Hi Michelle,
I think your HS plans sound better. I don't think you wil have problem getting seats without the package. I would do the same thing, eat while you wait

for the show. Yes the DDP can be a pain, the last night I wanted to skip dinner because we were tired and wanted more rest and pool time. But we had 6 TS credits we needed to use still so we had to go to our dinner ressie. I called the dining line and could not change times or restaurants or anything because it was so booked up. Also we have always been happy with The Plaza, good food there. Tell Samantha not to worry about SM, it's not as scary as EE or TOT. Kaylee finally rode everything this trip

too. Her favorite is RnRC and she even likes Splash now

. Looking forward to see all the goodies you bought for the trip. Just 2 more days

. Hope you have fun!!!