Making the most out of the dining plan - QS

[tinkerbell1991]

Scallops and Chips are no longer offered at Cookes of Dublin (too expensive I bet)

Aww that's a shame but thank you for the suggestions anyway

 

[tinkerbell1991]

My advice is, although you want a good bang for your buck, just eat what you want. The first time we did the dining plan, I hoarded all the snack credits for things of a food "value" and paid OOP for water and things like that. At the end of the trip we had snack credits left to spend on things we didn't necessarily want.

Thank you. I was worried about having a lot of snack credits leftover so I'm planning on using them to buy stuff for souvineers on our last day

 

[tinkerbell1991]

Here's some snack ideas, again--from last year, so check before you count on a particular item.

I consider anything over $4.75 to be a good way to spend a credit. And of course, value is in the eye of the beholder.

Dole Whip Floats at Aloha Isle and at the Poly
Vegetarian Chili and New England Clam Chowder at CHH
Churros at Pecos Bills
The Plaza and the All-American Sundaes, Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich at The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
Sundaes at Storybook Treats
Bugz Sundae and Haagen Daaz Ice Cream at Discovery Island Ice Cream
Jalepeno Cream Cheese Pretzel, several locations around WDW
Caramel Chocolate Pineapple at Karamell-Kuche
Berry Cream Puff at Kringla Bakery (says it contains alcohol)
Ham and Cheese Croissant, Fruit Parfait, Strawberry Tart, and Lobster Bisque at Le Halles (bakery in France)
Iced Mocha or Iced Latte at Sunshine Seasons
Hot Fudge Sundae at Hollywood Scoops
Pecan Pattie, Toffee at Writer's Stop (I think this place was supposed to close and then didn't)
Mammoth Pecan or Cashew Pattie, Pecan Caramel Roll, Mickey Peanut Butter Cup,English Toffee at Sweet Spells
Pepperoni pizza Slice at Boardwalk Pizza Window
There are some cupcakes that can be pretty pricey around WDW.
and the infamous Funnel Cakes. I've never had one but they look really good.

Reading all of that has literally made me drool. Well not literally, but close ha ha.

Some of these things that you can get in the ddp sound gorgeous. I can't wait to go now

 

[Alice777]

We were there 2 weeks ago and one thing I regret is not getting more bags of caramel popcorn from karamel Kuche in World Showcase Germany in Epcot. There are 2 types so make sure to get the one in waxed paper bag if you decide to get them. I only bought one bag because we were there on Monday and we weren't leaving until Sunday so I didn't know if they will stay fresh. I had pack big ziplock bags so I put the caramel popcorn in the zip lock bag with waxed paper bag it came in and 2 weeks later it was still fresh. They are so buttery and delicious!

Don't forget you can substitute drink and dessert from your meal so if you go to Columbia House, try their clam chowder. I substituted my dessert for the clam chowder and got slush lemonade instead of regular soda. They were delicious.

And also, what we learned from our trip is most of the meals are in LARGE portion. If you plan carefully and substitute dessert or drink for soup, etc., you can share the one meal between 2 adults. And we learned when you are tired, no matter how good food is, nothing tastes good. We wasted so much food because we were so tired, nothing we ate tasted good. We also had so much food/snack credits left, we end up wasting them by getting things we didn't want. We came home with TONS of candy bags from resort store because we just had too many left.

 

[Beamerball]

The biggest drink from any of the Starbucks locations!

 

[momtotaryn]

Great tips! I'm always looking for ways to get the most bang for my buck, or in this case, my DDP credits!

 

[LovesTimone]

There are a lot of QS meals that can be shared, so you can stretch your entitlements further. With snack credits you can supplement your meals, and then pay oop for things like mickey bars, water and other drinks. You also can order from garden grocer for some supplies for your room... Water, breakfast items, soda, chips and crackers, but don't over order.

Spend some time looking at the menus, and seeing what you might like to try and what works for your family. That way you will have some idea of what is offered when you are ready for a meal time.

Really the only place that you might struggle with QS in DHS, for us there just isn't really options that we like, with the exception of Starring Rolls, they have a few decent sandwiches and a fruit and cheese platter that DH and I like to split. You might want to think about grabbing the boat and heading to one of the resorts and trying out there Food courts, and check out the resort while your there.

 

[ginny_lynn]

The best suggestion is to ask questions, if I hadn't asked I would not have known I could get the lemonade slush as my drink instead of pop, also if there are specialty cupcakes you can get those instead of the standard dessert as your dessert. If you are not sure ask.

Remember if you want the slush get it with your meal then just ask or an ice water, as a slush is not the best to wash your food down with.

If you are not big eaters share meals and snacks. An ice cream cookie sandwich (handmade not from a cart) is 2 HUGE cookies and 3 scoops of ice cream, too much for me alone, but a great snack to split with my son.

