HELP with my planning!!! Please!!!

[WDWCPAlumni]

I never thought I would need help planning my disney dining!!!!!
I cant believe it!

OK here is the delema.
My boys are ages 5 and almost 3........my young one does NOT nap well out!
So after last years trip I figured this year we would try and do all of our table serice character meals first thing in the morning to get into the parks early (we are up early anyway) get to see Mickey and all and then hit the parks for the day and head back to the room after an early dinner.
Well, I was hoping to do the dining plan, which we will pay for since we are vacation club owners.
If we eat the way we had planned we will probably break even, or maybe it would cost more for the dining plan.......it is hard to tell with the tax and tip.

So here is the question........Do we do the dining plan, and hope it doesnt cost more then it would have? Do we skip some breakfasts and add some table service dinners? Do we skip the dining plan?
If it helps I can give you our planed ADR.

Thanks so much to all you fellow Disers!

 

[The Sweetness]

I have a trip coming up next June when my little one will be 27 months.

I am not sure *now* what her schedule will be like then. I do want to buy the DDP for my fam (unless I can get my room at ASMO) discounted to $50 based on being FL residents (not likely).

So anyway, 180 days before my vaca, I will make ADRs for dinner, and maybe for lunch as well. A month prior to my trip, I should be able to tell if Ariel will make it to dinner at 5ish. If she is, I can cancel my lunches. If she isnt, I can cancel the dinners, and make the best of TS lunches.

By the time she's 26 months, I;ll have a much better idea of how she feels. May even have a few long days out, to see how she rests in her stroller...

 

[WDWCPAlumni]

You named your daughter Ariel??? How cute!!!!! Now THAT is a true Disney Fan!

 

[DCDisney]

I'd think you'd be better off without the dining plan if you are doing character breakfasts for your TS. That way you have more flexibility anyway too. The days we ate character meals we barely spent more than the plan cost except for having the 4 desserts with our CS which added a lot to the price but we didn't really need. We did have half the days though where we had very expensive TS meals which made it worthwhile for us. When our kids were 4 and 6 we ate very oddly and snacked much more which wouldn't have balanced out with the dining plan--some days we were only in the parks from 9-1 and then would go back and swim/rest for a few hours before going back to the parks from about 5-8. Last year at 6 and 8 we could do the nicer restaurants and the kids actually both ate at mealtimes so we didn't have to stop for snacks all the time.

Yvonne