Hi Jen!
There are in fact a few different Dining Plan options. I am going to focus on the two options that work best for my family. First there is the Quick-Service Dining Plan option. This plan allows for two Quick-Service meals and one snack per person (three years old and older) per day. Then there is the
Disney Dining Plan. This plan offers One Quick-Service meal per person per day, One Sit-Down Meal per day, and one snack per person per day (three years old and older.) Each of these dining plans also come with one Rapid Fill Resort refillable drink mug per person (three years old and older) that is good for the length of your stay. These mugs can be refilled at self-service beverage islands at Quick-Service locations at any Disney Resort hotel. A Quick-Service meal is generally somewhere that you can order at a counter and then take your meal to a table to eat. A Table-Service meal is at a “sit-down” style restaurant and reservations are highly recommended.
My family typically takes advantage of the
Quick-Service Dining Plan. This plan works the best for us because we like that it is quick and we don’t have to plan ahead since kids are so unpredictable. My kids do not seem to have the ability to sit for long periods of time so eating on the go is easy and less stress for us. Since your youngest is 18 months old, the baby will not be charged for the dining plan, but she is able to share food off of your plate! My kids are light eaters so the youngest two usually split a kids meal.
If you have more questions or need additional help please feel free to come back and ask me more!
~Heather~