The Disney Dining Plan can be a tricky thing to navigate. If you want the ultimate bang for your buck, you may have to put in some time to research all of your dining options and how to best utilize all of those dining credits throughout your trip.
But it’s not just those Table Service and Quick Service credits to consider. You’ll also have to decide how to best utilize your snack credits!
No matter which type of Disney Dining Plan you buy into (there are four now!), you will be allotted a certain number of Snack Credits to use per day. These Credits can be redeemed for cupcakes, fruit, bottled water, Starbucks coffee, and even some side dishes at certain Quick Service locations.
But the real pros know that, depending on the time of year you visit Disney World, there is a way to get real value out of those Snack Credits. This is because you can redeem your Snack Credits at the food booths at EPCOT’s festivals!
EPCOT currently runs four major festivals each year: Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival, and Festival of the Holidays.
You can read more about the specifics of Epcot festival dining here!
Using your Snack Credits at the festival food booths is a great value for a couple of reasons. First, EPCOT’s festival food booths are going to be a little pricier than your typical snacks. Some snacks will only cost you a couple of bucks in the Parks and Resorts, but some of the larger entree-style food selections can run you upwards of $8.00 or $9.00 at EPCOT’s festivals. You can also redeem your Snack Credits on non-alcoholic beverage options, which are often creative and tasty.
It can be difficult for some visitors of Walt Disney World to justify getting the Disney Dining Plan from a cost perspective. After crunching the numbers, it is more difficult to save money on the Dining Plan — unless you dine at the most expensive restaurants and purchase the most expensive snacks. Therefore, you have a better chance at saving money on the Dining Plan if you go during one of Epcot’s festivals when snack prices and quality are high.
If you want to sample as many food items throughout the festival as possible, Dining Plan Snack Credits are an excellent way to do so. You also have the opportunity to taste some seriously amazing food from all over the globe. This is another reason the pros know to use their Snack Credits; you can get a cup of coffee or any old cupcake at home, but there aren’t many places where you can sample so much international cuisine in a short amount of time.
In the end, only you can determine if the Disney Dining Plan is worth the price for your trip. While you get the added convenience of pre-paying for your meals, essentially making your trip more “all-inclusive”, it is difficult to ultimately save money, and in many cases you can spend WAY less on food if you pay out-of-pocket. However, if you decide on purchasing the Dining Plan and you happen to be in the parks during an EPCOT festival, definitely take advantage of your Snack Credits there!
Do you use your snack credits on the food booths if you visit during one of EPCOT’s festivals? Let us know in the comments!
Get more from World Showcase at the links below!
- Here’s the One Thing You Have to do in Each World Showcase Pavilion at EPCOT
- Remember When World Showcase Had Its Own PARADE!? We’re Taking a Look at the History of EPCOT’s World Showcase!
- Rumored World Showcase Attractions That We Would Totally Be On Board For at EPCOT
- The Best Things for Kids to Do in Epcot’s World Showcase
- The Best Character Meet & Greets in Epcot’s World Showcase — and Ones We’d Like to Add
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It is my understanding that Disney has discontinued these plans. The notice I read said they were given credit on rooms
Hi Sherri! Yes, Disney has temporarily discontinued the Disney Dining Plan at this time.