Hi Stephanie! It's a pleasure to answer your question...especially since it deals with two of my favorite things...Disneyland and FOOD!
While I am quite possibly the Disney Dining Plan's biggest fan EVER, I must say that Disneyland's Dining Plan is not up to par and is structured completely different from that of Walt Disney World's (WDW). The WDW Dining Plan actually offers guests a substantial savings on meals while Disneyland's plan is based more upon convenience than savings.
Disneyland's Dine in the Magic plan is basically a voucher system which enables guests conveniently to prepay for meals prior to arrival. I thought you might find the following link helpful. Just click below to view my response to a recent question about Disneyland's Dining Plan. Hopefully this will help you understand it a little better, as the Disney website doesn't offer a very clear explanation:
Disneyland Dining Plan Information
I sure do wish Disneyland would adopt a Dining Plan similar to that of WDW, and that they would offer a free dining promotion as well, because there are soooo many fabulous restaurants scattered across the Disneyland Resort. My favorites include
Steakhouse 55,
Napa Rose,
Blue Bayou,
Catal, and
Cafe Orleans. Be sure to give them a try and please let me know if I can answer any additional questions!
-Amanda F.