But then we are DVC and we were at SSR and I love their CS for lunch and breakfast. Snack credits were used for fruit, muffins, bagels, danish and bottled water, so we used them up to.

Also on the day of check out we were not leaving Disney, simply moving to another Disney resort without the DDP, so we did use credits on that day, that some who are leaving early might have trouble using up.
So we had 6 days to use up 5 credits, so that helped.

 

[disneybride96]

Snack credits are the hardest for us to use. We just returned last Monday after using the ddp for the third time. We have gotten better about pacing ourselves now. I find myself looking at my husband and saying "you will get yourself an icecream and you'll like IT".

I never thought a person could get tired of Mickey Bars, but you do.
PLEEEAASE...just give me a bottle of water for my last snack credit!

 

[ajksmom]

DH, DS5 and myself had 5 CS credits left and 7 snacks at DME pick up time. We used up the snack credits getting fruit, muffins and bagels to eat at the airport.
We never shared, just ate when we were hungry. Always had a quick snack (cereal or pop tart) in the room early am, and used all of our TS credits. Only OOP cost to us was RFC in DTD on arrival day.

 

[CPM]

Yep, you can use them up until midnight on the day you check out.

Oh good. I'm switching resorts for two days, so I guess I won't get the DDP those two days and us the AP rate instead.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

We shared.

In Nov / Dec we were four "Adults" on the ddp (3A and 1 11 yr old) so we often split 3 CS meals between the 4 of us and there was still plenty.

In May - my mom and I almost always split 1 CS between the 2 of us. It was quite hot out (96 degrees most days) and it just killed my appetite. Still we got 4 half chicken dinners to go and enjoyed them once we got home.

 

[gshumaker]

We had 4-5 snacks left and about 8 CS credits left after 10 days on the DDP, but we left with our bellies full.

Between the 4 of us, only a day or two did we use 4 CS meals at any meal since it was so much food.

Then you spend a day or two off WDW property and those add up too.

It is very easy to have a few left and since it was free, we did not care.

If I had paid for it, I'm sure I would have been more conscience of what was left and used them all.

 

[disneymom3]

First, you are always FULL! It's hard to keep eating. Snack credits are the hardest for us to use. We just returned last Monday after using the ddp for the third time. We have gotten better about pacing ourselves now. I find myself looking at my husband and saying "you will get yourself an icecream and you'll like IT". Of course, we were only there 4 nights, so only had 8 of each credit to use, and you would know, they forgot to charge me 2 CS credits and would not take them back, so we HAD to use them, and got breakfast with them one morning at the pepper market. The DDP is a great deal, but pacing yourself is the key. We met friends one day for lunch and paid OOP, so thought we would be ok with the CS credits, until we ended up with a couple of extra. We did start using the snack credits for breakfast pastries too.

I have already warned DH that he is required to order dessert at each meal.

 

[MickiMouth]

We had 7 snack credits and 6 counter service credits left over. We didn't share any meals and one day DD6 wanted pizza for lunch and it wasn't an option as a kids meal at our resort so we paid oop for it. The dining plan is just ALOT of food.

 

[MissD]

As for the snacks, we hoarded them for a couple of days thinking we would have a greater need at the end of the week, but that did not materialize.

Isn't it weird that so many of us have done that? There should be a support group for snack and CS credit hoarders or something I was so afraid we'd run out of snack credits thanks to DS12--and we ended up doing that last-minute snack shopping blitz, too. Maybe it's because you have the CS dessert that ends up as a snack (Darn that Boardwalk Bakery!)? We had CS credits left over because we shared a sandwich or something at lunchtime so we'd have room for dinner. Even paying for the DDP, it was still an awesome value--despite the credits we left unused.

I wish I could have 'left' the extra DDP weight as easily as those credits

 

[Amyrlin]

We like TS meals, but don't eat 3 times a day, we'll have a TS breakfast, on or off site then a TS dinner, don't get hungry in between. We may use some of breakfast, but we would rather eat as we want to eat rather than dictated to by the DDP.

 

[tinaluis]

We are a family of 5 (me, DH, DD10, DD8 and DD5) and we just returned from 10 nights of free dining and we spent every last credit, but I could see how some would end up with leftover credits. The first CS lunch we ordered 5 meals -- WAY TOO MUCH FOOD for the 5 of us. So every meal after that we ordered 3 (with the option of ordering another meal if we needed to). Sometimes we required a 4th meal, but most times not. We used leftover credits for breakfast sometimes or for a snack to feed all of us, like the nacho plate. Our challenge was using our snack credits on non-park days. We ended up with about 17 leftover and went to Goofy's Candy Company at DTD and let our DDs go wild (or as wild as they could go for $4.00 and under a credit). They were thrilled and we were happy to have used all of our credits.

 

[jonkatony]

We were on the dining plan for 14 days we were full for 14 days. There is a great deal of food available. The dining plan is great. We found the best way to use the plan was not to worry about getting the most for your money as you will fill uncomfortable, just eat when you feel the need.

P.S Double butter peacan ice cream @ mk wow. this is a snack ?

 

[Nancyg56]

One day my son had soda and cookies for lunch.(We're on vacation, keep the flames to yourself. )

I am laughing because we did the same thing in Epcot. DGD had a pretzel and water, and then a cookie in France. I'm not telling my DD, she will freak out!

We really thought that we would eat lunch every day, so I paid for breakfast. Next time I will use the CS first, no matter what I think we will do. We planned later dinners last January, so we had a CS lunch, and then dinner later. I planned earlier meals last week, it was hot, and we simply were not hungry in between. I had 6 or 8 CS left.

 

[taximomfor4]

We left 12 CS. With a TS each day, nobody was very hungry. So after the first day, we began getting CS meals for just whoever was hungry (usually the kids). DH, DD13, and I often split one or 2 meals between us. Oh, and dd4 only wanted applesauce for the first 4 days -- since DS6 won't eat applesauce, he gave his to her. That left several CS per day that we didn't use (usually 2/day). Sometimes late evening, DH and I would get a CS meal to split as a snack when the kids went to bed.

FOr us, paying for the DDP will not be an option for the foreseeable future. We even cancelled one TS meal (Ohana).

 

[magsmom]

Counter service credits proved difficult to redeem due to the fact that all of us ended up with the flu. We still had 11 of our 27 CS credits with 2 days to go and ended up forfeting 2 credits.

I was able to redeem snack credits for almost any item under $4 and was able to bring shortbread cookies home (5 boxes) and gummys and candy. We ended up doing a number of 2 credit TS due to the fact everyone was sick in the middle of our vacation.

We would do it again, however. 15 nights of dining cost $782 (9 nights points, 6 free). We ate over $2500 in food.

 

[disneyagain]

We used only 3 CS credits and it was enough for the 4 of us for lunch. Used some of the extra's for breakfast, still only 2 or 3 credits. Used 1 snack for a muffin one morning and DD had a cereal and milk one morning which (with the milk) was one snack credit).

The last day we had 5 CS left, so we used 2 for breakfast and paid for one breakfast (I had another muffin - snack credit). Thinking that would leave us 3 credits for lunch.

WELLLLLLL, we went to DTD and saw Ghiradelli and each had a sundae for lunch...We went home with 3 CS credits and our wallet was $30 lighter from the sundaes..

Throroughly enjoyed the Free dining, would do it again, even spending the little bit we did.....

Some restaurants we gave extra tips to the servers, and some we were glad we didn't have to pay for the meal or service and didn't tip extra....

All in All a good experience

 

[MrsMork]

We fly from the west coast so arrive very late the first night. We also leave early on the last day. We have not yet used the DDP, but plan to this Dec with me, DH and DGS (6). We will likely have a couple of TS breakfasts to use the TS for the first and last day. I am looking forward to it. We eat TS once each day normally anyway so this should save us some $$.

 

[ProudMomTo3Boys]

I signed on for the dining plan for April, and I think I will use them all and then some, only because we get into MCO around 11 am and then on checkout day we don't leave MCO until around 9 pm, so its like I have an extra full day there with no credits, so I am sure to use all of them. I am hoping to share some of the CS so that I will have a couple extra on the last day. If not then I will pay OOP and know I really got my money's worth.

 

[janey99]

We ended up with 4 CS and 13(!!!) snacks left over! We also got our desserts from table service wrapped every night and they sat in our room fridge until I threw them away. I guess we are not big eaters - my overwhelming impression on our whole trip was "Wow - this is a lot of food!"

That said, on our last morning, I was in the hotel gift shop/marketplace using the snack credits to buy novelty chocolates and other snacks to give as gifts, and the woman at check out commented how much I was buying. One thing led to another and when I said I also had 4 CS meals left she said I could give them to her.

So, I went through the lunch line and used up my credits to get 4 full lunches (snadwich, drink, chips and dessert). She put them in a bag, asked me to write her name on it to show I had "given" it to her, cashed out the remainder of my credits, and everyone was happy - her whole staff got lunch that day for free!

What have others done (if anything) with their leftover credits?