Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Rachel Jean!
My family and I love using the
Disney Dining Plan when we're on vacation, and part of the reason we use it almost every time we travel is because of the flexibility it offers us. We're able to choose where we want to eat, what we want to try, and when we want to use those Table-Service, Quick-Service, and Snack credits over the course of our stay.
When you're dining with your family, it is certainly possible to use your Dining Plan credits in the way you described. When my husband and I eat at Table-Service restaurants we like to treat ourselves to a few appetizers and then split an entrée and a dessert. This gives us the opportunity to try a lot more dishes! Have you considered switching to the
Disney Deluxe Dining Plan? When you use a Meal credit at a Table-Service restaurant, you're able to order an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, and since you were planning on ordering appetizers anyway and paying for them out of pocket, you might want to have a look and see if this version of the Dining Plan would work a little bit better for your family. Finally, I do want to let you know that the only time you wouldn't be able to split a meal is at a
Character Dining location, a buffet, or a family-style meal. If you're eating at a restaurant like that, everyone who gets seated must pay the current listed price for the experience or redeem the appropriate amount of Disney Dining Plan credits.
There are some restaurants that lend themselves really well to splitting meals, like
Flame Tree Barbecue at
Disney's Animal Kingdom. For one Quick-Service credit, you can order a Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork sampler which two adults could definitely share. We like to order this and use a Snack credit for some French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese to go along with them!
I hope this answers your questions, Rachel Jean, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation.
Jessica