Hi Nicole,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Your trip is coming up soon! How fabulous! Let me offer a few suggestions about budgeting on the
Disney Dining Plan first, then I will offer some thoughts about money to bring.
Caribbean Beach Resort has fond memories for us! The Disney Dining Plan should be perfect for your family. When we used the Disney Dining Plan in the past, I always brought snacks (i.e. cereal, granola bars, instant oatmeal - just remember to bring bowls and you can heat water in the coffee maker) for breakfast. One of us would take our refillable mugs to get juice or coffee and then we would eat our "breakfast" in the room before heading to the parks.
We used quick-service credits for lunch and table-service credits for dinner. Be sure to map out your meals and account for the meal credits on the dining plan. Remember that your meal credits are calculated per night of stay. To maximize our credits, we use one meal credit on the day we arrive, one meal credit on the day we depart and two meal credits on the days in between. Other than autograph books, we rarely buy merchandise in the parks.
So, if you stick to your dining plan credits and do not eat beyond those, the additional money you would need would be for gratuities and souvenirs. Check the menus of the table-service restaurants you plan to visit to get a sense for how much the meals will cost you so that you can better estimate tips. In general, estimating your table-service meal to be $150/meal, I would budget at least $30/day for tips (8 days =$240).
Nicole, we also occasionally catch an Uber or taxi if we are running late for a dining reservation. On our visit last summer, we did two Uber rides that averaged about $15. Also consider other costs - i.e. parking fees at the airport if flying.
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell