I am going to Disney World. Get a room with a kitchen or out to eat for everything?

I am going to Disney World this fall, I have a few options–stay at the military resort for about $350 (6nights 7 days) and pay for all meals separately (military resort actually has decent breakfast and dinner buffet prices), or rent a room at an actual Disney resort with a kitchen and make our food. I can actually get a 1 bdr villa for about $1600. I can’t buy dining plans when staying at the military resort. I could also get a basic room at another resort for about $900. I need advice! PLZ! Travelling with me will be my husband and we have a 3 year old daughter and 11 year old son.
From what I have read, my son can’t eat of the children’s menu because childrens menu is 3-9 or 10, and after all the energy he will burn I don’t think a kid’s menu will fill him. I really dont’ know what it costs to eat AT disney, I look at restaurants and they just have price ranges.

This may help you – http://www.allears.net/menu/menus.htm This site has all the menus with actual prices, not just ranges. I guess it depends on if you will actually be making your food. We always stay off-property and rent a house (a whole lot bigger and cheaper than a 1 bedroom villa). And we offset the cost of having to drive ourselves and pay for parking by eating breakfast in the house always, and by having dinner there a few times. So that’s just another option you might not have thought of.

Anyway, if you are truly going to feel like cooking meals every day, then it may be better to get the villa. But if you are like most people and you go to the parks all day long, then you may be too exhausted to cook. Usually, I think that if you are going to stay at Disney, it will be cheaper for you to just purchase a dining plan. Your son would be on the plan as an adult. There are different options depending on what you want to eat.

5 bdr villa