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If you purchase a Disney Dining Plan, you are probably like me and want to ensure you are using it to the fullest extent! Part of this means choosing the snacks with the highest value. Here are some of my favorite choices in each park to use a snack credit.
Dining Plans
The Disney Dining Plans finally returned in January 2024! It’s been a long four years without them, so you may be a little rusty on the ins and outs of using it.
Whichever plan you purchase, the biggest change to note is regarding snack credits. Instead of two snack credits per person per day, Disney has reduced it to one snack credit per person per day.
This is very disappointing, and it makes choosing which item to use your credit on even more crucial. Generally speaking, an expensive snack is always going to be better than a cheaper snack. But, don’t just get a snack just because it’s expensive!
That is why I give several options in this post. While all listed snacks are at least $6.00, don’t get the $9.00 snack if you won’t actually eat it (or don’t think you will like it). There is nothing worse than using your one snack credit to find out you don’t really like it!
How do you know what a snack credit is? You will see the DDP icon (pictured above) on menus across Walt Disney World property. These are eligible for the dining plan!
Snacks You Will Find in Multiple Parks
There are a few snacks you can find at more than one park. The cream cheese pretzel ($7.79), pepper jack pretzel ($7.79 – $8.25), and Mickey pretzel with cheese sauce ($7.79 – $8.25) are all great options.
Churros, while priced a little differently in each park, are also a great use of a snack credit. But, I don’t always recommend getting one. They have a reputation of being dry and hard.
You may also consider a snack credit on ice cream sundaes. They are all a tad different in each park, so I will outline those below.
Magic Kingdom Snacks
The I Lava You Float at Sunshine Tree Terrace ($7.29) and Tropical Serenade at Aloha Isle ($7.99) are unique and refreshing ideas if you are wanting to use a snack credit after riding Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean!
A Cinnamon Roll from Gaston’s Tavern ($6.99) is one of my favorite snacks in all of Magic Kingdom and it is on the dining plan! Or, head over to Storybook Treats for a Rapunzel Sundae ($8.29) – it contains shortcake with DOLE Whip Lemon and Wild Berry Soft Serve topped with Berry Compote and Sugar Flowers.
The Brownie Sundae ($8.29) at Auntie Gravity’s is a gooey brownie topped with soft-serve ice cream with your choice of hot fudge or strawberry topping. If you are craving a chocolate shake, you will find this is a good use of a dining credit (also valued at $8.29).
Any of the speciality sundaes at Main Street Ice Cream Parlor ($7.79 to $8.79 range) have a lot of toppings and can easily be shared among multiple people. Sharing snacks will make your snack credits last longer!
Epcot Snacks
In Norway, the Norwegian Kringla is a pretzel-shaped pastry with almonds or chocolate on top. It’s $6.79 and the highest value snack credit at Kringle Bakeri Og Cafe.
You will find a ton of caramel goodies at Karamel-Kuche, from caramel popcorn and apples to cookies. While prices vary, look for the snacks that are at least $6.00, and take note that only the plain and peanut caramel apples are on the Dining Plan!
At the Refreshment Port, the traditional poutine consists of french fries, beef gravy, and cheese curds. And, great news! It’s considered a snack credit (valued at $7.50).
Epcot has four festivals that run throughout the year, and the food booths do include snacks on the dining plan! That makes creating a list like this nearly impossible, so just keep an eye out for that DDP icon on the festival menus!
The only thing to consider with festival food is portions can be very small. Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean it’s always a great value! You can always take a quick peek at the booth or ask a Cast Member to see how big portions are before deciding whether or not to use a snack credit.
Hollywood Studios Snacks
Jack-Jack’s Num Num Cookie ($6.29) is a solid step up from regular chocolate chip cookies and can be found at a few places in Hollywood Studios. While it’s not the best value, it certainly is worth a snack credit, in my opinion!
The Cheddar-jalapeno pretzel ($7.79) is available at the Market near Toy Story Land.
In Galaxy’s Edge, the Blue Milk and Green Milk ($8.99) are both snack credits on the Dining Plans. If Pork Rinds are your thing, find those at Ronto Rooster for $7.49. The popcorn at Kat Saka’s Kettle ($6.49) is uniquely flavored and a step up from theme park popcorn.
Ice Cold Hydraulics is a new snack stand located on Grand Avenue near Baseline Taphouse and Muppet’s Courtyard. The Candy Painted Cinnamon Rolls ($8.99) and Bouncin’ Mini Churros ($8.99) are both excellent choices – although I prefer the churros over the cinnamon rolls.
Animal Kingdom Snacks
While not a particularly high value like other snacks on this list, the Chicken Dumplings ($6.79) and Seasoned Fries ($6.29) are unique snack options, which can be hard to find in a world of Mickey pretzels and churros. You can find them at Mr. Kamal’s in Asia.
In Dinoland, there are a few ice cream options like the Dino Dig Ice Cream Sandwich ($8.29) at Dino-Bite. Next door at Restaurantosaurs, look for the S’moresosaurus Shake ($8.49). It is a vanilla shake with chocolate and caramel drizzle topped with a chocolate-dipped s’more, toasted marshmallows, and graham cracker crums. The cup is rimmed with chocolate fudge sauce and graham cracker crumbs.
Over at Discovery Island near It’s Tough to be a Bug, the Colossal Frosted Cinnamon Roll is $6.79. You can also find it for the same price at Pongu Pongu in Pandora.
Snacks that are NOT Good Options
There are some snacks that are not a good use of a snack credit. This includes popcorn, whole pieces of fruit, bottled water, cotton candy, and coffee.
In addition, basically anything under $6.00 should be purchased separately instead of using a snack credit. Remember, you can purchase whatever you want! But, we just think you should use your snack credits on the more expensive snacks to utilize the Dining Plan to its fullest extent.
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What is your favorite snack to use a snack credit on? Let us know in the comments below, and share this post with a friend!
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