Hi, Jill! The
Disney Dining Plan is a good value if you plan ahead! For each night of your stay, each person in your party gets 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal, and 1 snack. So to get your money out of it, you need to plan ahead with Advance Dining Reservations and have some dining experiences booked. There are wonderful restaurants to choose from including character meals, buffets, and dining around the world in Epcot!
For counter service, the soft drink options in the parks are usually fountain drinks, but bottles are available from vendors and can be one of your snack options. You will see carts around the parks with many snack options including bottled soft drinks and water, ice cream bars, popcorn, fruit and more!
As far as dessert options, the choices are usually pretty kid-friendly! Chocolate chip cookies, brownies, pudding, and chocolate cake. If none of those sound good, you can always go to a snack cart and get an orange or a banana for about $1 for an alternate (and you can have the yummy cookie!)
Have fun planning your WDW vacation!