If your food court has an ice cream window, you can have your receipt stamped and you have an hour to eat and go back to the window and get ice cream for dessert!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I think the best values are Wolfgang Puck Express, Sunshine Seasons, Be Our Guest, Tangierine Cafe, Landscape of Flavors, the Mara, Boardwalk Bakery, and Contempo Cafe. For me "value" on the DDP is a combination of taste and cost. There are more expensive options, and there is some amazing food I didn't include, (Les Halles, Starring Rolls, etc,) because to me it's a better value to pay for those OOP or use snack credits.

 

[mickeygirl78]

You can get a funnel cake at HS that's covered in strawberries and ice cream that retails over $8 I think that qualifies as a snack credit.

I saw on a post on easywdw that Oasis Canteen removed the funnel cakes. I was very disappointed.

 

[Shellyb84]

I saw on a post on easywdw that Oasis Canteen removed the funnel cakes. I was very disappointed.

We were there last month and they had them! Should've gotten one then!

 

[Lisa F]

There are a lot of QS meals that can be shared, so you can stretch your entitlements further. With snack credits you can supplement your meals, and then pay oop for things like mickey bars, water and other drinks. You also can order from garden grocer for some supplies for your room... Water, breakfast items, soda, chips and crackers, but don't over order.

Spend some time looking at the menus, and seeing what you might like to try and what works for your family. That way you will have some idea of what is offered when you are ready for a meal time.

Really the only place that you might struggle with QS in DHS, for us there just isn't really options that we like, with the exception of Starring Rolls, they have a few decent sandwiches and a fruit and cheese platter that DH and I like to split. You might want to think about grabbing the boat and heading to one of the resorts and trying out there Food courts, and check out the resort while your there.

the writer's stop has a $7.49 charcuterie platter that is as of now a snack credit that people are raving about.

 

[LovesTimone]

the writer's stop has a $7.49 charcuterie platter that is as of now a snack credit that people are raving about.

Thanks I will have to check that out.

 

[tinkerbell1991]

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate these tips and suggestions. I definitelynot know that you could get alternative drinks to soda so I'll definately ask while I'm there to see what I can swap to.

I'd have personally never gone for the ddp but as it's included with our hotel stay I might as well see what we can get.

Also, caramel popcorn has now been added to my must guys.

Thank you again x

 

[WestYorkshireUK]

Josh who writes for easywdw reviews all restaurants and takes lots of photos. It was a good starting point for us.

I was there for the first two weeks of April, the best food for us (we are British so I don't know if that makes a difference)
Earl of Sandwich (now with easy menu so you know exactly what you can get for your QS credit)
Tangieriene Cafe, Morocco Epcot
Flame Tree BBQ Animal Kingdom
Sommerfest Germany for a hot dog and black forest gateaux cake

Snack credits
Double chocolate chip ice cream sandwich Tamu Tamu Animal Kingdom -two huge cookies to wade through.
Starbucks - any drink including frappuccinos, plus their desserts - our favourite to take into Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios

And for free at Epcot, Club Cool for coke from around the world. Find one you like and drink your fill. Try the Beverly, it is famous for how disgusting it is but you can wash away the taste with other flavours.

 

[Alice777]

If your food court has an ice cream window, you can have your receipt stamped and you have an hour to eat and go back to the window and get ice cream for dessert!

I did not know this. Thank you for the info. There was ice cream section at Pop but I used my snack credit. If my son had known, I'm sure that would have been his choice for dessert!

 

[Lothlórien]

My comment will differ from the great suggestions you have already been given. But.......if you feel that you need to find how you can get the most bang for your buck instead of eating what you want, it really is not a good value. You may find that eating what you want out of pocket comes out to be a better deal financially than eating the most expensive meals on the cost of the dining plan. Just something to consider.

 

[momtotaryn]

My comment will differ from the great suggestions you have already been given. But.......if you feel that you need to find how you can get the most bang for your buck instead of eating what you want, it really is not a good value. You may find that eating what you want out of pocket comes out to be a better deal financially than eating the most expensive meals on the cost of the dining plan. Just something to consider.

If we pay OOP, we usually go for the cheapest items that appeal to us. With the DDP, we feel that we can explore the more expensive items, things we normally wouldn't order, because of the cost factor. Of course, we will order something that we want to eat, but now we have a wider range to choose from. If a seafood dish is the most expensive item on the menu, but my DD hates seafood, she won't order it, just to take advantage of the DDP credit value. She may order the pork chop, instead. If we were not on the DDP, she would most likely order chicken, which is probably the cheapest menu item.

Along the same line, this is also true for the dining establishment. Because we are on the DDP, we can go to the more pricey restaurants, something we just won't do if we had to pay OOP.

 

[ginny_lynn]

I did not know this. Thank you for the info. There was ice cream section at Pop but I used my snack credit. If my son had known, I'm sure that would have been his choice for dessert!

We didn't know our first trip either.....when we found out my son was so excited! He loved getting the make your own sundae for dessert!

 

[Jacie]

Oh really, that's a shame

If I see one and become tempted I may give it a go, but hoping as I have a huge sweet tooth, the sugar rush might overlook that lol

I love, love, love the funnel cakes. We get one before the parade at MK and might even grab one to eat during Indiana Jones at DHS. We find them to be quite delicious!