Hi, there!
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Toni. We love when you stop by!
I'm so glad to hear you're planning a Walt Disney World Resort with kiddos in tow. You're sure to have a magical visit! I'm especially glad to hear you're including
Character Dining Experiences in your plans. My family loves these special meals because we get to enjoy delicious food AND the company of our favorite Disney characters, all in one place! We always purchase the
Disney Dining Plan for our family vacations. We appreciate its flexibility, convenience, and value; exceptionally so with Character Dining Experiences. These meals can be a bit expensive, and we usually make reservations for three or four during our week-long stays. We've found that the Disney Dining Plan has been totally worth its weight for those meals in particular, and I think you'll find the same to be true if you're planning on one Character Dining Experience a day!
There was one time that we didn't purchase the Disney Dining Plan for our vacation. My husband and I made a visit for a long weekend without the kids, and we thought that we would be saving some money by not purchasing the plan for our short stay. We immediately regretted not adding it to our vacation package! We missed the convenience of using it, but we also found that we were fixating on menu prices because the cost of food (even Quick-Service meals) seemed to add up quite quickly. It took a bit of the fun out of our visit... Knowing our meals and snacks are paid for ahead of time makes us more comfortable splurging - it is vacation, after all!
I hope this was helpful, Toni. Please let me know if you have any other questions about the Disney Dining Plan, traveling with kiddos, or planning your itinerary!
Ashley