It's great to see you here today at the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Kristin!
Dining is probably my favorite thing to do at Walt Disney World Resort and my family and I really enjoy using the
Disney Dining Plan when we're on vacation. We love the flexibility of being able to choose pretty much whatever we want from the menu and we usually save a bit of money when we use it, which always makes me happy!
The Disney Dining Plan is always evolving to include more things that we all want and a big change came a few years ago when the Dining Plan began to include alcoholic drinks for guests over the age of 21. There are some incredible signature cocktails to try at the Theme Parks and
Resort Hotels so I was very happy to see that change! A beverage is included with your Quick-Service meal credit and it can be
either a soft drink or an alcoholic beverage if the restaurant serves them, but not both. You have the option of swapping out the drink that comes included with the meal for something like a milkshake, specialty drink, or alcoholic beverage at no additional cost if you want to but that does involve trading one for the other. If you're like me and getting the most for your money is important to you, getting a specialty beverage at both Quick-Service and Table-Service dining locations is a great bang for your buck, so make sure to go for it and try out some of those drinks whenever you see one that appeals to you!
I hope this answers your question, Kristin, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation.
Jessica