Hi Scott,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am always delighted to greet a fellow North Carolinian!
When making Advanced Dining Reservations, you will simply use your credit card to guarantee the reservation. So you include everyone in your party on the reservation and, when you dine, you will pay only for guests 3-years old and over. Some dining experiences require advanced payment. When we last visited, we enjoyed
Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Our girls especially loved the fire dancing and doing the hula.
When making dining reservations, be sure to check the cancellation policy. I once forgot to cancel a reservation and was charged a $10 fee for each guest in our party. I had to call to request a refund. Thankfully the cast member with whom I spoke refunded the fee, but refunds are certainly not a guarantee.
I hope you are considering The Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's and Cinderella's Royal Table. Those are some of our favorite character meals! At The Crystal Palace, be sure to let your little ones march in the Pooh-rade! And at Chef Mickey's we have always enjoyed taking a family photo with a Disney PhotoPass photographer in the waiting area. When we dine in Cinderella Castle, our girls act like royalty. With their princesses dresses and tiara's on, our walk to Cinderella's Royal Table has included lots of greetings from cast members who say "why hello princesses!"
Scott, if you have not tried Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare, I recommend it. Cinderella's wicked stepmother is quite the character. She danced with one of our girls on one visit - her expressions were chilly and our daughter danced like stone. It was just priceless.
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell