Hi Nick,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am delighted that you brought this dining plan question to us!
My family loves the Disney and Disney Deluxe Dining Plans. They work well for us and are a great value because we love the table-service meal options and appreciate having drinks included. On the deluxe dining plan, we love having the appetizer included along with a dessert.
To make the most out of our plan, we check the prices of restaurants we plan to visit during our stay. We use our table-service meal entitlements at character dining experiences because, for us, those tend to be more expensive. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Chef Mickey's and "Ohana are three restaurants that we always visit. Just use the View Menu option located on a restaurant's home page to check the menu prices.
Coral Reef Restaurant and
Be Our Guest Restaurant both have menus posted online. For character meals and family style restaurants, I always call 407-939-1947 to get pricing for those meals during the time of our visit.
Also, when dining at restaurants, be sure to compare prices between breakfast, lunch and dinner. We typically use our table-service meal entitlements for dinner since dinner prices can be more expensive. So, prior to calling to speak to a cast member if you need to get pricing, create a chart with your dining options and then you can notate the pricing in the chart. And, be sure to use your snack entitlements!
Finally, Nick, use your dining chart to map out your meal and snack entitlements to be sure that you use them all before the end of your stay. Remember that entitlements are calculated per night of stay!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell