Hi Christine!
Welcome back to planDisney! I'm so glad that you stopped by to "dish" on one of my favorite topics - dining at Walt Disney World Resort!
Adding a dining plan to your vacation package offers both convenience and flexibility during your stay. As you have likely noticed, dining plans are not available for children under 3 years old, so let's take a look at what this means for your youngest Mouseketeer!
My youngest was also a toddler on our most recent family visit to Walt Disney World and, for the most part, he ate for free. At buffets and all-you-care-to-enjoy family-style restaurants, children under 3 can enjoy as much or as little as they'd like without needing to pay for a separate meal. When dining at other sit-down restaurants and Quick-Service locations, your little one can share a plate with others at the table, but if you would like to order her a separate meal, you would need to pay out-of-pocket for it. I found that my son was quite content sharing a plate with me when dining at sit-down restaurants, and we only chose to order him a separate Quick-Service meal once or twice during our entire trip.
While we're chatting about dining with little ones, I have to give a shout-out to one of my favorite
character dining locations -
Garden Grill Restaurant. I don't know about you, Christine, but I don't think any visit to Walt Disney World is complete until I eat some Mickey waffles with a few Disney friends! Garden Grill serves family-style meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner inside The Land Pavilion at
EPCOT. While characters are always subject to change, you can usually find Mickey and Pluto joining your hosts Chip 'n' Dale for this character dining experience. Not only is the food delicious, but I really enjoy that it is served family-style, which means I don't have to juggle my plate of food and my toddler at the buffet at the same time! Plus, if you choose to add the
Disney Dining Plan to your vacation package, you'll currently redeem only one Table-Service meal per person to dine here.
As you're finalizing your plans, don't forget to include your youngest in your party size when making any
advanced dining reservations. Even if children under 3 are not ordering their own meal and don't have their own dining plan, including them in your reservation will ensure you are seated at a table large enough to accommodate your entire family.
I hope this information has been helpful, Christine, and that you enjoy making many magical memories at Walt Disney World Resort! You've got a friend in me here at planDisney, so please stop by again if you have any other questions!
To Infinity and Beyond!
Kristi