Hi Jenna!
Thank you for bringing such a great question to us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel! There's a lot of info that circulates on the world wide web about how to best plan to use a
Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World Resort, and all that advice can definitely get overwhelming. Here are some rules, reminders, tips and tricks that I've picked up over the yEARs that might help you out:
~ Currently, all guests utilizing any of the Disney Dining Plans, are eligible to upgrade their standard beverage option (usually soda, tea, juice, coffee in the mornings, etc) to a Specialty Beverage (slushy, smoothie, milkshake) where available. This absolutely includes Mouseketeers ages 3 and up. Those 21 years of age and older can even select an alcoholic beverage if they wish!
~ Substitutions are sometimes permitted. Maybe one day instead of a specialty beverage you'd like to select a solid desert option, like a cupcake, or would rather have an extra serving of a side item, and drink a complimentary cup of water. Substitutions are not a guarantee, but most requests are doable. Do note that these decisions are up to each individual dining location, so just because one might not allow the swap doesn't mean you shouldn't ask next time.
~ Do go ahead and take the time now to read the menus of the
participating 2020 Quick-Service Dining Locations as not all offer beverage upgrade options. (Your best bet for a wide range of milkshake options is
D-Lux Burger in Disney Springs, currently with 11 choices!)
~ And lastly, don't feel like your whole family MUST dine at the same Quick-Service location for that one meal. Thanks to
Mobile Food Ordering through your My Disney Experience App, your son can pick a personal size pizza + slushy from
Catalina Eddie's, you can enjoy a bowl of "Totchos" and a hard cider from
Woody's Lunch Box, and everyone else in your party can order what they want from wherever they wish anywhere across that one theme park (in this case
Disney's Hollywood Studios), and you can all meet up to enjoy your various selections together, all while using your combined meal entitlements from the same
Quick-Service Dining Plan.
I hope this helped, Jenna, and We'll See You Real Soon!
~Kristen