We like to join Tables in Wonderland (either through Florida residency or by being an Annual Passholder). It gives 20% off everything, including wine, beer and cocktails, which really only ends up paying the tip, but having Disney pay the tip is great.
Share everything -- appetizers, entrees and desserts. Disney portions are usually adequate for sharing. Disney restaurants will split items in the kitchen if you'd like.
If you have children ages 10-12 or so, avoid buffets and family-style restaurants (unless you absolutely must do a character meal). Disney charges a full adult price of around $25 for a 10-year-old. When our boys were 10-12 or so, they ate next to nothing, so we would do one character meal and then focus on table service restaurants thereafter, where we could order them a children's meal with no hassle.
I find counter service meals generally to be very expensive for quality that runs the gamut from pretty good to inedible. So, we do not do much counter service, except for the couple of places we particularly like, including Peco Bill's at MK and Wolfgang Puck express at DownTown Disney. If you are going to do counter service, be sure to share. Also, it's good to pick places that have a "fixin's bar" where you can get a few extras like pickles and mushrooms at a serve yourself area. Some people swear by ordering a double hamburger and paying for an extra bun. Too much trouble for us, but I guess that's an option, too.
Sometimes, we eat a large lunch and a smaller dinner as prices are usually lower at lunch. This option has largely evaporated with the advent of
DDP, however, since those who cannot get a dinner reservation want a steak option at lunch so they aren't "wasting" their Table Service credits. As a result, the dinner and lunch menus at most Disney-owed places look pretty much the same with little price difference.
Mostly, we share, share and share some more. It gives us the opportunity to try lots of places without getting overly full and, we hope, without gaining too much weight.
