Hi Rachel,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Clearly, you are busy planning your trip! I am happy to discuss the
dining plans with you.
Let me say, in my experience, food can be expensive at the Walt Disney World Resort. Even a quick-service meal could cost $20 per person. We typically get the Disney Dining Plan or Disney Deluxe Dining plan because the extras included add so much value to our dining experiences. Select drinks are included, dessert for lunch and dinner, snacks and a refillable resort mug. The refillable resort mugs are a great value. We have refilled those mugs at the resort three to four times a day. On our last visit, when we did not have the dining plan, we all MISSED it. We found ourselves constantly worrying about how to order inexpensively at restaurants and we only ordered water at meals.
To make the best decision, I suggest that you sit down and decide which restaurants you want to experience. Then check the menus of each of those restaurants. A few of our favorite restaurants are
Be Our Guest (dinner), The Crystal Palace (breakfast - character meal), 'Ohana (dinner),
50's Prime Time Café (lunch), and Coral Reef (dinner). To find the menus, go to a restaurant's website, then click on the link that says "View Menu" just under the $$ price estimate and "Some Dining Plans Accepted" link. When calculating food costs, I also estimate about $4.00 for each non-alcoholic drink and $5.00 for a snack. To get prices for buffet meals for the exact dates of our visit, I always call 407-939-1947.
Rachel, I trust you will have amazing dining experiences!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell