Best Disney Dining Plan Snack Credit Uses
This post covers the best-value snack credit uses on the 2020 Disney Dining Plan. These include delicious Walt Disney World desserts, cupcakes, Epcot festival snacks, Dole Whips, Starbucks specialty drinks, and much more! Maximizing the ‘bang for your buck’ out of each snack credit is important for a couple of reasons, which we’ll cover in this post. (Updated January 22, 2020.)
Unfortunately, the most common snacks you’ll find at Walt Disney World are poor uses of your snack credits. We cover this, and the pitfalls of using your precious credits on them, in our Worst Uses of Disney Dining Plan Credits at Walt Disney World post. (Seriously, stay away from Goofy’s Candy Company and fresh fruit…albeit for very different reasons!)
Now, you might be thinking, “who cares–is there really a bad way to use snack credits?!” The answer is an unequivocal yes. Walt Disney World’s Dining Plan is only worth the money if you use your credits in a savvy way. Otherwise, you’re better off simply paying out of pocket. The other plus side? The items that are an objectively better use of Disney Dining Plan snack credits usually taste better, too. Win win!
Snack prices are obviously lower than Table Service and Counter Service meals, so there’s generally less of a difference between high and low snack prices than there is between high and low priced meals. Nevertheless, it’s worth paying attention to snack prices if you want to maximize your total value on the Disney Dining Plan, as some Epcot festivals have $10 “snacks” and other snacks might cost as little as a few dollars.
There are exponentially more snacks available on Disney property than there are other items, so some snacks aren’t always available. It’s not feasible for us to give a totally comprehensive, dollar-for-dollar breakdown, so this is more of a general top 10 than our Table Service and Counter Service credit-value maximizing articles.
This list is updated annually, with the most recent addition being options from Animal Kingdom’s seasonal snack spots as well as the Epcot International Festival of the Arts. As Epcot has ‘stepped up’ its festival game over the last few years, these items are increasingly good options–but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Items that qualify as snacks for the purposes of the Disney Dining Plan are denoted by a little purple and white “DDP” symbol on the restaurant menus across property. Some items that are considered snacks in some locations aren’t considered snacks elsewhere. Make sure to consult the menu before ordering any item you deem a “snack” as Disney may not agree!
1. Epcot Festival Kiosk Snack Portions – If you’re visiting during one of Epcot’s three big annual festivals, read no further than #1 on this list. During the these events, you should be using ALL of your snack credits at the temporary kiosks set up.
The most popular of these is Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival (late August through November), but more the Epcot International Festival of the Arts actually provided more bang for buck, and the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival has expanded its food offerings in recent years, too. Then there’s the Epcot International Festival of Holidays, which also has a strong food presence. These events run almost uninterrupted from late August until May, leaving only the summer months without any festivals at Epcot.
To see just how far you can stretch your credits, check out our Epcot Food & Wine Festival Booth Menus post which includes food photos & reviews for every single snack at the event, and also discusses good uses of Disney Dining Plan credits.
Normally, if a snack exceeds around $6, it is excluded from snack credit status, making those $8+ items a great use of snack credits! Let’s just hope Disney doesn’t wise up to this wonderful use of snack credits anytime soon, and start excluding these foods from Snack Credit “status.”
2. Magic Kingdom Floats & Swirls – You’ve undoubtedly heard of the Dole Whip, but are you familiar with the Citrus Swirl, Peter Pan Float, or other ice cream concoctions at Magic Kingom?!
Check out our Best Magic Kingdom Snacks List for our subjective favorites (and more), most of which are also good uses of snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan!
3. Animal Kingdom’s Savory Snack Stands – Lately, Animal Kingdom has been upping its snack game. Last year, the Animal Kingdom Tasting Sampler (a quasi-Food & Wine Festival) returned, and with it a ton of new menu options debuted. Many of these stuck around as permanent menu offerings.
One such item is Scrooge McDuck’s Billionaire Bacon Caramel Sundae from Dino-Bite Snacks (pictured at the very top of the post). Another is the Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Shrimp and Sweet Chili Sauce or Pulled Pork. Both are tasty, but we recommend the pulled pork. In fact, Animal Kingdom is probably the best option for savory snacks that offer a good use of Disney Dining Plan credits.
There are a variety of other pricey options that are also inventive and ambitious, so keep your eye out while you roam Animal Kingdom! Additionally, consult our Best Snacks at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Not all of those offer great bang for buck on the Disney Dining Plan, but they are all delicious!
