Worst Uses of Dining Plan Snack Credits
A suitcase full of Goofy’s Candy Co. Gummies. A year’s supply of Mickey Mouse Rice Krispies. Seven bottles of water per person on your last day at Walt Disney World because why not, you’ve got more Dining Plan snack credits to burn than you can possibly use. You’ve either personally been there or heard stories about it. (Updated June 19, 2023.)
In this post, we’re going to break down the worst uses of snack credits on the 2024 Disney Dining Plan, and why all of the above are truly terrible ideas. If you think there’s something magical about racing around your resort hotel’s gift shop, Supermarket Spree style, trying to clear the shelves before the clock strikes midnight on your checkout day, you might want to stop reading now. Or don’t–you need to hear this more than anyone.
We start with the unassailable premise that the Disney Dining Plan is never free. By extension, this means that those snack credits are also not actually free. While there’s a natural inclination to create a mental disconnect between money and Dining Plan credits, that’s an illusion. The reality is that there is a per-credit value that can and should be ascribed to snack credits, and that ranges from about $5 to $6.50, depending upon which tier of the DDP you’re using.
For what it’s worth, this is not anti-Disney Dining Plan propaganda. Even as the tides of fan opinion have started to turn, we still maintain that the Disney Dining Plan can be a good value if you know how to take advantage of it. In fact, we purchase the Disney Dining Plan a few times per year in attempts to leverage as much value as possible out of it. We’ll be doing that once again in 2024, and have already started compiling a list of places and things to eat in order to squeeze as much bang for buck out of the DDP.
Being careful and conservative with snack credits will be even more important on the 2024 Disney Dining Plan, as Walt Disney World is reducing the number of snack credits from 2 to 1 per night. This is a negative and disappointing change, especially for those who are adept at saving and strategically using snack credits.
It’s also not a huge surprise. This ‘worst of’ list was prompted in the first place by repeatedly observing or hearing about the behaviors at the top of the post. Tons of guests wasted snack credits–or raced against the clock at the last minute to use their extra credits on pre-packaged treats to take home. (I’d hazard a guess that over half of Mickey Mouse Rice Krispies Treats and Goofy’s Candy Co. products were previously “purchased” with spare snack credits. Seriously.)
Equally as important as not wasting snack credits on the DDP is using them wisely. To that end, our Best Value Snack Credit Uses on the Disney Dining Plan is a good companion piece to this one. That will help you conserve DDP snack credits and use them where and when it’s most advantageous. You won’t just get more value out of the 2024 Disney Dining Plan, you’ll enjoy better savory snacks and sweet treats, too!
In any case, our tone here shouldn’t be misconstrued–pretty much everyone who has used the Disney Dining Plan has been there when it comes to these mistakes, us included. Rather than digging in and becoming entrenched in defending past mistakes, we hope those of you who have made them will learn and be better prepared for maximizing your value in the future. With that said, here are things for which you should never use Disney Dining Plan snack credits, in my highly subjective opinion…
Anything from Goofy’s Candy Co. – The second premise for this post is that packaging or shape doesn’t make food special. At a rational level, I think most people would agree with this. However, there’s the understandable power of nostalgia and emotion that come into play.
This is why we crave Mickey waffles, sour Goofy gummies, or willingly spend $8 for a box of ordinary ice cream bars shaped like Mickey’s head at our local grocery stores. It’s an attempt to relive a special moment or get a hit of the feel-good emotion from the parks. I get it–that “mentally take me back” desire is a big part of why I listen to Walt Disney World background music at home.
Nevertheless, snacks from Goofy’s Candy Co. are poor uses of Disney Dining Plan snack credits because they are, quite simply, normal candy that has a Disney label slapped on it. You can buy the same candy at home for less than half the price, which is why no one would spend actual money on 15 bags of this stuff from Walt Disney World.
Joffrey’s Coffee – In Joffrey’s defense, it’s better than Nescafe. (Anyone else remember the coffee ‘dark ages’ at Walt Disney World?!) Moreover, they have some premium blends at the resorts that are actually good. However, Joffrey’s at kiosks and counter service restaurants in the parks is just not good. It’s usually watered down and tastes a bit off.
Even if you’re the biggest Starbucks hater in the world, I think you have to concede that their coffee is better than this. Failing that, a cup of Joffrey’s coffee is pretty cheap (for good reason!) making it an objectively poor use of a snack credit.
Fresh Fruit – I mean, it’s one banana, Tom. What could it cost, ten dollars?
Buying fruit in the Disney Parks is a controversial topic in our household. To protect the innocent, I’m not going to name names, but one of us believes that fruit is an acceptable thing to purchase on vacation. The other believes it just gets in the way of real snacking, plus there’s probably more than enough fruit in Dole Whips and Citrus Swirls.
One thing we can agree on is that a minuscule portion of apple slices, watermelon, or grapes is not worth the Disney Dining Plan snack credits. If you’re concerned about getting enough fruit and vegetables on a Walt Disney World vacation (and you should be, notwithstanding my Dole Whip joke) make a point of eating at buffets.
Anything Available via Grocery Delivery – Fruits and vegetables are examples of many things that are a waste of snack credits that also add nothing to the enjoyment of your vacation. Whereas some other items on this list are arguably fun or have nostalgic value, fruit is fruit and vegetables are vegetables. Virtually identical to what you could get from a grocery store at home.
To this point, we highly recommend doing grocery delivery at Walt Disney World and buying the basics that way. We’re not recommending you cook full meals in your room–that’s definitely unnecessary on the Disney Dining Plan. However, it is a good idea to order items for a cold and quick breakfast in your room.
This kills multiple birds with one stone. Grocery delivery means not wasting money or DDP snack credits on basics, it’s faster and more efficient than going to the hotel food court each morning, and offers a well-rounded meal with fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options you might not get at Walt Disney World restaurants.
There’s also not really any opportunity cost. Again, fruits and vegetables are not unique at Walt Disney World. Moreover, breakfast is the weakest meal at Walt Disney World. You aren’t missing much–unless you enjoy powdered eggs and rubber bacon–by eating breakfast in your room. Put those snack credits to better use!
Speaking of which, you can also use order Mickey Mouse ice cream products via grocery delivery. They are unquestionably overpriced as compared to “good” ice cream, but there’s something to be said for eating ice cream shaped like Mickey Mouse while at Walt Disney World!
Churro – This is sure to be controversial, and defended by responses that Disney churros are iconic, delicious, etc. The best defense is that it’s objectively a good use of a Disney Dining Plan snack credit by virtue of its price, which is above the $5 threshold.
However, that reasonable argument unreasonably assumes a churro is worth over $5 in the first place. Perhaps this already controversial article is a poor time to reveal my anti-churro bias. I’ve never understood the hype, and no one is going to convince me that a churro is worth over $3, much less the current $6+ price tag for one with dipping sauce.
Oh, and you’ll need that dipping sauce to mask the brutal reality that Walt Disney World churros are frequently stale or overcooked. Would you really pay that much money out of pocket for something Costco does better for $1? (Note: this criticism does not apply in full to Disneyland churros, which are equally overpriced, but at least usually fresh and delicious.)
Random Cupcakes – Since this is already controversial, I might as well pile on: Walt Disney World cupcakes peaked many years ago, and it’s been downhill since. As other desserts around Walt Disney World have become more ambitious, inventive, and delicious, cupcakes have gone the other direction.
They’ve gotten smaller, dryer, and aren’t really doing interesting things with flavors. This is painting with a broad brush, and it’s far from a complete picture of the Walt Disney World cupcake scene. Even though the trend is mostly played out, there are still some truly exceptional cupcakes at WDW that rank among the best snacks. That’s why this is “random cupcakes” rather than “all cupcakes.”
In general, the best cupcakes are seasonal offerings or those available at locations that are actual bakeries. In our experience, the resorts tend to be better, especially the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and BoardWalk. There are also unique and ambitious cupcakes at Starbucks locations, and throughout World Showcase at EPCOT. If you’re just browsing the cases at a random food court or counter service spot, chances are that the cupcake will underwhelm.
Unless it’s a cupcake you’ve heard praised or that looks appealing, we’d caution against rolling the dice on random ones, no matter how Instagram-worthy it might look. Of course, there are far worse ways to burn that surplus of DDP snack credits, too.
Bottled Water – I’ll be the first to admit that Walt Disney World drinking fountain water is disgusting. Rumor is that it’s sourced directly from the Florida swamps and is actually 3% alligator urine. (Okay, so I made up that “rumor,” but if you’ve ever tasted Florida fountain water, you might’ve believed it!)
That doesn’t mean the solution is paying for water. Buying bottled water is a waste of money or Disney Dining Plan snack credits, your time standing in line, and is just generally wasteful. This is why we strongly recommend the Life Straw Go Filter Water Bottle. This bottle filters out the gator pee, and it’s BPA-free! It also uses a 2-stage activated carbon filter to reduce odor and chlorine, leaving zero aftertaste! (If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, Brita Filter Water Bottles are great, too.)
Alternatively, you can request a free cup of ice water from any counter service restaurant. As Walt Disney World is installing more and more bottle refilling stations, refillable water bottles are really the way to go.
Anything from Generic Outdoor Vending Carts – In reviewing a few of the above choices and what else I had planned for this list, I probably could’ve condensed much of this list into the “outdoor vending cart catch-all.” (The inconspicuous Adventureland Egg Roll Wagon is the biggest exception to this general rule, but there are other generic ODVs serving up tasty treats.)
Basically, if it’s available at a nameless (or generically-named) outdoor vending cart, it’s not a good use of Disney Dining Plan snack credits. This includes other bottled beverages, cookies, muffins, donuts, ice cream, and more. We’d argue that in terms of taste, even the pricey Mickey Pretzels aren’t worth it.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our picks for this ‘worst use’ of Disney Dining Plan snack credits list? Disagree with our thoughts on churros, cupcakes, or grocery store Mickey ice cream bars? Anything else belong on this list, subjectively or objectively speaking? 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!
100% with you on churros. Finally tried some because *the hype*. After my first bite I thought this must be some huge joke and I’ve been duped. I think I’ve had cardboard that was better. We didn’t even finish them.
I’m right now debating on whether or not to get the DDP ( our travel agent hasn’t been able to figure out our arrival day so was not notified that free dining had opened so super early so we missed out on free dining ). The need to strategically figure out snacks is definitely a push in the direction of a no on getting it. I agree with Thom that already having to plan so much more due to the unexpected early opening of GE makes me lean to not getting DDP.
To be honest, I feel that the ease and conveniences of it is well worth it, and financially it’s worth it as well even if I don’t over analyze snacks.
Having gone to Disney World every year with my family since I was a little girl and currently going as a married adult, I can’t bring myself to go to Disney without 1) Staying on resort and 2) Having the dining plan. I have gone without doing one or the other and I swore to myself that I wouldn’t do it EVER again.
It takes so much stress off of my plate and if I plan accordingly beforehand, I don’t have to worry about whether I’m breaking even or going above. I know going into the vacation that I may be “losing” money, but my husband and I save up for these epic vacations knowing that might happen. We don’t necessarily care as long as we are having a wonderful time.
My kids use their snack credits on Ramune soda at the Japan pavilion in Epcot. I think it’s a waste but they absolutely love popping those bottles open.
For those asking about a ‘Best Uses of Snack Credits on the Disney Dining Plan’ post, it’s mentioned and linked to in the beginning of the article. Or here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/maximizing-snack-credit-value-on-the-dining-plan/
I think the Dining Plan calculation changes when you come from the UK. I keep a close eye on prices and as far as I can tell our dining offer more or less just gets added on without a significant price increase, and other discounts are rare, so it’s much closer to being ‘free’ dining and much easier to let a few credits slide.
I went in April/May 2018 with free quick service dining and had 3/4 QS and 5/6 snack credits left over at the end; this was AFTER packing our bags with as many Goofy candies and Mickey rice krispies as we could (not many; our hand luggage was 12 kilos over weight between us, but luckily wasn’t weighed at the airport). This was partly because we had 4/5 table service meals (plus 1 day at Universal), but mostly because it’s just so much food! But, because of what I said before, I wasn’t so bothered. I asked if I could pay for the next few people’s snacks with the credits, but they said it wasn’t allowed sadly.
That all said, the discount hasn’t been released for 2020 yet, and who knows if it ever will be given the advent of Galaxy’s Edge…
Tom,
My family have gone to WDW consecutively and we have fallen inot these snack traps. We have found that the best use of the snack credits spend at Starbucks. We love the coffees and the teas. We have even tried some of the snacks, however, you the same Disney issue of paying to much for items you could cheaper at your own Starbucks or other places. The drinks, however, are a great value. Starbucks also provides excellent service and is an overall Disney experience enhancement.
I apologize for the typos.
I had the free dining in 2011 when we went in September. I used a snack credit to get a lobster roll at a kiosk at the American Pavilion EPCOT. I couldn’t believe it.
Two points:
1) The best use of snack credits in my opinion is during Food and Wine Fest. I don’t know if I would get the DDP any other time. Being able to use the credits at the food booth is something I prefer.
