I am reading all the blogs about booking your dinner reservations months in advance - do you really need to be that organised that you know which park you will be in each day months in advance? Can I book the morning of each day, or is that just too late?:veryconfu
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how do you know which park you will be in to book your restaurant?
- Thread starter kate'nkaren
- Start date
Cactusspade
New Member
Book that morning? LOL, most places get booked up months in advance. I wouldn't risk it. That is what is tough about eating at Disney. You have to plan months in advance for table service restaurants. Now if you are just eating burgers every day, you don't need reservations for that.
MITCH 112198
Active Member
It can be too late for certain dining places. I always get a park hopper pass so it doesn't matter where I am that day. but I do book 180 in advance in insure I get the ones I want and the time I need.
coltow
Well-Known Member
YES you do need to book ahead of time. The more popular restaurants fully book up 180 days out. I always know we'll be at MK our first and last day. I then look at park hours and night show times and can kind of figure out where we will end most of the other days. We always have park hoppers and generally only book dinners so as long as I have an idea where we will end the days it makes it easier for me to plan for dinners. Also when we are unsure we book something at a resort because then we can can just head to any park after dinner.
The Reader's Digest answer is yes. The morning of is typically too late.
The long version.....It will depend on both when you are traveling and where you want to dine. Some of the more popular restaurants will be booked solid 175-180 days in advance year round. If you are traveling during peak season or during a free dining promotion you will find that this is also the case for nearly every other restaurant on property as well. During normal to value season you can usually find somewhere to dine, but your choices of times and where will be incredibly limited.
The bottom line is if you plan on eating table service at WDW you need to plan ahead.
The long version.....It will depend on both when you are traveling and where you want to dine. Some of the more popular restaurants will be booked solid 175-180 days in advance year round. If you are traveling during peak season or during a free dining promotion you will find that this is also the case for nearly every other restaurant on property as well. During normal to value season you can usually find somewhere to dine, but your choices of times and where will be incredibly limited.
The bottom line is if you plan on eating table service at WDW you need to plan ahead.
real mad hatter
Well-Known Member
A Must Do!
Well were from UK and our ticket has the park hopper which is a must for us.So it makes it simple,if my ADR is for Via Napoli at 8.00 pm then we will be at Epcot that evening.Simples eh!:wave:
Well were from UK and our ticket has the park hopper which is a must for us.So it makes it simple,if my ADR is for Via Napoli at 8.00 pm then we will be at Epcot that evening.Simples eh!:wave:
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
^^^
Yes and no. If you happen to be in a different park or decide on the fly you don't really want to hop over just for a meal then it can be problematic. Plus, some parks have more of a variety of TS options (Epcot) so you don't want to inadvertently land in Epcot several evenings in a row. I try to look at Touringplans and the crowd calendars and EMHs, make a guess-timation of where we might be from day to day (not specific attractions, just general park choices), then work my list of desired meals according to that. It's mental gymastics sometimes trying to factor in having stayed out late the night before so don't do early breakfasts the next day, etc. but it works. I don't enjoy having to do this and in a perfect world would love to be able to make my ADRs the day of. It's not unusual for me to cancel ADRs the day of just because we don't end up where I thought we would. Obviously this means I'll not be booking those credit card guarantee eateries much anymore. LOL!
Yes and no. If you happen to be in a different park or decide on the fly you don't really want to hop over just for a meal then it can be problematic. Plus, some parks have more of a variety of TS options (Epcot) so you don't want to inadvertently land in Epcot several evenings in a row. I try to look at Touringplans and the crowd calendars and EMHs, make a guess-timation of where we might be from day to day (not specific attractions, just general park choices), then work my list of desired meals according to that. It's mental gymastics sometimes trying to factor in having stayed out late the night before so don't do early breakfasts the next day, etc. but it works. I don't enjoy having to do this and in a perfect world would love to be able to make my ADRs the day of. It's not unusual for me to cancel ADRs the day of just because we don't end up where I thought we would. Obviously this means I'll not be booking those credit card guarantee eateries much anymore. LOL!
JillC LI
Well-Known Member
As other have said, yes if you don't want to get closed out of the most desired places, especially during peak season and during peak times or during free dining promotions.
I actually LOVE all the planning that goes into the trip. I love having something Disney-related to keep me busy when I can't be there yet. I love checking the park hours months in advance, checking the crowd levels, deciding which parks to attend which days, and then choosing which restaurants I want to try and where they would best fit into my touring plans. I absolutely love every minute of it and don't find it at all to be a burden. That said, Compulsive Planner is my middle name. :lol:
JIMINYCR
Well-Known Member
We plan which parks we will be in by first checking out Touring Plans Crowd Calendar to get an idea of which parks on which days will be less crowded. We then make our ADR accordingly. We always purchase park hopper passes so if we have to hop to another park because we find it too buzy, we will hop back later for our dining reserved spot.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the world of the Disney Dining Plan.
Short answer, yes, because table service restaruants are in such high demand now, you need to book them pretty close to 180 days out.
Yeah, it really does take some of the flexibility out of a vacation.
-dave
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
Believe it or not, I used to be the exact same way. Loved the thrill of immersing my brain in all the details. Spreadsheets, etc. It was my thing. It's been sorta surprising to me in a way how I've come to this point where I loathe the process. I hate all the mental gymnastics of it. Then thinking and rethinking things continually, adjusting and tweeking as park hours or crowd predictions change. If there was ever a good use of the phrase "I'm over it" this would be the perfect thing for it with me. Totally mystifies me considering how out-of-my-mind in love I once was with the process. I guess if anything it's a true testament to how we all evolve as people and how that reflects in unexpected areas of life.
I can honestly say that the crazy planning requirement aspect of WDW vacationing has also evolved into a negative for me. One thing that DOES appeal in going other places now, DL & Disney cruises included, is that it's not a necessary evil. I can relax before AND during my vacations.
I do wonder if anyone else has had this little mental/emotional journey in the Disney-oober-planning of their lives. It sounds so silly when you type it out but it's a legit thought. :hammer: I think. :lookaroun
wolf359
Well-Known Member
I usually pre-plan my park days first, based on the Extra Magic Hours I want to attend and then make dining reservations around that. Now that park hours are out 6+ months in advance it isn't hard to come up with a rough plan of where I'd like to be each day and make some reservations based on that.
I think there's a fine line between over and under-planning, but I've not had too much of a problem finding a happy medium that allows some flexibility while still eating places I like and spending the right amount of time in each park.
I think there's a fine line between over and under-planning, but I've not had too much of a problem finding a happy medium that allows some flexibility while still eating places I like and spending the right amount of time in each park.
ThinkTink721
Well-Known Member
I would definitely book 180 days in advance for any TS restaurants.
There is hope if you do decide to book later...
One year my in-laws went with us. They missed a TS meal & we were able to book them the Hoop Dee Doo dinner show at the last minute.
We were also able to get a last minute reservation for Donald's Safari Breakfast at the Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom for some friends that went with us one year.
There is hope if you do decide to book later...
One year my in-laws went with us. They missed a TS meal & we were able to book them the Hoop Dee Doo dinner show at the last minute.
We were also able to get a last minute reservation for Donald's Safari Breakfast at the Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom for some friends that went with us one year.
Hotel, Airline and car company are the only thing I love to get booked.
Crush Dude!
Back from WDW!Counting down to DLP in November!
It Has To Be Done!
Its all Part Of The Fun!!
Love planning it all out!
That said it isnt too bad for us, coming from Ireland our tickets include hopper so i look at parks that we want to hit EMH's on and then the days that we dont and we plan our ADR's around it!
Just finished booking 3 weeks of ADR's :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
Its all Part Of The Fun!!
Love planning it all out!
That said it isnt too bad for us, coming from Ireland our tickets include hopper so i look at parks that we want to hit EMH's on and then the days that we dont and we plan our ADR's around it!
Just finished booking 3 weeks of ADR's :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
we plan our adr's around what park we will be in that day which we choose based mainly on park hours sometimes to do emh sometimes to avoid them, sometimes around special events like mnsshp. we then pick a restaurant either inside that park or at a resort nearby. we do boardwalk and surrounding resort restaurants when we've been at dhs or the monorail loop and wl venues when we're doing a day at mk. when we go in the winter when the parks close earlier we often plan a late dinner so we do a park, get cleaned up and finish the evening out to dinner but this is usually an 830pm or later meal and usually when we go without young children. when we go in the summer we like to head back to the resort around 2-3pm chill out get cleaned up have a 5 or 6pm dinner often at or near our resort then go from there to a late night at a park.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Yes
Even without dining, you will want to have at least a skeleton plan in place. Where you want to start your day, where you want to end your day. You make those choices based on things like
- park hours
- key entertainment offerings (Fantasmic!, Fireworks, etc)
- how much time you plan on dedicating to each park
A lot of people plan their first few days, and then leave later days to flex to what you want.
If you are only planning one meal a day for table service, it's not as bad as you think. But if you are planning multiple table service meals a day, it really does lock you in a bit more.
Moving between the parks can be 'expensive' in time/energy.. so most people don't go back and forth between parks multiple times in a single day - tho it can be done. The 'start the day here, then end the day there' is a formula that is do-able by most.
Keep in mind things like Fantasmic may not be playing every night.. so people plan around those and Extra Magic Hours (to participate.. or avoid!).
Those are the factors that help people layout basic plans. No need to micromanage the trip.. but knowing WHERE you are going is something you typically want to plan out ahead.
BamaDisneyFan
Active Member
When I plan our Disney vacation. I plan it to know which park we go to on which day. When I go to make my reservations I base it on that , and if a certain date/time is not available, I change my itinerary to accommodate my dining plans. Its really simple and it saves a lot of time and hassle.
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
A Disney World vacation isn't like other vacations. The popularity of the venue combined with the Dining Plan [free or otherwise] create a necessity to plan in advance to get the most out of your vacation.
Some enjoy it, some hate it, but it's become a fact of life.
That said, it doesn't have to be as restrictive as some have made it out to be. We vacation two or more times a year at WDW and we do plan six months out, but only minimally. I look at park hours for the four parks and generally try to work out a park schedule based on avoiding EMH parks but getting the most out of each park otherwise. Then I look at restaurants in or near the park I've chosen for each day and book them as soon as I can. But that's usually the extent of our pre-planning unless we've booked a tour or Cirque show. If we decide a given park is too crowded or has too many rides down, we'll switch to another park and decide then if we want to return for our restaurant ADR or cancel it and either try another restaurant nearer wherever we end up or just have QS instead [we very rarely choose QS, but that's just us].
I sometimes wish Disney did a better job of letting vacationers know in advance how difficult it is to vacation without some long-term planning. I feel for the people who arrive without knowing "the system" and end up getting turned away from virtually every restaurant in WDW. I certainly wouldn't be happy having to survive of QS!
Some enjoy it, some hate it, but it's become a fact of life.
That said, it doesn't have to be as restrictive as some have made it out to be. We vacation two or more times a year at WDW and we do plan six months out, but only minimally. I look at park hours for the four parks and generally try to work out a park schedule based on avoiding EMH parks but getting the most out of each park otherwise. Then I look at restaurants in or near the park I've chosen for each day and book them as soon as I can. But that's usually the extent of our pre-planning unless we've booked a tour or Cirque show. If we decide a given park is too crowded or has too many rides down, we'll switch to another park and decide then if we want to return for our restaurant ADR or cancel it and either try another restaurant nearer wherever we end up or just have QS instead [we very rarely choose QS, but that's just us].
I sometimes wish Disney did a better job of letting vacationers know in advance how difficult it is to vacation without some long-term planning. I feel for the people who arrive without knowing "the system" and end up getting turned away from virtually every restaurant in WDW. I certainly wouldn't be happy having to survive of QS!