Hi, Madeline! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel and thanks for stopping by with this great dining question. I always worry about either having leftover or not enough credits towards the end of our Walt Disney World Resort vacations. Well, I honestly have never had to really worry about leftover ones because my family thoroughly enjoys the Disney dining options!
If any meal or snack entitlements are left in a
Disney Dining Plan account once the clock strikes midnight at the end of the check-out day, then those credits essentially turn into pumpkins like Cinderella's coach and cannot be used or reimbursed. To make sure we do not waste a single one of those credits, I make a spreadsheet of where we plan to eat each day, especially Table Service dining locations. I add each of them up to make sure we are not missing any and that we have not gone over the total amount. I also make sure that we are using those meal entitlements for meals that make the most sense for our budget. For example, I would much rather use a Quick Service credit for lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant rather than a breakfast back at our resort.
If you find that you have several unused meal credits at the end of your stay, I have two options for you. Either stop in at your resort's Quick Service spot and pick up some meals to-go for the journey home or ask a Front Desk Cast Member at your resort to convert them to snack entitlements. They can usually covert one Quick Service to three snack credits. Then, fill up your bag with snacks to take home. You will find lots of prepackaged eligible snacks in your resort's gift shop, such as dipped Mickey shaped crisped rice treats that are perfect for the kids' lunch boxes. Note: bosses really love when you return to work with one of these for them!
Thanks again for stopping by and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Brandy