Hi Jessica!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I love using the
Disney Dining Plan to try new and exciting snacks and
dining locations that I might have passed up if I were paying out of pocket.
Items that count as Disney Dining Plan snacks usually cost anywhere between $2 and $8. Do note that not all items in this range are considered snacks. An example of this are funnel cakes and large Mickey Waffles at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom Park. Both have a snack credit version that is dusted with powder sugar; however, the ones that are topped with fruit or ice cream do not qualify.
Many locations do offer traditional meal side items, desserts and even appetizers as a snack credit, like fries, soup, fried rice, or a slice of cake. Some snack credit items are so bountiful that they can serve as a smaller meal, like the pulled pork & cheese topped french fries at Flame Tree BBQ in Disney's Animal Kingdom, the huge Mickey waffles from Sleepy Hollow, or the Croissant Jambon Fromage (a ham and cheese croissant sandwich, and yes you do want it warmed up) from Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in Epcot.
A good way to plan ahead now is to google the name of a quick-service dining location and look at the image results for its menu. The snack-qualifying items will have a purple and white checker-board style box next to their prices. You can also play with the Mobile Ordering feature of the
My Disney Experience App; each snack eligible item will say so in its description. And my favorite way to prepare is to visit the Disney Food Blog as they have whole videos dedicated to the best use for your dining plan snack entitlements.
We'll See You Real Soon, Jessica!
~Kristen