Back to the dining plan discussion!  My family loves the dining plan.  Why?  The pure convienience of it is wonderful!  I love that we can just go on vacation and not have to worry about anything. 
So, what plan do we get?...
The regular dining plan is the winner!  This is the plan that includes 1 table service, 1 quick service, 1 snack, and 1 mug for each family member per night.  We get this because the table service credit can be used for character meals and other sit-down meals.  Character meals are great for families with a lot of kids.  They provide entertainment and you don't have to worry if your kids are a little loud. 
A lot of people wonder if this is enough food and believe me- IT IS!  We have always had extra snack credits left at the end and I've never had anyone say that they have been hungry! 
In the next few days I'll write about how we go about picking what places to eat.  Stay tuned!

A little detour from the dining plan discussion to say that today Disney announced some "dates" for new openings.  Think of this as a teaser really because no real dates were given.  I mean what does "holiday" time really mean?  November/December?  Who knows! 
Oh well, I'm really considering changing our trip now.  I might try to find dates in December so that we may catch some of the new things. 
What new things you say?  Well, the Beauty and the Beast restaurant, the Little Mermaid Ride, and the Test Track re-opening (which lools really different and really cool!)  Oh, decisions, decisions! 

Topic for today- Dining Plan!  First of all, I have to say that I am a little biased about this.  We have done the dining plan for the past 4 visits and I really love it!  What is not to like about not having to worry about paying for food while on vacation?
Let's start off with the facts.  The Disney Dining Plan is available to those staying at a Disney Resort who also have tickets on their package (the only exception is those in the DVC).  It is available in 3 plans.  The Quick Service plan gives 2 quick service meals, 1 snack, and 1 refillable resort mug per person per night of your stay.  The next step up is the Regular Dining Plan.  This gives each guest 1 counter service, 1 table service, 1 snack, and 1 refillable mug.  The big one is the Deluxe Plan.  This one pulls out all the stops and each guest gets 3 meals per day (Table Service or Quick Service), 2 snacks, and a mug. 
Quick Service, or Counter Service, credits are for the fast-food places around the "world" and the Table Service are the sit-down restaurants, this includes the various character meals available.  Snack credits can be used for a wide variety of things, such as drinks, pastries, pretzels, ice cream, etc.
Also worth noting, the refillable mug is only for use at your resort, not the parks.

What do we do?  Read tomorrow to find out!

Yesterday was the day!  We booked our November vacation!  We decided to book a long vacation and then trim down if necessary for any pins/codes (praying for Free Dining!).  What resort did we book?  Drumroll please............ The Art of Animation!!!  We decided that we really want to stay at this resort, so I booked 2 standard rooms in the Little Mermaid section.  That being said, it will probably change based on cost if we don't get a pin.  Stick around to see what happens!
 It would have been great if they had standard rooms in the Cars section, but only family suites there.
What is next?  Trying to figure out our dining reservations!    
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Well, we are at a stand-still about where to stay!  It will definetly be 2 rooms at a value resort.  Which value is anyone's guess!  Is it worth it to pay more to stay at the new resort? 
The boys want to stay at All-Star Sports.  I want to stay at Pop Century or Art of Animation.  Oh, what to do?  If it was all the same price it would be so much easier!  At least they are all now going to have free refrigerators.  That will help for breakfast.
All I know is we need to decide soon.  What would you do?

Ok, so onward with the planning!  Guess what I found out?  Not all values are priced the same!  I could have sworn that the last time I looked they were!  The cheapest option for us (a family of 7) is 2 rooms at one of the All-Star Resorts.  Next, is 2 rooms at Pop Century and then 2 rooms at the new Art of Animation Resort.  This resort looks like so much fun!  It is themed with Lion King, Cars, Nemo, and Little Mermaid.  Most of this resort is family suites, but they do have standard rooms in the Little Mermaid section.  I've attached a picture of this newest Disney Resort. 
All that being said, I would LOVE to stay here for our November trip!  But, the question is- is it worth it to spend more on a resort that is still in the value category? 
For us, it makes the most sense to get the cheapest option.  Why?  Well, we just don't spend too much time at the resort.  We wake up early and get to the bus to a park and don't usually come back until it's time for bed.  So, as much as I would love to stay at the Art of Animation, it's probably just not worth it.  Maybe we'll just visit it!

We've finally decided that we are going to go to WDW in November again.  (Really hoping for some kind of deal, especially Free Dining!) This has worked well for us in the past, although it has been getting more crowded.  The kids will only have to miss 4 days of school and they will have 1 week off when we get back to finish up work.  I know a lot of people do not want to pull their kids out of school, but for our family it works better to do this.  I think if you had a child who was struggling, it might not be the best choice.  Every family has to do what they think is best. 
Now, on to trying to decide what resort to stay at!  My next post will look at the options for our family of 7.

Hi everyone and welcome to my very first post on WDW for Big Families!! I'm really excited to start this blog and share our experience and find out how other big families visit the most magical place on Earth- Walt Disney World!

I'm going to start by sharing my story. I am a stay-at-home mom with a wonderful husband and 5 very special children (don't all parents say that about their kids? :-) We started going to Walt Disney World in 2008 and have gone every since. We love it there! (I think they put something addictive in the air!) We have always stayed on site and love the Disney Dining Plan! It makes it feel like an all-inclusive vacation!

We learn more every year and each vacation is unique in it's own way. We are starting to plan our trip for this year and can't wait to go again.

I hope you'll join me as I talk about our planning process and any news that will help us along the way. Feel free to comment! Let's share our experiences!