Hi, Tasha! It can be overwhelming, but I'll do my best to get you through it!
The first thing you want to do is mark your calendar to indicate when you are 180 days from your vacation. You'll want to start booking your dining reservations then so you can be sure to get the dining experiences you want. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort, you can book 180 days, plus 10, so it usually covers your whole vacation without having to call or go online multiple times.
Basically, when you arrive, you will get dining plan credits added to your Key to the World card. Most meals will use one of those plan credits. Some guests opt for a quick service dining plan, which means they can use their credits at the counter service locations. Other dining plans offer one table service (which includes character meals) and one counter service credit each day. The credits are automatically deducted by your server when you "pay" for your meal. They usually ask you when you arrive if you are on a dining plan, so they'll know at the end of the meal to just charge your Key to the World Card for your dining plan.
Some signature dining experiences, which include Cinderella's Royal Table character meal, require two credits per meal. That usually just means you will be have to pay for a meal out of pocket, as you may run short of credits by the end of your vacation. You will get points based on each night of your stay, so if you are staying six nights, you will have meal credits for six nights.
To make dining reservations, head to
Disney World Dining Reservations. It is super easy, but if you need help, come on back!