First time on dining plan. Words of advice?

[Antonia]

We are two active grandparents, grandson 8, granddaughter 6, and 32 year old son. First time on DDP. We have the regular plan. ADRs: O'Hana 645 pm, Chef Mickey 6:25 pm, Teppan Edo 12:10 pm, BOG 4:10 pm, Mama Melrose 5:05 pm w/ Pixar package, and Tusker House 1130 a.m. w/ ROL package.
Split stay 3 night BWV and 3 nights Poly studio.
Any advice for a DDP newbie? Been to WDW many times, but always OOP for meals.

 

[danielocha30]

make sure you use the first DDP credits from your BWV before midnight on check out date the won't rollover to your next reservations at Poly, specially the snacks credit that can be too much food for some. Have a great trip!

 

[sharonabe]

make sure you use the first DDP credits from your BWV before midnight on check out date the won't rollover to your next reservations at Poly, specially the snacks credit that can be too much food for some. Have a great trip!

Depending on the timing of those dinner reservations, you may need to use all the credits from your first stay BEFORE dinner on your switch day. If that dinner is your 4th dinner, you MUST use all credits from the first stay before they will activate the next stay's plan. So if that BoG at 4:10 pm is your 4th dinner on your switch day, you'll need to use all QS and snack credits from the first stay or you won't have credits for dinner. If something messes up or you just don't get them used and they charge your room instead of using credits, you can probably go to guest services or your concierge and get I straightened out.

 

[Faldred]

No real advice other than to relax, enjoy, order what you want, and don't worry too much about all the chatter her about maximizing credit values.

 

[jedi jen]

Sounds like a great plan.

 

[DrunkJam]

No real advice other than to relax, enjoy, order what you want, and don't worry too much about all the chatter her about maximizing credit values.

Absolutely this. There is no point maximising credit values, if you are not getting what you actually want!
Have a great trip.

 

[newestkg06]

I know many will say it's a waste to use snack credits on drinks, but if you really want one, use it. We ended up with a bunch of extra snack credits that I wish we had just used on lemonades or other things!

 

[Ambehnke]

I know many will say it's a waste to use snack credits on drinks, but if you really want one, use it. We ended up with a bunch of extra snack credits that I wish we had just used on lemonades or other things!

This... buy whatever you want for snacks! Or you will have leftovers!

 

[GillianP1301]

You're already in good shape with your 6 TS restaurants booked. Try to plan a ahead a bit as to which QS restaurants you'd prefer. It can get a bit stressful and waste of time to try and figure out where you want to eat when it's time to eat. If you know ahead of time your choices, it will make it easier. Since you are the regular dining plan, which is only 2 meals a day, you can utilize your snack credits to do a small breakfast (like a muffin, cereal, etc...).

 

[Flamingeaux]

Ask questions. Tell the CM that you are on the dining plan and they are generally very helpful. Did I say ask questions? Don't be shy.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I know many will say it's a waste to use snack credits on drinks, but if you really want one, use it. We ended up with a bunch of extra snack credits that I wish we had just used on lemonades or other things!

Yes.

When I price out the dining plan, I don't include the snack credits. That way they don't have to be a certain price to be worth it. They can be anything, because I already figured that the plan saved us money on the meals.

 

[Munchkin_Mom]

Excellent choices on ADR's! They should make good use of your credits. You will likely find yourself with some snack credits that might expire from your first reservation...be sure to use them. At Epcot we like the France ice cream place or Norway bakery. Main Street bakery in MK is a good place to pick up cookies or fudge to have in your room. Starbucks (any size, any drink) is also a good use. My kids order water there when I get my drink and they love it when the CM calls their name and they get a cup with their name written on it with a Mickey head drawn in too.
Also, don't be afraid to share meals for QS. At Peco Bills we usually get 3-4 meals for our family of five. We know we can always order another something if someone is hungry. I'd rather not throw away half a meal if kids are too full. Also, I think you can still convert a QS meal to 3 snacks (at one time). We used up about three meals that way and all my kids' teachers got fudge from Main Street Bakery. Have fun!

 

[mamamelody2]

Remember the QS meal credits are not separated into child/adult. You can get adult meals with all of them. Many, many Disney meals are shareable, especially with young kids. Then, you can use those extra credits on a breakfast or maybe dinner in the resort food court.
My kids are were 16, 13, and 10 on our last trip and there were several meals where we got 3 meals for the 5 of us, and still couldn't finish.

 

[kbmartin]

Depending on the timing of those dinner reservations, you may need to use all the credits from your first stay BEFORE dinner on your switch day. If that dinner is your 4th dinner, you MUST use all credits from the first stay before they will activate the next stay's plan. So if that BoG at 4:10 pm is your 4th dinner on your switch day, you'll need to use all QS and snack credits from the first stay or you won't have credits for dinner. If something messes up or you just don't get them used and they charge your room instead of using credits, you can probably go to guest services or your concierge and get I straightened out.

I'm a newbie to the DDP, too. On check-out day, exactly what time do you need to have used your credits by? We have a late flight back home and are planning to spend most of the day at Disney Springs or possibly Typhoon Lagoon. I don't want to be taken by surprise!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I'm a newbie to the DDP, too. On check-out day, exactly what time do you need to have used your credits by? We have a late flight back home and are planning to spend most of the day at Disney Springs or possibly Typhoon Lagoon. I don't want to be taken by surprise!

Midnight.

 

[kbmartin]

Midnight.

Oh wow. I thought it might be earlier based on the previous post! Thanks.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Oh wow. I thought it might be earlier based on the previous post! Thanks.

Midnight, yes. But, depending on where you are, you could have trouble finding open places that late! If you plan on using credits late at night, check hours first.

 

[sharonabe]

Oh wow. I thought it might be earlier based on the previous post! Thanks.

That "previous post" was addressing a split stay with two different dining plans. You are just there for a regular stay with only one dining plan, so you can use your credits from the moment of check-in until midnight of your check-out day...easy peasy. Split stays with dining plans on both are their own monster.

 

[bigbabyblues]

No real advice other than to relax, enjoy, order what you want, and don't worry too much about all the chatter her about maximizing credit values.

Yes, yes, and YES! Drives me nuts when I read about people ordering the most expensive menu item because they "have" to get the best value out of the plan. Yes, the plans are expensive, but if you don't enjoy what you eat, or you get something that isn't what you really wanted, it isn't worth it.

 

[WildernessMickey]

We loved having our meals pre paid. Then we just relaxed and ordered whatever we felt like having.
If my young adult kids wanted steaks then we didn't sweat it! We even tried some new dishes.

Our only issue was it was more food than we could eat. So don't feel like you have to clean your plate. We used some of our QS credits to get 3 snacks and took them home for later.

Have fun!