WDW dining question - not the dining plan

[mamanurse]

So far, we are booked for the land/sea package. We're looking to see if we can book separately in order to get the DDP, but rates for 2008 are not out yet.

So, for now, we will be at various parts of WDW parks for 3 days. I'm attempting to schedule our days and eat where we're near at meal times.

My plan is for us to grab something in the room for breakfast, eat a good early lunch, then a good early dinner, with maybe a snack later.

I don't want to spend a fortune as there are 5 of us and we're all 16 years and older, but I'd like to throw in a couple of special meals.

What are your suggestions? Are there decent quickie lunch places, or should our special meals be for lunch, or on the end of late-lunch (4 p.m. or so)?

How in the world do I decide where we should eat so that I can get ADRs?

I've printed a package of all the restaurants, not including the snack bars and such for my family to peruse and mark where they'd like to go. It's overwhelming to look at all of them and decide.

When we went before, the kids were itty-bitty. We did one character breakfast and no other special meals. I don't want a majority of our budget to go to eating, but that is part of the fun and want it to be included.

Am I making ANY sense?

 

[dawn8226]

If you want to save money but still do a couple of table service meals, I suggest eating those meals for lunch. Lunch prices are less then dinner. I guess it just depends on whether you feel like eating a bigger meal for lunch. You could eat a smaller breakfast, big lunch, then counter service for supper (then you could have supper whenever you get hungry after having had a big lunch). If you have big eaters (since you kids are 16+ this is probably the case) try a buffet so they can eat as much as they want.
I have been struggling with the same thing, we are also doing a land/sea cruise. I didn't really care that the dining plan wasn't available since it seemed to me the plan wouldn't be worth it for our family anyway (we don't eat a lot of appetizers or desserts with our meals). My daughter will be 11 when we go on our trip and so I will have to pay an adult price for her. I have printed off copies of the menus from the different restaurants I think she will be interested in (she is picky so it is pretty easy) and let her choose. Here is a link to the menus http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm .
Have fun planning.