Hi Dave,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am always delighted to answer dining plan questions!
My family finds the
Disney Dining Plans to be a good value. We find the
Disney Deluxe Dining Plan to be the best value for us because 1) We like to eat three meals - with beverages included - per day plus snacks, 2) We do not leave the parks to dine off property and 3) We use the resort refillable mugs multiple times a day. We have also done the
Disney Dining Plan. Our favorite is the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan because it provides three meal entitlements plus two snack entitlements per night of stay. We maximize our dining entitlements by eating at restaurants that are more expensive. For example, on our upcoming trip, we are using the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan and our first three meals are The Edison, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and Garden Grill Restaurant.
Dave, on our last visit, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall cost us just over $200 for my family of four (our girls were charged as adults since they were over 9-years old). Since the Deluxe Dining Plan allows for three meal entitlements, we always take the opportunity to explore signature dining experiences as well. The Disney Dining Plan provides two meal entitlements per night of stay - one quick-service and one table-service plus two snack entitlements per night. When we have done the Disney Dining Plan, we also brought along breakfast snacks so that we did not spend additional money on breakfast and we used our resort refillable mugs to get drinks before leaving the resort hotel.
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell