It's great to see you here today at the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Katie!
It's so lucky that you were able to snag the Free Dining promotion that was offered earlier this year! My husband and I were able to get that deal on a recent vacation and it really opened up the possibility for us to try a lot of new and exciting restaurants.
Upgrading your
Disney Dining Plan is a great idea if you want to take advantage of some of the great dining experiences available to guests, especially
Character Dining. Since everyone who is staying in the same Walt Disney World Resort Hotel room shares the same balance of Dining Plan credits, your family members staying in the same room as you must be on the same Dining Plan, so if you're upgrading, everyone else in your room must upgrade as well. If I'm understanding you correctly, there will be three of you using the Disney Dining Plan, so it is only those three people who will be able to redeem credits when you go to
Chef Mickey's together. The rest of your family on the reservation who are not using the Dining Plan are then welcome to pay in whatever way is most convenient for them: with cash, a credit card, or by using their
MagicBand to charge it to their room. Splitting the bill between Dining Plan credits and another form of payment is really easy! My husband and I do this all the time when we redeem a Table-Service credit for an entrée and a dessert and then pay out of pocket for some appetizers or a bottle of wine.
I hope this answers your questions, Katie, and let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation.
Jessica