2) I’d rather drink the swamp water than Starbucks or Jofferys.
Bottled water is definitely a COMPLETE waste of a snack credit. It’s already free lol. Agree with all of these and agree with someone in the comments about Starbucks. You can get that anywhere and at any time. Use it on something unique to Disney!
STARBUCKS! It’s the same price on park as it is off park so you don’t pay for the “Disney Nostalgia” upmark that you do on everything else. Couple that with the fact most drinks are higher than $5 if you don’t get straight black coffee and I believe this becomes an excellent snack credit value option!
I have a grocery order delivered from Publix . Load up on fruit,water sodas and the like WAY cheaper
Yes. Please give us a list of the best way to use the snack credits .
I think the dining plan is the breaking point of Disney planning for me.
To your excellent point, it’s not free and you have to think about how you are going to use it to get your money’s worth. Between ADRs, FastPasses, daily itineraries to work around crowds, and then the added planning stress of “accidentally” visiting shortly after Galaxy’s edge premiers…maximizing dining plans are just a bridge too far.
For my sanity, it’s so much easier to focus on a discount (e.g. room only) where there is no/minimal strategy involved, order some groceries for essentials, and not worry about ordering/buying certain things because I am tied to a Dining plan.
Totally agree. We have the luxury of doing ‘dining-centric’ trips around which we plan ways to use our credits efficiently. If we were just doing a single trip per year (or less frequently), there’s no way we’d do the Dining Plan in any form. Paying out of pocket for what we want, when we want it is far easier.
I disagree completely. The key is to take advantage of the plan and like you said don’t waste your credits. I am a family of 5. If you consider the costs of food for 5 including character meals etc. the price can sky rocket. The room discounts do not even come close to comparing on the savings of the free dining plan. I did a rough calculation of our meals and snacks and figure we would be eating around $2250USD worth of food. Now we are experienced with the planning and have two little kids so the value comes with utilizing our credits with character meals. The other option of saving about 25-30% on room discounts only saves us less than $900 over 9 days. Even with paying the upgrade to the dining plan we only spent approx $600 more.. So with saying all this we still come out $750 on the plus side vs paying out of pocket. With us being Cdn that’s over $1000 in savings in Cdn funds.. lol 😉
Yeah it’s definitely hard with a first trip to figure out how much food and when we will want to eat. We are driving so plan to hit Costco for snacks, drinks, and stuff for sandwiches and fast breakfasts so don’t know what else to plan for eating besides a table service dinner each night to relax and see characters. What do you think for a first visit? At Disneyland when we were APs we rarely ate at the parks because of cost and food never that great and just spending more of our time in the parks when there. We want to try a few of the most popular snacks and of course a ton of Dole Whips lol
Tom,
I’m with you on the lack of enthusiasm for the churros. We were so hyped when we finally had the chance to try a Disney churro, only to be completely underwhelmed. We live in Chicago where we can get WAY better churros and funnel cakes than at DL or WDW at this place called Xurro. No dipping sauce needed. Maybe that’s why we had higher expectations. My kids don’t even ask for churros while at Disney!
Every trip we always have extra snack credits. We never use credits for drinks – buy a case of water from amazon and have it delivered to your room works well for us. We mainly use our credits on popcorn or the frozen treats at the carts you mention, or a big muffin for breakfast. On the last day, we seem to spend a lot of time in the Confectionary store using up the remaining credits.
If on the DDP, I’m a big fan of using snack credits on random items for breakfast. Usually oversized novelty cupcakes, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.
We found something out on our last trip to WDW in November since we had a ton of snack credits to use. You can use 3 snack credits and get one quick serve meal. So if you can find a high value quick serve you can definitely get your money’s worth using the 3 for 1 option
I wonder if that has changed because we were always told that you could “downgrade” credits (so take a quick service and turn it into 3 snack credits) but not “upgrade” like you mention. Will have to inquire about this when we go back!
Were you able to get a drink with the quick service meal for the 3 snack credits?
One was at a resort and we had our cups and just filled those. Another time I think we got drinks when we used it at Disney springs.
Child: Father, there is nothing more on this Earth that would please me than to have some sour Goofy gummies bought here at the giant circus tent near the Goofy roller coaster airplane looking ride with the delightful wooden sign with a Goofy shaped hole in it.
Father: But child, I can show you excel spreadsheets proving beyond a reasonable doubt that this is a poor use of the Disney Dining Plan snack credit, of which we have 182* left on this, the last day of our vacation, because it is quite nearly impossible to plan their use so precisely while at the same time ensuring that yourself and your sister do not die or otherwise maim yourself in this park whose population seems to be a quarter of the western hemisphere.
Child: Respectfully, blow it out your mouth hole Father If I do not leave this area with the coveted sour Goofy gummies (and potentially a set of ‘Moana’ figurines I am eyeing up right now for no particular reason other than they exist and I vaguely recall the chicken being funny once) than I shall become unbearable for at least the next 2 hours. Might I remind you that our fastpasses have been used for the day so 1 of those next 2 hours is likely to be spent in line and nobody wants that…
Father: Your logical is irrefutable. Very impressive for a 6 year old.
Sister: I would like a giant tub of popcorn in lieu of our advanced dining reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern.
Father: [shaking fists towards heavens and visibly crying in public] Why do I bring my family to this over-priced, over-populated, 200 hours of planning for a 168 hour vacation abyss?!?
[one Tiki Room viewing, followed by a fun interaction with Castmembers dressed as Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb causing children to laugh and smile, later]
Father: I can’t wait to come back!
*Number cannot be precisely verified.
Okay, I know this whole thing is supposed to be a dig at the logic of my article, but this got several laughs out of me. Well played.
No disrespect intended but glad it gave you a laugh, I appreciate the site very much. I think Thom’s response above put things very well in regards the DDP.
lol
We used 3 people’s worth of snack credits for 4 of us (one was a 10 month old). Over 2 weeks we ate a lot, ate everywhere we wanted including CRT, BOG, California grill, arkeshus and still managed to come home with gifts for all our nieces, nephews, my daughters entire class and even some snack based Christmas presents for the kids! (We got free quick service when booking and paid extra to upgrade to one table service included. I think it was well worth it!! BUT I don’t know how people have the time or the stomach to get through it all esp if getting the three table service option!
Spreading out the credits among more people is one great approach, and so is doing a split-stay and only getting the DDP for one of those (but using the credits on both check-in/out days).
Both the regular and Deluxe DDP are simply too much food otherwise. That’s why so many people end up in this ‘surplus credits’ predicament.
On the quick service plan, once I discovered that child and adult meals were counted all the same, I began ordering one adult meal for my 7 and 9 year old to share, neither being huge eaters and it was plenty of food. We then saved several meal credits to have a big breakfast our last day before leaving the park.
While I as an adult would not buy Goofy candy with my snack credit, I have to say that it’s vacation and if sour goofy candy is what my kid WANTS, then it IS a good use of a snack credit!! I certainly would not load up my suitcase with lots of them (I may have used up credits on six pieces of fudge from the confectionary our last night to bring home, however…) but when I saved three snack credits for our final morning and told the kids to pick a snack for the plane, they all picked Goofy candy and it kept them busy most of the plane ride — therefore a great use of snack credits for a single mother of four! 🙂
I think I got this trick from you. We are doing a split stay with one night at Pop and 6 nights at AKL. I added the Deluxe DDP for the single night, and booked all our buffets for day 1-2 (dinner at Ohana, lunch at Biergarten, and dinner at Boma). It will be a ridiculous amount of food for two days, but I felt really good about being able to fit in the meals we wanted without having to worry about paying OOP for an 11-year old Disney “adult” who will undoubtedly eat bread and fruit and not much else at a $50+ buffet. Still not sure how we’re going to use those six snack credits though, but the list above is helpful!
This is a hilariously accurate description of Joffrey’s coffee!! Glad I’m not the only one to feel this way. When I visit Disney, I usually get Starbucks or drink Pepsi for my caffeine. I will go out of my way to avoid Joffrey’s.
I love your articles!
I agree. Getting the most bang for our buck from the DDP is a hobby of mine. I like to use snack credits on truly exceptional things. That being said we do have to bring home a few bags of goofy candy because my kids would miss it if we didn’t. I also look for the special items and agree about churro s I can’t see spending good snack credits on something I can buy at Costco and is better. Thanks for the article.
How about a list of the best uses of snack credits which would be useful since they have changed the dining plan at moderate resorts. Can you give a good way to spent the dining plan credits in all four parks?
I second this! Would love to see Tom’s thoughts on this.
I think it is about the sixth paragraph down where he has a hyperlink to the best uses of snack credits.
They have this article 🙂
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/maximizing-snack-credit-value-on-the-dining-plan/