Hi Michael,
The great debate over the meal plan and where to begin! I have used the
Disney Dining Plan on trips and these are my thoughts.
If you have children under 9, it is a good deal as Disney is basically giving you food when you add up each individual component. For a child who is over 9, it is tough because they need to order from the adult menu and they may not like the selections or eat all the food unless they are a growing teenager.
It is a lot of food on the plan and I personally can not eat all that food every day. My husband could eat it most days but my two teenage daughters rarely can and one still likes the children's menu.
The easiest way to compare the value is to go to AllEarsnet.com and pick a restaurant you would dine at for a meal. Choose the meal you would get on the dining plan and add it up. If it is close to the the price of the daily rate to the dining plan, it is a push. If it is under, skip the plan. If it is over, grab the plan. You can do this for a few restaurants and meals.
As for quick service versus the regular dining, the difference is in the table service versus no table service. My family always eats table service for dinner so we can recharge so we would not choose the quick service. However, if your children do not sit for any meals or you want more flexibility without reservations, quick service is good option.
Wishing you a magical vacation!
Beth