Dear Ashley,
Thank you so much for visiting us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your great question about planning ahead for your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort vacation!
Dining at Walt Disney World Resort can run a very wide range, budget-wise. My family has had trips where we have been able to keep our costs to around $20 per person per day for meals and then we have had trips where we have splurged a lot more and had a budget closer to $100 per person per day for meals. It's a very personal choice, of course. If you are looking to stay at the lower end of the budget that I mentioned, I recommend purchasing a few groceries to be delivered to your room (or if you're driving in, just bring them yourself in the car). Then, you can have a light breakfast in the room. For lunch, my family found that we could order three adult entrees for the five of us and be perfectly satisfied. Dinner might be a bit larger, but would also be a Quick-Service meal. Drinking water only instead of soft drinks would be a must, and complimentary tap water is available at most Quick-Service dining locations.
If you would like to spend a bit more, I recommend making a few Advanced Dining Reservations up to 180 days in advance of your check-in date, and you will have some fun themed meals to look forward to! If you are the kind of person who likes to have everything pre-paid, you could also consider the
Disney Dining Plan or Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, either of which allows you to pre-pay for your meals so that you don't have to worry about bills after vacation!
Hope that helps with your magical planning!
- Jan K.