Hello Ashanti. Thanks for visiting us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
I recommend keeping an eye on the
Special Offers page of the Walt Disney World website. That is where you will find all of the current specials and discounts Disney is offering on a vacation. Some of the most popular promotions are ones such as Free Dining or 30% off of your room. Make sure to read all of the specification to the promotion to see if it fits with the vacation you are planning. When planning our Walt Disney World vacations, that is the first place I look.
My family and I are big fans of the Disney Dining Plan. We have received it for free several times due to a promotion but we have also payed for it out of pocket. For us, the Disney Dining Plan is absolutely worth the money. We save hundreds of dollars while using the plan, I saved my receipts and figured it up when we returned home. I think it all depends on the type of vacation you are planning. We love sit down meals at Walt Disney World and enjoy one everyday. The regular dining plan works out great for us because we would do that with or without the dining plan. We love that we can order the most expensive item on the menu if we want and it still only costs us a credit. It makes dining on vacation so much more fun because we aren't constantly looking at prices, we just order what we really want. If you are interested in character meals and other sit down restaurants while you are on vacation, I highly encourage you to check into the
standard dining plan option.
I hoped this has helped point you in the right direction. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.