wow, holy cow, what a lot of info!!
I had no idea that the dining plan was so expensive and restrictive! I've been trying to look up the rules of it... can anyone give it to me in a summarized version? So... it would be cheaper for us to just go get food whenever we needed to?
When I say that the Dining plan is restrictive, what I mean is that it ties you down to your ADR's (Advanced dining reservations). MANY people don't understand or know that if you want to eat at a sit down restaurant at WDW (either at the hotels or the parks) you NEED to make advanced reservations, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-6 months in advance (which would be NOW for your trip in April...). Without an ADR, you can't just walk up and give them your name and wait for a table. Most places won't even take your name...they book up almost every day for every time slot. WDW is a busy place. So, that means that you have to make reservations, months in advance, for meals that will happen during your stay. For example, you may make an ADR for dinner one night at 7pm. Fast forward to that night...you kids might be starving at 5pm...so you get them a snack, then they are not hungry at dinner time, then you order them food that they don't eat, and you waste your credit. It happens all the time. Or, you might all find that your reservation that you made 4 months ago for a lunch at 12:30 comes and no one is hungry because you ended up waking late that day and had a late breakfast. This is what I mean about being restricted. It leaves very little to spontenaity.
The way the plan works (very basic outline here) is that you get, for each person in your party, and for each NIGHT of your stay ONE counter service meal credit, ONE table service meal credit, and ONE snack credit per day. This still leaves one meal that you must pay for out of pocket. For most people, this is breakfast. You cannot exchange table service credits for counter service credits, and vice versa. So, if you were going for 5 nights, each person would have to eat 5 sit down meals and 5 counter service meals at some point during your trip. It's VERY hard for many people to eat as much food as the dining plan covers, since it is a lot of food, especially for kids. You might get tired after about day 3 of the same routine of spending a bunch of time in a restaurant with restless kids. On the dining plan, you eat well, but that takes time, and if you're going primarily to be doing rides/attractions in the parks, a better use of your time is to eat wherever and whenever you happen to be when your hunger strikes. It is a pain to try to plan your trip around where you need to be at mealtimes...
The dining plan will save you money, but ONLY if you really understand how to use it to its full advantage. The thing is, when you get the dining plan, you HAVE to book a package through Disney at THEIR price(room, tickets, dining plan). You CANNOT apply many discounts to these packages, so you are stuck paying "rack rate" for the hotel room and tickets (which you shouldn't do since you can get them through your base ITT office or Shades of Green ticket office for a discount). The amount you "save" on the dining plan is offset by the fact that you pay full price for your room and tickets. The dining plan, in my opinion, is ONLY a good deal when it's offered for "free" in September...
Also, you will find that, in Disney, it's hard to eat full heavy meals. Splitting meals is an economical and wise decision at WDW. You won't feel like you need to be rolled out of the restaurant, yet you will still get the Disney dining "experience" of enjoying some of their awesome restaurants. Plus, you will save money.
FYI, Shades of Green WILL allow 5 adults plus one child under 3 in a standard room. Since you have 3 kids and your mother is coming, I'd suggest two standard rooms, just for the extra bathroom and space. A standard room will cost you either $89, $111 or $119, depending on pay grade. Even at the
highest pay grade two standard rooms will be LESS than the All Star Family suite and will theoretically sleep 10 people!!! They will guarantee connecting rooms at Shades of Green if there are more adults than children...
Also, if your husband is eligible for the R&R discount, the room will be 20% off, and there's NO tax...(Disney charges a total of 17% tax on the rooms...11% "resort" tax and 6% Florida state tax).
I would call Shades of Green immediately. Since you're close to your travel time, they *may* be booked and if so, you can ask for "overflow" rates at the WDW hotels. It can be up to 40% off, in some cases...
This is from
www.shadesofgreen.org:
The Shades of Green Resort is offering OEF/OIF U.S. Military and DoD Civilian a special Florida Vacation!
The Shades of Green invites our U.S. Troops from all services and DoD personnel serving a minimum of 12 consecutive months in an OEF/OIF location and their dependant children the opportunity for a special "R&R" vacation on Walt Disney World® Resort. The package offers a 20% discount on all available room categories, breakfast and dinner buffets in our Garden Gallery Restaurant. Limited to a one time use and ranges from a 4 to 7 consecutive night package. Please contact our Reservations Department for questions on eligibility.
This special offer can be used during your block R&R leave or up to one year after the end of your tour. Your DA Form 31 and mobilization orders will be required at time of check in.
Please call our Reservations Department at 1-888-593-2242. Eligible personnel must mention that they are part of the U.S. OEF/OIF on R&R or Block Leave program.
Our Reservations Department is open Monday through Friday from 0830-1700hours eastern time and is closed on all Federal Holidays 
