Hi Elizabeth! Thanks so much for sharing your questions with the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
Chef Mickey's is such a great restaurant! I'm so glad a trip to Disney's Contemporary Resort for a meal is in your plans! You will love it!
At Chef Mickey's, you pay at the end of the meal. However, I have a tip for you that we have done several times and it makes it both fun and helps with budgeting.
As we are planning our vacation, I make a budget based on our itinerary. I then purchase
Disney Gift Cards to be used for our Walt Disney World Resort vacation. Typically, I purchase one for each of my kiddos too. It gives them special souvenir money and also helps me. By purchasing the gift cards in advance, they know their limit on souvenirs up front, it helps me maintain my budget and I can spread out expenses over several weeks or months depending on when I purchase my Disney Gift Cards. Since children of all ages love receiving Disney Gift Cards, you will see them at our house throughout the year; Birthdays, Holidays, Mother's/Father's Day, etc.
I hope this helps you with your planning. I'm so excited for you. I love how you are taking full advantage of the amenities in your cabin. It sounds like you will be having a vacation within a vacation! Enjoy every magical moment!