4. Ample Hills Creamery – A relatively new addition to Disney’s BoardWalk, Ample Hills Creamery has by far the best ice cream at Walt Disney World–much better than nearby Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. While only the small cups, cones, and ice cream sandwiches are eligible snacks on the Disney Dining Plan, they are still exceptional uses of a snack credit.
My recommendation: Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. The absolute best flavor at Ample Hills. So creamery and sweet, with chunks of soft butter cake to add even more sweetness. (My least favorite flavor is the “exclusive” Sally Sells Seashells Ice Cream, which I found a bit lacking.)
5. Epcot Bakeries – Epcot has two stellar bakeries (and several other good snack stops–just read our Snacking Around the World in Epcot post for other locations) in the World Showcase. Actually, Epcot has 3 of the 5 Top Bakeries at Walt Disney World.
The top 2 are Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie and our #1 bakery, Kringla Bakeri og Kafe. There are about 15 items in each of these bakeries that each exceed $3.75, which, in my mind, qualifies them as reasonably good values. Several other items are above $4, making them excellent values. It doesn’t hurt that just about everything at these bakeries is delicious!
6. “Homemade” Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches – These are not the ice cream sandwiches that you can find at various ice cream carts every 10 feet in Walt Disney World (I really think there might be more of them than there are DVC kiosks!).
These, for lack of a better term, are “homemade” right in front of you with freshly baked cookies and hand scooped ice cream at only a few locations in Walt Disney World.
7. Zebra Domes – These bad boys can be elusive. Sometimes, you can find them on the Boma buffet at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sometimes, you can find them for sale at Mara.
If you’re eating at Boma, get them there for “free.” If you’re not eating at Boma, use a snack credit to get them at Mara, where their $4 price makes them a good use of snack credits. That is, assuming you can find this endangered species of snack!
8. Gourmet Cupcakes – Pretty much any specialty cupcakes available at Walt Disney World is going to induce mild sticker shock, but if you’ve got snack credits to burn, those ~$6 cupcakes don’t sting quite as much.
For the most part, these cupcakes live up to the hype. While the whole cupcake trend is a bit played out, Walt Disney World still has some excellent options that we highly recommend!
9. Novelty Drinks – As we cover in our Guide to Starbucks at Walt Disney World, almost every specialty drink on the menu at the 5 in-park and 2 Disney Springs Starbucks locations count as snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan. This includes the more elaborate ones that can cost ~$7, special themed drinks, and even secret menu items.
This means that you can order the Baby Yoda Frappuccino at Disney’s Hollywood Studios before you head into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This is technically a “secret menu” drink at the Walt Disney World Starbucks locations, but it’s so popular (and absolutely fantastic!) that the baristas are all well-antiquated with it. This and other specialty drinks at Starbucks are all spectacular uses of Disney Dining Plan snack credits.
Beyond Starbucks, there are countless options throughout Walt Disney World, but another we have in mind here is the Night Blossom – Non-Alcoholic Specialty Beverage with layers of Apple and Desert Pear Limeade topped with Passion Fruit Boba Balls at Pongu Pongu in Pandora – World of Avatar.
For a snack credit, you can get a “normal” cup, but not the Souvenir Mug with Glowing Unadelta Seed. Don’t lose too much sleep over not getting the souvenir cup, as the it is poorly made and might not even survive your trip home.
10. Funnel Cakes – Objectively speaking, the funnel cake carts around Walt Disney World are one of the best uses of snack credits outside of Epcot festivals. These are all typically over $7 in price, and included on the Disney Dining Plan as snack credits. Occasionally, you’ll find a seasonal offering that’s excluded, but that’s a rarity.
Subjectively speaking, we think Walt Disney World funnel cakes can be very hit or miss in terms of quality. We aren’t willing to take this gamble when paying out of pocket, but with a snack credit, it can be worth the “risk.”
If this list doesn’t activate your sweet tooth, I don’t know what will. This just scratches the surface of value-maximizing snacks (and snacks in general) at Walt Disney World. Remember that while value is important, ordering snacks you enjoy is even more important (which is why you’ll often see us with the cheap School Bread from Norway instead of expensive snacks)!
Hopefully this list helps you get more bang for your buck on the Disney Dining Plan. Check out our Value-Maximizing tips for Counter Service restaurants and Value-Maximizing Tips for Table Service Restaurants to get even more value out of the Disney Dining Plan!
Planning a Disney trip? Read our other Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews and our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. If you are planning a Walt Disney World trip, make sure to also read our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
Your Thoughts
What tips do you have for getting the most out of the Disney Dining Plan? Have any specific Walt Disney World snack items you recommend to maximize your value on the Disney Dining Plan? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Thank you for all your articles they were most helpful when we visited for the first tine in August 2019. Coming from Australia we needed to maximize the few days we had in the park. We are lucky to be able to come over again in November for a 60th birthday at the park. We didn’t get a meal plan last time but thought we would get it this time. I have read up on all your articles on the meal plans and wanted to ask. On the Disney World website all the items at Gaston’s Tavern are listed as snacks eg the Fruit and Cheese Picnic Platter and the Smoked Turkey and Ham and Swiss Sandwiches (all $8+). Can these be redeemed with the credits?
Is the baby Yoda included with the drink?
The Baby Yoda Frappuccino at Starbucks is soooo good! Perfect cherry on the top after visiting Galaxy’s Edge and doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!
We get a Dining Plan when we travel to Disney. A good TIP: Don’t waste your snack credit on water bottles and chips in the parks! Get the best value for your snack credits to make your Dining Plan worth it! Use your snack credits on funnel cakes and order water bottles and chips from WaterButlers.com for only $0.38 a bottle. They deliver for free to your hotel room.
Any snacks you recommend that are not sweets? Our trip doesn’t coincide with one of the Epcot festivals, but I’m wondering if there are other more food-oriented choices you like.
Hello Tom. It has been a pleasure reading all of your articles. I have used your experience so many times on my trips. My question to you is I recently found out I’m diabetic and I am planning my next trip for this Christmas. I have the TS dining plan which includes a dessert. Can the dessert be substituted or do all restaurants have a sugar free option. Thank you for all the information.
All restaurants will have a sugar-free option, or if they do not, the chef will be able to create something for you! Disney is exceptional at catering to dietary restrictions.
Sorry this is off-topic but wasn’t sure where to ask. Can anyone tell me what Disney World quick service restaurants have hot water available to self-serve? Apparently the employees are not allowed to give out hot water anymore. We bring our own cups and instant coffee but couldn’t find hot water anywhere so far except The Land Pavilion. Would love your tips!
Alright friends, we’re heading to Disney in November and getting the Disney Dining Plan. We’re planning to use snack credits for breakfast on at least 4 days and probably lunch on 2 days. Can you give me some recommendations on the best breakfast and/or lunch items that qualify as Snacks?? I love the post, but the focus is more on “snacks” & value – I’m going more for filling food that can replace a meal…
Thanks!
Check out DFB guide on YouTube. I think they have a video on this.
Melissa’s suggestion of checking out DFB’s video is good. They update it almost monthly, if not seasonally for sure. Using the snack credits for breakfast isn’t a bad idea, as long as you’re okay with a really high sugar content breakfast. I think one of their #1 recommendations is a Mickey shaped cinnamon roll which is approx. the size of the real character’s head (LOL) and can (and probably should, as far as diabetes is concerned) be shared between a few of you. I think I remember them saying they were available at all the Starbucks locations at the various parks.
We’re going in the beginning of December and are kind of in the same boat as you are, with wanting to use our snack credits for an actual meal. In our case we plan to use them on the Festival of the Holidays booths at Epcot.
Gastons in Magic Kingdom has HUGE cinnamon rolls….literally cover the whole plate.
Chili at Columbia Harbour house counts as a snack and is very filling.
Two things…
Aristocrepes at Disney Springs
Ghirardelli’s staff are really helpful at getting you the most possible take home chocolate from your remaining snack) quick service credits
Has anyone had an item clearly marked for the DP been told by a CM that it doesn’t qualify and the sign must be wrong bc it feeds more than 2ppl? I recently purchased a container of Jungle Punch Cotton Candy from a stand just outside of The Festival of the Lion King. The price sign had the individual items listed along with the Dining plan logo if it qualifies. It had the logo, but, I the CM who rang me out said it didn’t qualify bc it feed more than 2 or 3 people. He said if the sign said it qualified, it must be wrong and would need to be changed.
I noticed on the Disney dining site that several of the higher priced snack places aren’t accepting dining plans for 2019. Examples are funnel cake stands, Hollywood scoops, the plaza, Cheshire cafe, etc. Do you have any more info about this?
Also notice that Gastons and Sleepy Hollow are not included in dining plan
First time family here going in Jan 2019, kids are 11 and 9. Character meal experiences aren’t a priority. Honestly, neither is sit-down dining. Staying 3 nights at Contemporary and 3 at Beach Club. I’m trying to figure out if the Quick-Service plan is enough food to feed us every day (can 2 snacks serve as lunch?) or if we’ll need more. $54ish a day for adults doesn’t seem worth it if I’m still going to have to buy lunch. $26 a day for the kids definitely seems more worth it. My kids can eat. Any thoughts from you pros?
Hi Bryan,
I’m sure you’ve had some replies already but I thought I’d just add my opinion. For me, the snack credits are better off being used for breakfast if you choose to take the Quick Service plan. The jumbo Mickey cinnamon roll, for example, is amazing and very filling as a breakfast and only uses one snack credit. It just depends whether you mind having counter service for both main meals (you didn’t seem to mind having it for dinner). If you do, make sure to maximise the value of what you order in any restaurant so that you get the true worth out of the plan. There are some great quick service restaurants at Disney – Be Our Guest at lunchtime is fab, if you can get in!
Hope this helps!
Yes you definitely could do this if you really don’t care about the restaurant table service dining, and there are some great quick service meals! For example, I really like the Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom and it’s a great value as a Quick Service restaurant (be sure to use the mobile app to place your order – you’ll spend a lot less time in line). Then you can definitely do breakfast for 2 snack credits each, like a hot soft pretzel and something to go along with it. However, you may want to buy a drink out of pocket, or bring a water bottle that you can refill, or your refillable drink mugs (but the key is to know exactly where you can get them refilled around the parks). Enjoy!
Over 10 qualifies as an adult so you will pay adult dining plan cost for that child. We had to do that last trip and it stunk.
Regarding vegetarian desserts, many cake products at Disney are made with lard, which is an animal product that vegetarians and vegans would not eat, unless of course they don’t ask or just suspend their diet at Disney
Thanks Sharon – our next trip will be our first as more strict vegetarians and I wouldn’t have thought about this.
The pretzels at WDW are vegan friendly, I think that’s what my daughter basically lived on when we went to DL.
I love the Pastries at the Joffrey’s kiosks, the apple fritter is fantastic and enormous (even the doughnut twist with glaze) both on the snack credit, problem is they fill you up and when on a dining plan you may only use 1 out of the 2 dining plan meals allocation that day!
Great post and provides a few ideas next time I am there
Don’t forget that meal credit can be used to get three snacks. So make sure that any meal credits left over on your last day are used up on goodies to take home. I tend to go to the bakery on Main Street when I’m leaving and get three cakes to eat on the plane and when I get home. The only caveat is that you have to get the three snacks at the same time.
Hi Tom! Love your blog! Just a note though about #10 – according to Touring Plans, Erin McKenna’s is no longer participating in the Dining Plan. (They updated their page in July 2018) I was pretty bummed to learn of this myself as I had definitely planned on a cupcake or 5…
Would love to see another Disney Spring’s snack credit recommendation on your list though. I’m finding info on Disney Springs snacks are hard to find.
I was disappointed to see that Gaston’s Tavern, any place that sells the homemade ice cream sandwiches, sunshine terrace (citrus swirl), sleepy hollow, and many other places I like to get snacks are not accepting dining plans in 2018. At least according to the Disney website. Is this new?
Just used snack credits for cinnamon roll and Le fou’s Brew today
These restaurants aren’t on the plan for meals, but they have ddp snacks. Check out the menus on touring plan which show ddp snacks available at places that are not on the dining plan.
What about the strawberry and whipped cream waffles at Sleepy Hollow? HUGE and a Great Value, No?
I agree!! Definitely a value! and the French Onion Soup at BOG is a snack credit too!!
Is anything called a snack on a Disney menu a snack? The baked macaroni and cheese with pulled pork at the Eight Spoon Cafe in Animal Kingdom seems more like a meal.
Regarding your comment that Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC is vegan, but that most good desserts don’t have meat in them, you are confusing vegan with vegetarian. In addition to meat, vegans don’t eat dairy, eggs, or honey. Since I am not a vegan, I am not sure if that is a complete list, but it is enough to show you that your statement was misguided, because, as it turns out, you didn’t know what you thought you did.
As it turns out, my comment was a joke, which was pretty clear by the context (and accompanying parenthetical).
I understood the humor of BBQ ribs ice cream, but still thought the comment might be misleading for some. Obviously, I was wrong. Please excuse my opinion.
Sorry – my response to your comment was probably a bit harsh. You definitely make a good point in case it was not clear from my post. 🙂