C.M.
When we went we did the dining plan. YES you do save money, but it may or may not be worth the money you save,
We got the 2 Quick Service meal plan plus snacks. With a child, they have to order off the child's menu, which is very limited. My daughter was very picky at the time, and she wanted the ADULT food because there were more choices. The children's meals were things like hotdogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, tacos, etc. After a few days, she got tired of that type of menu.
Every meal comes with a dessert. Who can eat that much sugar? We ended up opting for desserts you can carry with you, and sometimes we even gave them away. I saw one dad with 2 kids who wanted dessert and he was all tired and frazzled and said "no, I can't afford to get you dessert right now." So we gave him our desserts (they are individually wrapped). He was so thankful!
Snacks were OK, but too much. I liked that you could get ice cream with them. We usually got one drink and one ice cream with our snack options.
Our favorite place to eat was in Downtown Disney and I can't even remember the name. We could use our meal plan there, and we got a great dinner!
If we ever go back, we are not doing the dining plan. I'd almost rather cook my own! The food was greasy like fast food. We eat very healthy at home so our bodies were NOT used to all that grease and sugar. Combined with the heat and walking around--we didn't feel so good.
Good luck, have fun!
Also, go to www.mousesavers.com. There are some super tips there! Especially on how to save money on eating.