Help me with Disney Dining Credits!

[disney crazy family]

Ok, just a few weeks away from our trip, and I find myself tweeking plans. This is the first time we have ever used DDP before, and from what I read it can be alot of food if you do not plan it out right.
Most of our table service meals are early dinners (4:30 or 5). My question is do I use my counter service credits at breakfast (which to me is a waste of credits), and do a snack for lunch, or do I pay oop for a quick breakfast (pastry or the like), get a very early lunch with the credits and then hopefully be hungry again for dinner. My original plan was to use the credits for the lunch, but I am afraid with so much food at lunch we will not be hungry to eat our much anticipated table service meals. What do you suggest? Any tips? I am afraid the greedy food monster in me is wanting to get all I can with this DDP because the food sounds so yummy, but I do not want to be miserable and waddling around the world either. Help? Thanks

[magicofdisney]

Last time we used the DDP, we did early dinner as well because our toddler was with us and we wanted to get our dinners in before he became cranky. Many days we had a late breakfast, paying OOP. Then we'd have CS credits to use late in the evening for snacking. Sometimes we'd get just a couple of lunches with our CS credits, so as not to fill up before our early dinner. I think we ended up leaving with a few CS credits left over. I'd much rather leave with CS credits left over than TS. Once I used our snack credits for breakfast. That seemed to work well also.

[disneydeb]

We usually have cereal or a breakfast bar in the morning in the room. Then use TS or CS at lunch and the other at dinner. Snack credit is used anytime we wish a snack.

[Crow]

i have a problem w credits also. first use of DDP was in May. before that i ate lunch as my bigger meal as it was cheaper. but in May & next month, im using the credits for dinners early. im not a big breakfast eater, so went w granola bar n coffee or something. now i have to figure how to use CS credits...using them for breakfast is sorta a waste. but if i use for lunch then dinners only 5 hrs or so later...unless i try to use the CS latenight, but the places might not b open past 10 at the resorts or so...
i will see what happens this trip w them. and then there are the snack credits..
if i use them for a snack at lunch, then there are CS credits left:confused:

[chick20679]

I think it probably really depends on how much you eat normally at home for certain meals and what times you plan on getting up in the morning and going to bed at night.
You could use the CS credit for a bigger breakfast, and then use the snack credit either between breakfast and dinner or a few hours after dinner as a PM snack. OR you could use the snack credit for something small in the AM, have an early lunch with the CS credit and then have your early dinner.
Personally, we don't eat much for breakfast, so we plan on getting a bagel or something small in the morning using the snack credit (and using a refillable mug for coffee) and then sharing some of our CS meals depending on what time our ADR is for the day.
If you split a CS meal twice a day, maybe you won't end up feeling hungry late into the evening?? Split one mid-morning and then another in the evening??
The only thing I (personally) would worry about would be being hungry in the evening. If I eat dinner super early at home, I always end up revenous by 8 or so. IMO. :mickey:

[vamaggie]

We are in the same boat--eating early dinners with kids. What we think we are going to do is share a CS meal for breakfast (1A & 1 C) and for lunch (same) and then do the TS meals for early dinners. This way we should be able to use most of the CS meals. If we have extras, we will probably get a CS meal each for the trip home. I don't think using snack credits will be a problem!

[dolphinmickey9170]

We aren't big breakfast eaters, usually, so we did this:

Breakfast consisted of coffee and maybe a cereal bar or bowl of cereal before we left for the park.

Lunch was Counter Service credits sometime between 1130-130. This all depended on what time our dinner plans were.

Dinner was Table Service no earlier than 7pm and sometimes as late as 10pm.

When we spaced things out like this, we found we were ready to eat dinner at the later time.

Snacks were used for smoothies or dole whips.

If you use a counter service credit for breakfast, don't feel it's a waste. Saratoga serves a mean breakfast platter for a counter service credit. Then you could use your snack credit for an order of chili cheese fries at Pecos Bill's and then a Table service credit for dinner. Yes, I have this all planned out.....been there, done that, going back!!

[Nicki'sMom]

Ok, so you are eating TS at 4:30. I dont find the CS credit to be a waste at breakfast so I think you will be OK using it at your resort to get a breakfast sandwhich or a breakfast platter. Then you will be fueled until dinner and if you need a snack you can use a snack credit. You can also eat a granola bar when you get up early and use a CS credit for an early lunch when you get back to your resort for a mid-day break.

[disney crazy family]

Great ideas- thanks! I think we are going to go ahead and use most of our cs as breakfast, and for a couple of days we will use them as lunch...possibly even splitting meals.
We are staying at the AS movies. Does anyone have any input on their breakfast? Good, big portions, what not to miss?
Our vacation is so close! I am so excited!!:mickey:

[January-2007]

DH and I are planning on splitting our meals with the CS credits. Split breakfast, split lunch, then dinner every night after 6PM usually, with snacks thrown in wherever. Hopefully that will work.

[LauraF]

Breakfast is usually the cheapest meal of the day, so if you're going to pay OOP, that's my suggestion. I do that, especially since after a huge dinner that night I don't want much more for breakfast than tea and a pastry.

[prttynpnk]

We usually OOP breakfast have an early counter service lunch, an early Table service dinner and use our snack credits as the mood strikes us- unless we're at the F&W and then we do a larger early lunch and snack credits are pooled for grazing at the boothes.
We're all about some food. :mickey: