We are taking our first disney trip and we are definitely choosing to do a dining plan. My children are ages 11, 7, 3 and 1. My question is should we do the QS dining or the Plus dining?
We ALWAYS do Plus! It is an extremely good value. You get 3 sit downs and 2 snack credits per NIGHT of your stay. It leaves it so you can spread it out and get a meal or 2 in on your last DAY. You can take advantage of character breakfasts and get some of the great restaurant experiences in as well. You can use credits towards QS. i don't advise this but I do know people who do it for time saving not money saving efforts. Every time we have done the dining plan we practically make money on our stay ( per se). Use your snack credits wisely and you are golden!
If your kids want to do character meals then adding the DDP might be an option. You would have to look at the menus and prices here on the DIS or on allears to see. The prices have increased dramatically in the past few years while removing covered components (appetizer, tip) so a dining plan might not be right for you if you planned to do only one or 2 TS. If you like a sit down meal every day you would have to run the numbers. That is the only way to decide, imo.
There are different plans to choose from. The regular DDP which is 1 TS, 1 CS and 1 snack per night.
DxDP is the plan with 3 meal entitlements (TS or CS) and 2 snacks per night.