Hi Aaron and welcome to planDisney.
Your August trip to
Walt Disney World will be here before you know it! It looks as though you'll be arriving just a couple of days before me and my family so I can only imagine what the excitement levels are like at your house, right now. It won't be long before the suitcases are coming down from the loft and the packing commences!
We love having a
Disney Dining Plan when visiting Walt Disney World. Not only does it help us to budget for our trip, knowing that the majority of our food and drink if paid for before we even arrive, they are also really easy and convenient to use during your stay.
You are quite right in saying that 1 non-alcoholic/alcoholic drink is included per meal and as someone who doesn't like to pay more than they have to for anything, I completely understand you wanting to get the most "bang for your buck" when using your dining plan entitlements.
If you will be purchasing additional drinks to the ones included with each of your Quick-Service and/or Table Service meals, I would suggest making it clear to the cashier, or your server, which drink you would like included as part of your dining plan entitlement and which you will be paying for out of pocket.
Top Tip - Did you know that free iced water is available from select
Quick-Service dining locations at Walt Disney World? There are also refill stations located throughout the park where you can obtain water for free. To save money when my family visit, we always bring plenty on-the-go squash bottles with us, to add to the water, to make cordial for us to drink.
As we tend to drink the free iced water throughout each day, sometimes, we will pick up a can of beer or soda as part of our Quick-Service dining plan meal, which we then pop in the fridge at our Disney Resort hotel room, to enjoy later on.
I hope that this has answered your question, Aaron. Please feel free to re-visit us, here at planDisney, if we can be of any further help with the planning of your trip.
Wishing you a magical holiday filled with memories which will last a lifetime!
Emma