Welcome back to Disney Parks Moms Panel, Shaunna!
You are going to love having your
Disney Deluxe Dining Plan as you tour
Walt Disney World!
According to WDW's Dining Plan page, Disney Dining plans are available "exclusively for the enjoyment of Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels [...]". Thus, entitlements in your Dining Plan are purchased for use by those staying with you on your resort hotel reservation.
The Deluxe Dining Plan PDF further clarifies how guests can redeem their Dining Plan entitlements: "Present your valid Disney Resort ID (either a MagicBand or card) to the server or cashier at the time a meal or snack is purchased and specify the number of meals or snacks being redeemed." When we are initially seated, we tell our server how many of us are utilizing a Dining Plan; sometimes it's all of us, other times we may have more than one Dining Plan in use or a mixture of Dining Plans and cash. You'll have no trouble directing your server how you intend to pay for your meals. Super easy!
Regarding your son, guests ages 3-9 must order from a children's menu where available; however, if your son sees something that he'd like to try from the adult menu, ask your server if a child-sized portion can be created for him. Just a few weeks ago, we enjoyed a fabulous meal at
Tiffins, located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and friends of ours asked if a child's portion of the braised short rib--their daughter's favorite--could be substituted for the fish or chicken options on the children's menu. The chef was happy to oblige. Disney magic once again!
Send more questions as you plan your stay, Shaunna; we love to help!
Andrea H