Hi Sara,
Welcome back to planDisney to my fellow North Carolinian! I am delighted to see that you have an upcoming trip and have booked a
vacation package with a
Disney Dining Plan. You may be relieved to know that the servers at each restaurant will let you know what is included in your dining plan.
When my family has used dining plans in the past, we generally have not needed to purchase any extra food or drinks. What is included in the dining plan has been more than enough. If, however, you do purchase additional items not covered by the dining plan, you will be able to distinguish the difference on your receipt.
As you continue to plan for your trip, I am excited that you will be there during the
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival! My girls are teenagers, but they still love doing the scavenger hunts. Also check out the
Garden Rocks Concert Series. The music is fun and the food at the festival is yummy.
Since you seem to be on top of the planning, I assume you have secured some
advanced dining reservations. I suggest having at least a dinner reservation each night of your stay. It gives my family a chance to slow down and share stories from our park adventures.
Sara, one final tip - be sure to check the dining plan details for each restaurant you plan to visit. Just go to the restaurant's homepage, click on
View Dining Plans and Discounts. Then check to see how many meals will be used at that dining location for each meal period if using a dining plan. Checking in this way helps me to make sure we have planned our meals accordingly so that we have meals for each day of our trip. We try to spread our meals out to have dinner on the night we arrive and breakfast on the morning we leave, using all other meals on the days in between. Remember that dining plan meals are calculated per night of stay.
Happy planning!
Magic and memories,
Donyell